Customer Reviews

Dark Pilgrim Rising

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"Dark Pilgrim Rising" by Ralph Buttner (R Peter Ubtrent) is a whole universe within a book. It is the first in the 'Dark Pilgrim' series, so there is of necessity a lot of scene-setting since this promises to be an epic science-fiction series. It is a complex rather than complicated novel with many subplots and layers, and calls for concentration. It is a story of survival. Ailanthus and Tethys, human friends currently on a savage penal colony, are bent on surviving in a place where few last more than five years. The Imperium, the presiding body, is also trying to survive, now that its Emperor has been assassinated. It faces uprisings from the Church of the Blessed Prophets and also from the Noble Houses, which had all previously been powerful rulers. To complicate matters further, an ancient enemy returns to the fray.

Any book that opens with the sentence `The existence of earth is a myth' is one that needs reading! It quickly becomes engrossing. This is a dystopian novel of corruption, brutality and despair, but ultimately of hope. The cast of alien species, including the Dwad-Mehstiv, Kroor, Druzni, Drek and H'chalks, is an intricately created and plausible one. Through their unique eyes we are given a satirical view of the human race with its faults and foolishness. But good qualities shine at times in Ailanthus and his fellow convicts. Occasionally the characters' names are a little confusing in that there are many similar ones. There are also sadly more typos than you'd hope to see but this book is nonetheless an impressive achievement and one that is rewarding and fascinating to read.

Ubtrent has written another well crafted and readable sci-fi adventure that keep me up all night so that I could finish. Set in the a future far different than we would ever expect, Dark Pilgrim Rising is a fast paced, multiple sub-plot adventure that carries the reader to worlds excellently described, to believable aliens, and to characters that jump out of the pages at you with their realism. I can hardly wait for the next book of the series. This will prove to be a classic!