I have a hard time reviewing this book. On one hand, I loved the worldbuilding. It's complex and interesting, and brutal, to be honest. In a way, it reminded me of Altered Carbon. On the other hand, I honestly couldn't care less about the protagonist or the other characters. Hence my dilemma, so I will just rate it middle of the road, I think.

This book illustrates perfectly that the value of a human life goes down significantly when technology is advanced enough to achieve near immortality. Why care about the body if your consciousness is backed up on a regular basis, and you can be decanted into a new clone in a matter of days? It opens the door to great deeds of selflessness, but also to horrible abuse. Just thinking about the torture row on Phobos makes my blood boil. Imagine torture that can last forever, because every time you die, they just decant you into a different clone and start all over again. 

On this one, I wish we would have had a chance to explore the theme of identity a bit more in this book. What happens if there are several versions of you running around at the same time? Who is the real one or the "prime"? What rights do the clones have? How do you decide whose memories and experiences merit a backup and whose don't? Unfortunately, even though we have a character living in two bodies, that particular concern is never explored.

As I had mentioned, by biggest problem was that I couldn't empathize with the protagonist. In many ways, Harris Alexander Pope is a blank slate. I understand that this was done on purpose, since even the character himself doesn't know who he really is or what he wants, but it makes it hard for the reader to form an emotional connection. Since Harris doesn't his own mind or even his motivation in most cases, it's hard to decide if we should root for him or not. What does he want in life apart from meet up with his brother? Unknown. Why is he pursuing the Patriots so relentlessly? Unknown. Why does he always repeat the same speech word for word before he kill them? Un... no, wait, that is known, but that would be a big spoiler.

It doesn't help that the supporting characters are rather unlikeable, apart maybe from Umera. And the bad people are so villainous they come across as caricatures. I mean what's with the supposedly great general and strategist who finishes all his sentences with an exclamation point and loves to drone on and on and on... like he is giving a lecture? I couldn't take him seriously even if I wanted to!

I also wasn't satisfied with the ending. I mean, yes, it's a win for humanity - they get a chance to expand beyond the solar system, but is it a win for Harris? I wouldn't be so sure. He is still stuck in his hunt and destroy loop, and he honestly doesn't have any dreams or desires aside from that. PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Harris Alexander Pope died, then everything started changing. Pope was a Partisan, a member of the army for the government of Mars, an elite and modified soldier who was skilled in infiltration and assassination. Up to the moment he was killed, he was one of the most effective killing machines of the Partisan government.

In a way, that is why he was killed. For 20 years he had been dealing death to the rebels and most of them were eager to see him dead. Not all of them, though. His brother was a leader in the rebellion and wanted to get his brother back. Not just for a warm and fuzzy family reunion, but Harris Pope had been sent to the Partisans as an undercover agent, his mind rewired so he could pass any interrogation or mind probe with complete honesty. His memories of his family, his political sympathies, his mission, all were erased and stored until they could be reloaded into him and he could act on his mission: to completely destroy the Partisan government.

Death was no longer necessarily the end of life. Consciousness could be saved and uploaded into replacement bodies. Usually people had these bodies designed according to specifications and stored until needed. They might just be younger, healthier versions of their “birth bodies.” They did not have to be. Your consciousness could be uploaded into a teenager. Someone of a different gender than your birth gender. A different race. Different proportions. Various augments. Medicine had also progressed to the point where someone could shoot Harris through the heart, upload his previously deleted memories, and then heal and resurrect him.

With his memories restored, Harris refocuses on his mission. But how do you end immortal consciousnesses? If a simple soldier can be saved and restored, anyone can. And although Harris can change the course of the war, his enemies are playing a long game that started long before and can play out long after their existing bodies have died.

John Scalzi’s “Old Man’s War” series has some of these same themes, as does “Altered Carbon.” Redspace Rising stands strong in that company. Brian Trent has a plot with multiple twists. Promises are made to readers early on that are fulfilled much later in the narrative, deposits paid with interest. This is a “hard” science fiction story that reminds me of some of the classics in the genre, albeit without the racism and sexism that informed far too many of those “Golden Age” works.

If you could reprogram someone, should you? If you could extend your life indefinitely, hopping from body to body, would you? If a genetic copy of someone, say a movie star, could be created without them knowing about it, what are the implications?

Trent deals with these and many other dilemmas with thoughtfulness and decency. His characters are trying to live ethical lives in their own light, with their own challenges and opportunities, and facing intractable enemies that have sometimes had centuries to perfect their plans. As always, the question worth asking is, “Just because you can do something, should you do it?”

