Exedus & Extremis

So I’ve paired off these two books into a single review, just as I did for that last two in the series. The reason is the same. The books are effectively one story that is simply bisected (and in this case with different secondary authors). However, there was a marked difference in the quality between Exodus and Extremis, with Exodus lacking in a number of ways but Extremis coming in and plugged all the holes to deliver a very enjoyable and genuinely interesting listen.

I’ll assume you’ve read my reviews for the other books in this series, so I won’t harp on about the constant head-jumping that is very much Steve White’s style. By this point, you either like it/have grown used to it, or you’ve quit reading the series. Although it is worth noting that it isn’t quite as prevalent in these tow books, with an ever-increasing focus on the characters compared to prior instalments. Extremis also adds something new to the dynamic which is an absolute must-have: that being a little location marker when a new section jumps to a new area in the expansive Starfire universe. It doesn’t say whose perspective you’re about to hear from, and yes, there is still plenty of head-jumping within that location, but having these little markers makes getting an immediate grip of who you are listening to and what is going on SO much easier. I know some people might say that it takes you out narrative or that a good writer shouldn’t need such a ‘crutch’ in order for the reader/listener to know what’s going on, but considering the massive scope of the Starfire universe and the expansive narratives that White and co are trying to impart, this small addition was a huge bonus to Extremis.

This story throws humanity and its allies against a new foe, that of the Arduans, a species fleeing from their home system in sub-lightspeed ships for over a thousand years prior to their contact with the rest of the galaxy. This race is another great creation by White (and Meier), in some ways just as alien as the Arachnids were but at the same time so similar to us that the constant juxtaposition is a delight to behold. The Arduans are similar to us in so many ways expect for one major difference. They communicate entirely telepathically, and their unified telepathic bond (which they believe to be divine in nature) allows each and every one of them to reincarnate after death. So in short, their society does not understand the concept of permanent death, or at least not for truly sentient beings. This premise, and the complete inability for the Adruans to communicate with the other races, forms the basis for not just the ensuing conflict but a genuinely interesting perspective shift for the reader/listener. How these concepts impact every part of Arduan life, society, and now their policy for dealing with these new races basically makes these books an amazing fever dream of a thought experiment set to the backdrop of an awesome sci-fi war. It was great.

Story-wise, these books go a little more in-depth on the personal stories than prior books, particularly that of the Arduans. This was the method through which we gain such a deep understanding of the struggles for coexistence between the two. The Humans worry that they’ve stumbled into another hive-minded, indifferent killing machine, like a toned-down version of the truly horrifying Arachnids. All the while, the Arduans can’t understand how beings without the telepathic links (that form the very basis for how Arduans classify intelligence and personhood) could have ever developed into true sentients, seeing the other races as just clever animals that have somehow developed tools. Although the telling of these more personal stories does slow the pace a little more than the constant back and forth of politicking, scheming, and huge space-battles that we’ve grown accustom to with this series, it by no means detracts from story and if anything makes it better.

There were some issues that I had with practicalities and continuity with Exodus. One of the hallmarks of these books is the minutia of political, military, economic, and industrial detail that the authors have gone into in the previous four books. It’s one of the main reasons why I like them so much. I’m a massive nerd for that kind of stuff (as anyone who has read my Spellmonger book reviews will know). So after laying the groundwork for how things go in this universe for four books and then upending a few very small but very important points on the grand scale of things in Exodus, it left me more than a little peeved. However, these issues were clearly raised after the book came out, because every single one of those tiny little needles to my pedantic nerd brain were artfully explained in Extremis, neatly lulling that nasally, jam-jar bespectacled dork that lives in my heart back to peace and quiet.

In short, this book felt like it didn’t quite have the massive, civilisation-ending stakes that the Arachnid War books had, but what they lost in this sense of scale they more than made up for in depth and truly brilliant concept exploration.

Marc Vietor once again does a phenomenal job with the narration. The telepathic speech between the Arduans was written in such a way that, had someone who didn’t known what they were really doing tried to voice it, it could have come across a little jarring. That certainly wasn’t the case here, and Vietor once again gave a great performance.

Personal Score: 4 stars

Professional Score: 4.25 stars