Review: I didn't want to put this book down!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 7, 2014
This book is one intense ride. It’s set slightly in the future. Just far enough for the human species to finally be in contact with alien species, but not so far ahead that we’ve figured out how to play nicely. There are several layers to the story, starting millions of years ago in a galaxy far, far away (sorry, couldn’t resist). While the prologue initially seems disjointed from the rest, there comes a point when things fall quickly into place and tension runs high. From start to finish, it was an engaging read. I read the entire book in two sittings (I did have to sleep at some point.There are a few different species involved, each with its own unique history and culture. While two are beginning to work together, it’s a fragile system to say the least. When attacks start happening, it doesn’t take long for distrust to spread on both sides and it’s a continuous guessing game who the bad guy is. Rafferty doesn’t go into the history of relations at length in the beginning. The reader will instead pick things up along the way. With each new character you meet, you get more information about the recent (or very distant) past. It’s an effective method of getting the information across when it’s needed rather than bombarding the reader with a long history lesson on page one.Since there are many books about aliens and Earth out there, it’s hard to stand out. But this one does: it expands the history of life on all planets back so far that everything ties together. The title Destiny is not poorly chosen. Of the four main species in the book, all have a necessary role in how the story plays out and it clearly comes across as a fate none of them could have avoided.It’s clear Rafferty has a strong grip on the plot and knows how to tell a story. I didn’t feel anything was given too much or too little attention, a hard thing to pull off. And coming in at just under 300 pages (based on Kindle approximations at least), it’s a good length for a Saturday read. It goes by quickly without feeling too fast and it doesn’t make you feel like you’re reading the Neverending Story.Not all of the characters are developed extensively, but they are each their own person and all have a pivotal role in the tale. What I appreciated was the handful of politicians that were protagonists. Certainly not something we see much of these days, for obvious reasons. But Earth and Saffron have admirable leaders that are most interested in the well-being of everyone; they aren’t out for personal gain or motivated by hatred of the other planet. Politics certainly played a role here, but it was nice to see that many of the biggest players were people who had power and ethics. There are plenty of brave, smart, and wily characters to cheer for here, though most are of the soldier/government variety. Citizens seemed oblivious and mostly there for casualty counts. But considering the nature of the story, that makes perfect sense. It’s essentially diplomacy and war; the average Joe doesn’t typically play a prominent role.The story itself is told in a linear fashion and it’s not hard to keep up with all the moving parts (although there are several).  I found it a very practical approach to a sci-fi topic. Humans are portrayed as the dominant species (rather we’re the babies tech-wise at least). And the approach Earth takes to contacting an alien species feels about right: what can we get from them and they better not cross a line. As things escalate, we don’t see perfect diplomacy and we don’t see calmly made decisions. The characters act like normal people. Picking wives over presidents and taking the bad guy down with them. While the ultimate result of the book is a bit shocking (I won’t say why), the whole story was great and left off at a good point for the sequel to pick up from.I enjoyed this book immensely. It’s definitely one of the best I’ve read in a long time. And I am very much looking forward to Episode Two. If you are on the fence at all, I encourage you to give this book a shot. It’s very different from the stereotypical stories out there and you won’t believe the ending. The curiosity alone should help make up your mind.