Military scifi lovers will be in for a treat: this book is fast-paced, action-packed and engaging! We're thrust right into the chaos in the first few chapters, and there's no shortage of twists and turns. I was, in fact, immediately hooked when Harris was introduced as someone who'd been "killed and brought back from deep undercover" because... what was that again? And then he had to continue acting like he was still undercover, only to be reunited with his partner and apparent love interest. Oh boy. I tend to get a little wary when romance is thrown into the mix in these sort of stories, but his interactions with Umerah weren't cheesy, even if they had their own "I love you" "I know" kind of banter.

It's hard to say anything more without giving the plot away, to be honest. But let me just tell you that this is the kind of story that I thoroughly enjoy: one with so many clever surprises it's impossible to guess the ending — or what even happens next — and you're simply compelled to keep reading to the very end. So if you like multilayered plots, interesting and badass characters, war and politics and intrigue, and lots of action, then this new book just might be for you. 😎

PS. You might also want to check out Ten Thousand Thunders. I haven't read it yet, but I plan to; it doesn't only sound fun, it also features some familiar faces!

RECOMMENDED LISTENING: "Live, Die, Repeat" by Christophe Beck

One Sentence Summary: Harris Alexander Pope has been undercover with the Partisans for 20 years, but the Order has reactivated him and now he’s on a mission to hunt down the Partisan leaders while everyone around him plots and plans.

redspace rising brian trent
Overall
Redspace Rising is an incredible, fast-paced military science fiction novel with a good dose of humor sprinkled in at some of the most unexpected times. The story boils down to something quite simple, but the plans and manipulations that underlay it all created a number of moving points and felt like it depended on Harris Alexander Pope being who he is: a soldier. There’s a great deal of bloody violence and a great deal of things at stake. Nothing felt easy, and nothing seemed to go quite the way Harris planned. But he was an amazing narrator to follow, and it was great to meet new and old faces through his eyes. Overall, Redspace Rising is just as stunning as the first book, Ten Thousand Thunders, and offers a breathtaking expansion to both the world and the cast of characters.

Extended Thoughts
For the past twenty years, Harris Alexander Pope has been a soldier for the Partisans. Until he’s reactivated by the Order of Stone, who sent him deep undercover in order to take out the Partisans from Mars once and for all. Harris, the consummate soldier who has been upgraded to the gills, completes his mission, taking out the Partisan leadership and saving Mars from their clutches, only to lose the most wanted man in the universe, Gethin Bryce, and his lover, Umerah Javed. Still, Mars is free and back under the command of the more peaceful Order of Stone, until disturbing news reaches the Order and Harris must be re-deployed to hunt down leaders who have come back in new bodies, uncovering more than one disturbing secret that has been kept from him for too long.

Redspace Rising is, in a way, a sequel to Ten Thousand Thunders, which followed Gethin Bryce and Celeste Segarra, but, considering it’s been a couple of years since I read it, I feel safe saying this could be read as a standalone. While Gethin and Celeste play important roles in Redspace Rising, this is told by soldier Harris Alexander Pope, lending the story a uniquely humorous voice that paired well with all the military action. This is an incredible, compelling science fiction novel where the science was never above my head and the military action just never seems to cease. There’s a lot packed into this story, and sometimes it felt like it was just growing more and more horrifying, but also showed the lengths to which people will go to hold power, even if it means reshaping people’s lives and the fabric of their souls.

First, the groundwork for this novel must be laid. Redspace Rising is set a number of years into the future; so far, in fact, that a new calendar has been used for a few hundred years. Humans have spread throughout the galaxy, but are banned from colonizing beyond Neptune. The IPC controls the galaxy, except for Mars, which has successfully seceded from it, much to their consternation. For all the good the IPC does in supporting all the colonies across planets and moons, they have their own secret plans. Back on Mars, the Partisans and the Order of Stone have stemmed from the same goal: a free Mars, which is now threatened by a new vote about to take place of whether it will return to the IPC, which will have some effect on whether the IPC votes to overturn the ban preventing humans from colonizing beyond Neptune. The Partisans are in power, using things like force and torture to keep control. The more peaceful Order of Stone will do anything to destroy them. Literally anything.

