An epic sci-fi novel that took my breath away.

Andrew Grayson is on a mission to save the human race. Fighting against Lankies, an alien race, he and the crew have travelled millions of lightyears away from home, into a space no human has gone before. Searching for food and water, they find a lucky break with an ice moon. Then the worst thing that could happen, happens. The ice moon is infested with Lankies. Can they make it out alive? More importantly, will they ever see Earth again?

This is only my second science fiction novel to read as an adult, the first being Project Hail Mary. I thought it was wonderful. The descriptions of the alien worlds created vivid images in my mind. The peak and pace increase were painlessly without fault. The comedic relief seemed to come in just the right moments, even when the grim outcomes were present. The hopelessness felt had me on the edge of my seat. Kloos has written this novel in such a way that you can feel the hopelessness, the desire to return home, the fear of not making it out. The final plot twist was spectacular.

The pace did start out rather slowly, up until about halfway through. You need to understand the military rank structure and quite a bit of military jargon to really follow along, but it isn’t a necessity.

I definitely think this was a great sci-fi novel, though it may not be for people new to the genre. I give this one four out of five stars.

I first encountered Markos Kloos back in 2013 when I wanted to give a few self-published writers a try and picked up *Terms of Enlistment* — which was the first book in the Frontlines series and published through Smashwords (**note**: it has since been republished under the North47 imprint). As an first dive into self-published sci-fi, it was a rousing success and I really enjoyed the book. Fast-forward almost 10 years and Kloos is releasing his eighth book in the series this year, and, like the preceding seven, it was a lovely romp well worth the (refreshingly low) price.

*Centers of Gravity* is not going to win any awards...well it might, but it's certainly not cutting-edge, literary-style sci-fi... but it *is* solid story-telling with great characterization and a worthy continuation of the Andrew Grayson story. If you are looking for good story, with a healthy dose of military action, some side-commentary on what the future could hold and a well measured dollop of what lies behind the military mindset, then this book (and this series) is a great investment.

I probably wouldn't recommend picking this one up without reading a least a few of the earlier books. *Centers of Gravity* continues following the military career of Andrew Grayson who started out in the ghettos and is now a Major in the Commonwealth Defense Corps. As a direct sequel to Book 7: *Orders of Battle* — which had Grayson stranded in a distant system on a recon mission — this time he has to not only figure out how to survive, but how to make it home again if they do. I am pretty sure *Centers of Gravity* marks the conclusion of the Frontlines series—although Kloos does leave it open enough that he can spin off a different storyline—and if so I declare it a great bookend to what was a great series.

I received an arc copy from Netgalley for a fair review.

I've been a fan of Marko Kloos and especially Frontlines, but I've been waiting for him to run out of road. We're 8 books in and some other series I have enjoyed from other authors, eventually became formulaic and uninteresting by this point. But no! I really enjoyed this book too. It seems like we made some serious progress on the plot arc, the book was well paced and the writing was as solid as always.

We're hopefully building to a exciting conclusion, and I hope the pacing and the story arc continues to deliver.

If you're new to the author/series, go back and read your way to here, it's worth the journey. If you're not, dive in, the water is still good!

My first time jumping into the Frontline series (and Marko too). I definitely was able to pick up the pieces easily and become engrossed in this saga.

Marko's military (!) skill with the fountain pen is exquisite, especially the battle scenes and the high tension involved in navigating larger than life Aliens in a far gone planetary system.

Humans get stranded in space, try to save themselves and encounter the aliens. Humans escape the aliens via a wormhole and then find themselves in a spot of bother and are saved by, well, humans.

Lots of believable tech and circumstantial situations that we will all be encountering in the near future.

Really good.

Thanks to NetGalley and 47north for an ARC of this book.

Centers of Gravity by Marko Kloos(Frontlines #8)- Another tense, thrilling chapter in the Frontlines Saga. Major Andrew Grayson and the crew of the Washington are lost in a strange planetary system that has no sun, only a huge, hulking planet with four moons, and the alien Lankies are all around. They rode into this system on the tail of a Lankie ship, and must survive long enough to follow another one back out. Meanwhile, they are running out of food and water and plan expeditions to the inhospitable moons out of desperation. This puts them in conflict with their alien aggressors. There are battles on the moon surfaces, battles in space, and a final big battle when all seems lost. Great military space opera, always inventive, and never lacking that sense of wonder push! Thanks NetGalley, 47North and of course, Marko Kloos!

I enjoyed this space opera. The crew of a Earth starship end up 900 light years from earth. They are fighting Lankies’, a giant alien species. Earth has been fighting a losing battle against the Lankies’. But they manage to find some biometric data that might help them fight.

There is very little that is original in Marko Kloos' Frontlines series - and that is not an insult. This is incredibly well told, thoroughly enjoyable SF Military space Opera. Kloos's books almost always jump to the top of TBR pile, bypassing 'worthier' titles for one simple reason. I have so much fun reading them. Centers of Gravity is the 8th and final book in the current Frontlines series (kloos has suggested there might be more books in this universe, but this is the end of this storyline) and there is no point reviewing the plot. Either you have read the previous 7 titles or you are about to start Terms of Enlistment and will get to this title soon enough. Now I am going to re-watch the Lucky Thirteen episode of Love, Death and Robots season 1 - based on a Marko Kloos story, and set in the Frontline universe.

Military space opera at its best
Can‘t believe this is the 8th installment of Kloos‘ Lanky series („Frontlines“) which I have been eagerly following since the start. And contrary to many series which peter out at some point this one is another a great addition brilliantly told (to fully understand and enjoy you should be familiar with the previous books - no hardship since they are excellent too). I really loved how Kloos, a former soldier, gets the details and reality of military life across, the mental drain, the yearning for family and the nitty-gritty of engagements without boring me in the least. I love the secondary characters and I loved how Kloos brings this series full-circle in many ways. It‘s totally credible that the tide may turn now for humanity. I am not sure whether this was the end of this wild ride, if so it is masterfully done. If not, I‘ll gladly go another round with Major Grayson and the Lankies. Fortunately Kloos has another brilliant series going (Palladium Wars), so I won‘t feel too deprived. And kudos to craftmanship: excellent execution - couldn‘t spot a typo and yes, I am one of those readers who open a book and spot the last one standing.

The Frontlines series has always been about personal growth and responsibility, with some significant sides of action and adventure. I think Centers of Gravity delivers on those themes quite effectively. Kloos has improved as a writer since Terms of Enlistment and Grayson, the protagonist, has matured as a character. While I prefer the author’s Palladium series, I found this book to be an enjoyable and effective conclusion to this series. With room left to extend the broader universe if Kloos decides to do so.