This book was probably the first book where I can honestly say it was non-stop action from cover to cover. It starts after the initial crews from competing interests have either died or have formed an alliance. They barely have time to breathe before they learn that the supply ships they were expecting are actually carrying more soldiers to finish them off. What follows is a series of conflicts, battles, deaths, and destruction.

One of the details about this setting is that humanity is not run by traditional governments but corporations that partner together to form blocs (what we would call governments). But unlike other dystopian stories where corporations rather than public servants control things, this version feels more believable. Hostile takeovers occur at the end of a barrel and property is more valued than people.

So when our heroes learn they were meant to die on their expedition to save a few dollars, they do everything they can to survive, not just for themselves, but for all humanity. Turns out, there is a great threat out there and the world needs to prepare should it come to earth. But the corporate states are not
capable or willing to make the necessary sacrifices to get the job done. All they care about is next quarter's profits.

And the characters are fleshed out really well. They have personalities, histories, and customs that help shape who they are, who they were, and who they will become. Changing their way of thinking is the first step in surviving; you can clearly see the baggage that hinders them and makes them second guess each decision.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I can't wait to read the next book. So good.

This book is the second in what appears to be a multi-volume saga. It continues the story begun in The Shattered Stars: Breach of Contract. It is possible to read it as a stand-alone novel, but an understanding of the sociopolitical context developed in Breach of Contract is important. The principal characters introduced in the Breach of Contract do not have extended introductions in this book and the language and events will be clearer to readers who have read Broken Spear.

This book does not conclude the saga. The story ends abruptly and the developments occurring aboard the spaceship Spear are ignored as most of the action takes place on earth. Trying to read Riding the Spear without the preceding and following books would be akin to trying to select a single novel in E. E. Smith’s Lensman series and ignore the rest.

I explained the sociopolitical context in my review of Breach of Contract, so I will not repeat them here. The flaws in Riding the Spear are similar to those in the first book in this series but less pronounced. In that respect, the quality of writing is greatly improved. The missing words, sentence fragments, and grammatical errors that marred Breach of Contract are still present, but in greatly reduced numbers. The lack of imagination, as reflected by the need to once again rely on repetitive fight scenes, is still troublesome. Perhaps the most troublesome aspect is the excessive length that results from the lack of careful editing. Nevertheless, this is an improved offering. ( )

I DNF this book. I was exited when I read the summary, but when I started reading... it felt like pure info dump. I could't relate to characters and I hardly could tell what was happening.

Maybe some other time I'll pick it up again and read it.