From the New York Times bestselling author of the Expanse comes a spectacular new space opera that sees humanity fighting for its survival in a war as old as the universe itself.
★ “Masterful . . . . This is space opera at its best.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"The start of something truly epic." ― Fonda Lee, author of Jade City
How humanity came to the planet called Anjiin is lost in the fog of history, but that history is about to end. The Carryx – part empire, part hive – have waged wars of conquest for centuries, destroying or enslaving species across the galaxy. Now, they are facing a great and deathless enemy. The key to their survival may rest with the humans of Anjiin.
Caught up in academic intrigue and affairs of the heart, Dafyd Alkhor is pleased just to be an assistant to a brilliant …
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Expanse comes a spectacular new space opera that sees humanity fighting for its survival in a war as old as the universe itself.
★ “Masterful . . . . This is space opera at its best.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"The start of something truly epic." ― Fonda Lee, author of Jade City
How humanity came to the planet called Anjiin is lost in the fog of history, but that history is about to end. The Carryx – part empire, part hive – have waged wars of conquest for centuries, destroying or enslaving species across the galaxy. Now, they are facing a great and deathless enemy. The key to their survival may rest with the humans of Anjiin.
Caught up in academic intrigue and affairs of the heart, Dafyd Alkhor is pleased just to be an assistant to a brilliant scientist and his celebrated research team. Then the Carryx ships descend, decimating the human population and taking the best and brightest of Anjiin society away to serve on the Carryx homeworld, and Dafyd is swept along with them.
They are dropped in the middle of a struggle they barely understand, set in a competition against the other captive species with extinction as the price of failure. Only Dafyd and a handful of his companions see past the Darwinian contest to the deeper game that they must play to survive: learning to understand – and manipulate – the Carryx themselves.
With a noble but suicidal human rebellion on one hand and strange and murderous enemies on the other, the team pays a terrible price to become the trusted servants of their new rulers.
Dafyd Alkhor is a simple man swept up in events that are beyond his control and more vast than his imagination. He will become the champion of humanity and its betrayer, the most hated man in history and the guardian of his people.
Este libro ha pasado de máxima puntuación a mínima puntuación a máxima puntuación en mi cabeza a medida que leía, así que se queda en un aprobado para contentar a los dos lados.
De estos libros que está tan bien llevado, va tan fino y sabe tan bien cuando mover las piezas que te has finiquitado 500 páginas sin darte cuenta y estás dándote de bruces con la realidad de que no hay un segundo hasta vete a saber cuándo.
No soy muy fan de llevar a tus personajes hasta las últimas consecuencias para conseguir desarrollo, máxime cuando a la mayoría les falta una vuelta para acabar de ser interesantes. Les reconozco a los autores el tiempo que le dedican a las dinámicas del grupo, pero tal y como termina es como si estas no hubieran servido de nada (o sólo unilateralmente).
Great start to a series without being too on the nose
4 stars
All the things I like in a book: interesting world build, interesting storytelling, and smart character moves. The latter reminds me a bit of Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice