The Benevolency Universe (Outworld Ranger Book 1)

Enjoyable read with interesting characters. This book paints a promising future for series that will be fun to follow. It has all of the characteristics that I like in this genre. There are some quirky characters, good action sequences, and the author's take on future technology.

I really enjoyed this read and I am ready to to start the next book. Once I began reading, it was actually hard to put down. I do have to say though at first you really have to pay attention to keep up with the past and the present.

This book is lots of action, battles, chases, explosions, suspense... and still pretty boring. Story was kind of vacuous and predictable, and the plotting was repetitive. Like, just how many safe houses and fancy gadgets does Siv have squirreled away, from what I gather was about a 3-year career? I'm not that motivated to read more. The concept is mildly interesting, and I'm vaguely curious to learn more about this universe. Most of the far-out future tech is stuff you've seen before in other books, with the most interesting part being that the level of technology has slipped over the last hundred years. However I feel like it's just too much action, not enough story. Like a better author would have conveyed this story in just a few chapters.

Also the book could still use some editing. Quite a lot of little typos and inconsistencies. For example are the opposing ships called "Dagger Fists" or "Dagger Firsts"? Was Siv on ice for 97 or 107 years (I think another spot implied centuries). Incorrect use of "lead" instead of "led". Etc. All pretty distracting.

I read Forbidden Systems first after checking out reviews here, but I think the stories could have been read in any order. To think of a young boy frozen almost 100 years and what his life would be like intrigued me. The story starts off fast and keeps moving with lots of suspense and action. It tied in the Ancients mostly towards the end, leaving me wanting more. Time to open that escape pod and let us know too what all Silky was up to when the Benevolence was around. Looking forward to a sequel soon.