The Bookwyrm's Review of The Fall of Rho-Torkis by Tim C. Taylor

Author: Tim C. Taylor

Length: 536 Pages/ 12 Hours, 17 Minutes (Audio)

Publisher: Theogony Books

Release Date: February 2, 2021/ May 20, 2021 (Audio)

Narrator: Steve Campbell

Rating: 9/10 Stars

Amazon Link

PLOT SYNOPSIS

"When your worst enemy has your back…

…you know the mission is doomed from the start."

Sergeant Osu Sybutu of the Legion had a simple mission. Take five men and travel unobserved to a location in the capital where he would deliver a coded phrase to a contact. Simple, that is, except for the fact that there was a war going on, and all the different factions he had to pass by on the way would cheerfully shoot him on sight. And that was only if the planet didn’t kill him first.

Militia Sergeant Vetch Arunsen’s task, however, was far more complex. Shepherd a group of hated rivals across the frozen wastes, keeping them safe from everyone who wanted to kill them, which was pretty much everyone. Including the oddball troopers under Arunsen’s own command, who would happily shoot the Legion soldiers if given the slightest opportunity.

Legion versus Militia. Joint defenders of the Federation. In theory. Their mutual loathing, however, could burn the armor plate off a battleship. For rival sergeants Sybutu and Arunsen, there’s only one way their squads could survive trekking across the iceworld of Rho-Torkis.

Legion and Militia.

REVIEW

I've never really made any secret of my love for space opera and military sci-fi. I love a big sprawling story with alien worlds, galaxy wide conspiracies and an intrepid group of heroes/scoundrels/anti-heroes trying to save the galaxy from doom and destruction. That's where stories like Fall of Rho-Torkis come in. Set in the author's shared Human Legion universe, although three millennia past the events of the prior books, this first book in the Chimera Company series shows us an empire on the decline, having lost the secrets of quite a bit of it's technology. The government is fractured, and beset by external threats. It's military is also fractured, with the elite Legion rocked by the scandal of it's previous commander betraying the Federation to aliens, while the Militia, their rivals, looks to finally take them down. On the ice world of Rho-Torkis, these pressures finally boil over as external and internal threats collide to to start a chain reaction that might bring about the end of the Federation if not stopped.

The characters of this turbulent world are a perfect fit. Osu Sybutu is a Sergeant in the Legion, a true professional, as are his troops. He is as straightforward as you can get, and yet he and his men are tasked with a covert mission, something they are spectacularly unsuited for. Its during this mission they run across, if you can call being captured by, the Militia led by Sergeant Vetch Arenson, and the fun really begins. The Legion and the Militia hate each other, and we get to see some great examples of just how deep that hatred is. The tension between the two leaders is reflected in their troops, who are an interesting bunch. You have a professional soldier class versus a militia that gets a lot of its troops from prisons. This difference, and a long hatred and rivalry should have meant mission failure, but its amazing what natives and rebels trying to kill you can cause to happen. There is a nice amount of back story and character development for all main characters, and they come across as real people, with real strengths and weaknesses coming through. Their struggles are very realistically portrayed, and it really helps immerse you in the story. These characters are definitely a strength, and are as good as any in sci-fi today.

The narration is performed by the talented Steve Campbell, one of my favorite narrators. He has such a great narrative style, really bringing each of the characters to life, even the ones that aren't remotely human. Its a great collection of accents, cadences and tones that really differentiates each character, and you are never in doubt which character is speaking. His narrative pacing is also some of the best in the business, keeping a real flow going without any monotone. Just a fantastic performance.

This was such a great way to take an ongoing series in a shared universe and take some real chances. It introduces some excellent characters and really does something special with them. It is easily on par with series like The Four Horsemen and Galaxy's Edge series, two of the big mil sci-fi series going on right now, and I suspect this, as well as the rest of the universe it shares, would appeal to fans of both. I highly recommend this one, and can't wait to check out book two.