Resilient by Allen Stroud

I would like to thank Flame Tree Press for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Flame Tree Press

Published – Out Now

Price – £9.95 paperback £6.95 Kindle eBook

Warning there will be minor spoilers for the excellent Fearless by Allen Stroud you really should read that book for more awesome space opera!

AD 2118. Humanity has colonised the Moon, Mars, Ceres and Europa. The partnership of corporations and governments has energized the space programme for one hundred years. 

That partnership is shattered when a terrorist attack destroys the world’s biggest solar array in Atacama, Chile, altering the global economic balance.

On Mars, at Phobos Station, Doctor Emerson Drake arrives, responding to an emergency call to assist a shuttle of wounded miners, but when those miners turn out to be insurgents, Drake realises he is trapped and fighting to survive.  

In deep space, Captain Ellisa Shann has passed her limits. Now, the last survivors of the Khidr have to choose whether to try to get home on the captured ship, Gallowglass, or stay to observe the strange gravity anomaly that swallowed up the remains of their vessel.

On Earth, in an undisclosed location, Natalie Holder finally has an opportunity to break free from her confinement, where she has been experimented on, multiple times. Her consciousness is transmitted to Phobos Station, just as insurgents take over the facility.

Holder and Drake form an alliance but are separated. Drake is captured and taken to the insurgent leader – Rocher – a clone of the stowaway who caused the munity on Captain Shann’s Khidr.

There is always a niggle after a very satisfying book when you open the next one in the series - is it going to be any good? Are we going like so many Hollywood sequels to repeat themselves? I am so pleased to report that Alen Stroud’s thrilling Resilient manages to build on and I think importantly expand the original story that Fearless started. Prepare for some fast, tense and smart space opera that really shows more of this future Earth and its start to leave for the stars. It also cements this as a great science fiction series worthy of your attention

Ellisa Shan’s crew on a routine patrol mission in the solar system found a ship under attack. This revealed a strange plot involving clones, anomalies in space, unknown advanced war vessels and various betrayals by people the crew knew. The battle to survive was bloody, painful, and traumatic. Shann got her crew to take over the strange new vessel Gallowglass but the impact has left her relieved of command. The focus now is how to get to a safe port. However, a few million miles way on Mars Doctor Emerson Drake is asked to attend an urgent session on Phobos’ space station and upon arriving gets involved in a terrorist attack while an undercover operative named Holder with an ability to survive the most dangerous missions wakes up on the same station unsure as to what she must do next. These three groups are about to be pulled into the start of a new conflict that could spread across all of the solar system.

If Fearless was a tense battle in space between two starships, their captains and crews this story moves us more into true space opera territory. Stroud massively opens up the story using hints that clearly Shann’s opponents had some bigger targets in mind. What we find is a time where humanity is between systems expanding into space, developing new forms of power and technology but also tied closely to the last gasps of capitalism. On Mars you can work but not be a citizen instead you must work to earn your air and power no wonder people are considering the alternatives and there are other powers keen to see their wealth protected. It creates an interesting feeling of a story that may prove a turning point as to what happens next.

The set-pieces of Fearless were built around battles in space while here they’re focused on a game of cat and mouse on a space station where a ruthless and strangely familiar group of well-armed operatives have seized the station and taken a lot of prisoners. Here we get the combination of Drake; a nonmilitary but principled man prepared to do what it takes for the right reasons and Holder a fierce warrior who also excels at strategy both trying to make sense of the situation and both how to survive and also work out what is the real agenda at play (plus works by having her consciousness downloaded to new hosts for each mission). We get plenty of action, reveals and setbacks and in many ways, this also is a spin on the classic SF idea of when smart people have to deal with difficult life or death problems. The pace is deliciously fast and absorbing to read and both new characters are very engaging as we find more about them. With Drake its what he is capable of which surprises himself and with Holder it’s the central mystery of who are they really and why have they arrived on this station.

We do regularly return to Shann’s storyline and again we also focus on the smart, pushy and occasionally inexperienced Johannsson excellent at hacking systems and smart ideas but less so at understanding the rules of command Ensigns are expected to follow. With Shann initially out of the captaincy there is a feeling of a crew not quite with it and the group’s new power dynamics need to work themselves out but not sadly helped when you’re stranded in space; potentially still under attack and driving a completely new type of ship. We can see the two plot points are going to cross and make sense, but we also get the interesting role of Rocher the clone leader captured and not yet willing to reveal their masterplan. Again special notice that its great to have two disabled characters whose disabilities are never the core of the story (Shann has no legs while Johannsson was born without a hand) its mentioned when necessary but has no bearing on the character’s actions or made t make them feel special. The focus on the characters is always on their reactions to the strange situation they find themselves in.

Stroud is having a lot of fun as we get various interesting pieces of new technology mixed carefully into the story. Clones, consciousness, AI and ship technology are all being used, and the sense is that we are at a crossroads which future stories can build upon. We get a mix of questions answered and more now asked and the memorable very big finale hints at more players to enter the story.

Resilient is an excellent space opera story where the characters are all put through the ringer and the solar system starts to get turned on its head. Fans of the Expanse may wish to hurry and get themselves into this series as it is definitely looks like more fun is to come. Action, intrigue, and thoughts as to where humanity goes next make this a really impressive piece of science fiction. Strongly recommended!