The Dying Light (Evergence, Book Two)

Rating:
Summary: a shining light!
Review: Big ships, big settings, larger than life characters! Out of the 3 books this was the one I didn't think was as strong as the others, but it still out strips virtually everything else I've read this year in the way of sci fi. All 3 books tell a story, but they each have their own big stories taking place between the covers! The finale to this book is a bang big enough to please any space opera fan! And one that would look incredible on the big screen! Williams and Dix are just awesome writers. For pure escapism written intelligently, you can't go past this series.

Rating:
Summary: Several interesting plot twists
Review: Morgan Roche, ex-Commonwealth of Empires intelligence officer, now travels to Palasian system in an effort to learn more about the mysterious clone warriors now seemingly threatning all of humanity.

Palasian system has apparently been destroyed by a clone warrior, along with the space around it - the nearby stars are closer together than they should be, and Palasian system is basically not where it should be.

This second book in the Evergence trilogy has a somewhat darker feel to it than the first, as if Williams and Dix are writing in some elements of suspense as well. A reader learns new things about the Evergence universe with each book. I started the Evergence trilogy with this book by mistake, and I was most certainly confused for a while. Nevertheless, this is a great book, and a must-read for those who liked the first one.

Rating:
Summary: A solid future history with good characterizations
Review: So many times today I read new sci fi, only to find it consumed with either rather juvenile descriptions of interpersonal intimacy or numbingly offensive instances of gory description. It seems to be a challenge some weeks to find a good future history story which is neither hopelessly dated, hopelessly violent, or hopelessly obsessed with adoloscent views of human relationships.

Evergence: The Dying Light is an exception to these dreary rules. Although it is the second in a series of which I had not read the first, I found it quite easy to follow. Although the story has some violence, and the characters are discernibly adult, it is neither a gore-fest nor a teen fantasy quest. Instead, it is serious sci fi, in the future history mold, with good plot and good characterization.

The plot involves a female protagonist in a distant future, with a diverse and sympathetic crew, facing challenges both mundane and devastating under circumstances in which the powers that be know the value of a lot of cards, but they ain't showing their hands. In other words, it's the "quest among uncertain forces" motif, but done in a fairly fresh, if not quite novel, setting.

I instinctively shy away from two-author works because so many either have an unsatisfying "compromise" feel to the narrative voice or have chapters written in different hands so divergent that they barely plot in together. This book raises no such concerns. It is well-written, consistent, and holds together.

This is not a perfect book. The future universe created has its interesting aspects, but seems largely synthesized from what has gone before. There is little of the "oh,wow" about the future extrapolations that result, and I am small-minded enough to confess that I want a little "oh, wow" in my sci fi. But I recommend this book nonetheless....a solid, good day's read, well done.

Rating:
Summary: Thanks for your interest in The Dying Light and Evergence.
Review: The second Evergence book continues where we left off with THE PRODIGAL SUN. It's getting darker in the Human galaxy, a theme hinted at in the titles of the three books and taken literally, in one sense, in THE DYING LIGHT. Truths are coming out that might have been better left hidden away -- except, ultimately, if Roche is to survive or work out who Adoni Cane really is, she needs to know as much as she can. No matter what the cost.

We have attempted in this book to capture the claustrophobia of being confined to a single solar system along with the sense of emptiness between planets. There's a lot of nothing in any system in which all sorts of things can hide. There are also lots of interesting details to wonder at. The twin jovian worlds of Kukumat and Murukan, and their single, singular, moon, are settings we are very proud of. That feeling of awe, combined with the dread of the inevitable, is something we inspire to convey in each of the books.

And "Evergence" itself: what does it mean? You'll have to keep reading to find out ...

Rating:
Summary: Excellent light reading
Review: This book is light reading SciFi; excellent for passing time, but, you will be able to put it down to eat, see your family, etc.

Pluses: A story line that kept you involved and wondering; interesting character; the pages turned themselves.

Minuses: Nothing in the story was a new idea that inspired awe. Also, although the characters were interesting, they were not really explored in too much depth.

Rating:
Summary: train kept a rollin'
Review: This story is a rollercoaster of a ride and I loved every minute of it. The first book takes right off and immerses you into a vivid universe of plot twists and rich characters and leaves you dying for more. The Dying Light satifies you that Dix and Williams will be around to tell us the whole story and leaves you frantically aching for the conclusion. If you liked Prodigal sun, you will love this book. If you have not read any of them, you might as well save your self the shipping and handling and buy all 3 together right now! Everyone I told about the books devoured them with delight.

Rating:
Summary: train kept a rollin'
Review: This story is a rollercoaster of a ride and I loved every minute of it. The first book takes right off and immerses you into a vivid universe of plot twists and rich characters and leaves you dying for more. The Dying Light satifies you that Dix and Williams will be around to tell us the whole story and leaves you frantically aching for the conclusion. If you liked Prodigal sun, you will love this book. If you have not read any of them, you might as well save your self the shipping and handling and buy all 3 together right now! Everyone I told about the books devoured them with delight.

Rating:
Summary: Really good trilogies are rare, but this one delivers.
Review: This trio is one the best stories I've read, the pace moves along, the characters are great and very real. There are so many twists you never know who's behind any given event. I loved the stories within stories, the doubt of loyalty of a main character and the heroine's dilemma of figuring out whom to trust. The AI known as "box" is a super idea, and one that just keeps the reader guessing.
I will read the entire story again. Great job Sean and Shane!!! Lets have MORE!