Review: A winning formula
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 10, 2012
I have now read all 13 books currently published in this series, and I have to say I am hooked.This is not a masterpiece of sci-fi literature by any means, but it's certainly above average, and if you are looking for a good story, with the potential to catch your interest and keep it for a long time , this one has more chances than most..I can think of 2 or 3 other similar series, all by independent authors, but none that has been executed as well.Some of the themes are: Discovery, Space opera, Evolution, Economics, Technology, Wealth creation, Colonization, Aliens, War.  I have now resigned myself to fork out about $300 of my money, as all 100 books come out. I was sceptical about the length of the books, and I still believe it's a tad pricey, but If my experience is repeated by enough readers, and the author keeps his publishing rate, longer series of smaller size books might just be a winning formula.Update: I am now up to number 16 and I am happy to say the quality keeps improving. The plot has "vision", and the author keeps things interesting and surprising. What's more, his update rate is approximately a new release every 15 days. He's been consistent in that so far, which compensates for the length of the releases and cliffhangers. If you are willing to wait to build some cushion, you are in for a wild ride. for my part, I gobble each release as soon as they come out. In light of the faster publishing rate, and the fact that the story itself ends up being broader and longer, I am now sold on this format for Space opera and possibly other fiction genres.Update: Just finished book 30, and I am more hooked than ever. Price is no more an issue for me, as I know exactly what I am getting now, and I am completely addicted anyhow. Although I still believe the author would be wise to give the first few books for free, as a hook for new readers. My guess is sales are decent, given their Amazon ranking, but he certainly pays the price of the short length with a comparatively lesser amount of reviews given the quality of the work. The publishing rate is extraordinary, and as long as that stays constant, I believe it's fairly priced. I have dozens of books I've enjoyed that I had to wait a year or more for the sequels to come out. there's something comforting in knowing that a sequel is only 15 days away, and there's a vast amount of material to anticipate. For the pleasure I derive from this series, I wish I could forget it and start again. a newcomer has a massive amount of reading before him and I love the ambitious plot more than ever.Update: 50 Books already? Time flies. Still religiously buy them as soon as they are published. I take back what I said about this not being a Masterpiece. If he Finishes this, it will be.