Book Review: TerraForming Earth – Phase Two: “Humanoids in Sealed Habitats” (FutureScape)
An excellent follow up to a thrilling—and sometimes chilling—opening installment.
The war of the Age of Abundance vs. the Age of Scarcity rages on. And the world has become an even more dangerous place for it. Scientists of the resistance against the evil elite trying to Terraform Earth into their twisted version of the Garden of Eden are falling like flies. But the members of FutureScape don’t have it easier, as they have to elude assassination attempts at nearly every turn.
Humankind’s inventiveness has reached the point where we have become able to genetically modify practically everything. The opening chapter clearly shows us this, as the beautiful Kishi, a member of the lethal assassins known as the Geisha Girls has to dodge every kind of flora and fauna programmed to kill just to reach her goal.
We are reunited with some old friends from Terraforming Earth Phase One. Seasoned cop Rake Cunningham and beautiful Doc Holiday are still trying to stop their relentless enemies from reaching their goal. Alas, given the wealth and the power that their foes wield, this task may prove harder than ever before. Beautiful Simone Bolivar is also back, as striking and lethal as ever. And so is her boss and lover Garrett, who may have just become even colder and more ruthless this time around.
Action, intrigue and suspense are there right from the start, as was the case with Terraforming Earth Phase One. But some characters are even shadier this time around; their intentions not as clear as one might think. And also humans might not be the only menace to themselves, as Terraforming Earth Phase Two is quick to remind us that we may not be alone in the universe…not even on Earth itself.
What I liked about this book:
In book one author Dean C. Moore was able to create a credible world full of depth. It only made sense that he would lead the reader on a deeper exploration into his futuristic vision this time around. And he does this without missing a beat. Not only are we reminded of the many things that Moore introduced us to in book One, but we’re also introduced to new concepts and ideas that feel like the natural progression you would expect to see in this world.
There are new chip enhancements and nanobites, gadgets that characters know how to use as the perfect ace up their sleeve at the right time. Moore also manages to keep the reader guessing, as many characters are morally ambiguous; their intentions not clear from the first. This makes up for a thrilling read that keeps you wondering about the many twists and turns that you might get at the turn of each page.
What I didn’t like:
There are few things I could honestly say that I didn’t like about this book. The first couple of chapters could benefit from being broken in two, but the action and the suspense is so good in both instances that it’s really hard to call this a flaw.
Dialogues felt a like confusing at times, as I had a little trouble following which character was saying what. This might have been a minor sacrifice on the author’s part to serve the action in the book (and there’s lots of it, believe me), but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it did take away a bit from my enjoyment. Then again, this minor detail could be easily solved in a revised edition.
Conclusion:
I truly feel that Terraforming Phase Two was an improvement over its predecessor, which I thoroughly enjoyed. This series offers an epic, vast scope that it deserves to be enjoyed like a good wine: take your time to savor each chapter so you can soak in every little detail and nuance in the book. It will be worth your while, I promise.
You can purchase Terraforming Earth - Phase Two: "Humanoids in Sealed Habitats" (FutureScape) here: Amazon