In comes Harris Alexander Pope and his brother David. Harris willingly agrees to go deep undercover with the Partisans for the sole purpose of destroying their leadership when reactivated by the Order. For 20 years, he’s the consummate soldier, advancing and receiving specialized training as well as upgrades to his body to make him more than human. And no need to worry about death, because a new body can just be printed and his entire being downloaded into it, as long as his consciousness has been Saved, of course. As a result, Harris is deadly and hell bent on completing his missions. At the same time, he has a particularly funny brand of humor, which is lightly peppered throughout the story, offering brief moments of levity that this novel needed. But Harris also loves his younger brother David, especially since their parents were killed by the Partisans. Since Redspace Rising is told by Harris, we only get Harris’s perspective of how he sees his brother. It was a little difficult to get to know David, but he’s clearly successful and will do anything to protect the goal of a free Mars. He’s as single-minded about it as Harris is about completing his mission, whatever it is. And yet there’s something odd about their relationship, which my mind kept picking at even if Harris didn’t quite see how odd it was.

Redspace Rising is an incredible military science fiction novel that I didn’t want to put down. Usually, I find science fiction only partly understandable and military fiction too horrific for me, but, since this is told by a soldier with a very amusing voice, it all made a lot more sense to become something enjoyable. There’s more of an emphasis on the doing than the science behind everything. At the same time, this is much more violent than I’m used to. There seems to be a major battle every few chapters, and Harris never seems to be able to catch a break. Yet, because of the way being re-downloaded into a new body works, he technically does. But Harris’s story just never stops. It barrels forward no matter what, no matter who gets in the way, and no matter what Harris feels about any of it. But, for as violent it is and as much as it’s constantly marching forward, there’s a delightful humor woven through. It’s here and there, and pops up both when expected and when not expected. I found myself utterly charmed and delighted by it, especially since it lent Harris a distinctive, compelling voice. Because he’s a soldier, he’s very matter-of-fact about what he does and about attacking and killing his foes, but then there’s a drip of humor here and there. I found it kept me hooked, kept me looking for those little nuggets that just absolutely delighted me and made a part of my brain light up.

The storytelling is incredible. The story is constantly moving, even when Harris isn’t. Military science fiction is not my thing, but I absolutely loved this book. It’s intense and fast and something is always happening, and Harris always has to be the one to do it. I loved that nothing was easy for him. He’s clearly an incredibly competent man, but there’s also a softness in his heart, one that made my heart hurt for him and just long for one thing to go his way. There are so many plots and plans, both by the Partisans and the Order and even the IPC, that it felt like it was never going to stop, but it all really boiled down to one thing: a free Mars. I loved the utter simplicity of it, and yet nothing about it was actually simple. There are a lot of moving pieces and a lot of manipulation. I hated that it made Harris seem like little more than a lackey, doing as his superiors wish all because of what he believes to be right and wrong, but he also had a good deal of agency. There were points where he was given choices, given opportunities, but he was always true to himself, and I think I loved that best about him.

Where Ten Thousand Thunders was more about Earth and laying a good groundwork for this and, hopefully, future novels, Redspace Rising was all about Mars. Much of it is set on Mars, and I loved getting to know the history of its colonization as well as what it looked like. I felt it made good use of the Martian geography, describing where and how people lived and worked. I especially loved that it worked in the difference in gravity compared to Earth, impacting what the characters were capable of doing. But I really loved the detail that went into how Mars was made habitable. I don’t understand all the science that went into how it all worked, but I felt that was okay considering the narrator is a soldier less inclined to going into how this piece and that piece worked. The storytelling was very much focused on the action and the plotting.

One of my favorite parts of this was getting to see Gethin and Celeste again. I hated having to end their story when I finished Ten Thousand Thunders, so I was thrilled to see them again. They’re not the main characters, but they do play major roles, and it was great to see how they did and didn’t change between the two novels. Despite all the danger and dangerous situations all of them were placed in, a part of me always felt Gethin and Celeste would be okay, that their story could not be finished. Redspace Rising definitely didn’t spare them, making my breath catch several times, especially as the story wound to it’s conclusion, which was incredible and breathtaking, and the very end completely delighted me, injecting a final piece of humor that just defined so much of this book.

