Pariah (Donovan, #3) by W. Michael Gear – Review

Tags

5 stars, alien planet, Book Review, frontier planet, hybrid, scifi, W. Michael Gear

About Pariah by W. Michael Gear

The third book in the thrilling Donovan series, a sci-fi action adventure set on a treacherous alien planet where corporate threats and dangerous creatures imperil the lives of the colonists.

Corporate assassin Tamarland Benteen’s last hope is the survey ship Vixen. With a load of scientists aboard under the supervision of Dr. Dortmund Weisbacher, Vixen is tasked with the first comprehensive survey of the newly discovered planet called Donovan. Given that back in Solar System, Boardmember Radcek would have Benteen’s brain dissected, he’s particularly motivated to make his escape.

The transition that should have taken Vixen years is instantaneous. Worse, a space ship is already orbiting Donovan, and, impossibly, human settlements have been established on the planet. For Dortmund Weisbacher, this is a violation of the most basic conservation tenets. Donovan is an ecological disaster.

Down on Donovan, Talina Perez takes refuge in the ruins of Mundo Base with the wild child, Kylee Simonov. But the quetzals are playing their own deadly game: one that forces Talina and Kylee to flee farther into the wilderness. Too bad they’re stuck with Dortmund Weisbacher in the process.

Back in Port Authority, Dan Wirth discovers that he’s not the meanest or deadliest man on the planet. Tamarland Benteen is making his play for control of PA. And in the final struggle, if Benteen can’t have it, he’ll destroy it all.

**********************

Review of Pariah

Pariah is about the intense struggle between humans and all their adversaries – the hazards of space travel, alien flora and fauna, and of course, other humans. The colonization of the planet Donovan (named for the first man that was eaten by a quetzal upon landing) serves as the foundation to the gripping illustration of these human struggles. Spoiler — humanity doesn’t always win.

Throughout the series, there has been a deplorable lack of characters to empathize with. The exceptions for me are Talina and Kylee. Talina has remained the stalwart anti-heroine, but in Pariah, the quetzal TriNA in her system has her having waking dreams that are a danger to those around her. So Talina sets out for Mundo base, and hooks up with Kylee, the only other character that I empathize with. These two make an interesting team, even if they don’t quite mesh. It’s a short-term partnership. But right now, they don’t have any other options. Talina and Kylee share the quetzal connection which also makes them the most interesting characters as they grow into their hybrid status.

Shig and Yvette are not bad characters, but there is not much depth to those characters. Their background and motivation lack details. Shig is an interesting spiritual man and the story could do with a little more Shig. While these two do have critical roles in Pariah, they remain mostly in the background. In the meantime, corporate leader Kalico has grown into the leader we always hoped she could be. Still on the other side of the fence from the original settlers, but finding wisdom in working things out. She may be the one to watch in future installments.

With Pariah, two more fairly despicable characters are added to the mix. Tamarland Benteen, aka, the Scorpion. Killer, plotter, ruthless, truly evil. And Dortmund Weisbacher, the highly-educated biological conservationist with a gigantic ego and absolutely no common sense. These two make the bad guy from books 1 and 2, Dan Wirth, look like a nice guy.

Character-driven, the author has given us an amazing crowd of individuals to focus on in Pariah. But I really needed more of the book to focus on characters I liked. By the time I was done reading Pariah, I was pleased I did not have to put up the reprehensible anymore.

From the first book, this series always reminded me of the SyFy TV show Defiance. Both display a lack of city planning in the scrabbled together buildings, seemingly innocuous leader(s), security with an attitude, cash/trade business, and multiple people playing games for power in a true frontier atmosphere.

Despite the lack of characters to connect with, I still give Pariah a 5-star rating. I realize a lot of people love to hate the bad guys.  And I appreciate the fact that Donovan’s plan for success is constantly being threatened makes the story difficult to put down. Captivating, haunting, breathtaking and imaginative, Pariah is a frontier tale for the SciFi genre.

