A Slow Burn Fantastic Sci-Fi Story
4.5 out of 5 stars
I got this book a few months ago but sat on it waiting for another car ride with my partner. I knew she really enjoyed the first one and figured I’d wait until we had some time to listen to this one. We only got about 20% through it, but I knew I had to finish it. Riddle’s writing just sucked me in and I knew I couldn’t put this down until I finished it.
The Solar War felt like two or three books in one. There’s the introduction that goes through a little of what the first book did along with adding a ton of new info. Then there’s the defeding/building phase. Then the final phase I won’t mention due to the nature of it being a spoiler – but that entire ending felt like it could have been its own book. Riddle absolutely jammed The Solar War with great storytelling, character building, and tense moments where I wasn’t sure what was going to happen.
The book didn’t fly by but only because the storytelling in it lent to more of a slow burn. Riddle wrote a book that needed to be sipped like a nice wine. The situations that each character got into felt overwhelming and insurmountable. Every turn I felt like something perilous was going to happen. I felt like it was a 12 hour almost panic attack (in a good way if that makes sense).
The dual narration also adds to the way that the book was written. It jumps back and forth between the male and female main characters and switching narrators really helped drive that home and also helped not confusing one from the other.
Overall, a great book that I really enjoyed. A perfect addition to the series.
Book Description:
Hear the second book in The Long Winter trilogy!
They decimated Earth during the Long Winter. Now the Grid has returned, and they won’t stop until the human race is extinct. On a ruined world, humanity’s last survivors fight against impossible odds. In their darkest hour, they discover a new hope for survival. But it comes at an unthinkable price, with consequences that will change everything.
We thought the war was over. We were wrong. After the Long Winter, Emma Matthews and James Sinclair hoped life would get back to normal. They’ve settled down in Camp Seven and welcomed their first child, a daughter. And they have waited and watched the sky for any signs of the Grid’s return. When NASA discovers that several asteroids have broken from the Kuiper Belt and are headed for Earth, James instantly realizes the truth: the Grid is back.
And this battle will be one to the very end. As he and his team prepare for humanity’s last stand in space and on the ground, Emma makes a discovery closer to home, one that will change life for her and James once again. With war raging around them, Emma and James fight to keep their family alive.
In the cold darkness, humanity splinters. New alliances emerge. At every turn, Emma and James face new dangers and question whom to trust. Just when it seems that all hope is lost, James uncovers what may be the key to humanity’s survival. But it comes with enormous risks. To implement his plan, he and Emma will have to survive the Grid and another, even more deadly enemy. One thing is certain: their gambit will change the future of the human race forever.
The Solar War (The Long Winter #2) by A.G. Riddle
Narrator: Amanda Leigh Cobb, Edoardo Ballerini
Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
Series: The Long Winter #2
Published by Recorded Books on July 1st 2019
Genres: Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Thriller
Format: Audiobook
Buy from Audible
Also by this author: The Atlantis Gene, Winter World, The Extinction Trials
Also in this series: Winter World
