If you've not come across the Augment saga, here's a quick recap.
An alien spaceship crash landed on Mars after a battle. Astronauts go to explore it, not knowing what they'd find. One member, James Fowler, ends up accidentally become augmented by what he finds on the ship - he doesn't age, he has extreme stamina and better strength, and can even survive in a vacuum.
Years later, scientists are able to reverse engineer faster-than-light travel which they called the Austinium drive.
Decades after that, we join Fowler and his friends in The Shadow of Arcadia as terrorists attack a Martian settlement. The hunt is on to chase after the leader of the terrorists in a bid to stop them attacking again.
This book was a joy to read. Having already read the previous books, it was fascinating to see how Fowler's friends and relatives, all much older than he appears due to his lack of aging, are involved in the story. It also shows a compassionate side to him as he struggles with his own inner demons.
Aside from Fowler, we meet new friends, some of whom are not so good at their jobs as they think! The combination of characters, along with a mystery and tense military action, leads the book firmly through a crescendo into a magnificent peak.
All of this - even right from the very first book - is underpinned by prologues that never made much sense until the end of this book. I won't give away spoilers, but it shows how the story arc was planned all along and I, for one, can't wait to read more.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
