Continues to be a Brilliant Series!!

Lineage is an interesting book in that for the first time in this series Thomas Baldwin is no longer the Captain on the bridge of a starship, but now an Admiral in an office, having taken a promotion to the rank at the end of book 4, and moving to Nolix. This was partly because he believed he could help the Concord better as an Admiral, but also because he wanted to make a change to his personal life, and wanted to pursue Aimie Gaad, and the only way to do this he thought was on Nolix – not flying around the galaxy.
Unfortunately for Tom, he does not get his wish, as he is quickly tasked with going on a mission with Elder Fayle, to the homeworld of the Callalay, the planet Aruto.
This is to try and help keep the Concord from falling apart, as within a very short period of time, there have been several attacks on Concord members by what appears to be Concord ships.
With the removal of Baldwin as Captain, this has left an opening for the Captains position on the Constantine, and Treena Starling is promoted to the position. But things are not all smooth sailing for her. She is struggling with her own personal battles, having found out that she does not have to be trapped in her crippled body anymore, that in fact, she has been deliberately held back from treatment by R-Emergence, the company that built her android body. They have secretly prevented her from having treatment, so that she could be the test case for their android prototypes.
However, Aimie Gaad, having met Treena Starling in the previous book, and now getting very close with Tom Baldwin, turns whistleblower in book #4, and not only tells the truth, but makes sure that Starling gets the help she needs, offering to treat her as well. This means that Starling will be slowly able to return to her own body over time.
In this book we get to see the physical and mental battle as Starling pushes to reintegrate herself back into her real body, slowly taking it from the damaged form that could not move, barely move her eyes, let alone talk, to someone who can walk, talk and operate like a normal person. This is a really powerful, intense, at times brutally honest part of the story as we get to strip back the layers of Treena Starling and really delve into the inner depths of her Character.
Hystad shows just how brilliant an Author he is, as he really makes us feel Starling’s pain, both physical and emotional.
Her journey is a gritty, and determined path of courage, and it is at times inspiring, at others just hard work, but all of it is just amazing to read.
As well as Starling, we also get to feel the angst of Baldwin, and his decision to become an Admiral, and whether he has done the right thing of not in making this move. Initially, he thinks this is the right thing, but it is not long, before the cracks begin to form, and his doubts follow as he realises what he has done. One of the really powerful parts of the story is when he says goodbye to his Grandfather’s A.I. Constantine.
There are so many exceptional characters in this particular episode of the series, but one of the standouts has to be Ven Ittix, the Ugna caught in the middle so to speak, between the Concord, and his people. Now it seems there is another faction within the Ugna, one that no one was aware of, and has a vast amount of power.
Ven’s character, and how he is developing, his reaction to the Ugna around him, Elder Fayle and Hanli, as well as those of his crew. His growing friendship with Brax Daak is really great, they are such different characters, and yet, through the ongoing trials, they have formed a strong bond, and this has allowed them to develop a remarkable friendship.
Ven’s character is one of the most complex and in-depth in the series, and also one of the most pivotal alongside Baldwin himself.
Between the characters of Baldwin, Starling and Ven Ittix, as well as all the others, Hystad really shows just how incredible he is at Character driven storytelling.
This 5th Part in the series is really pulling together all the different parts of previous story-lines, setting up the story for the finale in book 6. Lineage is such an apt title, as so many of the Characters are not only looking into their own histories, and this is done beautifully with some epic world building by Hystad again, capturing not only the storylines of the characters in the previous books, but also building on them as we move into the final parts of this epic series.
The world building overall is just outstanding in Lineage, with so many aspects of the book, from the opening chapter on Mars, to the descriptions of Treena Starlings rehabilitation, to the various aspects of the Ugna culture, the way they live, their ships, and of course their abilities.
This is an epic game of chess as we see all the pieces of the puzzle being moved around the board by the various players, leaders of the Ugna mainly, with a few from the Concord, either unwitting allies, or working with the Ugna, as well as some old enemies. The fascinating thing in this series is the constant thorn that is Baldwin, even when everyone is so confident in all their plans, and has everything meticulously planned and judged, Baldwin somehow changes things in his favour.
This is a brilliant penultimate book to what is going to be an outstanding finale in one of the best Sci-fi series I have read this decade – it is just stunning. If you only read one series this year – this has to be it!!
James Patrick Cronin is a wonderful Narrator, just an absolute pleasure to listen to. He has a wonderful voice that is clear and concise, and is one you can listen to for hours on end without getting tired of his voice. He does a great job of creating each of the main characters, both male and female voices, so that you can easily distinguish them. Each character gets their own voice so that you can clearly distinguish them. Cronin does a wonderful job of really bringing the characters to life, providing them with emotions so that you know how they are feeling, not just reading the story. He really makes you feel each of the characters, so that you can understand their stories, and it makes the Narration just so much better. Cronin is masterful at Narrating, and makes this just so good to listen to, this is an experience, not just an audiobook, and it is so much better than just reading the book!!

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