The Clone Redemption
subtitle
Steven L. Kent

Ace Science Fiction
October 2011 / ISBN 978-1937007027
Science Fiction
Amazon

Reviewed by Jan Fields

In the year 2516, things are far from peaceful for humanity. Humans created clones to help them fight a war with an alien enemy. Unfortunately, the prejudice of the "natural born" against the "clones" -- especially by Earth's Unified Alliance -- has caused the clones to rebel. Now both the UA and the clone's newly created Enlisted Man's Empire have a serious problem -- aliens who can destroy a planet's population in seconds and seem invulnerable. Can they battle each other and the aliens at the same time? Or is humanity truly doomed?

Steven Kent shows us that vast advances in technology don’t necessarily make us smarter. Along with battles and cool weapons, Kent brings us something even more compelling -- complex and fascinating characters. Wayson Harris is a clone who must battle his own synthetic instincts to kill and destroy relentlessly if he's to save both clones and natural borns.

Yamashiro, an old-school Japanese warrior, comes to appreciate those he commands -- both the clones and his own son-in-law -- as they struggle to complete a mission that could save humanity. Throw into that a single-focused mercenary, two brave virtual reality scientists, and a host of impressive minor characters. And Kent juggles all this with a deft hand that never leaves the reader confused. This is the seventh book in the clone series, but totally accessible to the new reader: an impressive feat all by itself. Great story, great writing, great job.