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

**********************

Links

Add Pariah to your Goodreads shelf:

Purchase Pariah:

 

**********************

 

Abandoned (Donovan, #2) by W. Michael Gear – Review

Tags

5 stars, alien planet, Book Review, excerpt, frontier planet, native-alien species, scifi, series, W. Michael Gear

About Abandoned by W. Michael Gear

The second book in a thrilling sci-fi action adventure, set on Donovan, a treacherous alien planet where corporate threats and dangerous creatures imperil the lives of the planet’s colonists.

New York Times bestselling author W. Michael Gear returns us to the world he laid out with such sure purpose in Outpost. The struggle for survival sharpens as resources dwindle, technology fails, and the grim reality of life on Donovan unfolds.

Supervisor Kalico Aguila has bet everything on a fragile settlement far south of Port Authority. There, she has carved a farm and mine out of wilderness. But Donovan is closing in. When conditions couldn’t get worse, a murderous peril descends out of Donovan’s sky–one that will leave Kalico bleeding and shattered.

Talina Perez gambles her life and reputation in a bid to atone for ruthlessly murdering a woman’s husband years ago. Ironically, saving Dya Simonov may save them all.

Lieutenant Deb Spiro is losing it, and by killing a little girl’s pet alien, she may have precipitated disaster for all. In the end, the only hope will lie with a “lost” colony, and the alien-infested reflexes possessed by Security Officer Talina Perez.

On Donovan, only human beings are more terrifying than the wildlife.

**********************

Review of Abandoned

I almost did not read this book. After I read book 1 in this series, Outpost, I was not sure I wanted to continue with the series because, to be frank, there were no characters that I felt deserving of my empathy. However, after I let the story churn around in my head for a few days, I came to realize I had invested my brain in a truly amazing story. I had to continue.

I am very glad that I did. Abandoned continues what was a fantastic mesh of individual story lines and expands it to include a critical group of people. The Mundo Research Station, though abandoned long ago, has actually been home to a group of people who have managed to live, if not in comfort, at least a substantial step above eking out a living. The Mundo people are cut off from Port Authority and they like it that way. I liked this group. Among the group is Kylee and her pet quetzal Rocket. I like Rocket for his bond with Kylee. But before you get all mushy about Rocket, you need to know that quetzals are apex predators. They eat anything they like, including humans. Also part of the Mundo group is newcomer Mark Talbot. His journey is dangerous and during it, he engaged me as the reader. He is a great character.

“Hey, did you hear me?” Talbot cried.  “I’ve been lost in the toilet-sucking forest for months.  I’m half-starved, and without my armor…”

“Such a crier.  Don’t bawl.  Follow us.  But stay back.  I don’t trust you.  And if you try anything, Rocket will know.”

“I’m not going to try anything.  And what kind of animal is Rocket, anyway?  It looks like something that tried to kill me.”

“He’s a quetzal.”  She glanced back at him as she turned away. “Don’t you know anything?”

A quetzal?

Talbot warily inspected the creature as it turned to keep pace with Kylee.  Sure enough, it was a miniature version of the thing he’d shot in the forest.

“Isn’t it a little dangerous for you to be wandering around out here in the forest?  With a, um, quetzal, no less?”

Again she shot that irritated glance over her shoulder.  “I’m not the one who walked under the nightmare.  It’s not like anyone doesn’t know about the nightmare.  He’s been there for as long as any of us remember.”

“I’m not from here. Get it?”

“As Rebecca would say, no shit.”  She was headed slightly northwest, away from the direction he was headed when he encountered the nightmare.

“Which way is Mundo Base?”

“This way.”

“How do you tell in all the trees?”

From the look she gave him, he might have been an idiot.  The quetzal hissed, the sound almost like laughter.

—–From Abandoned by W. Michael Gear.

In the meantime, supervisor Kalico is trying to set up a mining operation for the Corporation, constantly fighting the planet. Wirth is trying to run the town through his less than legit gambling operation. And Talina and the rest of her Triune are just trying to keep the peace while making sure the settlement doesn’t fall down around them. Survival on Donovan is never guaranteed. Donovan can be considered the supporting planetary character. You can never let your guard down on Donovan. Okay, I am a little mesmerized by Donovan.

These intertwined stories make Abandoned a truly compelling, complex novel. Talina, with her quetzal DNA silently egging her on, is perhaps the most interesting character. She has always had a pivotal role in the series and it continues in Abandoned. Her relationship with the people of Mundo station was critical and as a reader, I was glad to see her involve herself in it even though her past relationship with Mundo was extremely contentious. Teaching us all that life is a series of compromises, especially on a planet like Donovan.

Off planet, there is something just as intriguing going on. Freelander is the ship that just popped into orbit after being missing for three years, but actually being gone for over a century in transit.  Freelander is just plain creepy. In Abandoned, you don’t learn anything new about what happened to Freelander, but, since it did not go away, I assume that story will continue in a future book. I hope so. Unanswered questions are annoying.

Like Outpost, Abandoned has a disturbing cover. Take a look. It depicts key aspects of the story. It is a great cover!

There are so many things going on in this book, my review would be three times as long if I were to comment on all the stuff I liked. So I will leave it at this. This Scifi story that plays out on a frontier world has me hooked on the Donovan series, and yes, even the characters. I will be reading more. No doubt about that.

Through NetGalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

**********************

Links

Add Abandoned to your Goodreads shelf:

Pre-order Abandoned (Releases November 27):

 

**********************

Giveaway

Don’t forget the ongoing Holiday Treat Giveaway for the audiobook of The Mystery Woman by Amanda Quick, or the print books of Tiffany Roberts’ Dustwalker and Bec McMaster’s Nobody’s Hero.  If you haven’t entered yet, you might be interested to know that commenting on today’s post helps qualify you for an entry – see the giveaway post for all the details.  Or go straight to the giveaway….

Click Here:  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Outpost (Donovan #1) by W. Michael Gear – Review

Tags

5 stars, alien planet, Book Review, colonization, mystery, quetzal, scifi, W. Michael Gear

About Outpost

Donovan is a world of remarkable wealth, a habitable paradise of a planet. It sounds like a dream come true. But Donovan’s wealth comes at a price.

When the ship Turalon arrives in orbit, Supervisor Kalico Aguila discovers a failing colony, its government overthrown and the few remaining colonists now gone wild. Donovan offers the chance of a lifetime, one that could leave her the most powerful woman in the solar system. Or dead.

Planetside, Talina Perez is one of three rulers of the Port Authority colony—the only law left in the one remaining town on Donovan. With the Corporate ship demanding answers about the things she’s done in the name of survival, Perez could lose everything, including her life.

For Dan Wirth, Donovan is a last chance. A psychopath with a death sentence looming over his head, he can’t wait to set foot on Port Authority. He will make one desperate play to grab a piece of the action—no matter who he has to corrupt, murder, or destroy.

Captain Max Taggart has been The Corporation’s “go-to” guy when it comes to brutal enforcement. As the situation in Port Authority deteriorates, he’ll be faced with tough choices to control the wild Donovanians. Only Talina Perez stands in his way.

Just as matters spiral out of control, a ghost ship, the Freelander, appears in orbit. Missing for two years, she arrives with a crew dead of old age, and reeks of a bizarre death-cult ritual that deters any ship from attempting a return journey. And in the meantime, a brutal killer is stalking all of them, for Donovan plays its own complex and deadly game. The secrets of which are hidden in Talina Perez’s very blood.

************************

Review of Outpost

A strange mythology has grown about morning; it has sent its roots to twine inextricable rhizomes through the human psyche. Like all mythology, it is mostly falsehood. According to the myth, with the rising of the sun hope is kindled in the human spirit. The body rises refreshed, vigorous. The brain is audacious. Keen again. The profound and dark despair of the predawn soul has been vanquished by those golden bars of light which bathe a reborn world . . . or so the myth would claim.

