Back in the March of 2023, some of you might remember I completed a review of Velocity Weapon, the first of three books – Velocity Weapon, Catalyst Gate and Chaos Vector – in the Protectorate Series by Megan O’ Keefe, a new writer who made quite an impact with her debut offering.
(If you haven’t checked that series out, I’d thoroughly recommend it, as you’ll find it a rather unconventional adventure that follows the exploits of Sanda, who wakes up 230 years after her space gunship is blown out from underneath her during a dogfight, only to find the universe is a very different place from what she remembers . . . or is it?
Needless to say, I’m not going to expand on that comment, as Megan O’Keefe does so within the pages of each book with stylish élan.
Buuut, I enjoyed the themes she portrayed in that series so much, I kept my eye open for anything else she might go on to produce. And, after 2-year wait, here it is:
The Devoured Worlds series
Now, before we dip into my review, I just want to stress how much I love concepts that have a grounding in science fact, and which then take certain ideas a few stages further into the realms of ‘what if you did this, or what might happen if you did that?’ You know, those stories that make you think or appreciate that the subject matter is entirely plausible.
I’m sure most readers do, which is why shows like Altered Carbon and Orphan Black – Echoes proved so popular. They took concepts that science is currently only dipping its collective toe into, and then evolved them in an entirely plausible way that enquiring minds can grasp.
Likewise Megan O’Keefe, who has taken those concepts, and then polished and buffed them until they shine like stars. How so?
Well, neuroscientists are indeed currently able to map tiny segments of the human brain and measure its complex interactions, thereby laying the groundwork (albeit in the future) for personality duplication. And it doesn’t stop there.
3-D printing is already stepping from the realms of science fact and into the realms of science fiction now that doctors and scientists are experimenting with ‘bioprinting.’
Bioprinting is a method of 3-D printing using bio-ink – a cellular mixture made from stem cells and biopolymer hydrogels – designed to mimic the structure and function of living tissue, and which provide the necessary scaffolding for cell differentiation and growth.
So, bearing that in mind, we come to the Devoured Worlds series. A space opera set in a future universe where Earth is dying, and mankind is spreading out into the stars to colonize other planets. Fortunately, science has advanced enough for human life – for the elite and their lackeys especially – to be extended by printing. A facility whereby a individual’s personality and experiences can be downloaded into a control matrix and stored against the time of their passing, (called casting out), deliberate or otherwise, so that when death occurs, they can then be uploaded into a newly-printed replica of their body, thereby continuing their life as before.
The material that allows them to do this is called Relkatite – relk – a rare substance only found on certain planets . . . and even then, sparingly.
ESSENTIAL NOTE: without relk, it would be impossible to print a human being with their mind/persona intact. Additionally, relk allows the building of ‘enhanced pathways’ within the mind and body. Soldiers, for example, gain extra strength, speed, stamina and reactions; doctors, the ability to concentrate on minute, complex details for extended periods; and everyone else? Well, let’s just say that a common cold, illness, ailments – or even broken bones – wouldn’t be more than a very minor inconvenience.
HOWEVER, it is vital that a person only exists in one print at a time, because double printing can cause a person to crack. (As in, go completely drooling at shadows, screaming at nothing, off the charts nuts), as no person can exist in two places at once and remain sane.
When you bear in mind that relk is also the essential element that powers the warp cores of inter-system starships, then you begin to appreciate just how dependent mankind has become upon it, and why control of Relkatite allows the ruling – MERIT – families to maintain a ruthless grip on the complex logistics that allows human society to function.
So there you are. A concise introduction to what will be an essential element to the entire story arc. Regardless, before we begin our little adventure, we also need to consider how O’Keefe has managed to twist her concept even more, just to ensure that things stay interesting. What do I mean?
Well, imagine for a moment that YOU are one of the characters in the unfolding saga, heavily involved in the thick of the action and plot development. Obviously, whatever situations you come across and deal with will form part of your life-history. They become embedded in your consciousness. They go on to form part of your memories, which, in turn, help you learn and evolve and develop as a person each time you’re printed off. Got it?
However, to guarantee that happens, you have to ensure to regularly send a neural upload of your most recent experiences into the matrix. If you don’t, then when you are resurrected into a new print, you will have no inkling of your most recent interactions, relationships or the most important occurrences in your life. It will be as if they never happened.
Bearing that in mind, we are now introduced to the two main characters of our story.
Naira Sharp is a former Exemplar – a highly trained bodyguard to the ruling elite, whose print is loaded with extra strength, agility, and combat keys (neural pathways) to help her excel at her job. Regardless, she discovers information that one of the ruling families may be acting against the best interests of mankind and the planets – cradles – they discover, and becomes a revolutionary – a Conservator – hell-bent on stopping their destructive practices.
Tarquin Mercator is the youngest son of Acalus Mercator, head of the vast corporation that seeks out new cradles to exploit. Yet Tarquin isn’t involved in the family business. He’s a geologist, more interested in rummaging around in caves and excavating dig sites than helping his family run an intergalactic enterprise.
So, when the two are initially thrown together within a cauldron of disparate ambition? Well, you can only imagine the sparks that fly.
