US Review of Books

Future Prometheus II: Revolution, Successions & Resurrections

reviewed by Michael Radon

"Just as she smiled, she heard a series of short, controlled bursts of gunfire—both from Pre-Fall, gas-propelled rifles and from electromagnetic assault rifles."

In these continued tales of the unfrozen Lieutenant Jose Melendez and his Omega Platoon of outcasts and misfits, the threat of Nemericana forces loom in the distance while a more sinister force rises in the artificial troops led by Aurora Prime. The fugitive Mare Sade Singh, former Nemericana soldier and an ally of Melendez, help him and his loyal APs avoid detection and maintain their independence while caught between two massive armies both determined to wipe them out. When the war escalates to unthinkable levels, Melendez, Singh, and the rest of Omega Platoon form an uneasy alliance with Nemericana to fight back against inhuman atrocities. In a war between women and machines, the unlikeliest of heroes will rise up to defend the rights of all people, not just the privileged.

This collection of three novellas picks up where the previous title leaves off, reintroducing popular characters and continuing the plot to its thrilling and action-packed climax. With solid science fiction balanced with Shakespearean quotes and believable character development, these stories draw the reader in and urge them to devour chapter after chapter. An imaginative mind can put together an enjoyable science fiction story with bizarre technology and strange social rules, but Erickson takes the medium to the next level with real, emotional, human moments, even from non-human characters. Balancing the hard sciences with the liberal arts, these sci-fi stories rise to tall heights and entertain from cover to cover with fast action and authentic interaction. These novellas are recommended for readers who like the fantastic delivered with a dose of realism and can handle some adult themes.

RECOMMENDED by the USR