Pros
- Great action scenes and and engaging story
- Return of a favorite and stoic character who finally opens himself up
- An interesting turn of events for Earth and potential Province 921
Cons
- Details that McGill notices seem a bit out of place and character
- Conflict in this book doesn’t feel as authentic since it’s more of an internal issue
- Plot regarding the Mogwa and the Core Worlds introduced and then seemingly paused
Rebel World Review
Rebel World by B. V. Larson is a continuation of another engaging story filled with the same fun, action-packed battles readers have come to expect and enjoy from the Undying Mercenaries series.
This time around, James McGill, our beloved, promiscuous protagonist finds himself called in as an expert witness to the heroics and accomplishments of Grand Admiral Sateekas’ son in an attempt for Sateekas to claim the Imperial Throne.
Nevermind that McGill, and all humans, in province 921 are considered savages and uncultured—even so, their testimonies are accepted in the Imperial courts. After giving his testimony, McGill runs into a pair of unlikely people: Drusus and the Investigator, who are present at the court to file a motion declaring Dust World and its system as Independent from Hegemony.
Of course, this doesn’t sit with well with Hegemony, and caught between this conflict is one Legion Varus Centurion, James McGill.
McGill is torn between his loyalties to Earth and helping out Dust World, specifically his family, and he must walk a thin line between loyal citizen and traitorous rebel. The ensuing conflict and engaging, action-packed battles is an entertaining read, and one former Centurion of Legion Varus makes a return at the conclusion of the novel.
What Rebel World does well is to illustrate the cracks in Hegemony. Earth as not as strong as it appears to be in Province 921, and this small crack in its strength may lead to the crumbing of its empire in Province 921. After all, if it is not able to rein in one tiny system, how can it expect to control and dominate other, stronger aliens?
One out-of-place aspect of the story is McGill’s sudden appreciation for the small details like scuff marks and gouges. These details almost seem placed into the story after the fact in order to make a later, more crucial detail seem more probable, but this sudden attention to detail is out of place for a character who is portrayed as fairly obvlivious.
While the story does bring the civil war toward a conclusion, it doesn’t quite resume the story with the Mogwa—what will happen to the Mogwa, the Skay, and Grand Admiral Sateekas? Some questions remain unanswered still.
Rebel World by B. V. Larson is a fun, engaging story that advances the overall story in the series a bit more, revealing weaknesses in Hegemony that are sure to be undermined by other aliens seeking their own independence with the Galactics. Ultimately, this only means a future filled with more deadly battles against old foes and new alliances of old foes.
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