Rebels In Arms

Rating:
Summary: A book of difficult choices
Review: This story is told as a flashback memoir, but essentially it carries straight on from the first book in this series BROTHERS IN ARMS, although we do have some glimpses of Scott's future after the war.

In this novel Scott St Andrew faces a choice - he has been approached by the Colonial Wardens to join their organisation and switch sides in the conflict. For Scott, while he can appreciate their aims, this means betraying everything of moral importance to him. This is basically a book of difficult choices. We meet old characters from book 1 as well as some new important people as Scott shifts though a myriad of plots and betrayals.

Although the constant battle scenes can be wearying and somewhat depressing with all the loss in lives and how little they really achieve, this book rattles along at a fast pace and keeps you wanting to know how it ends. I'll be very interested to see where this war takes St Andrew in book 3, PATRIOTS IN ARMS.

Rating:
Summary: Up In Arms
Review: Weaver's imagination is good, but perhaps a little too good. His battle scenes are confusing and unrealistic. I didn't read the prequel, and many of the hero's talents seem to have been explained there (ability to teleport, survive repeated gunfire, etc.) The hero is indestructable, yet kills hundreds of the enemy single-handedly. I struggled just to finish the book.

On the plus side, his characterization is pretty good. I'd give him only 2 stars for this one.

Rating:
Summary: Rebels In Arms
Review: Weaver's imagination is good, but perhaps a little too good. His battle scenes are confusing and unrealistic. I didn't read the prequel, and many of the hero's talents seem to have been explained there (ability to teleport, survive repeated gunfire, etc.) The hero is indestructable, yet kills hundreds of the enemy single-handedly. I struggled just to finish the book.

On the plus side, his characterization is pretty good. I'd give him only 2 stars for this one.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent read!
Review: When civil war broke out, Cadet Scott St. Andrew and Cadet Halitov abandoned the Terran Alliance to join the rebellion of the Seventeen Worlds. This marked them as traitors. However Scott is beginning to believe neither deserve his loyalty. Due to his not being fully conditioned, Scott is still aging rapidly. This means that even though he is a lethal fighting machine, he will not live much longer.

The Colonial Wardens is a secret splinter group within the rebel infrastructure. They are planning a coup and have agreed to correct his deteriorating condition IF he casts his lot with them. They also all but told Scott flat out that his brother, Jarrett, was really alive. Scott is determined to find out if all the Wardens say is true or if they are feeding him more lies.

**** The character, Paul, from the first book shows up again. Readers get an update on him, his lover Dina, and his father the Colonel. Halitov remains his normal selfish person, but I still could not help liking him. Of course, like the first book, Scott gets promoted quickly due to the war. Also like the first book, this one ends with no closure. Be sure to have all three books of this trilogy before you begin reading! I wish someone had told me that before I began it. ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.