Forged By Battle (WarVerse, #1) by Patrick J. Loller

Aliens changed the world. 
Portals changed reality. 
Shadows will destroy us all. 


The year is 2042, and in the wake of alien contact and rapid expansion, Humanity and her allies find the multi-verse is not a welcoming place. Portals have opened around the colonies and throughout critical systems. Gateways to realities where shapeshifting Elves, monstrous Elementals, and impossible magic hold sway. As the Joint Fleet battles the unbelievable, rapid advancements in technology are pressed, blending the lines between machine and men. 

On the front lines of the conflict a techno-phobic snub-fighter pilot tries to forget his loss, a captured surgeon struggles to save the unending wounded, and an exiled psionic commando infiltrates the fleet. Their paths lead to the planet Hecate, where they discover that something darker than magic or technology is growing, feeding off the chaos. 

Forging an alliance seems impossible, but if they should fail it will not mean the loss of a colony or system, it will mean annihilation. The real war has begun among the shadows, and every reality will feel the impact in WarVerse.

REVIEW: ***

The author requested I review this book and I was happy to do so. 

I had a hard time getting into this book at first..the first few chapters were confusing and a bit dry. There was no real references to anything I would be familiar with and no background to explain what was going on. It was a difficult few chapters to read but I pushed through. 

The story itself was interesting and the writing was done well. Once I plowed through the first few chapters the book became more interesting and the characters more real to me. It took time though. And I was still a bit confused at times over what was happening and who the players in the story were and how they related to the main characters. Like I said...no background at all. There was no real explanation of who the "elves" were or the other alien races they talked about. I had no idea why they were fighting or what caused the conflict to begin with. I wish the author would have spent some of those pages in the book explaining things a bit more. It helps to have a point of reference in a science fiction story that helps relate what is happening to something you can actually understand. 

I did enjoy the book overall. The story was different and intriguing, if a bit short on explanation. 

Book Finished: 03-20-2015