A missing space vessel, an alien world, and humans being pursued by an alien phalanx. In Jason M. Hough’s Injection Burn, those elements come together as humanity finds itself spreading out beyond Earth and the Solar System. Set in the same milieu as The Dire Earth Trilogy, Hough does a fine job of making this a novel approachable to readers who haven’t read the earlier connected trilogy, while also making those same readers curious to check out the earlier books.
Part one of a thrilling action-adventure sci-fi duology featuring indomitable characters, incredible worlds, and plenty of rip-roaring action and thrills!
Rescue operation—or suicide mission?
Skyler Luiken and his ragtag crew of scavengers, scientists, and brawlers have a new mission: a long journey to a distant planet where a race of benevolent aliens are held captive behind a cloud of destructive ships known as the Swarm Blockade. No human ships have ever made it past this impenetrable wall, and Skyler knows not what to anticipate when they reach their destination.
Safe to say that the last thing he expects to find there is a second human ship led by the tough-as-nails captain, Gloria Tsandi. These two crews—and their respective captains—initially clash, but they will have to learn to work together when their mutual foe closes in around them and begins the outright destruction of their vessels—along with any hope of a return to Earth.
Hough introduces us to a slim crew aboard a space vessel the Wildflower looking for colleagues and their vessel which have strayed beyond borders from which none have returned. Hough staffs this ship with a fairly interesting crew of characters including captain Gloria Tsandi. One of their main goals is to hopefully get sight of the planet Skyler Lukien and his crew went missing trying to find two thousand years ago. Rounding out the crew of the Wildflower Beth and navigator Xavi. Keeping a relatively thin cast, at least on the Wildflower, was a smart move and allowed me as the reader to feel more invested in them.
Of course there are more characters, including the aforementioned Skyler and his crew. Hough brings them into the story relatively deep into the novel, which again, allows for the new characters of Gloria, Xavi, and Beth to settle into our minds. When we do meet Skyler the novel shifts slightly in tone to a first contact novel. They have reached the alien planet and despite their bickering, which is much like a familial bickering, they are most of them awed by what they discover, the strangeness of the alien life and trying to determine how it is those aliens achieved space travel.
The relativistic time from when they left Earth to when the story catches up to them gives them a surprise, they didn’t realize they were gone for two millennia. As happens when “heroes” meet for the first time there’s a clash of wills until all the characters realize they are on the same page and have very similar goals, like surviving an alien attack.
One of the things that struck me the most is Hough’s ability to convey a cramped, claustrophobic atmosphere to the novel, particularly scenes on the Wildflower and later when Skyler & crew make it off planet. There’s the natural tension of characters in a stressful situation meeting and trying to work together, but the claustrophobia added even more dramatic tension. Hough also created some interesting aliens in this book. I’d only read the first of the original Dire Earth Trilogy (which will likely change), which featured mostly human characters. He seemed to have fun with the aliens here, in making some of them unique. Sure aliens with insect like qualities and names like the Swarm aren’t exactly new, but the other aliens on the strange planet were fascinating. I also appreciated how inviting this book was to readers who haven’t read the original Dire Earth Trilogy. Placing the new characters up front set to put all readers on an equal footing.
As I said, I read The Darwin Elevator and mostly enjoyed it, but what really drove me back to Hough’s work was Zero World. After reading this one, I’ll have to read the sequel Escape Velocity then make my way back to finish out The Dire Earth Trilogy.
© 2017 Rob H. Bedford
A Dire Earth Novel
Review copy courtesy of the publisher, Del Rey Books
Published May 2017 | Mass Market Paperback, 4000 pages
http://www.jasonhough.com/
