The Creed by Andrew Maclure

 

The Creed: Book 4 in the Unwilling From Earth series by Andrew Maclure
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The fourth novel in the Unwilling From Earth series focuses on the increased, brutal and murderous activity of the Outcasts and the strange correlation between them and the movements of the Creed who are very much anti Outcast. Mark (Friend of the People) and Sah Lee (Sally) who commands the pre-eminent independent army send an undercover trio of people to investigate the Creed in an attempt to identify the link and then to take action.
The basic plot of this novel is pretty straight forward as Mark and Mike go undercover as soulmates whose relationship needs some polish which they hope to attain from within the Creed with guidance from its spiritual leader Den T’an. Along with them goes a sort of galactic youtuber called Renny Hilmar Bev (The Explorer) who has a travel type documentary show and provides a known presence the mission can be hung upon. What the find is acceptance and on the surface the Creed seems to be as advertised, there is a strong spiritual unity amongst those who travel on the Creed ship but also some areas that are sealed with little or no camera/security coverage which begs the question is the Creed all that it appears.
If you have read any of the previous novels then you know Mike and Mark are best friends but to people that don't know them their relationship is volatile to say the least, going undercover as soulmates certainly puts a strain on them especially Mike who doesn't have the usual outlets to vent her need for expressive and violent outbursts (again after spending a lot of time with Mark). However the mystery of the Creed and Outcasts provides plenty of good solid storytelling and the introduction of more intelligent races and individuals from races we've met before adds significantly to the whole world building. I enjoyed this novel a lot more than the last one perhaps because of the smaller more focused narrative but don't worry there is plenty of conflict in the story both on the ground in space which adds a more frantic pace and flavour to the whole.



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The Edge Of The Universe by Andrew Maclure

 

The Edge Of The Universe: Book Three in the Unwilling From Earth Series by Andrew Maclure
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well here we are reading about the continuing adventures of Mark (Friend of the People) a lone human recruited into a galaxy spanning military force who fight for truth, justice etc etc. When The People request aid from Mark and Sah Lee (Sally) who commands the pre-eminent independent army (currently at around 2 million members) in a war against an aggressive expansionist race known as the Slarwin and at the other end of the known universe it poses many questions and concerns. Mark and Sally along with the inner circle have to decide if this is within their remit and even they are capable of fighting this sort of campaign even with some under the counter and not so under the counter aid from The People. While the novel certainly has its share of action and confrontation this is just as much if not more about how this mixed group of beings interact and handle the situations they are put in. Thankfully if you are reading the third novel in the series then you probably like the characters as much as I do and thus there is a lot to be gained by the insights and backstory provided, quite a lot of humour as well and that's never a bad thing.

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First Of The First by Andrew Maclure

First Of The First by Andrew Maclure
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There are many reasons people (and by that I mean any sentient being) joins an army especially given the galaxy spanning political and social conditions, generally they have something to prove or accomplish or maybe a belief that even now those that look to oppress others have to be stood up to. In the case of Mike aka Hess An Sur, First Born of the First Family her primary goal is to stay well away from the demands of her birth right and being in an independent army surrounded by friends and colleagues is a good place to be. However when her father is nearing the end of his time as ruler of the Empire and the political situation is leading to the raise of a proactive opposition then the search and return of her to the homeworld becomes more intense.
Flanked by her friends and with the protection of Mark (friend of the people) Mike returns to her homeworld and well pretty much everything goes wrong, not only is the political situation unstable there is also external influences in play but to protect their friend Sally and her army well do pretty much anything within their power and this is considerable.
Andrew delivers a well written and thoroughly engrossing scifi story with enough humour to keep things "light" but maintains the threat imposed from elements within the narrative. I've only been reading Andrew's books for a short time but already I am convinced I will be reading his work for years to come, the characters and plots work well and keep you engrossed as everything plays out and often not as you would expect.

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Unwilling from Earth by Andrew Maclure

Unwilling from Earth by Andrew Maclure
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's not that Mark was bored or unsatisfied with his job he was after all the project leader for the Digitisation of Legacy Documents within the International Finance Group but life was going nowhere which is why perhaps the couple of days each week Sally was assigned to help him was such a highlight. The fact that she was considered a bit of a liability in the work place was not a problem for Mark so when another person came into his little scan and file circle by the name of Alan the fact he was a little "off" wasn't a worry. Of course it turns out that Alan is not quite what he seems and before he knows it Mark is on a journey the likes of which no other human has experienced and finds himself fighting for his life against a megalomaniac intent on galactic domination.
Unwilling From Earth by Andrew Maclure got onto my reading list thanks to a sample for my kindle, I liked the blurb enough to give the novel a go and when I got to the end of the sample I just had to buy the novel and find out exactly what Mark was getting himself into. The story was fun and entertaining to read and the action and character interaction was strong enough to sustain quite a bit of humour. Overall I enjoyed reading the novel and signed up to the mailing list (which includes a short about Marks further adventures) and the sequel to this novel is due later this year.

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