“Lines of Departure” by Marko Kloos – The Abyss of Mankind's Salvation

Lines of Departure by Marko Kloos is a direct sequel to Terms of Enlistment, though the former can certainly be enjoyed with no knowledge of the latter. Nevertheless, I do recommend reading the books in order.

In any case, this time around we follow once again Andrew Grayson as he finds himself assigned to a ship bound to some distant colony, one where humanity's worst nightmare won't ever find them.

Naturally, life on the ship is far from being idyllic, especially with ever-mounting concerns of what will happen to Earth in the face of this unstoppable doom looming on the horizon in the form of intergalactic invaders from origins unknown, far superior to humanity in every aspect.

As one would expect, Grayson eventually becomes intricately-linked to the survival of his species, one of the few truly crucial pegs in the mechanism.

As is in line with much of today's science-fiction, and perhaps somewhat contrary to its golden age during the first half of the twentieth century, things couldn't look gloomier for humanity, and you can bet the house that things aren't going to get resolved by some deus ex machina that will unexpectedly give humans the upper hand.

The whole thing feels like the drawn out extermination of our race, and its frantic attempts at staying alive.

With this being a science-fiction novel, there are certainly plenty of technical details and scenes where technology itself is being given the spotlight.

As numerous as these scenes and space battles may be, they certainly don't make up for the majority of the book, with the bulk of the exploration, at least in this novel in the series, being driven towards questions of a philosophical nature.

For instance, it is commonly-pondered as to whether or not humanity's extermination will end up being something beneficial, whether or not we deserve to be controlled for lack of an ability to do it ourselves.

Numerous other questions and perspectives are brought up common to the science-fiction genre, with the overpopulated, filthy and loathsome Earth being a familiar sight of criticism of our race in the eyes of avid sci-fi readers.

As for the story itself, I have to say that it does a solid job at keeping you entertained and guessing as to how the ultimate resolution can come to pass.

On one hand, humanity's triumph is about as likely as Zeus himself descending from Mount Olympus and obliterating all of their foes. On the other hand, Kloos makes humanity seem just resilient and crafty enough for the reader to believe that perhaps its extermination is a bit too much of anti-climatic fate; they deserve better.

Otherwise said, the pervading atmosphere of pessimism makes your brain believe in humanity's desolation, but at the same time makes your guts hope with all their might for a conclusion that goes the opposite way.

All in all, this second part of the series is certainly one of the more solid science-fiction novels out there, and though it may seem like it explores subjects previously-discussed to death, I have to say that the thoughts in here are explored in greater depth than usual, and the dystopian universe is crafted with such care and precision that one can't help but feel it being one worth knowing.

If you are a science-fiction fan, I highly recommend you check out this book, and the whole series too as a matter of fact.

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Marko Kloos Personal site Marko Kloos is a freelance novelist and writer, as well as being a father to two children. Kloos’ primary area of literary expertise is science-fiction, and perhaps fantasy as well. He is the kind of writer who knew what he wanted to do ever since he set foot in a library, which resulted in some acclaimed books such as Terms of Enlistment and Lines of Departure.