This is the first publication by Vidar Hokstad. The Year Before the End was published in 2020 and is the first book in his Sovereign Earth series. It is the 79th book I completed reading in 2023.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence and mature language, I categorize this novel as R.

It had been forty years since humanity discovered it was not alone in the universe. The Centauri made contact early in the 22nd century. Using technology shared by the Centauri, a gateway has been built and is in transit to Alpha Centauri. That gate will connect Earth to the Galaxy. The technology has already been used to connect the Solar System.

Zara Ortega is the Captain of the starship Black Rain. She has risen to the rank by way of attrition. Now, she leads a crew of thieves and smugglers who are willing to take on any job. Some of those jobs are legal. Most are not. Their current contract calls for them to steal some very secret information held at Vanguard Station.

That information links a conspiracy between the Martian separatists and the Centauri. Their goal is to take over the Solar System. If Ortega and her crew can recover the information, they may be able to disrupt the Martian / Centauri plans. The crew of the Black Rain must survive armed encounters as well as deceit and betrayal just to survive.

I enjoyed the 6 hours I spent reading this 235-page science fiction novel. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.

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I have mixed reactions to this book.
I would likely rate this book around 3.5 out of 5 stars.
While I appreciate the level of detail in the descriptions and the exploration of different reactions to alien contact and especially the battle scenes, the technical language is more suited for serious sci-fi fans. However, the positive aspects such as the well-thought-out characters and the action-packed plot make it worth considering for fans of space operas and political dramas.
Thanks and apologies to Netgalley for the delayed review

I started reading this book and found that it was not for me. I didn't want to review a book that I didn't finish.

this was a great start to a scifi novel, the world building was perfect and I enjoyed getting to know the characters in it. The author was able to create a great story and I look forward to more in the series,

An exciting and action packed adventure in space! I love any story with an ensemble cast, this not being an exception. This book is just fun and entertaining. To be recommended!

This is a great book. I really enjoyed it. The characters are well developed and the story is packed with action and adventure. The author does a great job delivering a story with a solid plot and interesting subplots. Can’t wait for the follow up book or surely the next book in Galaxy Bound series which will pick up exactly where this book ended.

The year before the end by Vidar Hokstad.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the cover it's what drew me to this book. Great story. Good characters. 4*.

The book shows all the flaws of humanity. I enjoyed the realism of the novel. I am looking forward to Hokstad's next novel. This book gets one thinking about all that is currently wrong with society.

A great start for a new series. The book was full of action and the author does a great job of developing characters that you can root for. I could not put this book down. A highly enjoyable sci-fi book and I cannot wait for the next one! Highly recommend this book.

Thank you to net galley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.