Ahoy there mateys!  I received this sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings.  While the other three books in the series can be read in any order, this book follows events in after atlas.  While I try to post no spoilers, if ye haven't read that one and keep reading this log then ye have been forewarned and continue at yer own peril . . . .

I read these books in publishing order and I do recommend that a person new to the series do so as well even though the first three books be companion standalones.  But like I said, this fourth book should be read last.

A brief recap.  Book one, planetfall showed the story of  a human colony on a remote alien planet far, far from Earth.  Book two, after atlas, is a sci-fi murder mystery novel set on Earth forty years after the colony ship Atlas has left the planet.  Book three, after mars, is about the an employee of a corporation based on Mars who has to solve a wicked bad case of déjà vu.  And then we come to the fourth book.

Now I didn't read the blurb for this one and jumped in with blind faith that the author would give me an excellent story.  She did.  This installment involves the colony ship, Atlas 2 and picks up from where book two left off.  It showcases the familiar Dee, a dedicated gamer struggling to deal with the consequences of leaving Earth behind.  Dee's anger is making her want someone to blame.  She just has to figure out who and then get revenge.

And that's all yer gonna get from me about the plot because of spoilers.  I think some readers will be surprised that this book did not take place on the colony planet.  I was.  But after a small mental adjustment, I was drawn right into this tale.  Like the previous three books, this is another character study where the plot (while fun) takes a backseat to the portrayal of the inner workings of a person and what makes them tick.  I read this in one sitting.

The nice part about this book is that we already know so much about the other two main characters (Carl and Travis) and ye get to see them from the perspective of Dee who previously was a minor character.  I actually found Dee to be extremely sympathetic and wanted her to succeed and get out of the mess she's in.  I did guess one of the major plot points of Dee's troubles and also an aspect of the overall ending but it didn't bother me too much.  There were small issues about character development and the bad guys.  But I should have known the reasons would be revealed.  I just had to wait for it all to unfold.

I loved this installment and highly recommend it.  I do hope we get at least one more story of life back on the colony planet.  While waiting to find out if the author is going to have one, do pick up any of the Planetfall books and treat yerself to a delightful story.

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