Technologically enhanced superspy Peter Caswell has been dispatched on a top-secret assignment unlike any he’s ever faced. A spaceship that vanished years ago has been found, along with the bodies of its murdered crew—save one. Peter’s mission is to find the missing crew member, who fled through what appears to be a tear in the fabric of space. Beyond this mysterious doorway lies an even more confounding reality: a world that seems to be Earth’s twin. Peter discovers that this mirrored world is indeed different from his home, and far more dangerous. Cut off from all support, and with only days to complete his operation, Peter must track his quarry alone on an alien world. But he’s unprepared for what awaits on the planet’s surface, where his skills will be put to the ultimate test—and everything he knows about the universe will be challenged in ways he never could have imagined.
The compelling cover and the description made this a must request when I saw it on NetGalley.
There are so many things going right in this book. We’ve got sci-fi assassins, alternate reality, and entire planets as risk of destruction. I love flawed characters, and Peter Caswell’s flaws are not only prevalent, they’re self-inflicted. The story flows smoothly with digestible chapters and parts. Each break left me wanting more.
There’s a bit of world building and backstory, but it’s not a massive info-dump. The parceled revelation of information only helps the reader see through the protagonist’s eyes.
The ending is excellent – it wraps up Zero World, but leaves it open should the author decide to write a sequel. I would welcome a sequel to Zero World. Five stars! A must read!
Jason M. Hough (pronounced ‘Huff’) is the bestselling author of THE DARWIN ELEVATOR, THE EXODUS TOWERS, and THE PLAGUE FORGE. In a former life he was a 3D artist, animator, and game designer (Metal Fatigue, Aliens vs. Predator: Extinction, and many others). He has also worked in the fields of high-performance cluster computing and machine learning. He lives near Seattle, Washington with his wife, two young sons, and a dog named Missbuster.
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About Mark Gardner
Mark Gardner lives in northern Arizona with his wife, three children and a pair of spoiled dogs. Mark holds a degrees in Computer Systems and Applications and Applied Human Behavior.
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Article 94 
May 25th, 2017 at 07:03
[…] captain on the cover. If you read my review on Tuesday, you already know that I seriously liked Zero World, so I had high expectations for the Dire Earth […]