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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An exciting and uniquely creative work of science fiction, August 10, 2007
It's 2271, and Jonathon Quinn is having a bad day - and I mean a bad day of intergalactic proportions. It was supposed to be a banner day in the history of Earth and the Intrastellar Coalition of Planets, the day that Operation Giant Leap opened up the entire universe for travel and exploration. As captain of the ICS Intimidator, the fleet's flagship, Quinn was there to oversee the operation as scientists on the lunar base created a wormhole and launched a probe through it to get their first close-up look at a world millions of light years away (they had already solved the problem of communication across untold light years of distance). Not only did the wormhole work, providing all concerned with a glimpse into the distant Polaris system, it revealed the undeniable existence of an alien civilization. Before any kind of true first contact could be made, however, the wormhole began fluctuating, the head scientist pushed his luck, and then, suddenly - disaster. And I do mean disaster in every sense of the word. And, while it's not Quinn's fault per se, guilt hits him like a ton of bricks. Then, when things can't possibly get any worse, the full scope of the disaster is made clear. The devastating consequences of the accident on this side of the wormhole, as terrible as they are, do not even begin to compare to the tragedy experienced on the other side.
Within hours, the reeling forces of the Intrastellar Coalition of Planets find themselves at war with a vastly superior alien force. And so begins one of the most thorough and complete ass kickings any futuristic Earth has ever taken. The alien technology and firepower allows the new enemy to cut through Earth's forces like a hot knife through butter. Author S.D. McKee gives the Earth forces some rather ingenious weapons, such as a solar laser that stores up energy from the sun and then unleashes it in a most deadly form, but nothing can stop the onslaught of the alien forces. Even as the fleet is crippled and Earth itself under full attack, the worst is yet to come - but only Jonathon Quinn knows it. For reasons he can't comprehend, an alien presence has established some kind of mental link with his own mind, sending him dream-like visions of the horrors to come and warning him of the approaching Darkness.
McKee really lets his imagination run wild with the alien technology, giving readers some of the most memorable space ships ever dreamed of. Not only are the alien starships huge, they seem to be made of some type of organic material. Black shadows roil across their dark surfaces in the most chilling of manners, and they sport huge talons and Medusa-like tentacles all over their surfaces. They prove just as impressive in action as they do in appearance, making for some thrilling scenes of military warfare in space.
There are many likeable characters scattered throughout this story, but don't expect Jonathon's crew to follow the protocol of Starfleet. No crewman ever responded to an order from Captain Kirk by asking if he was nuts, and Kirk never slept with one of his officers. Let's just say that there is a lot of informality among the crew of the ICS Invincible. In one sense, this is a weakness, but in another sense it makes the main characters much more likeable and approachable to the reader.
Toward the end, though, a major shift in the story takes place. Personally, I wasn't all that enthused about this new direction, as I think it takes away from the integrity of the story somewhat. It certainly does set the stage for the next entry in the Darkness Among the Stars series, though, and I still plan on following the storyline along through future installments. As a reader, I have no right to dictate my own terms to the writer, and there's no reason to think that other readers will react the same way I did to events as they unfold.
The bottom line, though, is that Defeated is a really engaging work of science fiction, and I really enjoyed reading it. S.D. McKee has a very creative imagination that serves him well in this particular genre, and his ability to create characters readers like and care about should serve him well as this particular series progresses. There is every reason to believe that McKee has quite a successful science fiction career in front of him.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It left me wanting MORE!, July 11, 2007
"Darkness Among the Stars" is a fitting title for the beginning of what will be a hugely successful series. The author cleverly begins the book in somewhat familiar environments to permit the reader's entrance into a completely original, unpredictable, and imaginative story.
To say this story is dark is an understatement. When finished reading, I was glad that the book is fiction because of the awesome, crushing forces that are used against our planet. I couldn't have imagined what I read but I could believe it. I like this book and recommend it.
This book left me wanting MORE! I regularly check the author's website for a glimpse at the next installment; nothing there yet, but I'm patient.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly entertaining, January 9, 2006
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The story's well written and starts building excitement early as it counts down to a wormhole-creation experiment that turns tragic (on a surprisingly grand and destructive scale). And things only get more interesting and more intense from there. I particularly enjoyed the organic-tech aspects of the alien race that's introduced. I don't want to give away too much, so let's just say there's plenty of action and intrigue to keep you reading.
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