Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsWebb has again shown why he is a true master of the Mil Sci-Fi Genre – Defiance is some of his best work yet!
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2017
Defiance continues the epic saga of the Legacy Fleet series, which centres on Humanities fight against the deadly ‘Swarm’. This is the 5th in the main series, but there is now the Kindle World spin-offs as well delving into multiple different aspects of the story.
In Defiance, Shelby Proctor has been re-instated as an ‘Active’ Admiral aboard the Independence, alongside Ballsy, who is no longer flying fighters, but is the Captain of the ship. At the start of this book, and as the story moves forward, there are just so many things happening within the Universe that the survival of Humanity is looking kind of bleak. A strange race has done something to the moon of Titan, the Dolmassi are at war again, Granger has returned from the grave, impossibly, with a message that they are coming, and to top it all off, it appears that members of the highest ranks of the Military and Government are acting like they are under the influence of the Swarm again. And this is just the political side, there is all the actual full blown heart pounding ship-to-ship combat that Webb interweaves throughout these books so well also.
This is why Nick Webb’s books are just so good, they aren’t just fleets smashing each other, these are intelligent well thought out thrilling Sci-Fi, and because of his field of study, Nick is able to bring such a high degree of realism to the story with the technology and the Science, making his stories truly gripping reads. Defiance (and the Legacy Fleet series as a whole), has something for everyone, creative and outstanding tech, thrilling, clever and in-depth storylines, and exceptional characters with believable, real dialogue that makes you feel you are there with them.
This is also an engaging and stimulating read, cleverly laid out with various early parts of the story leaving you wondering what this part of the story, or that little paragraph are doing in certain parts of the book, right up until some pivotal moment, when it all happens, and so much clicks into place you actually have to stop for a minute and just let it all fall into place, the sheer genius of the story telling, and the outstanding writing ability to put together the story in this fashion, to create such anticipation and tension and then create such stunning effects as a result. Nick Webb is a truly gifted writer, there is no arguing with that.
For those that are after some epic starship combat, Defiance (and the Legacy series as a whole), has some of the most amazing battle scenes in the genre, and the descriptions from fighter craft through to massive capital class ships is just spectacular.
One of the highlights of the series though is the character writing. Given that Webb is so good at developing the story, providing such outstanding tech, and the stunning combat scenes, it is no surprise that his Character work is equally as exceptional. From the older Shelby, who has seen everything now, having been a junior officer in the earlier Swarm war decades before, to ‘Batship’, the son of Ballsy, determined to be better than the father he despises, but desperately tries to emulate every time he is in a ship, or simulator. Each of Webb’s Characters are beautifully crafted, with creative and clever back stories (such as Lt Qwerty, and how he actually got such a weird name), that you become very attached to each of them, following their triumphs and their tragedies.
Of course the other highlight are all the Easter Eggs. Nick loves references to every TV, Movie and Book that he has loved over the years, and it is hilarious the way they pop up in the book, or are blurted out by characters (often at the most inappropriate times) This just adds a good laugh to the book, making it just that bit more special.
Defiance is a very aptly named title for the book, for it is only Shelby’s ‘Defiance’ that has any hope of saving humanity now, especially with all of the odds stacked against her.
This is such a superb book in what is possibly one of the best series in this genre – if you haven't read this yet, or the series, go and buy it!
