Day 9: Book Haul Part 2

I wanted to follow up on the book haul after finishing the first novel, Planetside by Micheal Mammay. The first book haul post has my perspective on the book before reading and this will give my perspective after. I won't be giving any spoilers however, so I'll keep my discussion of the end of the book as general as possible.

Just a quick overview: Planetside follows retired Colonel Carl Butler as he is drawn out of retirement and into an investigation of a missing person. The missing person turns out to be Lieutenant Mallot, the son of a high-councilor, the highest possible leader in the military industrial complex. Butler's mission is as urgent as any he's ever taken on. When he arrives at Cappa base where Mallot has gone missing, he runs into blockade after blockade preventing any progress. The medical staff won't work with him (and are obviously up to something), the base commander appears to be on his side but has something to hide too, and Butler's every lead ends up disappearing. He has no choice but to take the investigation planetside, and what he finds there is both incredible and terrifying.

After reading this book I'm happy to say my first impressions were confirmed and that it stays strong throughout. Mammay does a great job of twisting every old sci-fi war book trope into something you wouldn't expect, a tough task when so many of them have been written. He keeps pushing the pace faster and faster as the book goes on, leading to a climactic final act where every little clue throughout the investigation comes together.

As far as the plot goes, I have to give it full marks because it enthralled me so completely. I just had to know what happened and I love getting that feeling from a book more than just about anything. It has its twists and turns, and though you might see some of it coming from a mile away, the thing you expect to happen never quite has the result you would imagine. It cuts a very fine line between predictable and surprising.

Butler has a deep past that I would like to know more about as the series goes on. His mannerisms can be a little bit off-putting in my opinion, but this is hardly an objective fault with the novel and it only makes sense that an old dog like him would have some quirks. That being said, he's an interesting character that does a lot more than just move the plot along. His crew that steadily gains members as the story goes on are loyal and admirable people, though their pasts aren't explored as deeply as Butler's. I could stand to see some more in-depth characterization from some of the side characters on Butler's team, but in a story this fast I think it would be hard to work that in.

Overall, it was a very fast read that kept me on the edge of my seat and I can't wait to read Butler's next investigation. My only issue now is finding more books by Mammay!

Thank you for reading,

Benjamin Hawley