Title: Redspace Rising
Author: Brian Trent
Publisher: Flame Tree Press
Publication Date: September 13, 2022
Genre: Science Fiction
Harris Alexander Pope is the man who ended the Partisan War on Mars. All he seeks now is solitude and a return to the life that was stolen from him. Yet when he learns that the worst war criminals are hiding in other bodies, he is forced into an interplanetary pursuit.
Teaming up with other survivors eager for their own brand of vengeance, Harris begins to suspect a darker truth:
Maybe what he remembers about the war isn’t what happened at all…
Why This Book
Redspace Rising is the book that made me think of this month’s theme because the ending was just so perfect and so much fun that I still can’t stop thinking about it. This is a military science fiction novel set on Mars and further out in space. I’m not one for military anything, but, after the book that precedes this, I could not wait for Trent’s second book. While Redspace Rising doesn’t follow the same main character as Ten Thousand Thunders, it more than makes up for that in Harris. His voice was incredibly fun and I absolutely adored him. I didn’t even mind all the battling, because he even made that entertaining. This book messes with memories and has consciousnesses being downloaded into new bodies all the time, so it could be confusing, but isn’t. Instead, it’s full of high action and a story that never really stops.
It’s the ending, though, that really sticks with me. There’s a bit of a repetitive thing that happens throughout this book, but it’s not boring in the slightest. It speaks to just how deep some things go and the lengths some will go to for what they want. And then there’s Harris’ response to it all, which is also amusing. But the end takes the cake. It’s really quite something to read, and the amusement I got when the full impact was made is something I’ll never forget.
Reviews
My review: “Redspace Rising is an intense, compelling military science fiction novel where the action never stops, the plots and manipulations are always a constant undertone, and the meeting of old and new faces both offers continuity and an expansion of the story. This was just as stunning as the first book, though I found the science much more accessible and the action a lot more fun”
Cheryl M-M’s Book Blog said “This starts with an awakening and goes full throttle till the very last page”
Grimdark Magazine gave this a 5 out of 5, saying “With its fast-paced action, double-crossing characters, and focus on personal identity and memory, Redspace Rising is like a literary sci-fi version of the Jason Bourne movie franchise, with Brian Trent serving as the virtuoso cameraman documenting the gripping adventures of our proficient but broken hero”
Scintilla said “Brian Trent has a plot with multiple twists. Promises are made to readers early on that are fulfilled much later in the narrative, deposits paid with interest. This is a “hard” science fiction story that reminds me of some of the classics in the genre”
Purchase Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | IndieBound | Target | Walmart | Booktopia (Australia) | imusic of Denmark | Books-A-Million | Kobo | Google Books | Apple Books | Book Depository | Abe Books | Dymocks (Australia) | Blackwell’s (UK) | Better World Books | WHSmith (UK) | Black Dragon Books (UK)
Check out all the other books featured this month on The Curated Bookshelf.
This blog is my home base, but you can also find me on:
Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
The Lily Cafe 