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Trust me, it’s good

A fascinating and thought-provoking sci-fi thriller.

I consider myself very good at anticipating plots, yet E.M. Swift-Hook’s Trust A Few surprised me pleasantly more than once. The pacing was brisk, and I found myself losing a few hours in the intricate story. There’s a lot of dialogue, but it flows naturally and often serves as a breather between action scenes.

The core theme here is trust, as hinted by the title. Trust and betrayal drive the story forward in a dystopian future where a single misstep means you’ll be “dropped” in an instant.

The protagonists are complex and their struggles real. The author cleverly moves away from simplistic good/bad labels and instead immerses us in a world of difficult (sometimes impossible) choices and morally grey conundrums.

The world itself if dystopian and meticulously detailed. The level of detail shows that this story is part of a series, but it’s self-contained and can stand alone as it is. Nonetheless, by the end of the book, several plots still remain open leaving ample room for sequels.

Overall, this was an excellent book. Thoughtfully plotted and masterfully written.


Trust a Few (Haruspex Trilogy #1) This scifi masterpiece combines the best of Azimov's Foundation series multi-scale epic and Dostoevsky's dark enigmatic character-driven twisting of the heart. Trust A Few will take you through a ten round heavyweight bout with your conscience on a gripping journey with characters you will try to hate, but can't. Each will endear you, repulse you and somehow win you over, from the mind-wiped ex-revolutionary Vitos Ketzel (Avilon Revid), his gritty former Specials Unit comrade Jazatar Jaz Baldrik, and ace pilot Charity Charis Sweetling, to the big players: crime syndicate bosses, the CSF galactic security forces, future-shaping military-industrial egoists, and desperate revolutionaries. Each player is the hero of a story in which everyone else sees them either as a villain or a pawn--or doesn't see their heist coming at all!
Based on this first book in the Haruspex trilogy, I'm hooked. I have to see where it is all going. Having not read any previous Fortune's Fools, books, I can say that you don't have to have read them to enjoy this. (You probably will want to after finishing this.)
More than military scifi, this book has what we all crave in science fiction--a deep exploration of what it means to be human, in a galaxy where honor and brute survival meet at a deadly razor's edge. There are nuggets to be discovered for everyone from military enthusiasts to physicists, and the splash of love in the face of hate and apathy provides a refreshing chill against a burning backdrop of intrigue and absolute ambition. Trust a Few is like classic literature in quality, but comes with all the page-turning scifi suspense we want. Expect an adventure that will carry through at least the next two books in the trilogy and hopefully beyond. English Trust a Few was a really enjoyable book, one that as soon as I put it down, I looked forward to the next opportunity I’d get to pick it up and get immersed back into the world again. I found the world to be well-constructed and reminiscent of a Bladerunner-type dystopian future.

The plot was hung on an intriguing premise: a former terrorist/freedom-fighter leader who has lost his memories/had them removed, and no longer believes that he was fighting on the wrong side. Two of his former associates, and friends, from his previous life want to restore his memories and restore him to his former role - for his benefit or for their own ends??

The real delight for me, though, was the complex interplay of the four central characters. Each have their own goals and motivations, and at times their goals intersect, but not necessarily with the same underlying reason. They are often opaque to each other, not wanting to reveal what they want, or why, so each character remains unsure as to who is an ally and why they may be working with them. A strength of the book was that it concentrated primarily on the points of view of these four characters, allowing us to gain a good insight into their personalities.

For me this book is a solid 4.5 stars and, being a generous sort, I prefer to round up rather than down. Why does it lose half a star? Two things. In the first chapter, I was unconvinced that a hardened military parole officer would act so unprofessionally merely because a pretty lady flattered her eyelashes at him. OK, so this was required to set up the whole story, but I was left incredulous that he did no checks before releasing a potentially dangerous man back into the world. I was also really hoping that at the end of the book there would be a revelation that would clear the mist a little, and give me a glimpse as to why some of the characters made some of the unexpected decisions that they made. While there was a relatively major event at the end, no loose ends were tied up. I'm left assuming that they will be resolved in the rest of the trilogy, but I would have preferred to have been given a few more crumbs so I would feel like I was being drawn into the next book with a little more understanding of what was going on behind the characters' actions.

Not having read the earlier trilogy that is set in this world and appears to involve some of the same characters, I wonder whether some of the motivations may have been clearer if I had read the earlier books. However, I didn't feel out of my depth not having read the earlier books, and thought that this was a perfectly good place to get started.

In summary, I would thoroughly recommend this book if you enjoy a good dystopian sci-fi with substance, intrigue, and a plot driven by complex character interactions.
383 Two friends, Jazatar Baldrick and Avilon Revid, trying to find one another after a year’s separation; a ghost from Avilon’s past, Durban Chola, also on an important quest to find his former friend, making up the third side of the triangle; and an innocent young woman, Charity Sweetling, whose destiny intersects, seemingly at random, with that of the other three.
Starting with these basic ingredients, author E.M. Swift-Hook creates a compelling human drama set in outer space. Her conception of this imaginary world is breath-taking in its imaginative scope and authenticityâ€"the many and diverse characters who people it, the complex and dynamic plots and sub-plots that propel events and create dramatic suspense, the different settings and locales.
Having greatly enjoyed two of the author’s books in a different genre, I came to this one knowing nothing about it, nor any of the other books in the seven-book space opera series, ‘Fortune’s Fools’. I was instantly hooked by the first chapter, which is beautifully done and could stand as a short story in its own right. Written in a cogent, literary style that crackles with underlying tension, two men come face to faceâ€"Avilon Revid, member of the ‘Specials’, a Legion for violent criminals, requesting a return to civilian life, and Commodore Vane, who holds his future in his hands. It is in this opening scene that we learn the official version of Avilon’s back story: ‘the man behind the myth’, ‘bogeyman of ultimate evil’, a terrorist who has murdered his own family before losing his memory. In the subsequent years spent in the brutal environment of the Specials, the only ray of light in his limited and lonely existence has been the friendship and moral guidance of one man, his former lieutenant, Jaz Baldrick, discharged one year earlier. Revid’s desire to reconnect with Jaz is the reason behind his request to rejoin the dangerous, hostile world of Thuringen, and a bleak future.
Revid���s attempt to adjust to life in Starcity and track down his friend in this metropolis of 45 million inhabitants leads to a portentous encounter with Sarnai Altan, a successful crime boss and alluring temptress with soulless, pitch-black eyes. Meanwhile, Jaz has disappeared and is hiding out on Hell’s Breath, ‘a lump of rock twirling through space,’ about to experience his own portentous encounter, this one with a weird-looking stranger who turns out to be the third man, Durban Chola, on a mission to save the soul of Avilon Revid. