An exciting space opera…
Lazarus’s debut installment in the Energy Exchange Series is marked with layered conflict and loads of tension. When the aliens first invaded Earth, they extracted its precious energy, changed the human population and left. But when a sickness begins to kill their population and an energy shortage threatens their extinction, they know they have no one but humans to return to and seek help, considering the two species share a gene pool. They return to Earth, but in the face of climate change, wars, and population explosion, they are shocked to realize the planet is not how they left it. With malevolent forces trying to extract Earth’s energy for their own ulterior purposes, the team must do everything in their power to make the impossible task a success. After a slow start, Lazarus ramps things up, imbuing the story with solid worldbuilding and a broad sense of adventure. He creates a fascinating world populated with empathetic characters. All his characters are fully fleshed-out; even secondary figures feel real enough for readers to worry about their survival prospects. Readers may find that some story elements sidetrack the main plot, slowing the story down, but they end up making clear the sense of otherness that the Eight and others have in relation to humans on Earth. Tinged with human emotion and space intrigue, the novel seamlessly blends past, present, and future sensibilities. Overall, despite the often-philosophical subject matter, the work maintains a brisk pace and the scientific elements will be particularly entertaining to fans of hard SF. A must-read.
Project Anan
(Book 1 of the Energy Exchange Series)
Lionel Lazarus
Pub date September 18, 2015
ISBN 978-1516804160
Price $9.99 (USD) Paperback, $1.21 Kindle edition