The novel “Citadel” by Marko Kloos was published for the first time in 2021. It’s the third book in The Palladium Wars series and follows “Ballistic“.
Aden Jansen, as he calls himself now, thinks he can get some rest along with the rest of the crew of the merchant spaceship Zephyr but their choices have very serious consequences. Dunstan Park has received a promotion but not in the way she would have liked and being given command of a very special spaceship is a big surprise.
Color Sergeant Idina Chaudhary faces problems that are becoming increasingly severe, and the arrival of a new deputy high commissioner makes her job even more difficult. Solveig Ragnar has discovered what drove her brother to abandon their family and must decide how to handle this knowledge, especially in her relationship with her father.
In the first two novels of the series, the actions of very well-armed and organized groups led to increasing instability in what is called the Gaia system. The clear will is to create the conditions for a new war between the planet Gretia and the others without sparing Gretian civilians. “Citadel” picks up the story a short time later and represents a new chapter in a larger story divided into various books that requires reading all of them to understand it.
The military science fiction element has been important from the first book but the attacks of what can be defined as pirate spaceships or unofficial militias makes it even more central. Attacks in space are a science fiction classic but certain attacks on Gretia are reminiscent of real terrorist actions we can read about or see images of in daily news and give a much greater feeling of realism.
Dunstan Park’s point of view is told in a way that offers key developments to the overall plot of the series. At the same time, what can be considered a sort of urban guerrilla warfare on Gretia doesn’t spare the local inhabitants, and in this case, it’s above all Idina Chaudhary’s point of view that shows the attackers’ attempts to escalate the situation. Instead, Solveig is a Gretian but represents a new generation who grew up in the post-war period who would only like to continue their lives in peace but must face the consequences of the actions of the generations who started an interplanetary war.
Marko Kloos always seems good to me at using the protagonists’ points of view to show different faces of the past and present of the Gaia system. They are well-constructed as characters and the author continues to add information about their personal backstory. At the same time, they witness important events, in which they sometimes find themselves involved.
The result is a book in which the actions of the forces that intend to destabilize the Gaia system continue and serious countermeasures on the part of other planets begin. From the individual to the planetary level, actions have consequences of various types, and this includes the ones resulting from past actions.
The tension continues to grow and the plot continues to offer surprises. Occasionally, some developments are predictable but in general, Marko Kloos manages to maintain the reader’s interest, also with twists that seemed well constructed to me.
If you have already read the previous books, you certainly can’t be surprised by the fact that “Citadel” is a novel without a real ending since it ends with events that have consequences which will be developed in at least another book. I recommend the Palladium Wars series to anyone who appreciates series with great stories that unfold across multiple novels and has the patience to read them all to reach its ending. It’s available on Amazon USA, UK, and Canada.
