Book Review: Citadel, by Marko Kloos
Book three of the Palladium Wars.
47North, 2021, 329 pages
An interplanetary battle is renewed in an epic novel of a warring solar system by the author of Ballistic.
The war should have been over. But it’s not for a group of nationalists grabbing for control.
It’s been two weeks since a missile with a nuclear warhead tore through the planetary defenses in the most blistering large-scale attack ever committed in the history of the Gaia system. Commander Dunstan Park of the Rhodian navy has been handpicked to command an experimental cruiser that could dictate the course of the escalating conflict. All he has to do is keep the ship from falling into the wrong hands.
On Gretia, the powder keg is beyond control. A terrorist attack against civilians draws Idina Chaudhary into a costly battle. It also forces a cautious Aden Jansen back into the fray. Now dedicated to a just cause, he’s still keeping his past hidden. The risk of exposing his former alliance could twist not only his fate but also that of his sister, Solveig, heir to the family empire.
With no time to waste, Dunstan hits the ground running. But as insurgents threaten the unstable peace, what’s ahead for both sides could change the destiny of the Gaia system forever.
While I'm waiting for Marko Kloos to finish his Frontlines series, it seems I'll also be waiting for him to finish his Palladium Wars series.
Citadel is the third book in the series, and so far I am enjoying it a little more than the last few volumes of Frontlines. Kloos has gotten a little better at characterization, though his dialog is still a bit klunky. But you don't read military sci-fi for the deep character development and exquisite wordsmithing, right?
We continue to alternate between four POV main characters: Aden Jansen, the former POW and prodigal scion of a wealthy family who's now living as a free trader right out of a Traveller RPG; his sister Solveig, who is being groomed by daddy to take over the company; Commander Dunstan Park, who provides the necessary spaceship battles portion of the book; and Sergeant Idina Chaudhary, who provides the necessary ground combat portion of the book.
The plot begun in the first two books continues. Gretia, the planet that started a war with the rest of the solar system and lost, is beginning to simmer under Alliance occupation, and a group called "Odin's Wolves" is deliberately trying to escalate things with terrorist attacks and stolen warships. So there is a conspiracy to reignite the war, and all the main characters are dragged into it in one way or another. Dunstan has been given command of a brand new super-stealth ship, the Hecate, to go hunting pirates and troublemakers with. Aden's new crewmates have to deal with the consequences of crossing some bad folks who wanted them to transport a nuke in the previous book. Idina is on the ground on Gretia, dealing with terrorist attacks and would-be insurgencies, and Solveig is trying to assert her independence from her father, who is starting to look like he's involved in the conspiracy (to no reader's surprise).
I enjoyed Citadel, which is nice light SF comfort food of no great sophistication, but with a plot that is still moving along (though it must be said, not much has changed in the status quo by the end of this volume, and that's a troubling pattern Kloos has). There are a couple of cliffhangers at the end that I pretty much saw coming. I will be along for the ride with the next book, and continuing to harp on the fact that Kloos never seems to actually finish a series.
Also by Marko Kloos: My reviews of Terms of Enlistment, Lines of Departure, Angles of Attack, Chains of Command, Fields of Fire, Points of Impact, Orders of Battle, Aftershocks, and Ballistic.
My complete list of book reviews.
47North, 2021, 329 pages
An interplanetary battle is renewed in an epic novel of a warring solar system by the author of Ballistic.
The war should have been over. But it’s not for a group of nationalists grabbing for control.
It’s been two weeks since a missile with a nuclear warhead tore through the planetary defenses in the most blistering large-scale attack ever committed in the history of the Gaia system. Commander Dunstan Park of the Rhodian navy has been handpicked to command an experimental cruiser that could dictate the course of the escalating conflict. All he has to do is keep the ship from falling into the wrong hands.
On Gretia, the powder keg is beyond control. A terrorist attack against civilians draws Idina Chaudhary into a costly battle. It also forces a cautious Aden Jansen back into the fray. Now dedicated to a just cause, he’s still keeping his past hidden. The risk of exposing his former alliance could twist not only his fate but also that of his sister, Solveig, heir to the family empire.
With no time to waste, Dunstan hits the ground running. But as insurgents threaten the unstable peace, what’s ahead for both sides could change the destiny of the Gaia system forever.
While I'm waiting for Marko Kloos to finish his Frontlines series, it seems I'll also be waiting for him to finish his Palladium Wars series.
Citadel is the third book in the series, and so far I am enjoying it a little more than the last few volumes of Frontlines. Kloos has gotten a little better at characterization, though his dialog is still a bit klunky. But you don't read military sci-fi for the deep character development and exquisite wordsmithing, right?
We continue to alternate between four POV main characters: Aden Jansen, the former POW and prodigal scion of a wealthy family who's now living as a free trader right out of a Traveller RPG; his sister Solveig, who is being groomed by daddy to take over the company; Commander Dunstan Park, who provides the necessary spaceship battles portion of the book; and Sergeant Idina Chaudhary, who provides the necessary ground combat portion of the book.
The plot begun in the first two books continues. Gretia, the planet that started a war with the rest of the solar system and lost, is beginning to simmer under Alliance occupation, and a group called "Odin's Wolves" is deliberately trying to escalate things with terrorist attacks and stolen warships. So there is a conspiracy to reignite the war, and all the main characters are dragged into it in one way or another. Dunstan has been given command of a brand new super-stealth ship, the Hecate, to go hunting pirates and troublemakers with. Aden's new crewmates have to deal with the consequences of crossing some bad folks who wanted them to transport a nuke in the previous book. Idina is on the ground on Gretia, dealing with terrorist attacks and would-be insurgencies, and Solveig is trying to assert her independence from her father, who is starting to look like he's involved in the conspiracy (to no reader's surprise).
I enjoyed Citadel, which is nice light SF comfort food of no great sophistication, but with a plot that is still moving along (though it must be said, not much has changed in the status quo by the end of this volume, and that's a troubling pattern Kloos has). There are a couple of cliffhangers at the end that I pretty much saw coming. I will be along for the ride with the next book, and continuing to harp on the fact that Kloos never seems to actually finish a series.
Also by Marko Kloos: My reviews of Terms of Enlistment, Lines of Departure, Angles of Attack, Chains of Command, Fields of Fire, Points of Impact, Orders of Battle, Aftershocks, and Ballistic.
My complete list of book reviews.