Expanding on the universe built in the first of the series, the characters and their plights are just as fantastic in the sequel.

Starting less than a week after the first novel in the series ends, Barons of Oartheca further fleshes out the rather spectacular universe established in Allure of Oartheca. And just like in that first book, I was blown away by the depth of detail given to all of the alien cultures and species populating its pages. Both Toar and Rowland, the flipping point of view characters, are back and just as bold as the first ride.

An M/M romance masterfully woven, James Siewert adds another installment to a series where the science fiction isn’t just window dressing. From weaponry to technology to cooking a meal to help bond two peoples together, there are plenty of the classic staples of the genre. The presentation of those staples or how they are used to progress the story though are very much unique. As a visual person, I appreciated how cinematic much of the story was, particularly during some superbly written fight or danger scenes.

This novel was very much a top-of-the-list read for me. But that being said, I still enjoyed the first in the series a bit more than this one. It’s partly to do with the fact we’re missing an equivalent to the gigantic sentient goo puddle in this installment. There were also a few points that Toar’s character voice didn’t feel as distinctively him toward the beginning though that more than smoothed out later. We also explore more of the barons themselves (which makes sense given the title), mostly through Toar and his experiences with two younger ones. I understand the significance of what they are to the Oarthecans, but I felt the constant references to their looks were a bit heavy-handed at times, like their worth was entirely in their appearance. To the point where an alien race I feel I should very much hate almost felt sympathetic.

I was struck again by how similar Barons of Oartheca was to other science fiction works. Star Trek is chief among them, high praise coming from me. The tone and characterization also reminded me of Firefly as well.

Barons of Oartheca is available to buy on Amazon or you can read my review of the first novel from the series here.


 

Verdict:

RAVEABLE