This 3rd novel in the Wess'har series begins with the potential for war between Wess'ej and Earth. The action and idea-packed first two books in the series raised a lot of questions and complexities; however, many of those answers are put on hold and this novel feels more like a setup for future books in the series. Traviss set the bar high and this sort of pause is still better than 90% of the science fiction out there. ( )

The third volume in The Wess'har Wars series. As opposed to in the earlier books in the series, the plot gets a bit over convoluted in this volume. There is too much focus on particular themes and the ending is unbelievable at many levels. I'm not giving up on the series however. Traviss is a good and intelligent writer. ( )

The premise: ganked from BN.com and CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST TWO BOOKS!!!!: Three strikingly different alien races greeted the military mission from Earth when it reached the planet called Bezer'ej.

Now one of the sentient species has been exterminated—and two others are poised on the brink of war.

The fragile bezeri are no more, due to the ignorant, desperate actions of human interlopers. The powerful wess'har protectors have failed in their sworn obligation to the destroyed native population -- and the outrage must be redressed.

But those who are coming to judge from the World Before -- the home planet, now distant and alien to the wess'har, whose ancestors left there generations ago -- will not restrict their justice to the individual humans responsible for the slaughter. Earth itself must answer for the genocide. And its ultimate fate may depend on a dead woman: former police officer Shan Frankland, who became something far greater than human before destroying herself in the vast airless depths of space.

My Rating: Couldn't Put It Down

It's a short review, but really, it's a strong installment that's more of a transition novel, a set up, putting pieces where they belong for later stories. Given that, I was so engrossed by the characters and the cause and effect of everything that's happening that putting this book down became entirely too difficult. I'm really wanting to finish this series before the calendar year is up, and hope to read book four, Matriarch, very, very soon. There's so much at stake in this series, and I can't wait to see how far Traviss is willing to push the envelope.

Spoilers, yay or nay?: Yes, ESPECIALLY for the first two books of the series, City of Pearl and Crossing the Line. I don't suggest reading this review AT ALL if you're not caught up to this point. However, if you are caught up, the full review is in my blog, which is linked below. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome!

REVIEW: Karen Traviss' THE WORLD BEFORE

Happy Reading! ( )

Third book in the Wess'har series. The Wess'har have summoned their distant kin from the World Before to help them redress the wrong done when humans destroyed the gentle bezeri. The Wess'har left the World Before countless generations before, and the old race has changed. Those from the World Before do not wait for an invitation to step in on behalf of the non-sentient species; they enforce ecological practices ...forcibly. They begin with the nearby world of Umeh, whose overpopulation has killed all other species but their own, and have set their sights on Earth.

What happens when a culture fanatically devoted to ecological balance, the Wess'har is asked to remediate a world overrun by the dominant sentient species? Chilling but less engaging than the first two books in the series. ( )