I picked this up after reading Currie's "Into the Black: Odyssey One." That was a great read, and I was anxious to see what else he'd done. I wasn't disappointed.As opposed to a lot of science fiction, here we're given a great female protagonist. And instead of a utopian future and amazing tech, you'll find a universe that you can easily relate to. Humanity is still the same. And so, when the protagonist is dropped into truly alien experiences, you're along for a great ride.The pace is quick. But character development and relationships aren't sacrificed for plot. I wish my daughter read more action/adventure and sci-fi, because there are so few great female characters out there. Here's one where the fact that the story centers on a female marine is simply taken for granted. It's a non-issue, there's no pandering, and the story tears along dragging the reader with it.Since this isn't a space epic, the scale is much more local - and it works. That alone would be a nice change of pace, but the fullness of the story and the great characters make it a 5-star book. This book is most definitely my cup of tea. It’s absolutely excellent. I have actually put off reading it for a while even though I had it on my to-read shelf for quite a while. Although the book is written by the author of Odyssey One (or Into the Black as it’s now called), which I also liked very much, the blurb for the book lead me to believe that this was a marine grunt, dirt-side focused book which is not my favourite kind of story. However, to my very pleasant surprise, this book is just as much about slugging it out in space as it is on the ground.I’m not really sure what the series is supposed to be called though. On Amazon it seems to be called Warrior’s Wings but on Goodreads it’s called Hayden War Cycle. I decided to stick with the Goodreads name of the series.Anyway, mysterious aliens with technology way beyond the humans invade one of the human colonies. The humans respond by trying to insert a team of marines but the insertion goes very very bad and a lone marine is all that manages to land on the planet. Fortunately this marine is of the kick-ass type (surprised anyone?) and she goes off to do just that.That alone could make for a fairly good book but the author adds just as much space action when the human fleet tries to aid the surviving colonists that are now trapped on the planet.One thing that I liked with Odyssey One and does like with this book as well is that the author is capable of writing science fiction that keep at least one foot on a solid ground of actual science. The laws of nature are still around. Gravity is still a bitch which you cannot ignore. Fleet movements and ship manoeuvres are controlled by it. Evan Currie not only writes some of the more believable science fiction around, he also knows how to use the limitations of the physics to add to the excitement of the action.This was was a most pleasant surprise. Lot’s of action, some alien mystery, kick-ass people, no political bullshitting. My kind of book indeed. I’ve already bought and started to read the second one in the series (I love the point click, download, start to read speed of acquisition with e-books).
What do You think about On Silver Wings (2000)?
A sci-fi author who really captures what SOCOM level troops are all about.
—Krissana
