Blurb
Jay Posey returns with the much-anticipated second installment of the critically acclaimed Ascendance series following a powerful woman who can destroy planets with a single word but who is suddenly faced with an adversary that threatens the entire universe.
Far in the future, human beings have seeded themselves amongst the stars. Since decoding the language of the universe 8,000 years ago, they have reached the very edges of their known galaxy and built a near-utopia across thousands of worlds, united and ruled by a powerful organization known as the Ascendance. The peaceful stability of their society relies solely on their use of this Deep Language of the cosmos.
Elyth—a former agent of the religious arm of the Ascendance, The First House—is on the run after the events of Every Sky a Grave, when she and the fugitive Varen Fedic exposed the darker side of Ascendance hegemony on a planet called Qel. Though she just wishes to put the past (and Varen) behind her, she is soon tracked and cornered by the Ascendance agents. Surprisingly, they aren’t there for punishment. Instead, they offer her a deal in exchange for her help in exploring a new planet that seems to have appeared out of nowhere. If she agrees, her sins against the Ascendance and the First House will be forgiven.
Elyth reluctantly agrees to join the team of elite agents (including some former allies-turned-enemies) but almost as soon as they touch down on the planet’s surface, things start to go awry. Strange sounds are heard in the wilderness, horrifying creatures are seen stalking the forests, and even the landscape itself seems to change during the night.
But as expedition members start dying, two things become clear: the planet is conscious, and it’s trying to kill them.
My Review
I finished this book maybe eight days ago, but I’ve been too ill to write a blog post. I listened to most of it as an audiobook but then decided to read the last quarter from the signed/numbered edition that I bought from Goldsboro Books, to go with my copy of the first book in the series.
I enjoyed the plot as the expedition visits the mystery planet to investigate the disappearance of the first expedition, made up of members of the First House. This time the Hezraka (sp?) are leading the charge and things start to go wrong almost immediately.
The characters are rounded and complex. I particularly like Elyth and Varen, their relationship is fun and sparring. Other characters are ambivalent in their relationships with both Elyth and Varen, and none of them are straightforward people. They are all ambivalent people, neither entirely unpleasant or entirely good. Each one has their own motivations that are revealed as the story progresses.
The plot is interesting and kept me listening/reading. The last quarter was a wild ride, I stayed up well past my bedtime to read as much as possible, then had to go to bed from exhaustion. Then I got up to finish it off, I needed to find out what happened.
The descriptions of places and events are vivid. I fell into them. Qel’s Shadow was brought to life. The action sequences were amazingly well written. Fluid and exciting. The ending was highly emotive and unexpected.
A fun sci-fi adventure. Highly recommended.
Everything Is Better With Dragons 