Pros
- Plot and story universe take an interesting turn
- Enjoyable story that delivers on expectations of the series
Cons
- Some changes with the team that may not sit well with some fans
- Certain anti-climactic fight with a certain assassin
Blackheart Review
Blackheart by Joshua Dalzelle is an exciting continuation of the Terran Scout Fleet series, a spin-off of Omega Force, that finds Captain Jacob Brown tasked with the seemingly impossible mission of hunting down the Viper, a deadly mercenary whose contracts usually include assassination.
The Viper, or Carolyn Whitney, has been a “badass” throughout the Omega Force universe, and the descriptions of her, as well as her reputation have led to an aura of invulnerability, especially as she’s sometimes more capable than even Jason in Omega Force.
But the mystery surrounding The Viper is finally dispelled in this book, and readers get much insight into who she is and why she is the way is. And that insight is quite explosive considering her reputation for being fairly unstoppable.
In this story, Jacob and his team are sent out on one last mission to hunt down The Viper after she escapes from lab where she’s being dissected after being captured. The Viper’s capture is one small event in an otherwise larger series of events aimed at controlling a quadrant of the galaxy that is now in turmoil after the events of the ancient artificial intelligence in Omega Force.
These changes in the broader galaxy also mirror the changes at home in Earth. New players have risen to the stage that was abandoned by Margaret Jansen and her One World Faction. But whereas Jansen had help from an external force in the form of an alien species, these new players are closer to home—they’re even within the Earth’s governments.
One new change is an admiral who wants to create an army of Jacob Browns, humans who are genetically and cybernetically enhanced such that they can hold themselves against the Galvetic warriors. These desires do not bode well for Jacob, and they conflict with Jason’s request that Earth watch over his son.
Suffice it to say, there’s a lot of change going in the galaxy, and many new ambitious people, both on Earth and elsewhere in the galaxy, have their own plans for the future. Based on the direction of the story and what glimpses readers are given, these plans do not include peace and prosperity for everyone.
The future for the galaxy looks bleak, and so does the future of team Obsidian, whose moniker is changed to Blackheart in the story. There’s a reason for the change, and it foreshadows perhaps a darker turn to the series.
Blackheart by Joshua Dalzelle is an engaging resumption of the Terran Scout Fleet series, and the book promises some major changes not only to Jacob and his team, but also to the expansion of the plot that will broaden the scope of the series to include more galactic concerns rather than purely domestic ones.
Read reviews of other great works by Joshua Dalzelle.
