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edebell's review
5.0
Gripping military sci-fi series - complex characters, well-developed space setting, and exciting plots. Great series and I look forward to seeing what the author does next.
tahernandez's review
5.0
I loved reading the Ziva Payvan series the first time and I am excited about the interviews and excerpts included in this edition. I'm looking forward to seeing what EJ Fisch writes next.
Review of DAKITI:
Set in a vivid world in a distant galaxy, Dakiti's is a suspenseful sci-fi adventure that will keep you at the edge of your seat. The world and the races that inhabit it are intriguing. The story is fast-paced and action-packed, but the thing that makes this book really great are the complex characters and the relationships between them. This is especially true for the two main characters, who are sure to provide us with even more interesting material in books to come. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves science fiction or just good stories in general.
Review of NEXUS:
Nexus is the exciting sequel to Dakiti that takes readers on a new adventure with Ziva, Aroska, and the rest of the gang while introducing several new and interesting characters. This time, the story takes us beyond Haphez as Ziva tries to stay one step ahead of her enemy, an adversary who is arguably much more cunning and dangerous than the one she encountered in Dakiti, and someone with whom Ziva has a rather troublesome history. That dynamic would make for a very interesting plot on it's own, but it's delving deeper into Ziva's past and the introduction of new characters who are just as captivating as the ones we met in the first book that make this story one you won't want to put down.
EJ Fisch knows how to create strong characters and forge very real and dynamic connections between all of them, but it's the relationship between Ziva and Aroska that takes center stage here. At times heartbreaking, at others humorous, and always complicated, watching the relationship develop as two characters interact is intriguing. If you're looking for a fast-paced story with characters that are just as strong as it's plot, then this is the book for you.
Review of RONAN:
When it comes to series, an author’s job becomes increasingly difficult with each subsequent novel. Everything from previous books must be carefully woven into the new story, from characters to relationships to various plot threads. The stakes are higher than ever before, and it can be challenging to pull off an ending that satisfies readers and makes sense for the story. Simply put, there’s a lot of potential for a fantastic story. There is also a lot of potential for things to go wrong.
Fortunately, in Ronan, things go very right. The story picks up right after the events in Nexus, with Ziva recovering from her wounds and on trial. Things quickly take a turn for the worst as a new enemy threatens not just Ziva and the main cast, but the entire Haphezian race. As with Fisch’s previous books, the story is fast-paced and action-packed, but it’s the characters and the relationships between them that make the series great. Several familiar faces return to this story, but the new characters introduced were some of my favorites. The relationship between Ziva and Aroska is, of course, as complicated as ever, with each one being forced to trust the other more and more as secrets are revealed and vulnerabilities exposed. My favorite part of the story, however, was the ending. It’s rare to find a series that pulls off such a good ending, and doubtless, there will be some people disappointed by the way things play out in the last few pages of Ronan. I found that the ending was very appropriate for the characters and story, however, and could not have been more satisfied. This series is definitely a must-read for anyone who love space opera, science fiction, or just wants a good story with strong characters.
Review of DAKITI:
Set in a vivid world in a distant galaxy, Dakiti's is a suspenseful sci-fi adventure that will keep you at the edge of your seat. The world and the races that inhabit it are intriguing. The story is fast-paced and action-packed, but the thing that makes this book really great are the complex characters and the relationships between them. This is especially true for the two main characters, who are sure to provide us with even more interesting material in books to come. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves science fiction or just good stories in general.
Review of NEXUS:
Nexus is the exciting sequel to Dakiti that takes readers on a new adventure with Ziva, Aroska, and the rest of the gang while introducing several new and interesting characters. This time, the story takes us beyond Haphez as Ziva tries to stay one step ahead of her enemy, an adversary who is arguably much more cunning and dangerous than the one she encountered in Dakiti, and someone with whom Ziva has a rather troublesome history. That dynamic would make for a very interesting plot on it's own, but it's delving deeper into Ziva's past and the introduction of new characters who are just as captivating as the ones we met in the first book that make this story one you won't want to put down.
EJ Fisch knows how to create strong characters and forge very real and dynamic connections between all of them, but it's the relationship between Ziva and Aroska that takes center stage here. At times heartbreaking, at others humorous, and always complicated, watching the relationship develop as two characters interact is intriguing. If you're looking for a fast-paced story with characters that are just as strong as it's plot, then this is the book for you.
