Pros
- Threat posed by the Skylar increases as they attempt to transform Hellenger Prime for their own use
- Story continues to be exciting and full of action
- More context on Hellenger Prime
Cons
- The threat of the Skylar fleet doesn’t seem as great even though they are portrayed as fierce warriors
Darkness Falls Review
Darkness Falls by J. N. Chaney and Scott Moon finds Noah and his crew aboard Kayan now fighting to save the Hellenger home world right after saving the Gleam home world from the Skylar, an ancient species powerful enough to resist the Seer.
This time, Noah’s adventure takes him to the home world of Montow, a Hellenger engineer and crew member of Kayan. This particular adventure reveals a bit more context about Kayan’s crew, and much like the previous book found Noah and his crew saving Leana’s Gleam homeworld, this book finds Noah facing the Skylar as they attempt to completely restructure the planet for their own nefarious ends.
While there’s not as much action against the Skylar aboard the ships or on planet, the battle scenes against the Skylar are still interesting. What Darkness Falls and Shining World both do well is to provide more background information on the favorite characters—who they are and where they come from.
Unlike Leana’s infamy on the Gleam home world, Montow, despite his past heroics, isn’t as well known on his planet. This is made clearly visible when he encounters a group of Hellenger marines who have been sent to investigate the actions and motives of the Skylar. Not surprisingly, these Hellenger marines aren’t quite the same as the Tyton warriors, nor are they very courageous. In fact, they’d sooner give up fighting and instead help the Skylar with their conquest of Hellenger Prime.
The result is that it’s up to Noah and his crew to save Hellenger Prime because their own citizens have decided to work toward the Skylar goals rather than resist their eventual demise. But in this book, Kayan’s crew isn’t in the same danger as they were in Shining World. Even Wozim is completely recovered and ready to fight, though there’s not as much fighting to be had.
While the transformation of the Hellenger home world is an extinction-level event for the inhabitants, the threat for the protagonists seems fairly low, especially when they have an escape plan. The conclusion of the novel pits the Skylar against The Reach fleets, minimizing the Skylar’s advantage in ground combat.
Darkness Falls by J. N. Chaney and Scott Moon provides some interesting context for Montow and the Hellengers, and this context reveals more about why Montow fits so well among Kayan’s misfit crew. Like Leana, Montow is different from other Hellengers, and this difference is what allows him to fit in with Kayan and her crew.
Read other books in the Homeworld Lost series by J. N. Chaney and Scott Moon.
