I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Abandoned by W. Michael Gear Series: Donovan Trilogy #2
Published by Daw Books on November 27 2018
Genres: Adult, Science fiction
Pages: 448
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
The nitty-gritty: Welcome back to Donovan, where the human population is just as dangerous as the killer alien species on the planet.
Abandoned is the sequel to Outpost, a book that completely surprised me when I read it earlier this year. And because of that, you should definitely read Outpost first. I love this series, and if you enjoy science fiction stories about establishing colonies on new planets, then I hope you’ll try this out. I’m giving Abandoned a slightly lower rating than I did for Outpost, simply because I didn’t feel as much of an emotional connection with some of the characters, but it’s a fantastic sequel nonetheless. Also, be aware that there are some spoilers for the first book.
Thirty years ago, settlers landed on the planet of Donovan, but out of the thousands who originally settled in the town of Port Authority, only a few hundred have survived. Because of the dangerous—and hungry—lifeforms, many have died over the years, and now the survivors are facing different challenges. Supplies and raw materials are dwindling, and they know that it’s only a matter of time before they run out and won’t be able to repair equipment or charge batteries. But not everyone has remained in Port Authority. After a shift in power, Supervisor Kalico Aguila has started a settlement to the south called Corporate Mine, where her loyal followers work to extract Donovan’s bounty of rich minerals and precious metals.
And miles away, a handful of rogue settlers have managed to grow a thriving farm at the old Mundo Base, long thought abandoned. Rebecca, Su and Dya have figured out how to keep the deadly quetzal at bay, but they know their simple way of life would be threatened if Corporate ever found out about their existence. Until one day, Marine Mark Talbot stumbles into their camp, barely alive, and changes everything.
All three groups will soon find out that Donovan’s native flora and fauna are not the only killers on the planet, as their paths inevitably cross. People are desperate, and desperate people will do anything to protect their way of life.
I loved the alien species-versus-humans action, and trust me, there are some harrowing scenes in this story, but there is just as much to love about the way Gear pits his characters against each other. Abandoned might take place on another planet, but this story feels like it’s set in the Wild West. The original commanding force in Port Authority has disintegrated and the population has fractured into various groups who set their own rules and enforce those rules in their own way. Deserters are shot and arguments are sometimes settled with duels. There’s even a saloon/bordello/casino in Port Authority called the Jewel, owned by one of the more slimy characters, a man named Dan Wirth, which added to the overall “Wild West” atmosphere. There’s an interesting mix of those who adhere to Kalico’s authority, a group of Marines who are still expected to fulfill the contracts they signed before leaving Solar System, and the denizens who have fallen prey to lack of power and have ended up as laborers or prostitutes. This disparate group was endlessly fascinating to me, and I loved how Gear explores the highs and lows of human nature when people of different walks of life are thrown together and expected to survive.
My only real issue with this story was that I just couldn’t connect emotionally to all of the characters. Out at Mundo Base there is a little girl named Kylee who has, miraculously, bonded with a baby quetzal. Kylee names him Rocket and Rocket follows her everywhere. Their relationship is so unique, and I thought Kylee and Rocket would end up being two of my favorite characters. But despite a really good story line, they both fell flat for me. I wanted to love them, wanted my heart to race whenever they were in danger (which happens a lot!), but I just couldn’t dredge up any emotions. Maybe the author has trouble writing children, because even Kylee’s dialog seemed unnatural to me.
But I didn’t have trouble with the adults at all. I loved Mark Talbot’s journey, finding a home and an unexpected family with the women and children of Mundo Base, and half-way through the story their idyllic situation changes and I was on pins and needles knowing what this change was going to do to them. I also loved the rivalry and almost bitter hatred between Talina and Lieutenant Spiro, and even Talina and Kalico have some very tense moments in the story. It isn’t often you see the focus on the female characters, so hats off to Mr. Gear for creating such complex and volatile relationships among these three strong women.
In the last book, a missing ship called the Freelander appears in orbit, and upon investigation, it’s discovered that the entire crew is dead. I won’t go into all the details, but it was a fantastic plot point and I was hoping the author would continue to explore the mystery of what happened to this ship. Gear doesn’t really address it in this book, but I have a feeling that the final book in the series will answer all my questions—I hope! Honestly, there was so much tension among characters on the planet’s surface, that the space element wasn’t really necessary.