Yet those sparks lead to something more intimate, while at the same time illuminating the existence of an insidious, potentially dangerous foe. A foe whose presence adds an incendiary ingredient to an already volatile mix.
Needless to say, it makes for great reading, as the love-hate relationship that develops is spiced up by a strong supporting cast of diehards, heroes and heroines, sycophants, narcissists and outright psychopaths; a litany of desperate acts, failures, victories and misdirection; a sinister, near omniscient adversary that will go to any lengths to achieve its ambitions; an egotistical elite, determined to retain their power and influence. And it’s all rounded off in a galaxy-wide cat and mouse chase and derring-do capers that will keep you turning the page, eager to see what happens next.
And you will be eager, believe me, as O’Keefe has skillfully evolved that printing concept into a finely honed weapon. One that is as capable of delivering a roller-coaster ride of bittersweet moments, devious plot-twists, and ‘I can’t believe it!’ moments that will leave you as exasperated as you will be desperate for things to take a turn for the better.
And THAT is excellent writing. All too often we see authors use their innovative concepts as a ‘get out of jail free’ card to put things right, just in time for everyone to go home in time for tea.
Well, not O’Keefe. She keeps things ‘real’ in that, no . . . life isn’t always fair. Sometimes the good guys & girls don’t always win or get the results they want. Life’s a bi*ch, as the saying goes. And then some, when you have antagonists and anti-heroes who are just too evil or warped to simply stay dead and let things rest. . .
(You’ll see)
That, together with frequent little ‘time-skips’ into the recent – and not so recent past/possible futures – allow you to gain a better grasp on the history between the multiple game-changers of our story arc, as well as keeping the ‘current’ state of play flowing along nicely. In turn, that will keep you engaged, invested, and eager to stay until the very last page.
In looking back at the series, I was reminded of a work by another one of my favorite authors: The Genius Plague by David Walton. A story built on the spread and influence of a cognitive and self-aware form of fungus and its mycelium network. In fact, the tagline to that book – The contagion is in your mind – is expounded wonderfully within the Devoured World series. After all, could you imagine trying to fight an enemy that was so all-pervasive that you didn’t realize it was actually there? One that could subliminally influence your very moods and aspirations into something more akin to its liking? And if that wasn’t disturbing enough, then don’t forget how such an entity might abuse the printing technology this series incorporates as its central theme.
So, if you love stories that are as intense as they are compelling and personal, then you’ll find this series is literary gold at its gilt-edged best.
Intrigued? You should be.
And just to give you a little added incentive to check the Devoured Worlds series out, here’s the blurb to each book, along with a link to my Amazon review
*******
The Blighted Stars
She’s a revolutionary. Humanity is running out of options. Habitable planets are being destroyed as quickly as they’re found and Naira Sharp thinks she knows the reason why. The all-powerful Mercator family has been controlling the exploration of the universe for decades, and exploiting any materials they find along the way under the guise of helping humanity’s expansion. But Naira knows the truth, and she plans to bring the whole family down from the inside.
He’s the heir to the dynasty. Tarquin Mercator never wanted to run a galaxy-spanning business empire. He just wanted to study rocks and read books. But Tarquin’s father has tasked him with monitoring the settlement of a new planet, and he doesn’t really have a choice in the matter.
Disguised as Tarquin’s new bodyguard, Naira plans to destroy the settlement ship before they make land. But neither of them expects to end up stranded on a dead planet. To survive and keep her secret, Naira will have to join forces with the man she’s sworn to hate. And together they will uncover a plot that’s bigger than both of them.
Amazon review:
https://www.amazon.de/-/en/gp/customer-reviews/RI1VOUK8MR5NF/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0356517373
The Fractured Dark
Naira and Tarquin have escaped vicious counterrevolutionaries, misprinted monsters, and the pull of a dying planet. Now, bound together to find the truth behind the blight that has been killing habitable planets, they need to hunt out the Mercator family secrets. But, when the head of Mercator disappears, taking the universe’s remaining supply of starship fuel with him, chaos breaks loose between the ruling families. Naira’s revolution must be put aside for the sake of humanity’s immediate survival.
Amazon Review:
https://www.amazon.de/review/R320MDVXK2KY4V/ref=pe_111805601_1111395051_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv
The Bound Worlds
Naira and Tarquin have found a new home on Seventh Cradle. But the peace they’ve built is short-lived as mysterious assailants ambush the settlement and Naira is haunted by visions of a monstrous future. Catastrophe strikes when Tarquin uncovers a plot to bring about the end of the universe. As humanity races against the clock to prevent their extinction, old secrets come to light and loyalties fracture, and Naira realizes she may be the key to saving the world—or ending it.
Amazon Review:
https://www.amazon.de/review/R1VYFL84AM8ERH/ref=pe_111805601_1111395051_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv
So there you go. The blurbs are rather circumspect as to the actual events portrayed within each book. But rest assured, the overall story-arc is superb. The canvass on which it is written, epic. The action is relentless. The plot development, though complex, is tight and skillfully delivered. And the characters, captivating and relatable. All in all, this is a series you’ll want to add to your collection.
So, until the next time,
Dive in, open the pages, and most important of all. . .
Happy reading.