Review of RONAN:
When it comes to series, an author’s job becomes increasingly difficult with each subsequent novel. Everything from previous books must be carefully woven into the new story, from characters to relationships to various plot threads. The stakes are higher than ever before, and it can be challenging to pull off an ending that satisfies readers and makes sense for the story. Simply put, there’s a lot of potential for a fantastic story. There is also a lot of potential for things to go wrong.
Fortunately, in Ronan, things go very right. The story picks up right after the events in Nexus, with Ziva recovering from her wounds and on trial. Things quickly take a turn for the worst as a new enemy threatens not just Ziva and the main cast, but the entire Haphezian race. As with Fisch’s previous books, the story is fast-paced and action-packed, but it’s the characters and the relationships between them that make the series great. Several familiar faces return to this story, but the new characters introduced were some of my favorites. The relationship between Ziva and Aroska is, of course, as complicated as ever, with each one being forced to trust the other more and more as secrets are revealed and vulnerabilities exposed. My favorite part of the story, however, was the ending. It’s rare to find a series that pulls off such a good ending, and doubtless, there will be some people disappointed by the way things play out in the last few pages of Ronan. I found that the ending was very appropriate for the characters and story, however, and could not have been more satisfied. This series is definitely a must-read for anyone who love space opera, science fiction, or just wants a good story with strong characters.
gs_jennsen's review
5.0
Expansive, exciting sci-fi action-adventure that asks the most personal of questions: How far will you go to survive?
This is a terrific sci-fi trilogy from start to finish, with everything a science fiction is looking for: high-tech weapons, cross-planet chases, interstellar conspiracies and space battles, and more heart-pounding action than you can rightly fit in three books. Beneath everything are a cast of deeply complex, flawed characters who find themselves facing their deepest fears and darkest demons, with the fate of the galaxy in the balance.
I've previously reviewed all three books, so I'll simply repeat myself here:
- DAKITI Review -
Dakiti takes place in a vivid setting of multiple species and worlds, feuding factions, diplomatic shenanigans, and the looming threat of renewed war. The fast-paced yet detailed ground and space action scenes send the plot careening forward.
Yet Dakiti is at its heart a story about the two main characters. Ziva is a bundle of contradictions sure to provide juicy material for many more books. She's a cold, hardened soldier who is willing to give her life to save others; a revered, respected legend who hides a mysterious past and a deadly secret. Aroska is in many ways even more interesting, as the conflict between his personal demons (real and imagined) and his sense of honor and duty come to a head when everything he thought he knew to be true is turned upside down.
EJ Fisch is a fresh, exciting new voice in sci-fi, and I look forward to more books in the series!
- NEXUS Review -
NEXUS is above all a story about survival – physical survival, but also emotional survival. Anyone who has read DAKITI will not be surprised to discover that Ziva Payvan possesses a very, very strong survival instinct, but to see it in action is nevertheless an impressive sight.
Yet for all her formidable strength and determination, we also begin to see hints of her inner fragility. In Book One, Ziva was a force of nature; in Book Two that force of nature is revealed to be ‘human’ (so to speak). NEXUS asks the question of *why* one fights to survive, and the answers prove quite interesting.
The other characters we met in DAKITI are by no means forgotten; on the contrary, they are given the opportunity to shine both alongside Ziva and outside of her shadow. Aroska Tarbic continues to be an intriguing, complex and ever-evolving character as he and Ziva struggle against one another and themselves. We also get to know several new characters, the most refreshing and heartbreaking of which is Kat Reilly.
Oh, the plot! (sorry, I got caught up in the characters). The plot is a detective story disguised as a thrilling, frenetic, dangerous race across multiple planets and locales. It careens forward at a breakneck pace almost from the first page and definitely through the last. The moments when you and the characters are allowed to take a breath often arrive unexpectedly, and are all the more powerful for it.
Now that we know these characters so well, I am very much looking forward to following them on to what I’m certain will be another wild ride in Book Three.
- RONAN Review -
Against the backdrop of an epic, galaxy-spanning crisis, RONAN weaves together the story and character threads from DAKITI and NEXUS into a thrilling yet deeply emotional and satisfying conclusion.
