Once again, we have the pleasure of traveling through the imagination of Joel Jenkins mind. I’ve mentioned before that Joel Jenkins is the master of all the different genres. In this book, we travel to The Dire Planet, Joel Jenkins version of Mars. This is the sixth book in the series and I for one, enjoy the series.
While Garvey Dire is the main character in the series, he isn’t always the main character in the book. Joel has populated the series with many characters that Garvey Dire has encountered in his life on Ancient Mars. One character explained that Garvey Dire has the ability to make his enemies into his allies and some of them into heroes in the books.
Also, make sure you don’t become too attached to every character you meet and like. You never know who will survive at the end. For every character that dies, at least two new characters appear or one you may have forgotten from a previous book.
In this book we are introduced to a new enemy, that is pictured on the cover. A good-looking (not) being in a mechanical armor. Who are they? What do they want? Where in time and space are they from? These questions and many more are asked by Garvey Dire and his friends, family and their enemies along with us, the readers.
While this is the main story, it isn’t the only story. The other stories in the book, while they appear to lead in other directions are in reality taking the characters on a path to find what they need to fight the main enemy. It’s like having several books packed into one.
While you can read this book on its own, it is best to read the series from beginning to present to feel the buildup in the series and to discover how Joel introduces each new character. One of my favorites is Naegrik, who is from a not a very pleasant group of people. His growth through the series makes him easily seen to become a main character in a book of his own. Yes, he is in this book and plays an important role both in this book and the future of his people.
As much as I would like to give you more details, I don’t want to spoil anything you will read. What I will say is, if you think you know where the story is leading you, expect to be surprised.
One last thing before I go. I hope that Joel gives us a reference book for The Dire Planet. Maps, people, animals, religions and more. Plus, all the footnotes he uses to help explain everything.
Be sure and buy all of his Dire Planet series and all of his other books.
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