Marius Drake has always believed in the ideals of the Federation and has done everything within his power to ensure that the human planets stay unified. Marius knows that a strong Federation is required for humans to remain the dominant race in the known universe, so he must make sweeping changes now that the corrupt Grand Senate is a thing of the past. He also can't ignore the threat of the Outsiders out on the Rim. Lucky for him that he has his protege, Roman Garibaldi, who he can send out to the Rim with the main fleet while he takes care of things on Earth.  Of course no plan ever survives first contact with the enemy and the Rim is a very long way from Earth.

Right from the start this book thrusts you into the fight for humanity's future as Earth finds itself under assault. Of course Earth is the most heavily defended planet in the human Federation so it is unthinkable that anyone would attack it, which is why the defenders of Earth find themselves so unprepared for such a bold move. The reader experiences the initial battle, and the rest of the story, from two very different perspectives - one being Admiral Marius Drake, who surprisingly finds himself coordinating Earth's defense, and Roman Garibaldi, a promising student in the naval academy who is about to graduate into service. These two men will do their best to maintain the human Federation that has shaped mankind's existence for hundred of years, but ultimately, they will both need to wrestle with the fact that the organization they are fighting for may not be worthy of survival.

Iron Gold, the latest book in the Red Rising series, shows us how the rebellion from Morning Star has resulted in a new age of peace and harmony for mankind. Ummm, no. In truth, the war is far from over and establishing a new Republic is a lot harder than just disposing of the old leaders. The old color-based system is entrenched in society and the concept of accepting everyone as an equal is far from a reality. This is just one reason of many that the newly formed Republic finds that the challenges of peace can be more difficult to overcome than those of all out war.

Linesman is a character driven sci-fi series about a young man, Ean, discovering that his unique way of working with space ship "lines" will revolutionize human understanding of that technology. A piece of scrap metal used for a ship repair was found to contain ten "lines" that when integrated with the ship allowed for greater control and most importantly, the ability to travel through hyperspace. On the edge of interstellar war for control of that technology an alien ship with amazing defenses is discovered and both factions are desperate to possess it. It will take "Crazy" Ean Lambert to figure out how to access and use it.

Nobody can explain why, but it has become almost impossible to murder someone. In this new reality for humankind, 999 times out of 1000 when a person is murdered their body just disappears and they reappear back in their home, alive and well. They have full memory of the events that led to their death but in all other ways they are in the physical state they were in 12-24 hours prior to their demise. Of course this fundamentally changes human society and this short novella tells the story of a "missing person" police investigation which takes place within this interesting new world.

Following up on his smash hit The Martian, Andy Weir brings us to the Moon instead of Mars this time around, but he does it in the same science heavy sci-fi manner. Set in the near future, this novel focuses on Jazz Bashara, a young woman who barely ekes out a living in the city of Artemis, which just happens to be on the Moon. Jazz has been raised on the Moon from a young age, so living in a coffin sized apartment and eating various flavors of algae is normal to her. However, she is often exposed to the much more extravagant lifestyles of the rich tourists who come to visit, as well as the wealthy business people who also live there, and she wants to move up. Jazz has a plan to make that happen and she has been known to work outside the law as needed when opportunities arise. When the chance of a lifetime comes along in a high-risk, high-reward score, she just can't resist.

To my dismay Persepolis Rising starts a full thirty years after the end of the previous book, Babylon's Ashes. I found myself instantly unhappy that the writing duo known as James S. A. Corey had decided it was time for the crew of the Rocinante to be getting old. All of a sudden my favorite characters were spending time complaining about the aches and pains associated with aging instead of kicking ass and taking names. Luckily the authors also put forth an intriguing story line that makes it easy to set aside such concerns. When everything goes to hell, Holden and company prove that despite their age, they aren't done just yet.

The fifth book of the Frontlines series brings the story to a turning point for mankind. The first four books have seen humanity dominated by the alien Lankies, losing battle after battle, and abandoning every human planet except for Earth. Even then, the relentless attacks coming from the Lanky inhabited planet of Mars have caused humanity to barely maintain a hold on Earth. With our existence on the brink, the only option left is to go "all in" and launch an offensive to reclaim our solar system. Gathering up the scraps of the space fleet to attack Mars is a desperate play, but there are no other alternatives left.

In 2088 Earth decides to send out twelve deep space missions. Reggie Straifer proposes that they visit an anomalous star that appears to have some kind of shell blocking the light emitting from it. When his proposal is accepted and becomes one of the twelve missions he chooses the name Noumenon, a posited object or event that exists without sense or perception. Nine ships, populated by genetic clones, travel for two hundred years to get to the star while back on Earth two thousand years pass by. The story is told in first person vignettes at crucial timepoints.

Despite being only two books in length the Commonwealth Saga manages to deliver an epic science fiction story from the mind of author Peter F. Hamilton. The first book, Pandora's Star, is aptly named as it sets the stage by telling the tale of how humanity lets curiosity unleash a threat upon the galaxy that it is in no way prepared to handle. Multi-century lifespans and instant wormhole travel between stars has made humanity overly complacent and easy prey for the Prime aliens who are ruthless, aggressive, and without mercy. Survival of the fittest may have served us well in the distant past but now it is time to find out if we are able to channel our inner predator or if we finally become prey to someone else.