Proxima: The Othaul Dynasty by Chase Hildenbrand is a science fiction space adventure that continues the exciting narrative initiated in Proxima. The novel picks up just after the events of the last offering with a group of characters learning how to survive in outer space on a hostile planet. This review won’t spoil Proxima: The Othaul Dynasty, but it will spoil the first book, Proxima. The reader is warned.
Our cast of characters were separated between two plot threads in the first book. In this one, the characters are shuffled and reassembled into two different groups. Our main protagonists, Liam Donovan and Ann Caldwell, after spending most of the first novel apart, are back together and are taken prisoner by the vicious Othaul dynasty. They, along with three other friends, are flown away from Proxima. The other characters from the first novel are left behind on a world far from Earth, prisoner of the Othaulians.
The book follows the exploits of both groups as they struggle for their freedom in different ways. Exciting sequences are traded off between those desperate to return home and those desperate to escape from their evil overlords. Liam’s group takes the reader to the edges of space while the other group is focused more on survival and rebellion. Overall, the back and forth between the different adventures should keep the reader spellbound.
Proxima: The Othaul Dynasty has all the requisite beats of a fun space adventure: space travel, different species, engaging battle scenes, and an against-all-odds setup. This novel envisions a time when humans are just starting to realize they aren’t alone in the universe instead of the over-populated worlds of Star Wars and Star Trek. The idea of meeting new species gives the novel a different vibe than most space swashbuckler plots. How would the human race react to different sentient beings? And what if all the species weren’t friendly to humans—how do you know who to trust? These questions are explored in the novel’s pages.
The main characters run the gamut from soldier to scientist with Liam and Ann being the most well-defined. You get to know each of them by a predominant trait (the soldier turned pacifist, the pilot who lost a loved one, etc.). Though the novel doesn’t contain an excessive number of characters, it may take the reader a while to delineate them at the start of the novel. Perhaps Proxima 3 could contain a “story so far” sequence to catch the reader up.
Fast-paced and creative, Proxima: The Othaul Dynasty should satisfy the readers of the first novel with even more exciting sequences. For a space-faring adventure, this novel is a fun way to imagine yourself in the far distant reaches of the galaxy.
Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09B2J4YVW