The final book in the series, Pariah, already has a description up on Goodreads, and I can’t wait to read it. It sounds like we’ll be back in space for at least part of the next book, and that makes me very happy indeed.
Big thanks to the publisher for supply a review copy.
I’m reading this one right now. Abandoned is hard to put down. I agree that it is hard to connect with any of the characters. I had that problem with Outpost also, finally deciding that Talina and Cap were the ones to cheer for.
I really like Kalico a lot, she was one of my favorites, but yeah, his strength isn’t the characters but I still love this series:-)
If the story is strong, i can handle not easily connecting with characters. This series is on my Santa list and I’ve been nice! LOL
Laura Thomas recently posted…Inkling by Kenneth Oppel ~ Review and Giveaway
That’s how I feel too:-) Hope Santa surprises you!
I just went and downloaded OUTPOST. You always have the best reccs. — KD
It’s a bunch of fun, enjoy! And as always, thanks for the kind words
I didn’t read past the first paragraph because you mentioned spoilers but Outpost is definitely on my TBR!
Bonnie @ For the Love of Words recently posted…Something To Look Forward To – Week of October 22nd, 2018
I hope you enjoy it, I had a blast!
Yea, you are garnering more Outpost love. We work hard to get this promoted don’t we??? I have this slated as my Thanksgiving vacation week read. I detest Kalico thought so KNOW I’ll have a hard time connecting with her. Great review!
I think you and I are the only bloggers I know who are reading this series. I hope you enjoy it! I’m curious to see what you think of Rocket and Kylee.
Great review. Hadn’t heard of this series. I’ve really been meaning to read more sci-fi (I keep saying that), maybe I should check this out!
It’s not well known, which is sort of sad, I think it should get more attention.
This cover brings to mind a story I read a few years ago. For the life of me, I cannot remember the name of it, but this is exactly what I pictured while reading it. I’ll have to check this book out.
Interesting, let me know if you remember:-)
Tammy, I have been racking my brain trying to remember the title to the book, but it eludes me. It was before I started keeping track of the books I read. Hopefully, it will come to me when I least expect it.
I’m not sure this is a series I would love so much, plus I hate when I don’t connect with characters, especially when I initially think I will, so that makes me even more hesitant
Lisa @TenaciousReader recently posted…Spotlight: The Mortal World plus Invisible Library Series Giveaway
For some reason I just really enjoy the world building and the plot, which makes the lack of connecting OK for me:-)
I love the sound of it – BUT I really have a problem when I can’t connect with the characters, so I think I’m going to give this one a miss… Thank you for a great review, Tammy.
I know what you mean. I did connect to some of the characters, otherwise it would have been a little tough to love.
I haven’t started this series yet, but the first book is cued up in my sci-fi month reading list and I hope to get to it soon!
Oh cool, I hope you enjoy it!
Oh, this sounds like a great series to try even if the characters are harder to connect to. Your review is so thoughtful, and I really enjoyed reading it.
Thanks Jennifer! Sometimes I don’t need to connect to all the characters to enjoy a book, and this was one of those times.
I’ve not started this series but I’m loving the covers.
Lynn 😀
The covers really tell a story, too. They are both important scenes from the books.
Since I *loved* Outpost, I’m very happy to learn that the author did not fall into the dreaded “middle book syndrome” with this one, and I imagine part of the success might reside in the fact that he chose to focus on some new characters and a different section of the world. I can hardly wait to read this one, because – kid & quetzal troubles apart – it sounds like an engaging read just as much as its predecessor. Thank you so much for sharing this! 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…An apology… and an explanation
It doesn’t sound like this planet is ready yet for a resort industry!
Thanks for some other informative blog. Where else may just I get that type of information written in such a perfect approach?
I have a challenge that I’m just now working on, and I have
been at the glance out for such info.
Back to list recently posted…Back to list
You could certainly see your expertise within the article you write.
The arena hopes for more passionate writers such as you who aren’t afraid to say
how they believe. All the time go after your heart.
Novella recently posted…Novella