Book Reviews: The Empire and The Rebels by Elizabeth Lang

I recently had the opportunity to read and review the first two books from Elizabeth Lang's The Empire series.  I really do enjoy science fiction and looked forward to reading both The Empire and The Rebels.  What did I think of Elizabeth Lang's sci-fi series?

I received complimentary copies of these books for use in my review.  All opinions are my own.

Quick summary of The Empire. All Adrian Stannis wanted was a quiet corner of the galaxy where he could work on his beloved scientific experiments, but unfortunately, he was born into a world at war, where his people are struggling for survival against a vastly superior alien invasion force and he is a genius who was trained for the very thing he hates, the creation of deadly weapons. Not to mention, he appears to have been genetically mated to a telepath by his government and he doesn’t find her…uninteresting. In fact, she appears quite intelligent. So what will happen to this solitary man when his peace is shattered in every way possible and there is nowhere left to run?

My thoughts on The Empire.  This book opens the series with a lot of action--and a lot of character development.  The pace of the book is a little uneven--but, the characters keep readers interested in their plights even when the book's action slows. Lang creates interesting characters--with their own weaknesses and quirks and uses a lot of character dialog to move her story.  The book ends in just enough of a cliffhanger to excite readers for the 2nd book in the series. 

Would I recommend The Empire?  The science fiction elements of the book are easy to follow and the author keeps the human element in the storyline with her characters.  There is a little romance--but, it isn't the main focus.  While the book is a little slow at times, the characters will keep readers moving forward to the end.

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The Rebels Adrian, Kali and Adrian’s personal assistant, Bryce are finally free of the oppressive Empire. They hide on a planet called, Orasis, a tech-4 world on the Outer Rim whose only usefulness is a low-grade source of Tri-Iridium ore. Not the kind of place to find the most advanced weapons scientist in the galaxy. Things go well, relatively, and Adrian and Kali finally have time to develop the relationship they didn’t think possible. Adrian and Bryce even start up their own fix-it business. Then a stranger arrives on the planet.

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My thoughts on The Rebels by Elizabeth Lang.  I enjoyed this book more than the first one.  Perhaps I knew the main characters a bit more and was able to better anticipate Lang's plot twists--but, the book moved much faster and the scenes held my attention much better than the first book.    This book does not make many efforts to catch readers up on the action of the first book--so, I really recommend reading the series in order.  While the book itself could be a stand alone novel--I do not think I would have enjoyed it as much without the background and connections to the first book.

Would I recommend The Rebels by Elizabeth Lang?  I enjoy science fiction in which human nature plays a role and Lang does a nice job creating strong characters with personal and moral struggles.  This book has more twists and turns than the first book--and is a little more suspenseful.  It does end with a surprise--so readers should expect to add the 3rd book in the series to their reading lists! 



About the Author:

Elizabeth Lang is first and foremost, a geek with the obligatory love of science fiction and fantasy. She spent most of her life in the computer industry designing computer systems for world domination the mundane industry of life insurance, which is surprisingly, not as exciting as it sounds. Now she creates enchanted worlds of magic, explores the human condition in the light of future technology and civilizations, and dreams about world domination. Or at least, some of her characters do.

Her first book, The Empire was fortunate enough to be a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and she has never looked back.    

Author Social Media Webpage: www.elizabeth-lang.com Facebook: Elizabeth Lang Twitter: @Elizabeth_Lang Pinterest: Elizabeth Lang

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