Unreconciled

Starred review from April 15, 2020
In the fourth book in the Donovan series (after Pariah, 2019), Gear pulls all the elements of his diverse cast and perilous planet together for a riveting adventure. Yet another starship suffered serious trouble on its voyage, trouble that turned 400 transportees into cannibals while the captain and crew sequestered themselves in safety. When they disembark on Donovan, the survivors, who call themselves Unreconciled, have transformed into religious fanatics and believe they contain the souls of those they have eaten. The Port Authority triumvirate and Corporate Mine supervisor give the Unreconciled full access to Tyson Station, an abandoned site large enough to accommodate them, and isolated enough to keep them away from the rest of the planet's still struggling colonists. Unfortunately, on Donovan, one always had to pick from bad choices. People who know better are forced to face the dangers of deadly forests where they will encounter a new, more dangerous predator that even Kylee's quetzal companion, Flute, fears. Unreconciled seems inspired by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steven Barnes' Herot series, but Gear goes to a whole new level in terms of gritty character development and roller coaster thrills. The best book, so far, of a terrific series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)