Marko Kloos certainly isn’t a newcomer to the epic science-fiction genre (or space operas, as they seem to be called nowadays), which means he has established certain standards for himself, leading readers to expect certain things from the man. There is an invisible enemy, pulling the strings somewhere behind the scenes, and only a few Gretians have the opportunity to put up a fight and unveil a conspiracy threatening to wipe out the entire planet. The occupation forces suddenly turn a whole lot more violent, killing military and civilians alike. Meanwhile, tensions start boiling again on Gretia when it becomes apparent someone is trying to restart the war.

Besides, who is to say he deserves a second chance in the first place?

There is a chance for him to start anew, but he’s got a hell of a journey to brave through before seeing any kind of light. Though the prison bars no longer stand in his way, bureaucracy, sheer bad luck and some ill-wishers seem quite intent on preventing him from seeing Gretia ever again. However, the blood of many stains his hands, and there are plenty of secrets just waiting to catch up to him. We are then introduced to Aden Robertson, a Gretian soldier who has just finished serving his prison sentence and would like to return to his homeland and find some quiet place far away to settle down, to forget about being in the losing side of the war.

Though things do seem to be improving ever-so-slightly, the planet remains teetering on the edge of political, economic and social collapse. The story takes us to the Gaia system where an Earth-like planet by the name of Gretia is recovering from an interplanetary war, its people existing under the occupation of their conquerors. Marko Kloos is one of the few authors still standing by the genre and its methodical ways, and with his novel Aftershocks he marked the beginning of The Palladium Wars trilogy. They require a good deal of concentration and dedication to be fully enjoyed from start to finish, qualities increasingly rare in a world with an ever-declining attention span. Authors don’t really write epic science-fiction stories like they once used to.

Marko kloos aftershocks