Author Evan Currie (http://evancurrie.ca) published the novel “Archangel Rising” in 2020. Mr. Currie has published nearly 20 novels. This is the second novel in his "Archangel One" series.

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in the far future. This is the continuing story of the Archangel Squadron.

This mission is different for the Archangels. Captain Steph Michaels and his crew take the role of privateers. They have established themselves in the Free Star systems. His latest task is to seize an enemy outpost rich in precious minerals. The simple mission turns more difficult when he realized thousands of hostages are held at the outpost. Michaels' decision makes the Archangels more vulnerable to the Free Star forces. It also brings unwanted attention from the Empire.

I enjoyed the 6.5+ hours I spent reading this 281-page science fiction novel. I have read several of Currie's other novels and they are all very enjoyable. While Michaels is the primary character, several other characters are significant. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a 4.5 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.

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This is book two of the Author's Archangel series and whilst it can be read as a standalone I would recommend reading the first book - setting the worldbuilding and characters in place .

Captain Step and his Archangel Squadron has infiltrated the Free Star system intent on taking over a Protectorate mining facility BUT their plans take a major hit - they discover that the workers are ‘slave labour' with their families held as leverage in camps - he just can't do it , his plans must change . The new plan just might work except the Imperial Fleet suddenly appear to find out what is happening to their supply of an element very important to the Imperium .
This is an entertaining book , fast paced with intrigue aplenty - which takes up where the previous book , Archangel One , leaves off .
The characters are full of bravado , willingly , albeit reluctantly , the crew will follow where Steph leads especially into danger .

I look forward to reading more by the Author in the future .

I was given an arc of the book by NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review .

The second in the Archangel One series, Stephanos has established himself as an effective mercenary for hire. In this book, he defeats a neighboring star systems slave overloads and takes over the system's primary export resource facility. Ultimately getting caught by the Imperial force, he has created a persona that identifies him as a crafty mercenary. The book ends with him making a deal with the Imperial Navy to run a system's mining operation for the benefit of thew Imperials.

I enjoyed the strategies, space battles, and tension in this second book. My Rating 4.5.

Captain Step and his Archangel Squadron has infiltrated the Free Star system as a pirate/privateer squad. Step is leading the six specialized, fast and camouflaged ships from the deck of the seized destroyer dubbed The Dutchman. They planned to swoop in and take over a Protectorate mining facility but plans change when they discover that the workers are ‘slave’ labor with their families held as leverage in slave camps.

Step has to change his plans on the fly which might work out except that an Imperial fleet suddenly appears to see what is going on at one of the stations that supply them with an important element. Now Step and his fleet are facing overwhelming odds.

Meanwhile, Eric and the Odysseus fleet have been exploring deep space. Initially, they have been trying to fly under the sight of Imperial fleets but now they are ready to push some interaction with the enemy. Eric is testing the enemy on the horizon and hoping for interest, not a battle confrontation. But he doesn’t know the commander of the Imperial Eighth Fleet. She is determined to know more about this new enemy.

This is book two which continues where Archangel One left off. The characters were established in book one and their traits carry through. I totally enjoy the cocky bravado of Step and the fact that his crew are resignedly ready to follow his risky, but brilliant, plans. Eric also has a unique relationship with the Odysseus AI ‘being’ as Eric tries to explain human nuances, gut and instinctive reactions to the unemotional AI.

There is plenty of intrigue, tension and fast-paced action that kept me engaged. I would love to continue in the series as stories become available. In the meantime, I will go back and listen to The Heart of the Matter, book two in the Odyssey One series. I recommend this author and these series to readers who enjoy space marine sci-fi.

Source: 2019 NetGalley.

I could not put this book down. It kept me at the edge of my seat. The action was non stop. I enjoyed the plot and look forward to the next by Currie.

More good stuff from this popular author. Best to read #1 in the series first. This continues with interesting characters and an engaging plot. How one party outsmarts the other is pretty well executed, and includes the usual humor and surprises that help this author succeed so often. Recommended for opera fans.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

There is almost no worse feeling for a book lover than when you fall in love with a series and the next one isn’t available yet to immediately pick up and read, which is exactly where I am with this second book in the Archangel One series. This military science fiction novel kept me on the edge of the seat the entire journey through and I am left wanting more.

Thoughts:

In the continuation of this Terran/Priminae saga, we find that Captain Steph Michaels (or Captain Teach) has been able to start integrating his crew with those who remained from the destroyer captured in the last book. It’s not a perfect fit yet, as these new crew members aren’t as trained as those from Earth, but Steph has ideas on how to give them a little confidence. When Steph and his crew learn of a resource that the Imperials value, they come up with a bold plan to acquire it for themselves or at least disrupt the flow of service.

While Steph and his crew are on a daring pirate adventure, Captain Weston and the Proximae are still waiting for the ever-silent, but watchful Imperial fleet to make their move and when they don’t Weston comes up with a plan to force their hand.

Fans of this series will really enjoy this latest book, which showcases Steph’s playing up the pirate role and creating a legend/myth about him and their group. You can almost see the crew members eyes rolling when he does certain things. Numerous references to well-known pirates, pirate songs, and famous ships are mentioned through-out the book to help bring out the humor and remind us of their overall mission. The Archangel chapters go back and forth between the mining station, Hele Protectorate, and Imperial Fifth Fleet commanded by Jesan Mich.

But while Steph is playing the role of Blackbeard, Captain Weston is playing a cat-and-mouse game of his own with the 8th fleet commander. He gets a bit tired of knowing that the Imperials are secretly watching them (as he discovered in the last book) and decides to entice them to make a move, which gives us the space battle scenes that we all love to read. I think one of the things readers really enjoy about this series and the Odyssey One series is how we are shown what the other side is thinking at certain times – where we get to watch the Imperialists overconfidence in motion while at the same time knowing that Captain Weston has them caught in his own web. Weston also has a bit of fun messing with them too, which is rather enjoyable since the Imperialists kind of deserve it.

