shannonmiz's Review of Pariah (Donovan, #3)

by W. Michael Gear

The third book in the thrilling Donovan series, a sci-fi action adventure set on a treacherous alien planet where corporate threats and dangerous creatures imperil the lives of the colonists.

Corporate assassin Tamarland Benteen's last hope is the survey ship Vixen. With a load of scientists aboard under the supervision of Dr. Dortmund Weisbacher, Vixen is tasked with the first comprehensive survey of the newly discovered planet called Donovan. Given that back in Solar System, Boardmember Radcek would have Benteen's brain dissected, he's particularly motivated to make his escape.

The transition that should have taken Vixen years is instantaneous. Worse, a space ship is already orbiting Donovan, and, impossibly, human settlements have been established on the planet. For Dortmund Weisbacher, this is a violation of the most basic conservation tenets. Donovan is an ecological disaster.

Down on Donovan, Talina Perez takes refuge in the ruins of Mundo Base with the wild child, Kylee Simonov. But the quetzals are playing their own deadly game: one that forces Talina and Kylee to flee farther into the wilderness. Too bad they're stuck with Dortmund Weisbacher in the process.

Back in Port Authority, Dan Wirth discovers that he's not the meanest or deadliest man on the planet. Tamarland Benteen is making his play for control of PA. And in the final struggle, if Benteen can't have it, he'll destroy it all.

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

4.5*

This... this series cannot actually be over, right? RIGHT!? Straight up this is one of the only series I have started and finished in the last few years- because I couldn't not finish it, which has to say something. And it was absolutely worth it.

But if it does have to be over, this is the way you end a series. With permanently high stakes, incredible character development and growth, and plenty of twists along the way. With just as many shocking moments as when the series started, as when it first hooked me. I knew I was invested in the world and the plot from the start of the series, but I didn't know how much I'd grow to love the characters, and even Donovan itself.

It's always hard to write a review for a third book in a series. How do you not spoil stuff while still giving readers a hint of what to expect? So I'll tell you why you should start the series if you haven't: Intense (and often brutal) action-packed life on a planet previously uninhabited by humans. Messy relationships, political turmoil, yet little rays of hope. Tons of gray morality and thought provocation. Really jacked up alien life forms. If you like gritty sci-fi, do not miss this series.

And if you have started? Trust that you'll want to finish. This series improved with each installment, and I think that you'll find this one incredibly satisfying. (And, you'll be surprised at who you still love to hate, and who you actually... sort of just plain love.)

Bottom Line: I'll just leave this here: While the ending was satisfying enough to be a completely legit ending... there is still room for more exploration, as this is a hugely vast world with an amazing cast of complex characters. Just saying, I promise I'd buy a 4th book ;)

Pariah (Donovan, #3)

by W. Michael Gear

Reviewed by shannonmiz on Apr 14, 2019

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