Relics of Eternity (Shadow of Terra #1)

First there were the odd bits of romance dropped like rotten pieces of fruit. Then there were strange infodumps about inconsequential tech or biology that showed up at random. The whole bi-sexual, polyamorous relationship thing did not feel natural to the character or the story. But what really bothered me was how un-military the military officers acted. The Captain did not read like an experienced naval officer. Pretty much all of the military world-building was hacked together. Oddly, for all that, the combat scenes were decent. The plot had promise. The big story was good. But all of the little bits were not well done. This needs content editing. I dont know if I will continue to follow the series. Some interesting concepts, but the execution is lacking as we go further.

I have really liked the series and the Starship Mage series. This book was an awkward read, it felt forced and contrived not like a story being shared and unfolding a new world for your imagination. It felt like a short story or novella that was used as an outline and given to a new writer to complete. It was not up to Mr. Stewarts usual level of writing. The premise holds potential, but I felt like someone was trying to define the plot for the entire book. Not enough action. Missed opportunities to have multiple story lines developed and then tied together; such as detailing the tension of a possible upcoming coreward conflict rather than just a message saying things are tense. The book reads as if this was either written by another author or rushed to placate a contract deadline. I give it 2.5 stars. I originally gave this 2.5 stars, after rereading the book I still feel it is not up to the usual standards but I may have been too harsh in my earlier rating. I would give it a 3.25 stars after reading it again.

The 7th book in the Duchy of Terra universe, Glynn Stewart\’s universe in which Terra (Earth) has become a duchy of an imperial star empire. The book picks up 10 years after the events of the last trilogy and explores the thread of the ancient \’Precursors\’ – a galaxy spanning empire that died out following an ill advised \’experiment\’ to change the laws of physics. I need to stress this is not \’hard science fiction\’ – it is what may be commonly referred to as \’space opera\’ so if you are looking for hard technology descriptions you may be disappointed. But if you are looking for a gripping story, constructed in a consistent world / universe then this book is one I strongly recommend. Reading the previous books in the series is strongly recommended as many of the plot points and storylines stretch back to some of the first books. The author does an outstanding job of revealing plot points that are actually foreshadowed in previous books – \’surprises\’ that the author reveals are cleverly hidden in previous books – which makes you want to go back and reread passages from previous stories in the series – those \’ah ha!\’ moments that make books readable over and over again. Summary – another well written book from Glynn Stewart, an author who is following the traditions of story telling in a science fiction setting that are a tribute to the lineage of great sci fi story tellers going back to 1930s – well done book – strongly recommended.

This review is based on a free electronic advance readers copy received for the purpose of writing a review. The product description makes it very clear that this is book 7 of an ongoing series. That said, if youre just finding you way here, you should be OK picking up this book without having read the first 6. Its nice to have all the history, but this book mostly revolves around new characters, and there are enough explanatory references to make the history and worldbuilding accessible as you go. For the one returning character, Morgan Casimir, something like ten years have passed since the llast book, encompassing quiet but steady career development. Having advanced to the rank of Captain, she is assigned far from her home on Terra and her influential family, giving her a chance to make her way on her own merits. This book is clearly the start of a significant new arc in the series, with new characters and a major new problem. Without offering spoilers, the author has succeeded in upping the ante from the previous books, pitting Morgan, her crew, and her allies against a problem on an even more apocalyptic scale than mere alien invasion fleets. While the story does resolve the immediate, likely to destroy the nearest inhabited world, problem, that resolution merely reveals another layer of problem beyond that one. There are also numerous tantalizing references to off-screen events that I suspect will prove to be involved, not merely justification for a lack of reinforcements, forcing Morgan to solve her immediate problem with additional support from the Empire. At first read I found Morgan a bit stiff and resistant to letting the reader into her head, compared to her presentation in the previous book. However on further consideration I think the author is presenting us with a young woman still finding her way in her new rank, and focused on getting all the detail perfect. Shes too busy trying to be the perfect Captain to let herself relax, even in private. Im looking forward to seeing where that goes in the next book.

Glynn Stewart\’s space opera is consistently satisfying and the Duchy of Terra series has good plots and characters. Morgan Casimir, Annette Bond\’s stepdaughter, has become the main series character at this point and we follow her adventures as she finds precusor artifacts and dangerous foes in the fringes of the A!tol Empire. Glynn never lets his world-building get stale as he continues to pull back the curtain to reveal a wider and more complex universe. Highly enjoyable!

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