The Orphaned Worlds

Humanity's Fire, Book 2

By: Michael Cobley

Narrated by: David Thorpe

Length: 18 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Darien is no longer a lost outpost of humanity, but the prize in an intergalactic power struggle. Hegemony forces have a stranglehold over the planet and crack troops patrol its hotspots while Earth watches, passive, rendered impotent by galactic politics. But its Darien ambassador will soon become a player in a greater conflict. There is more at stake than a turf war on a newly discovered world. An ancient Uvovo temple hide’s access to a hyperspace prison, housing the greatest threat sentient life has ever known. Millennia ago, malignant intelligences were caged there following an apocalyptic war. And their servants work on their release.

However, Darien's guardians have not been idle, gathering resistance on the planet's forest moon. Knowledge has been lost since great races battled in eons past, and now time is short. The galaxy will depend on the Uvovo reclaiming their past - and humanity must look to its future. For a new war is coming.

©2010 Michael Cobley (P)2011 Audible Ltd

Undisciplined Plot

The author introduces too many characters that actually "Speak" throughout the story, and some of these characters are not at all human. So the plot is a little hard to follow even though the underlying plot is relatively simple. It's like if all of the aliens presented in the original movie Star Wars had lines. Also, with so many different characters, it's hard to care about any of them. It's likely why one of the most cogent characacters is the evil cyborg, who is more often presented alone. At one point the author even seemed to introduce God as a character, but thankfully didn't give God any lines.
I didn't hear the 1st in the series and I likely won't. But, The story did build to a climax that may deserve a final book.

Very good performance of an OK Book

The performance of this book is very good. There are several characters and the story continuously jumps between them. The reader's voices make it easy to follow each scene change. The book itself is mediocre story telling and the kind of science fiction which is very easy to digest because it doesn't go well beyond current capability. The author appears to have read (from the terminology borrowed), very good Sci Fi writers such as Dan Simmons. If you are into deep sci-fi, I would skip it, but if you are up for something at the quality level of a good TV miniseries, this can be an enjoyable listen.

Sequels are usually less and this one doesn't disappoint.

The first book was written for a 14 to 16 year old. The second book seems to be written for a 6 to 8 year old. Characters magically are saved from death or annihilation. And then there is the excessive rehash of the first book storyline. Pure filler. The story is interesting enough to review book 3 and I hope it is better.