This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
G J Ogden studied Physics at UMIST, but spent more time writing for and later editing the University magazine, GRIP, which kick-started a love of writing. A proud nerd and sci-fi geek, he is the author of the post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller series, The Planetsider Trilogy, and the space opera epic, The Contingency War.
Reviewed by Charles Remington for Readers' Favorite
Captain Taylor Ray and his small crew of three are on a four-year mission to search the outer reaches of the galaxy for any remnants of the conquered Hedalt, an alien species against whom Earth has fought a terrible war. The Contingency, by author G.J. Ogden, tells how the crew receive a faint anomalous signal from a nearby planetary system and, believing it to be an old Hedalt beacon, they decide to investigate. Making landfall and after negotiating an ancient lava tube, they find what appears to be a long-deserted underground space station housing a large number of ships, repair shops, and equipment. Shockingly, they also find stasis tubes containing the long-dead remains of Hedalt troopers - at least, that is how it appears until an empty stasis tube is discovered. So begins a desperate firefight - a fight against a seemingly invincible foe, but a fight that in the end leads to an astounding turn of events. Not to give away too much of the plot, I will simply say that from this point the narrative takes an astonishing and unexpected turn and we find that far from being over, as Captain Taylor Ray and his crew believed, the war against the Hedalt has hardly begun.
The Contingency is classic space opera, though I must say that G.J. Ogden has included some cunning twists in his tale which managed to surprise even this experienced reviewer. The book is well-written, with a pace just a little slower than average in places. The characters are solid, rounded and believable and the situations, though sometimes necessarily complex, are lucidly described. As a fan of the genre, I enjoyed The Contingency. I think G.J. Ogden has launched what I believe will be a very successful new series. Highly recommended - sci-fi fans will not be disappointed with this novel.