Overall, it’s a non-stop space fun. Loved the cat-and-mouse game the two sides played and honestly it was about time we turned the tables on the Imperials. Captain Michaels/Teach and his crew once again also find ways to surprise us and keep us entertained while furthering their legend within the Free Star system.

Rating: 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and 47North for the advanced reader copy and opportunity to provide an honest review.

Archangel Rising by Evan Currie, a good sequel in the series that keeps up the pace and didn't leave me floundering.

Evan Currie's two connected military science fiction series continue to keep me reading. I've read every book in the Odyssey series and the (sort of) spin-off Archangel now has two books.

In Archangel One "An elite squadron must go undercover behind enemy lines in this thrilling new space adventure from the author of the Odyssey One series."

Archangel Rising, #2 in the series, continues with Captain Steph Michaels and his Archangel team functioning as privateers in the undercover operation to gain information about the Empire.

Action packed, likable ensemble characters. For militatry science fiction/space opera fans, I would recommend beginning with Odyssey One: Into the Black.

Read in November.

NetGalley/47 North
Space Opera/Military Science Fiction. Jan. 14, 2020.

Top of my list for guilty pleasures definitely has to be the books in the Odyssey One/Odysseus/Archangel ongoing series. I absolutely adore those books and eagerly devour them as soon as I can get my hands on them. In much the same way that the original Star Wars was just plain fun, these books are thrilling, have great characters, and at the end always make me want to punch my fist in the air and yell superlatives. With this second book in the Archangel Series, we have the same great adventure, space battles, outwitting of opponents, and the humor at watching the Imperials think the Earth people are insane.

For those wondering where these Archangel books take place in the series, they are a seamless continuation of the original series and other than a new name, nicely continue the major storylines. Odysseus characters are half the book along with the Archangel assignment of pirating/privateering. So the change in name has really to do about this being a new arc in the main series (in this case, Steph using the new Archangels to gain intel through anonymous privateering) rather than a side story or deviation from the main plot.

Story: Steph has gained valuable intelligence for Earth but needs some 'tribute' to impress his Kingdom partners. They decide to hijack a remote mining outpost that provides a valuable and extremely rare material that Earth could use (and that the Kingdom needs). But once there, they find a slave colony whose families are kept in a small station under constant threat of instant annihilation if the slaves revolt. Steph will have to be clever here - not to blow his cover, not to give away the valuable tech of the Archangels, and especially to stay alive when the mission complicates in very unpredictable ways. Meanwhile, Weston has the Odysseus escorting Priminae transport ships to evacuate border colonies jeopardized by Imperial incursions. When they come across a fleet lying in wait and cloaked, Weston is badly outnumbered and gunned. A cat and mouse game ensues that could go very wrong if Weston doesn't read the enemy commander correctly.

As can be seen, the book has two fronts: Steph's attack on the mining colony while Weston has to figure out a way to engage the Imperial fleet with seriously inferior tonnage and firepower (he has to prevent them from attacking the colony). The mining station assault is great - with Steph putting his valuable marines in key places that can't fail while also trying to create a viable force out of the Free Stars pirates he took on when he captured his Flying Dutchman ship. The key theme is that the Free Stars have been living in the shadow of the Imperials for so long that they have forgotten strategy and tactics - as well as being victim to poor funding.

Weston, meanwhile, has his faithful ships of Bellerophon ("Bell") and Boudicca as well as a small fleet looking to aid the Priminae colony. They won't make it to the colony; Weston's key crew spots the Imperial fleet using stolen Earth cloaking tech and thus begins a game Weston plays with the enemy intelligence officer: "do we see you or don't we?" It's quite fun and I enjoyed the cat and mouse game quite a bit.

In both arcs, Steph and Weston outwit their opponents several times but not always without serious incident. That's what makes the books so much fun - the surprises that always come, both good and bad, as they play their war games. Currie provides a lot of humor in the scenarios and is clearly having fun with Steph especially in allowing him to enjoy his "yo ho" pirating. The underlying premise is always that the Imperials (and Free Stars polities) are so unused to war at that level that they no longer know how to pivot or pounce. As well, they are all severely constrained by their social structures.

From start to finish, I was fully invested in Archangel Rising. I used to dislike the sheer number of POVs in Currie's books, especially the aliens who, for the most part, always thought like the Earth people. But now I really enjoy reading them (most are only a few pages long at most). From the various archangel pilots, Imperial commanders, Free Stars miners, security force, families, etc., there are quite a few here. But always we come back to Steph and Weston as the leads in the two arcs of this book. As well, there is the reappearance of an old foe at the end - and I couldn't have been happier about it, too!

So yes, a great book with a LOT of action this time, both assaulting a space station and, of course, space battles. The book ends both arcs nicely but always with an eye to the next book's arc. There are plenty of surprises, escalations of conflict, complications in battle, and enjoyable humor to make this a great read. The language always flows smoothly and the books never get bogged down on the science. If anything, Currie tends to spend more time musing on social issues than on the science. This is also a series whose audible books I've enjoyed in the past, though this is reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

This is a great book. I really enjoyed it. The characters are well developed and the story is packed with action and adventure. The author does a great job delivering a story with a solid plot and interesting subplots. If you had read Odyssey One series it will make great follow up to how the last book “Archangel One” ended. Can’t wait for the follow up book or surely the next book in Odyssey One series which will pick up exactly where this book ended.