Aftershocks

The Palladium Wars, Book 1

By: Marko Kloos

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

“A new series that promises to be just as engrossing [as Frontlines]…the action just as exciting, the science just as solid, the tension just as high. I gulped down the first book in a day, and I am already eager for the next one.”—George R. R. Martin

Across the six-planet expanse of the Gaia System, the Earthlike Gretia struggles to stabilize in the wake of an interplanetary war. Amid an uneasy alliance to maintain economies, resources, and populations, Aden Robertson reemerges. After devoting fifteen years of his life to the reviled losing side, with the blood of half a million casualties on his hands, Aden is looking for a way to move on. He’s not the only one.

A naval officer has borne witness to inconceivable attacks on a salvaged fleet. A sergeant with the occupation forces is treading increasingly hostile ground. And a young woman, thrust into responsibility as vice president of her family’s raw materials empire, faces a threat she never anticipated.

Now, on the cusp of an explosive and wide-reaching insurrection, Aden plunges once again into the brutal life he longed to forget. He’s been on the wrong side of war before. But this time, the new enemy has yet to reveal themselves...or their dangerous endgame.

©2019 Marko Kloos (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Aftershocks...looks at the impact of war and how easy it is for conflict to be reignited...[an] exciting new universe.”—Kirkus Reviews

Great setup for a series, but a bit short

I typically prefer to wait until the 2nd or 3rd installment of a series before I start one. It gives me a chance to really dive into a story while getting an idea of how committed the author is to continuing the series. I broke that convention when picking up Aftershocks because I wanted to see what exactly was holding up for so long the next installment of my beloved Frontlines series.

Well it turns out Kloos does it again. In Frontlines he's very good at taking a large scale story but driving it through the main character. But unlike Frontlines, The Palladium Wars introduces you to multiple main characters, each with very unique backgrounds and personalities. Through them the book does a fine job of world building a relatable but still fresh feeling setting that is a fertile ground for storytelling. I love smart and inventive science fiction that still feels grounded and Kloos is the best at it.

For all this I give the overall book 5 stars, but I still have one serious gripe. Throughout the world building you see hints of the greater story ready to unfold, building the mystery to be revealed. And then the book just ends. No big reveal, no climax, just a few moments of minor excitement and "Audible hopes you've enjoyed this program". I literally yelled "What? That's it?" at my car speakers it was so sudden. I know the saying is "leave them wanting more" but you've got to give us more to work with. Without it this is more a prologue to the main story than it is a stand alone book.

Yes, the setup is so good I can't even dock it a single star because of the abrupt ending (edit: changed my mind, knocked story to 4). But I'm really wishing I stuck to my convention and waited for more to be released before starting this because it's going to be a long, long wait before I get to see what the real story is about.

Marko Kloos does it again

If you haven’t yet read a Marko Kloos novel or listened to one performed by Luke Daniels, well this isn’t a bad place to start. The story alone is fantastic, Luke Daniels narration of it brings it to another level. I hope these two continue to team up and if you need recommendations for anything else done by these two, just search their names and you will find them.

how hum

This was one of the most boring stories I've recently read. Narration was good but the plot was unimpressive.

lots of setup, zero pay off

I'm a big fan Kloos Frontline series but this one was disappointing. Even for a first book in a series there is very little here. Some good characters and some world building but no real story to speak of. Some mysterious incidents occur but not enough is revealed about them to make me curious to know more. Maybe after Kloos has completed a few books in this series I'll circle back to see if they're any good but I can't really recommend buying this one.

Nine Hours of Set-up

I guess I'll never know where this story is going. This one is setup only.

Ended too soon

Very interesting beginning to a story but it ended without any major plot developments. Looking forward to the next installment.

What I've come to expect from Marko Kloos

Good story. Solid narration. As a book 1 it sets up what you should expect and introduces the characters well. You like the main characters and you want to like them. Always a good start and it's what I've come to expect of Kloos from reading Frontlines. I read through the entire day one.

Mr. Kloos does it again

I love Marko books! This one was every bit as good as the Front Line series. Luke Daniel's performance was stellar. I loved all of his nuances between characters and pitch control.

Good Story, But...

Good story but its too short, ending leaves you completely hanging with no follow on books.

Pleasant Surprise

I normally don’t listen to books on this Genre but this was great.

I liked how the characters were developed and linked.

Although left with a cliffhanger I do look forward to the follow up book.

As always Luke Daniels made the book!