The Ion Raider

The Ion Raider by Ian Whates is the second book in his Dark Angels trilogy and although it isn’t a direct continuation from the first book, it’s cliff hanger ending has me hoping that the next book is immediately connected. I let too much time go by between the first book and the second, but the third is now very high on my “need-to-get-to” list.

This was a fast paced adventure that brings together some of the members of the crew that were introduced in book one. They are defending themselves from an unknown yet powerful group that appears to be hunting them down and killing them. As Jen and Lessa join up together, they come to the conclusion that they need to hunt down the remaining Dark Angels in order to fight this menace. show more They revive their old ship, the Ion Raider, and set off to warn the other Angels. This proves to be difficult as many of the “Angels” aren’t in favor of resuming their previous identities. Meanwhile, Drake, accompanied by his alien companion, Mudball, has taken on an unusual assignment to assess an Elder artifact cache for the large corporate bank where he works as a field operative. This assignment proves to be much more dangerous and life-changing than he could ever have guessed.

The author continues to drop hints about the past deeds of the Dark Angels and how they came to acquire the special skills that each has. This book ends with Drake being transported to the unknown and his previous crew hurtling through space, hopefully to intercept him so that they can turn the tables on the bad guys in the last book. Although I didn’t find this entry quite as exhilarating as the first, I am eager to continue the story and find out what happens next. show less

This is the second in a series of books that begins with Pelquin’s Comet. Without doubt that work was my favourite SF novel of 2015. It was with great excitement that I heard that the Ion Raider had been released. I was not disappointed.

The story line continues from Pelquin’s Comet and although not essential I do recommend reading that first. The characters are three dimensional and one quickly becomes vested in their well-being. The world that Ian Whates has created shows that he has a truly remarkably creative imagination. The tale is complex and thrilling as the narrative twists and turns and more truths are revealed.

Overall it is a very enjoyable read and has secured its spot as my favourite SF read for 2017, not that this show more cherished accolade comes with any financial reward, sorry Ian. However I do promise to buy book 3 the moment it is available. show less

My present regret is that the early volume in the series, Pelquin's Comet, is not available in ePub format, but only as a Kindle or paper book. No, this book is not a masterpiece: some characters, like Jan, got lost in the middle of the story and moreover the story does not end - it's obvious that a third volume is already foreseen. But this is not a problem. We are talking about a space opera novel. You search for action, adventure, plot twists: here you will find plenty of all of them, and you will slowly start to understand that there was something beneath that. Maybe this was explained in the first volume, but it this were the case Whates managed not to be patronising, allowing the reader to go on even without the previous show more knowledge. If you like the genre, I warmly recommend this book. show less

Space Opera is my favorite genre. As such, I was pleased to be offered an edition of The Ion Raider by Ian Whates in return for an honest review.

The writing was superb, but I was held back from fully appreciating it due to a lack of character development in the beginning of the book. That development evidently took place in book one of the series. Verbal intercourse between the first two characters who were introduced in the book began to fill in some of the background. One third of the way into the book, the story started to gel and carry my interest.

While the first book was apparently about raiding ancient alien caches of futuristic items, the Ion Raider dove into the reason that those caches exits. Evidently, they were not left show more behind by the ancients out of generosity to future races, but were left as tools for the those that remained behind. As the book finished, we’re left to ponder; what are these aliens’ and their human followers’ plans for humanity.

The Ion Raider is not a complete story as its characters were not developed and it ended in a cliff hanger that speaks loudly of the need to read the next book in the series. Therefore, make sure and read Pelquin's Comet, book one in The Dark Angels series, first. The result will be a much more enjoyable reading of The Ion Raider and much more excitement about the story,. show less

I know, I know. I should have realized that at the end of Pelquin’s Comet - Book one in the Dark Angels series - that this one would have to be a little different feel to it. While The Ion Raider] is missing the fabulous “flying by the seat of your pants” space adventure quest and the zinging banter of a motley spaceship crew, Whates still offers up a decent space opera story. This time, with less swashbuckling swagger, more intellectual intrigue, some kickass fighting and intriguing plot twists, the story starts off 10 years into the future from where Pelquin’s Comet left off. Written as two parallel and converging stories, the first half of the book is more back story and stage setting for what is to come. I do love the world show more build, which continues to be a nice blend of Earth familiar and sci-fi. While at times rather slow moving, Whates packs a whack of action and suspense into the last third of this book. If you hate books that end on a cliff-hanger, consider yourself forewarned.

Overall, while not quite the fun Pelquin’s Comet was to read, I still found [Ion Raider] to be an enjoyable space opera read, and I am looking forward to reading the next installment.

.... Oh, and just in case anyone is wondering, the book titles seem to correspond to names of the space ships involved in the stories, which really makes me wonder what the title will be for Book #3. show less

Well, I did get some of what I said I wanted from this sequel: a little more information about Drake and the elder caches. Some, not a lot. The prose doesn't feel as awkward this time around, but most of my other criticism of Pelquin's Comet still stands. There is little to no character development. And this time around, everything felt rushed. It's been a long time since I've longed for padding this much. This needs some fluff, anything, really. Otherwise, fairly enjoyable space-opera-lite.

Picking up a few years after Pelquin's Comet left off, The Ion Raider continues the story of the
Dark Angels, bringing together the stories of two of the characters from the first book and introduces some new members of the team.

A different feel from the first book, it centres a little less on the exciting space drama and more on the backstory of the Angels and their current predicament. Slower going than the first book, it is still full of intrigue and suspense, and has more than enough elements from the first book to keep the story flowing.

I did find it clunky in places and at times too full of unnecessary background description when I was hoping for a bit more character or plot development, but it all pulled together nicely in the show more end, and I will say that looking back none of the book was wasted filler.

Ending on a cliff hanger, I'm looking forward to reading the final book in this enjoyable space opera.

*i was gifted this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. show less