RONAN is Fisch’s most ambitious book to date, and it doesn’t disappoint. Take all the mysteries of DAKITI and the character development of NEXUS and add in an interstellar war and a resistance movement that wants to upend entire civilizations, and you have a sweeping thriller-turned-space opera on a scale we haven’t seen before in this series.
Yet for all its grand scope, Fisch again manages to tell the most personal of stories. As families, children and those closest of allies, squadmates, are threatened, Ziva and Aroska each must come face-to-face with their darkest demons and decide just how much they’re willing to sacrifice so that others—and each other—might survive.
The character arcs that have stretched across all three books are brought to their culmination with depth, nuance and emotion that feels inherently true to the characters. I hope we see further books in this series in the future, but if not, this is a thoroughly satisfying conclusion, and a worthy one.
This is a terrific sci-fi trilogy from start to finish, with everything a science fiction is looking for: high-tech weapons, cross-planet chases, interstellar conspiracies and space battles, and more heart-pounding action than you can rightly fit in three books. Beneath everything are a cast of deeply complex, flawed characters who find themselves facing their deepest fears and darkest demons, with the fate of the galaxy in the balance.
I've previously reviewed all three books, so I'll simply repeat myself here:
- DAKITI Review -
Dakiti takes place in a vivid setting of multiple species and worlds, feuding factions, diplomatic shenanigans, and the looming threat of renewed war. The fast-paced yet detailed ground and space action scenes send the plot careening forward.
Yet Dakiti is at its heart a story about the two main characters. Ziva is a bundle of contradictions sure to provide juicy material for many more books. She's a cold, hardened soldier who is willing to give her life to save others; a revered, respected legend who hides a mysterious past and a deadly secret. Aroska is in many ways even more interesting, as the conflict between his personal demons (real and imagined) and his sense of honor and duty come to a head when everything he thought he knew to be true is turned upside down.
EJ Fisch is a fresh, exciting new voice in sci-fi, and I look forward to more books in the series!
- NEXUS Review -
NEXUS is above all a story about survival – physical survival, but also emotional survival. Anyone who has read DAKITI will not be surprised to discover that Ziva Payvan possesses a very, very strong survival instinct, but to see it in action is nevertheless an impressive sight.
Yet for all her formidable strength and determination, we also begin to see hints of her inner fragility. In Book One, Ziva was a force of nature; in Book Two that force of nature is revealed to be ‘human’ (so to speak). NEXUS asks the question of *why* one fights to survive, and the answers prove quite interesting.
The other characters we met in DAKITI are by no means forgotten; on the contrary, they are given the opportunity to shine both alongside Ziva and outside of her shadow. Aroska Tarbic continues to be an intriguing, complex and ever-evolving character as he and Ziva struggle against one another and themselves. We also get to know several new characters, the most refreshing and heartbreaking of which is Kat Reilly.
Oh, the plot! (sorry, I got caught up in the characters). The plot is a detective story disguised as a thrilling, frenetic, dangerous race across multiple planets and locales. It careens forward at a breakneck pace almost from the first page and definitely through the last. The moments when you and the characters are allowed to take a breath often arrive unexpectedly, and are all the more powerful for it.
Now that we know these characters so well, I am very much looking forward to following them on to what I’m certain will be another wild ride in Book Three.
- RONAN Review -
Against the backdrop of an epic, galaxy-spanning crisis, RONAN weaves together the story and character threads from DAKITI and NEXUS into a thrilling yet deeply emotional and satisfying conclusion.
RONAN is Fisch’s most ambitious book to date, and it doesn’t disappoint. Take all the mysteries of DAKITI and the character development of NEXUS and add in an interstellar war and a resistance movement that wants to upend entire civilizations, and you have a sweeping thriller-turned-space opera on a scale we haven’t seen before in this series.
Yet for all its grand scope, Fisch again manages to tell the most personal of stories. As families, children and those closest of allies, squadmates, are threatened, Ziva and Aroska each must come face-to-face with their darkest demons and decide just how much they’re willing to sacrifice so that others—and each other—might survive.
The character arcs that have stretched across all three books are brought to their culmination with depth, nuance and emotion that feels inherently true to the characters. I hope we see further books in this series in the future, but if not, this is a thoroughly satisfying conclusion, and a worthy one.
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