Synopsis
A baby dreadnought is terrorizing two star systems.
A new wormhole has been opened, a new planetary system revealed, populated by a strange and impossible race.
A mad god is on the loose.
The il’Drach have destroyed an entire planet.
They are on their way to Wistful.
Rohan just wants a peaceful day of work and a decent cup of coffee.
But if he doesn’t handle the dangers facing his friends, his system, and his sector of the galaxy, who will?
Review
“Who builds a warship and says, ‘Hey, let’s make sure she can whine, in case, I don’t know, her captain misses being around teenagers’?”
2025 is turning out to be the year of J.C.M. Berne for me and for good reason. Rohan is just such an outstanding main character to follow and his journey keeps getting more epic. Book 5: Eyes of Empire has actually dethroned Wistful Ascending to be my #1 ranked book in the series. It is the conclusion to the platinum arc of the series and what a conclusion it is. After 4 books of amazing character, and plot development, Joe finally strikes black gold here. It is always amazing when the world expands or the plot turns to a new direction but when a character changes their perspective and understanding of themselves and others, especially after a long journey filled with conflicts (book 1-4,) that truly transforms the story into a new level. Joe does this electrifyingly in Eyes of Empire. It is truly an extraordinary book.
The first thing I want to mention is how the writing and pacing keeps getting better with each book. This series is incredibly readable- that’s the best word I could come up with. Everytime you pick up the book, the pages fly enormously fast. And Joe keeps leveling this up masterfully with every new book. The second thing is the dialogue and humor. Rohan is why I read the book- such an amazing main character that I cannot stop loving even when he does some really bad things, but Wei Li is the showstopper. She steals every scene she is in.
“That’s why they pay you the big bucks, Wei Li. Or credits. Or gold. Meat? I have no idea what currency you’re paid in.”
“Today I wish my salary was in painkillers to take care of the headache I am developing.”
Since this is book 5 of the series, I cannot talk much about the plot as it would veer into spoiler territory but we go to a new planet in this book and discover a new race. The il’Zkin are definitely my favorite race in the Hybrid Helix world. It is also truly skillful that the author can introduce a character in book 5 and make me love them as much as the ones I have traveled with for four other books previously. This is currently my favorite found family in all of SFF.
Overall, I loved this book. This series just keeps ascending in terms of fun and depth. Especially from book 3, this series has veered off towards something really epic and I am pumped to see where it would go ultimately. On to book 6 soon.
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