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A review by ejfisch
Beyond the Wall, Books One and Two by Lucas Bale
5.0
When this 2-in-1 book was first released, I thought it was a little odd to only include the first two books when there were already 3 in the series. But at the time, I'd only read Book 1, and now I totally understand. Books 1 and 2 feature two totally different groups of characters doing totally different things, but the further you read, the more you realize the different stories are eventually going to come together and become one, and I certainly can't wait to find out what happens when that time comes! Overall rating is 4.5 stars but I'm rounding up because the rest this series is bound to be awesome.
MY REVIEW OF THE HERETIC (4 STARS)
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First off, wonderful cover art. It totally encapsulates the story!
I've seen this book/series floating around for awhile and finally decided to give it a try. I found it to be very well-written and really enjoyed the descriptions of the environments the characters were living in. All the various environments are one of my favorite things about reading sci fi - almost every author has some sort of unique idea for the settings in their stories. This wasn't your typical far-future sci fi where everyone lives in these sparkling, intricate cities with cutting-edge technology. The technology is still there to an extent, but if anything, this seemed like a more realistic representation of what life could potentially be like if humanity was ever able to expand into other planetary systems. People struggle to get by out on the edges of space, all while living in almost constant fear of the governing entity that rose to power by questionable means.
In that sense, the story reminded me a lot of Firefly (and I laughed when I saw the show mentioned in the acknowledgements at the end). But there were other elements that reminded me of other sci fi I've come to love over the years. Shepherd was essentially Han-Solo-meets-Mal-Reynolds (and let it be known that I've fan-cast a slightly-taller Sam Worthington to play him). I'm excited to find out a little more background information about both his ship and the preacher!
And can I just say that the diagrams of Soteria at the end of the book were super awesome?
MY REVIEW OF DEFIANCE (5 STARS)
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I've had the entire Beyond the Wall series gathering dust on my Kindle for a while now. I finally got around to reading Book 1, The Heretic, back over the summer and was impressed enough that I knew I'd eventually want to continue the series. Many readers have likened it to Firefly (may it rest in peace) and I couldn't agree more.
I was inspired to pick the series back up and start Defiance after reading Bale's installment in the recent speculative fiction anthology, Crime and Punishment. I was pleased to find that the book started out with a recap of everything that had happened in The Heretic, since it had been long enough since I'd read it that I was afraid I'd forgotten some of the important details. Then my eyes narrowed a little when I read the disclaimer that this book would be featuring an entirely new cast of characters and would not be a direct continuation of Book 1. No, I thought, I wanted to find out what happens. But I shrugged and pressed on anyway.
And I'm glad I did.
Those of you who know me and my writing could probably guess that I have a soft spot for bounty hunter/assassin-type characters and characters with red eyes, so when Defiance introduced us to two new characters with these traits, I got really excited. I was still a little disappointed that I wouldn't get to find out what was happening with Shepherd, the preacher, and the other characters from the first book, but Weaver and Natasha both captured my attention right off the bat. I should also mention that I have a soft spot for stories where characters -- especially equally-skilled characters -- are hunting each other (yeah, I'm kind of a morbid freak), so I found that dynamic really interesting. Natasha is intelligent and resourceful. Weaver is jaded and calculating. Both are inherently human and are therefore captivating and likable.
The story begins as sort of a classic cat-and-mouse detective story, with Weaver searching for Natasha after she committed a murder. He's always been very by-the-book, but the more he learns throughout his investigation, the more he begins to question everything he believes in. I found that interesting, having him be a member of the group that was (and still is) essentially the "bad guys" in the first book; you still find yourself rooting for him, but you're not necessarily hoping he fulfills his mission. You're hoping he learns the truth. Similarly, while evading her relentless pursuer(s), Natasha realizes she got more than she bargained for. Both characters end up attempting to uncover deadly secrets -- the same deadly secrets -- and their very lives depend on their ability to do so.
(I also have a soft spot for deadly secrets)
As with Book 1, Defiance leaves off on a bit of a cliffhanger as these two characters' worlds finally collide (almost, anyway). Bits and pieces of information were revealed that hint at tie-ins with The Heretic and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how the whole story ends up coming together. But being as there's a fourth book in the works, I'm not sure if that's going to happen in Book 3 or not. I guess I just need to go find out ;)
This series was crafted very much like Hugh Howey's Silo trilogy, with the first two books introducing two seemingly separate stories that are finally connected in the final installment -- or in this case, installments. That definitely takes a lot of care and discipline on Bale's part. And now, since I have to work the word "spiffing" into this review just to annoy him.... Spiffing plot structure, sir!
MY REVIEW OF THE HERETIC (4 STARS)
---------------------------------------
First off, wonderful cover art. It totally encapsulates the story!
I've seen this book/series floating around for awhile and finally decided to give it a try. I found it to be very well-written and really enjoyed the descriptions of the environments the characters were living in. All the various environments are one of my favorite things about reading sci fi - almost every author has some sort of unique idea for the settings in their stories. This wasn't your typical far-future sci fi where everyone lives in these sparkling, intricate cities with cutting-edge technology. The technology is still there to an extent, but if anything, this seemed like a more realistic representation of what life could potentially be like if humanity was ever able to expand into other planetary systems. People struggle to get by out on the edges of space, all while living in almost constant fear of the governing entity that rose to power by questionable means.
In that sense, the story reminded me a lot of Firefly (and I laughed when I saw the show mentioned in the acknowledgements at the end). But there were other elements that reminded me of other sci fi I've come to love over the years. Shepherd was essentially Han-Solo-meets-Mal-Reynolds (and let it be known that I've fan-cast a slightly-taller Sam Worthington to play him). I'm excited to find out a little more background information about both his ship and the preacher!
And can I just say that the diagrams of Soteria at the end of the book were super awesome?
MY REVIEW OF DEFIANCE (5 STARS)
---------------------------------------
I've had the entire Beyond the Wall series gathering dust on my Kindle for a while now. I finally got around to reading Book 1, The Heretic, back over the summer and was impressed enough that I knew I'd eventually want to continue the series. Many readers have likened it to Firefly (may it rest in peace) and I couldn't agree more.
I was inspired to pick the series back up and start Defiance after reading Bale's installment in the recent speculative fiction anthology, Crime and Punishment. I was pleased to find that the book started out with a recap of everything that had happened in The Heretic, since it had been long enough since I'd read it that I was afraid I'd forgotten some of the important details. Then my eyes narrowed a little when I read the disclaimer that this book would be featuring an entirely new cast of characters and would not be a direct continuation of Book 1. No, I thought, I wanted to find out what happens. But I shrugged and pressed on anyway.
And I'm glad I did.
Those of you who know me and my writing could probably guess that I have a soft spot for bounty hunter/assassin-type characters and characters with red eyes, so when Defiance introduced us to two new characters with these traits, I got really excited. I was still a little disappointed that I wouldn't get to find out what was happening with Shepherd, the preacher, and the other characters from the first book, but Weaver and Natasha both captured my attention right off the bat. I should also mention that I have a soft spot for stories where characters -- especially equally-skilled characters -- are hunting each other (yeah, I'm kind of a morbid freak), so I found that dynamic really interesting. Natasha is intelligent and resourceful. Weaver is jaded and calculating. Both are inherently human and are therefore captivating and likable.
The story begins as sort of a classic cat-and-mouse detective story, with Weaver searching for Natasha after she committed a murder. He's always been very by-the-book, but the more he learns throughout his investigation, the more he begins to question everything he believes in. I found that interesting, having him be a member of the group that was (and still is) essentially the "bad guys" in the first book; you still find yourself rooting for him, but you're not necessarily hoping he fulfills his mission. You're hoping he learns the truth. Similarly, while evading her relentless pursuer(s), Natasha realizes she got more than she bargained for. Both characters end up attempting to uncover deadly secrets -- the same deadly secrets -- and their very lives depend on their ability to do so.
(I also have a soft spot for deadly secrets)
As with Book 1, Defiance leaves off on a bit of a cliffhanger as these two characters' worlds finally collide (almost, anyway). Bits and pieces of information were revealed that hint at tie-ins with The Heretic and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how the whole story ends up coming together. But being as there's a fourth book in the works, I'm not sure if that's going to happen in Book 3 or not. I guess I just need to go find out ;)
This series was crafted very much like Hugh Howey's Silo trilogy, with the first two books introducing two seemingly separate stories that are finally connected in the final installment -- or in this case, installments. That definitely takes a lot of care and discipline on Bale's part. And now, since I have to work the word "spiffing" into this review just to annoy him.... Spiffing plot structure, sir!