Review - Plague ForgeReview by Paul Fiander
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Author; Jason M. Hough
Published by; Titan Books |
This review will be for the third part of the trilogy, but I would really recommend if this piece intrigues you, to go back and read the first two parts. The books form the complete so are not self contained and even though you are able to quickly get the broader picture of what’s going on thanks to conversations between characters you miss the subtlety of their development throughout the story.
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For those who are familiar with the site we love to embrace both games and books in all their forms. However the author of the Dire Earth Cycle Jason M. Hough has bridged these mediums to an even greater extent. The former game designer started writing the series as a hobby in 2008 and then in July of this year he released the first part of the series The Darwin Elevator. The reason the date is key is that the second part of the series The Exodus Towers was released in August and then Plague Forge came in September. This kind of quick fire nature of the releases is a breath of fresh air, as a fan of A Song of Fire and Ice series I know patience, pretty much half my life has been spent waiting to find out the fate of Westeros. However with the Dire Earth Cycle trilogy you really did not have time to wait because as soon as you finished one book the next one was just around the corner. I hope this is the way forward for many publishers as I think it will help readers to gain greater understanding of the worlds created within series like this.
The story is set in 2285 and is played out over a short period of time, the 22nd of March to the 2nd of April. This truncated time scale means everything is done at a rate of knots within the story but instead of feeling rushed you feel you are being carried along by the narrative. This is exemplified by the opening line of chapter one reads; “Seconds from Collision the Vehicle Lurched” |
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It’s a compact sentence that draws you into the action from the first moment the language is to the point and lacks fuss. There are points in the story where the author spends time expanding on the moment but these mostly act as a way to build tension especially when there is contact with the subhumans. His description of action sequences are very procedural and feel for the most part authentic. Our main character Skylar is no Rambo’s he feels the weight of his weapon and the terror of facing even one enemy. This type of human reaction makes the character relatable and again draws you into the book. If our main focal character was a behemoth who could rampage through a swarm of enemies the story would still work but I think it would have lost its soul. The fact the central players in the story feel in mortal danger at every turn helps to improve the experience.
The main plot revolves around the hunt for relics that our main focal character Skylar Luiken and his crew believe will unlock the secret to why a fallen piece of alien tech is keeping the human race alive. The search takes place over a variety of locations throughout the world and it’s nice to see places like Darwin and Belem play a prominent role. Too often authors will gravitate towards well known places in order to give the story some measure of authenticity, but in a world that has been devastated by a plague it makes sense that new areas would become the focal point for the survivors. The story has many twists and turns and questions will be asked that the crew struggle to answer with the most important one being are they doing the right thing by going on their search. The delights of which I will not spoil here but if you choose to find out for yourself you will be on a rip roaring ride as you discover all this book has to offer.
Jason M. Hough has crafted a trilogy in the dire earth series that can really compete against some of the best in the sci-fi genre. Considering this is his foray into the writing world it’s quite astounding the world he was able to create. I think the series should be read as a whole as jumping into the third book can leave you puzzling over plot points and characters. The comparisons you will read comparing this series to Joss Whedons Firefly seem justified but I hope Hough is given the opportunity to delve further into his creation then the much loved but ultimately short lived TV series was allowed to do. Overall though this is a gritty look into the future, full of fast paced action and great characters.
The main plot revolves around the hunt for relics that our main focal character Skylar Luiken and his crew believe will unlock the secret to why a fallen piece of alien tech is keeping the human race alive. The search takes place over a variety of locations throughout the world and it’s nice to see places like Darwin and Belem play a prominent role. Too often authors will gravitate towards well known places in order to give the story some measure of authenticity, but in a world that has been devastated by a plague it makes sense that new areas would become the focal point for the survivors. The story has many twists and turns and questions will be asked that the crew struggle to answer with the most important one being are they doing the right thing by going on their search. The delights of which I will not spoil here but if you choose to find out for yourself you will be on a rip roaring ride as you discover all this book has to offer.
Jason M. Hough has crafted a trilogy in the dire earth series that can really compete against some of the best in the sci-fi genre. Considering this is his foray into the writing world it’s quite astounding the world he was able to create. I think the series should be read as a whole as jumping into the third book can leave you puzzling over plot points and characters. The comparisons you will read comparing this series to Joss Whedons Firefly seem justified but I hope Hough is given the opportunity to delve further into his creation then the much loved but ultimately short lived TV series was allowed to do. Overall though this is a gritty look into the future, full of fast paced action and great characters.
Images courtesy of Titan Books
Book - Provided by Titan Books
Book - Provided by Titan Books
