A MOONLIT ARMAGEDDON

This third installment of an SF trilogy focuses on a war between aliens and humans.

Raised as humans, four brothers—Joe, Franc, Paul, and Bart—received the shocking news that they were clones of an alien race and that this species was bent on humanity’s destruction. Called the Dark Ones, they are truly something to be feared. But it seems not all of them are evil. The brothers’ own father helped set up seven safe havens on Earth, though the siblings didn’t believe that all of the refuges would survive. Now, to everyone’s surprise and suspicion, a group appears in Sicily claiming to be from Denmark, one of the havens thought lost in a great battle. Joe is already wary of the band, but then he notices that one of the travelers bears a sign that he is a Dark One. It is Typhon, son of the Dark Ones’ leader and the very alien who was rumored to have destroyed the Denmark refuge. Typhon claims to have seen the error of his ways during the battle and turned against his own people to defend the haven: “It may be hard to believe, but I would fight to the death to protect you and your beliefs.” Joe cannot be sure that Typhon has turned over a new leaf, but bigger clashes are coming, and the entire planet is at stake. Humans will eventually need to prepare for a full-scale invasion. As this volume is the finale of Edge’s trilogy, it is highly recommended that readers peruse the first two novels to fully grasp the intriguing saga. The author does his best to catch readers up in the installment’s beginning, but the infodump will be overwhelming and exhausting for those unfamiliar with the series. This confusion is made worse by the fact that several characters are often talking in the same paragraph in the story. Readers may be baffled as to who is speaking, especially if they are not well acquainted with the large cast. Still, SF fans willing to put in the effort will be rewarded with innovative worldbuilding and an epic, high-stakes battle that delivers plenty of action and thrills. This is a gripping, wide-ranging tale that involves journal excerpts, faith, healing, monks, cloned wolves, uneasy alliances, and various aliens, weapons, and spaceships.

An inventive and action-packed, if sometimes uneven, SF finale.