Morning has another and more pragmatic reputation: the time of attack, of unexpected death intruding rudely and impudently into dawn’s domain. In contrast, that ancient reality is all the more gruesome. It is said among observers—at least among those of a sensitive nature—that the horrible irony and tragedy of dying at first light is reflected in the expressions of the newly dead. Only then has the mythology played its final deception.

—SHIG MOSADEK, DONOVAN PORT AUTHORITY, 2153
From Outpost by W. Michael Gear

The planet and it’s biogeography is the most interesting character in this book. Extremely dangerous creatures, lethal plant life and an exceptionally diverse landscape, from desert to deep forest, are what make up Donovan. And the planet is what shapes people and events for better and for worse.

The people are as diverse as Donovan’s landscape. Soldiers, corporate climbers, dreamers, miners, mechanics, settlers and hard-core colonizers. In Outpost, the circumstances on both Donovan and the ship Turalon leave many bitterly disappointed and scared. Some will make the most of it, others will give up.

Talina is the most interesting human character due to the fact that she has the essence of a quetzal inside her after hunting the creature that stole a baby from the settlement. It gives her enhanced senses, quick reactions and interesting internal conversations. That soul of the quetzal has a life of its own after the body dies. Is it another life form? Is Talina the only human that has experienced this condition? How intelligent are quetzals? They are an alien creature to be reckoned with. (If this sounds interesting, see the excerpt at the end of the review.)

Most of the action takes place on the planet, but look at the cover art. That image is from a ship out in space. It had been lost, but when it turns up, the horrific discoveries do nothing to calm anyone, on the ship or on the planet. There are some terrible, fascinating things going on in space. Is it connected to the planet? Don’t know. There is no answer to that question. Not in this book anyway.

There is a cliffhanger ending (which should get it a reduction in awarded stars, but somehow it doesn’t) with all the baddies vowing to claim all the power for their own.  Abandoned, the next book in the series is due in November, so I don’t have too long to wait.  Do I really want to read a book titled Abandoned?  It doesn’t sound like a HEA, which is my preferred type of book.

When I first finished this book, I wasn’t sure if I would continue with the series. Honestly, there are too many not-so-nice, power-hungry, morally corrupt people and not enough really good people. But as I let it settle in my memory I really began to appreciate the inspired complex tale, amazing settings, and intriguing characters – heroes, conspirators and plotters.  Yes, I recommend Outpost and yes, I will risk reading Abandoned when it is available.

************************

Excerpt about Talina and the Quetzal

The quetzal fixed her with its three black and gleaming eyes. The beast wobbled as if hurt. Took a step, then another.

The quetzal uttered an eerie moan as it raised itself sluggishly. Less than a meter separated her from the three vitreous eyes. The creature blasted out a trilling whistle mixed with a hiss of rage. Crystal drops of moisture caught the light in diamond sparkles where they beaded on the razor-ranks of teeth.

“So, you’re taking as many with you as you can,” Talina told it, dazzled by the glow behind those angry eyes. And in that instant, she could sense the alien intelligence behind that stare.

“Not that I blame you.”

The quetzal replied with a clicking down in its iridescent throat, as if in agreement.

Why the hell hadn’t Trish taken the final shot? What was keeping . . . Of course, this far down into the narrow-walled canyon, Trish didn’t have a shot. Couldn’t see the target.

“Sorry, pal.” Talina granted the beast a weary smile. Blood was running down the side of her head.

The beast kept wobbling on its feet, mortally wounded. Gaze still fixed on hers, it tilted its head, as though in an effort to understand. It gestured with one of the wickedly clawed forefeet, as if demanding something of her. She could almost feel the bottled emotion as the beast whipped its tongue out between the elongated jaws.

She screamed as it made one final leap.

From Outpost by W. Michael Gear

************************

Links

Add Outpost to your Goodreads shelf:

Purchase Outpost: