The Broken Cage by Martin Wilsey is book 2 of the Solstice 31 Saga. In Book 1, a survey ship is destroyed as soon as it enters orbit around an inhabited planet and then followed the exploits of a sole survivor as he tries to stay alive and make sense of a human settled world with advanced technology, while the bulk of the population believes in magic and are subservient to their technocrat rulers known as “keepers.” Rather than merely picking up where book 1 concluded, book 2 begins concurrent with book 1, but tracks other survivors of the initial attack, another sole survivor on planet and a small band in a smaller vessel trapped on the planet’s moon. Eventually, the dispersed groups managed to hook up. Along the way, some of the mystery of the planet’s origin is revealed as well as a larger, more complex plot against various specific elements within the military hierarchy. As with book 1, each chapter begins with a short excerpt from a future investigation into the incident and some, still vague and ill-defined catastrophe back on Earth subsequent to current events.
The AI and robotic themes are continued and dominate the sci-fi elements with rogue actions hinted at for some potentially malicious intent.The space flight and weaponry are standard fare. The larger ensemble cast this time out makes for a more complex and engaging tale, but the concurrent time period overlapping with book 1 can be a bit confusing at times.
The narration is well done, especially given the larger cast. Tone and mood are good, but the rendition is a bit on the slower side in line with the pacing of the story itself. Hopefully book 3 will shed sufficient light to explain the relationship between Solstice 31 and Earth.