Redspace Rising is an intense, compelling military science fiction novel where the action never stops, the plots and manipulations are always a constant undertone, and the meeting of old and new faces both offers continuity and an expansion of the story. This was just as stunning as the first book, though I found the science much more accessible and the action a lot more fun. My heart twisted and turned for Harris, so despite all the terrible deeds he had to do, I found him to be sympathetic and I only wanted the best ending for him. I loved how Redspace Rising offers more to the story, expending the world and cast of characters, and I hope there will be more in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion.
Redspace Rising by Brian Trent is set in a far future where Mars has been colonised and is now savaged by long wars. Unfortunately, The Partisans who promised freedom have become terrible oppressors and Harris has been their loyal and highly decorated soldier for years. But in the middle of yet another mission he is captured by the other side and finds out that he has, in fact, been a deep undercover agent for the last twenty years ( he is so deep undercover he has forgotten that he is an undercover agent with help of some interesting tech) and is activated- to finally end the war. Which he does- but this is just the start of Pope’s journey and story.

The story is told from Pops’s point of view and it is a realistic view of war, the consequences and the aftermath. While the book doesn’t glamorise war, it also doesn’t glamorise its effects on the people who have had to live through it. I didn’t warm to Pope but I sympathised with him, his struggles and his overwhelming desire just to spend some time with his brother.
There is a huge array of fascinating tech in this world and the politics of Mars are just as corrupt as you would expect it to be in a dystopia but this enhances the story. The battle scenes are vividly described and the plot is fast-paced with plenty of high-tech action.
I was gripped by all the twists and turns in the story, especially the end.
I did feel the book was perhaps a little long and would have appreciated a bit more downtime between all battles and action. While Pope is a nuanced and realistic character, the women in the book had less depth.
Perfect for fans
Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan
Content warning
Descriptions of torture,

Flame Tree Press has been rekindling my faith in science fiction. I used to revel in the stories of masters of the genre when I was younger and then the genre just seemed to get stale to me. I took a long break with only a few hard science fiction books mixed into my reading rotation. I decided to take a chance on the books being put out by Flame Tree Press since I enjoyed their horror so much and found my interest growing once more. This led me to Redspace Rising by Brian Trent. The author is new to me (except a recent story in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, but had high hopes for the novel when I set my sights on the stars and dove in.



What if everything you ever believed, everything you had put your life on the line for, turned out to be a lie? That is the reality that Harris Alexander Pope is forced to wrestle with. He had been a loyal soldier, fighting for what he believed in with every fiber of his being, until the day he was killed by an enemy solider. When he was resurrected, he learned that he had been an undercover agent who had unwittingly been working toward ending the war by bringing about the destruction of those he thought friends. The last twenty years of his life had been a lie. He was a weapon meant to bring about the end of the war. Now awakened to the truth, he accomplishes his mission savagely and decisively. It should have been one of the greatest victories in human history.



Then come the consequences. The war was over, and Pope’s life was over once again. When he is brought back ten years later, he is shocked to learn that nuclear bombs had been dropped on Mars to turn his victory into a pyrrhic one at best. Even worse, he has been brought back to be a weapon once more against those who had tried to destroy the planet. His old enemies were back and he was the only one who could stop them. He finds himself thrust into battle once more, but things are more complicated than ever. The truths he once believed in no longer seem to be shades of black and white and the dark secrets behind the war begin to come to light. Pope knows he must fight for what is right. He is unsure, however, just what that is in this whole new world.



Redspace Rising is a work of hard science fiction and there is a lot of world-building in this novel. Trent builds a world of intrigue and adventure that is full of strange science and shady politics. The book is filled with clones, resurrected people from stored mind scans, and exotic weapons to satisfy those who are thrilled by the paraphernalia of the genre. While these things are interesting and integral to the story, they exist more on the surface of the story as there are much deeper things brewing underneath. Trent takes on the deepest themes from our time, really any time, as he does a good job of shining a light on the human condition. There is a lot of action in the novel and the pages seem to flow by, but there is a depth to the story as well that makes the reader think and keeps the book from becoming just another thrilling story. It is a longer novel but still reads quickly, but there is also a lot for the reader to ponder in the story as well.



Trent creates a detailed world in Redspace Rising that feels so real that it is easy for the reader to get lost in it. What makes this novel shine, however, is the reality of the characters. The characters in this novel, from Pope to his brother to the many people that come in and out of his lives, do not feel like characters in a story but like real people. It is easy to understand their motives even if the reader does not share their beliefs and opinions. Harris Alexander Pope shines in this story as the reader shares in his confusion and anguish as his life is upended and he is forced to shift his entire world view. Redspace Rising is not just a great science fiction novel but a novel that can stand on its merits regardless of genre and deserves a spot among the best science fiction works of recent years. This book is sure to thrill fans of the genre and I would challenge any fan of good writing regardless of genre to read this book and not be moved by the emotion and humanity that lies within its alien world.



