Forsaken Skies
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4.1 • 29 Ratings
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
A small band of pilots fight against a seemingly unstoppable alien empire in this thrilling space opera.
Commander Lanoe's skills made him a hero of the interplanetary civil war, but he was left with nothing except battle scars and painful memories.
But now he faces the greatest threat mankind has ever known.
Once again, Lanoe must go to war -- but he does not go alone. A ragtag band of criminal and outcast pilots stand with him. Some are old friends, one an old enemy, and despite their own battle scars, they are the only ones willing to fight back.
Sometimes the few must stand against the many, but the best these aces can do might not be good enough.
This explosive first novel from D. Nolan Clark is an epic tale of a fight against the odds -- and the terror of realizing that we're no longer alone in the cold vacuum of space.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Horror author David Wellington's first book under the Clark pseudonym is an entertaining military space adventure tale that's got just enough new twists to keep readers interested, even when they think they know where it's going. Tannis Valk is an injured war veteran who's working on a space station, where the low gravity won't aggravate his burns. Thanks to a series of events triggered by a nearby space battle, he meets up with legendary pilot (and former foe) Aleister Lanoe, and the two of them are in turn drawn into an alien invasion of a distant agricultural planet. Clark throws a lot of characters into the mix, including the stowaway "elders" from the planet, an AWOL con artist soldier, and the patricidal son of a rich man who was created solely as an organ donor. The invaders are interesting and threatening, and though their eventual big revelation isn't a shocking one, they still make for solid antagonists. The thorough world-building (including an interesting political system) makes this is a solid series launch, and readers allergic to cliffhangers will be delighted by the firm ending.
Customer Reviews
Great New Series
I was pleasantly surprised when I took a chance on this series, thinking that it was from a first time author, only to find out that it's a pen name of a noted horror writer.
This is his first foray into sci-fi and I was impressed enough to buy the second book while halfway through this one.
It had humor, intrigue, and intensity and kept me reading through without stop and it was worth the investment.
I hope that the author keeps up with this genre!
This is my favorite
The series is a timeless classic that with always be near and dear to me
Stick With It - It's Worth It
Forsaken Skies gets 3.5 stars. This is the first book by D. Nolan Clark so I wasn't sure what to expect. I found it long and complex and far more than I expected in a first novel. This is a standalone with a soft cliffhanger for what will be at least one more book in a series. This story is violent and not for sensitive readers.
Overall I enjoyed the book. It isn't your traditional space opera, but will appeal to readers who prefer hard core SciFi. At first the characters are hard to relate to and I had to force myself to keep reading. But I'm glad that I did. After awhile, I became invested in the characters as well as wanting to see who/what they were fighting.
Niraya is a small, poor planet in the middle of nowhere. It was set up as a colony of some minor religion. Centrocor, one of the major polys (corporations), took on responsibility for its development and set up a mining operation there.
The Elders on Niraya sent a notice of distress to Centrocor after a strange machine landed on their planet and started killing anyone it encountered. Some type of fleet was also detected heading their way and due to arrive in a few weeks. Having done a risk-benefit calculation, neither Centrocor or the Navy wanted to spend the money defending a planet with only 100,000 inhabitants.
Elder MacRae and Roan spent twelve days locked in a cargo container while they traveled to find help. They found that help just not how they imagined it. Join a small rag-tag and very mismatched group who reluctantly pull together to try to save the planet. Lanoe, Zhang, Ehta, Valk, Maggs, and Thom will do their best when fighting an enemy unlike any they have every encountered before. Will they succeed or are they and the planet doomed? And just who is this enemy they are fighting? There are enough twists and turns to keep readers interested. It definitely kept me reading.
I look forward to reading more of this adventure when the next book in the series is published. I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.