AUTHOR: Ross Harrison
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
AVAILABILITY: Createspace (paperback), Amazon US (Kindle e-book), Amazon UK (Kindle e-book), Smashwords (multiple e-formats)
APPROXIMATE LENGTH: 100,000
words
Recommended
for fans of epic space fantasies such as Star
Wars.
GENRE
Science Fiction—Space Opera/Science
Fantasy
Temple
of the Sixth takes
place in the distant future, in which humans have mastered space travel,
settled on a new homeworld, and become part of an interstellar alliance with
alien races, most of which are humanoid. There’s also a heavy element of
fantasy in this novel, involving godlike beings who exist on a higher
dimension. In fact, most part of this novel read more like fantasy than science
fiction and is free of technobabble.
Temple
of the Sixth is
the second book in Harrison’s Nexus series. It’s a self-contained story that
can be read even if one hasn’t read the first book yet.
PACE
Temple
of the Sixth
opens with a heart-pounding suspense/action scene and keeps up the pace pretty
much throughout the novel. While the majority of the book consists of action scenes,
there are sections that pull back and set up the universe, explaining its
mechanics and mythology.
PERSPECTIVE
Third person omniscient. Most
parts of this book feel like close third, as Harrison lays out various
characters’ thoughts and perspectives.
CONTENT
REVIEW
Thardriik Jhunassi Kortlyn III,
better known as Theak, is an ex-military pilot seeking his fortune as a private
investigator, so when he receives an anonymous note basically saying, “meet me
at this space station, and you’ll make vast amounts of money,” he immediately
jumps onto ship and zooms over. What he finds when he reaches the station is a
massacre. The next thing he knows, he’s pulled into an ancient conflict between
godlike beings, forced to fight for the side of good when all he really wants
is to get paid—and live to tell the tale. Meanwhile, in another part of the
galaxy, Omar and Palitz, two City Guard secretaries, find their planet overrun
by undead former citizens, surrounded by omens of the apocalypse.
Temple
of the Sixth
takes its conflict to a grand, end-of-the-universe scale. The stakes could not
be higher. If this mysterious, ancient evil is not stopped, everything will cease to be. But why are
these godlike beings so bent on destruction? What can a mere batch of mortals—not
all of them heroes—do to stop them? Therein lies the epic conflict that keeps
the pages turning.
Although it’s classified as
“science fiction” due to the nature of its universe—spaceships, aliens, robots,
laser guns, and the like—Temple of the
Sixth reads more like fantasy, reminiscent of some of the more world-ending
story lines featured in comic books such as X-Men.
Psychic powers, out-of-dimension locations, higher levels of existence,
possession—all is fair game. Bit by bit, Harrison reveals the mythology behind
his universe.
There’s something satisfying
about opening a sequel and hearing familiar voices, reentering a familiar space.
Harrison’s dry sense of humor illuminates the text with his unique style of storytelling.
He once again shows off his strengths as a writer of thrilling action scenes
and creator of immersive worlds. In Temple
of the Sixth, he expands upon the concepts he set up in the first book and
illustrates his universe from a different angle. It’s is really more of a
spin-off to Shadow of the Wraith than
a sequel. Travis Archer, the main character from the first book, doesn’t show
up until more than halfway through the book and plays a supporting role to his
buddy Theak. Other characters, such as Juni, have only brief cameos (for those
of you who are wondering—yes, Arkuun-Marl makes an appearance). As such, it can
be read as a stand-alone novel even if one hasn’t had a chance to read the
first book yet.
In Temple of the Sixth, Harrison tells his story from multiple angles
in a rather cinematic fashion. While Theak is the thread that ties the novel
together, he doesn’t drive the action—he reacts to it. Flashes to Omar and
Palitz’s struggles, to the small man trying to recruit agents for the side of
good, and to the perspective of the godlike Sixth herself give the reader a
panoramic view of the universe and its conflict. But despite all the noise
surrounding him, Theak nevertheless shines through as a memorable and likable
character. Confident, cavalier, and a tad ridiculous at times, he’s not exactly
the noble hero type and doesn’t even take himself too seriously. Nevertheless,
he does what’s right, even if he’s somewhat annoyed that he has to.
For those who read and enjoyed Shadow of the Wraith, Temple of the Sixth, while very different,
is a welcome return to Harrison’s world of starships and ancient conflicts,
robots and fantastical powers. Harrison’s writing is tighter and more understated
than in his debut novel, and yet it retains its snarky sparkle. For those who
haven’t—and why haven’t you?—the book stands on its own as a fascinating take
on the age-old battle between Good and Evil. Clever, thrilling, and
entertaining on all levels, Temple of the
Sixth is a page-turning journey through a universe in chaos.
THE
NITPICKY STUFF
I read an advance version of
this book, which has since been proofread, so I can’t comment on typos and the
like.
Head’s up to American
readers—this novel uses British conventions.
This book, like its prequel, is
organized by time and location, not by traditional chapters.
This book contains sci-fi style
violence, such as laser guns, beast attacks, and space battles, but nothing
gratuitous or gruesome. This book is clean in terms of sex and mostly harmless
in terms of language (a couple instances of the dirty D word, no f-bombs).
AUTHOR
INFO
[From the author’s Amazon page]
Ross Harrison has been writing since childhood without thought of
publication. When the idea was planted by his grandmother to do so, it grew
rapidly, and after a bumpy ten years or so, here sits the fruit. Ross lives on
the UK/Eire border in Ireland, hoping the rain will help his hair grow back.
Sounds fascinating.
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