Elite: Reclamation

With over 600 hours of space flight under the belt, this book (in it's audiobook format) took my breath away. Hearing the twin engines of the Cobra and how it's presented in this book makes my hair stand on end without fail.Truly a phenomenal book for fans of the series and newcomers unfamiliar with the game alike.Fly safe, CMDR! o7

My first time reading a book by Drew Wagar and I am a huge Elite fan, this book drew me right in originally because I wanted something with story around the game. I have read all of Frank Herbert's Dune series and I can tell you the politics and backstabbing and material in this book very much reminds me of the complexity of the Dune series. He captures the plotting, scheming, in-fighting, double crossing of space politics very well and manages to create engaging characters, the most important of course being Salome.The only part of the story I found to be a bit far fetched is there was too much backstabbing, quick forgiveness, between a few of the characters. Minor quip as in why would a character who was just double crossed instantly be grateful for a reversal.One can only hope humanity isn't this greedy when we start colonizing the stars.

I, too, remember the original, along with the Master 128 version and the sequels. Not just the official ones, but FFE3D and Oolite as well. Good games all. I was certified Elite by Acorn, in the early days. Play E:D and Horizons now.So, how does this book stack up?The first thing to bear in mind is that I'm a harsh reviewer when it comes to existing universes. A lot of the difficult work has been done, after all. I've reviewed a lot of fan fiction over the years, written some as well. I have intense difficulty in writing up to my expectations, which is where expectations aught to be. There's no higher rating than the best, for the obvious reason that it's the best, so there should be very little worthier of praise than that which merits the best. That is why other ranks exist, not to condemn but to show limits.This book has limits. It's impossible to empathize with the characters. They're all unlikable, self-centred morons with zero compassion for anyone or anything else. If that was just the bad guys, it would be bad enough, truly evil people are very rare and very self-destructive. They're not effective villains. But when it's the good guys as well - then it's insane.A farm boy gets in over his head and rescues a Senator, and in the big battle gets saved by a pilot who had left and returns - think that one got used in 1978.Lots of minisodes here, welded together, rather than one cohesive story. I see the author's description bears striking resemblance to that of Anne McCaffery's, whose first Dragonrider novel was exactly that - independent short stories rewritten as a novel. It featured a heiress whose family was slain reclaiming her title then handing it off to a minder. There are some differences here, but they're mild.So it's derivative. That's where it loses the second star.So why rate it Competent-to-Dangerous? Because, once you subtract the derivative plot elements and obvious Plot Device This Way signs, the basic narrative hangs together well, the universe feels basically as it should, all the elements are right, the key ingredients are there. I do not regret buying the book, the author did a perfectly respectable job. It functions. If it were a trading vessel in this universe, it would probably be an upgraded Krait or Sidewinder. Something that'll carry a story but only to safe spaces.

I’ve just finished reading this adventure in words, and I’m quite pleased. I’m new-ish to Elite and the world it’s been building for so long, having just joined the fray with Elite: Dangerous. That said, I thoroughly enjoy what the game offers and as I delve deeper I desire lore and stories to flesh out my experience.With Reclamation I can feel this author’s care for the subject, and I can appreciate the details that are brought to life.With all that said, I must now return to the game for a time, until I acquire time enough again to devote to another story. I’ll be in the black, catch me if you can. o7

The book had kept me engaged from beginning almost to the end; I did finish it, which I think is high praise when there are so many interesting books to read, but I'm not sure if I would have if the book wouldn't have been set in the world of Elite. The said, the world shines through and makes for an interesting adventure for the fans of the game.MINOR SPOILERS ALERTThere were a number of points I disliked -- for my taste, most of the characters were not particularly likable, and the ending felt a bit rushed (eg., there is a scene where the antagonist duels the protagonist and says how much he wants to kill her in no uncertain terms, and less than a paragraph later, he says "I don't want to kill you."). Characters also don't seem to have much inner conflict or internal dialogues going on, things just sort of happen, and they roll with it as best as they can. For example, a character is stranded on a planet in relative isolation for 25 (twenty five) years before he manages to escape ... he doesn't seem bothered in the slightest -- one or two sentences mention him shrugging it off, and that's about it. I would expect a bit more emotion from somebody in his position. Also, closer to the end the protagonist has one of the "bad guys" at her mercy, and since she doesn't come off as a particularly kind or compassionate herself, instead of murdering him on the spot, the bad guy suddenly has a dagger and lunges at her, giving her the perfect excuse to kill him without losing any karmic points. Almost the same thing happens with the next bad guy a few pages later. The book is a solid effort, and I would recommend it to fans of the game and of space operas in general, but I can not fullheartedly give it 5, or even 4 stars, its main flaw being that it is somewhat, for a lack of a better word, uneven.The good part, however, was the plot. Like I've said when I started writing this review, it kept me interested enough to continue reading regardless of the flaws, wondering what will happen next in the face of all the intrigue, and with all these characters having agendas of their own, I was genuinely curious to see how the story'll play out.

Bought as a gift for husband. He loves the elite dangerous game and enjoyed a book that's part of the expanded universe

Buen libro, la historia se desarrolla de manera fluente, en ella hay lealtad, traición y guerra en una galaxia lejana donde rigen dos grandes poderes, el imperio y la federación

Drew style of writing is fabulous, and its works are delightful: great characters, awesome backstories, complex relationships and psychologies. Something precious is all is that all books are very well connected to each other, which bring depth.Awesome!

I first played Elite in the early 90s on my Commodore Amiga 500, I still olay it today on my pc and PS4, this book links to the game and makes it more immersive. I enjoyed it.

Great novel! If u r an elite dangerous fan, it's a must have. Had a hard time putting the book down. Keep up the great work Drew. Always look forward to seeing more of ur stuff.