Title: The Rising Sky
Series: Liminal Sky 02
Author: J. Scott Coatsworth
Genre: Science Fiction
Length: Novel (380pgs)
ISBN 13: 978-1-64080-627-6
Publisher: DSP Publications (30th October 2018)
Heat Level: Nil
Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 4 ½ Hearts
Reviewer: Pixie
Blurb: Earth is dead.
Five years later, the remnants of humanity travel through the stars inside Forever, a living, ever-evolving, self-contained generation ship. When Eddy Tremaine and Andy Hammond find a hidden world-within-a-world under the mountains, the discovery triggers a chain of events that could fundamentally alter or extinguish life as they know it, culminate in the takeover of the world mind, and end free will for humankind.
Control the AI, control the people.
Eddy, Andy, and a handful of other unlikely heroes—people of every race and identity, and some who aren’t even human—must find the courage and ingenuity to stand against the rising tide.
Otherwise they might be living through the end days of human history.
Purchase Link: DSP Publications | Amazon US | Amazon UK
Review: This story is the second book in the Liminal Sky series and follows on from The Stark Divide so I’d advise that the books must be read in order.
The Rising Tide begins five years after the end of The Stark Divide with Eddy, now the Sheriff, starting an investigation into missing and slaughtered sheep. Eddy stumbles across something that shocks Eddy, Andy, Colin and the Immortals; it will also turn your stomach.
Before delving further into the story I would advise brushing up on the characters in The Stark Divide, because I went into this story cold and it took a bit of time for the characters to fall back into my memory. This story can’t be read without having all the background and characters stories that are fully fleshed out in The Stark Divide; you wouldn’t make it past chapter one without scratching your head and wondering what the hell you’d fallen into.
When we finished book 1 we knew that Davian would cause some problems in the future, and now we finally discover just what trouble Davian causes and boy is it a doozy.
The Rising Tide is split into three parts, Rendezvous 2171, Coup 2181, and Flight 2188. This really is an amazing story and while it has gay, lesbian, Trans and asexual characters I would actually say that this is a more mainstream story. There’s no romance as such and no one character to focus on. Each part sees progression for all the characters, their lives growing and changing, new main characters coming forward and some main characters being lost. As with the previous story there is a core of characters who have the centre light, as they age and roles change the younger generation take the spotlight.
There are shocking revelations, danger, depravity and sheer horror at times in the story; we also have love, understanding and forgiveness. There are several relationships being built, restored, explored and let go, I’d love to delve deeper but with so many main characters there’s just too many to describe. The main focus of this story is family, friendship and the adventure of surviving as a whole world inside a living world/ship, the last of humanity, the hope of the future, and free will.
This is an amazing story, the world building, the character development and story development which keeps you gripped as you discover what’s happening, are so fully flesh out that you get immersed in their world, you feel for the guys as they struggle to put their world to rights and battle an evil that wants to rule with an iron grip to serve his wants and whims.
As I reached the end of the book I began to wonder what could be next, the evil has been vanquished, safeguards have been put into place to protect the world mind, the last of humanity have begun to establish Governments for its cities and begun to rebuild after the devastation… so what is next??? I suppose we’ll have to wait and see.
I recommend this to those who love deep science fiction stories, who adore a storyline that pulls you along in its wake, who love interesting characters, who love the sheer instinct to survive, and an ending that leaves you feeling fulfilled but wondering what could be next for our intrepid survivors.