I would like to thank Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for this review copy. Redspace Rising is scheduled to be released on September 13, 2022.

I never read this author before and that's too bad because this was quite good. It 's definitely not boring. There's lots of action and might need a break to relax occasionally. There are some nice twists along the way too. Recommended to sci fi and action fans.

I really appreciate the free ARC for review!!.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Flame Tree Press for an advance copy of this science fiction novel set in the far future on Mars.

Our own sense of who we are is something that technology has not stolen from us yet. Sure we have no privacy, the way the government identifies us can be bought in bulk on the dark web, but waking up in the morning, barring drinking, drugging or mental illness, we can at least be 99% sure of who we are, at least until the day we day. After that well we might be different. In Redspace Rising, a science fiction novel by Brian Trent, everything a person knows about themself is tossed out the window in a world where the dead can be brought back, enemies can be friends, and humans have developed even more elaborate ways of hurting each other.

Harris Alexander Pope was a loyal soldier, until he was shot in the chest in an ambush and died. Returned to life by the people who killed him, Pope is informed that everything he knew for the last twenty years was a lie. Instead of being a feared soldier, he was a deep cover agent for the other side and his mission is to end the war, quickly and savagely. Pope does so, but with horrible consequences. Years later he learns that some enemies might still be alive, also reborn and hiding among the population on Mars. Pope decides to find these people and end them for good, but the truth about the world might not be as clear as he thinks.

This book begins with a boom and goes right to the end with the pedal down. The story is told as the character learns it, or shares history, very show not tell, and it takes a bit to get a sense of the science and the world, but the story moves so quickly with action and plot this takes not time at all. Pope is an interesting character and decisions made early in the book make sense near the end, as the plotting of the story is very well done. The action is super kinetic, some of the best that I have read in quite awhile, and the technology makes sense, and is explained well. There is a little borrowing especially from the works of Philip K. Dick, but the story is really well done, and has enough of its own twists, that it really doesn't matter.
A good mix of military science fiction with some really big ideas. The story is big, but doesn't seem long, pages flip quickly as the story really sweeps you in. There is again a little nod to Total Recall, and some other Philip K. Dick stories about identity, but this is a really enjoyable story, with a lot going on. This is my first time reading anything by Brian Trent, but I will have to look for more. A very sure writer, with a good sense of how to keep a story going, and how to introduce a world without making it seem like a lecture. A very enjoyable read.

Redspace Rising is an energetic, complex science fiction adventure. The protagonist regains consciousness on a civil-war-torn Mars after having been killed and resuscitated to discover he has been a deep cover agent for twenty years. Thrown into a frenetic action sequence, he carries out a heroic mission while struggling to regain memories and understand his identity. Further plot lines involving Earth, AI, and the rest of the system unfold, along with continued struggles around identity, family, and loyalty. And battles with truly awful villains.

I found the book shockingly brutal at times, which probably put me off a little. On the plus side, the book is complex, with layered revelations and lots of themes. It is generally well handled if sometimes a bit breathless and overwritten. Brian Trent is a capable SF writer, with short story credits in leading magazines and a couple of novels to his name. While I found Redspace Rising a bit less enjoyable than I wanted, it is a very ambitious and well written book. Trent bears watching going forward and I will buy his next novel.

Redspace Rising

[Blurb goes here]

As soon as the adventure begins, so does the action. A ruthless warrior, Harris Alexander Pope, regains consciousness in an almost destroyed way station on Mars. He's not who he thought he was. He's been living a lie for the past twenty years. Fortunately for him, he is in a unique position to end the war. With his new memories shuffling constantly with the old ones, he carries out his mission and the conflict comes to an end. His brother, a high ranking general, has no excuse for what he's done: leaving him fighting for the enemy for two decades, something that turned Harris into a swift killing machine. It's time to find out why. Suddenly Harris' memories are implanted on a new body, ten years after the war ended. He has no recollection of what happened during those years. It seems his brother still has use for him. With his memories still in disarray, Harries carries out the new mission, only to learn that there's more to do, a lot more. Will he ever get the chance to retire? Does he really want to?

I really enjoyed this book, although, truth be told, it has nothing to do with Old Man's War. It borrows snippets from Altered Carbon, but thats as far as it dares to go in the 'I've seen eerie similar tech before' department. That aside, this is a great book in its own right no need to compare it with other titles. Mind you, it could have been shorter at times, but not by much. The world building is amazing, and the characters often feel alive.

Give it a try.

Those are my two cents.