The Plague Forge is the final novel in the Dire Earth Cycle by Jason M. Hough, following The Darwin Elevator and The Exodus Towers. As you can tell from my previous reviews, I loved this series!
It's rare to find novels that have all the elements you love of science fiction and adventure, but re-envisioned in an exciting new way. Constantly surprising, Jason has created a whole future landscape that is both plausible and other-worldly.
Skyler, Tania and Samantha continue on separate missions, following the migrating Aura towers to explore the crashed Builder ships. Samantha remains within Darwin and must break into the Nightcliff compound, overpowering Grillo and the roaming Jacobite security teams. Old characters reappear, new teams are created, and a chance of redemption for some of the worst characters is possible.
Skyler discovers the origin of the subhuman plague in Chad within an alien pyramid, and Tania explores a crash site deep in the Flatirons of Colorado. There is the constant fight for safety for the non-immunes, and several scary moments where you don't know if they became infected or not.
The giant Key Builder ship has embedded hundreds of metal lines into the Earth completing the final stages of its mysterious plan. Through ingenious plotting, Hough manages to return all the characters together in the empty shell of the Builder ship, hovering over the Earth, as it morphs and changes like a living entity.
This novel had the perfect blend of the first two: the mystery and discovery, the action sequences, and characters you love, in perfect balance. I especially liked the way he had two lead characters toying with each other but not becoming an item, where in other books, that would be the go-to move. I know his next book is going to be completely different scenario, but a future novel starring Tania alone would be great, and there are many possibilities to explore the Builders world. Hough has not just created entertaining characters, but unique and interesting ones, complete with possibilities. Can you tell, I'd love the series to continue?
The finale answered many of my questions, while opening new doors ~ it's a fine balance to satisfy the main question of why the Builders arrived while still leaving things unsaid, with the added bonus of a new mystery. Throughout the series Hough didn't fill in every line for readers, making you imagine and immerse yourself into the world with the characters.
So nice to find novels that exceed your expectations for reading entertainment.
Can't say enough good things about it.
If these reviews peak your interest at all, go check them out!
I highly recommend the series and look forward to more from Jason M. Hough.
2013 / Paperback / 431 pages
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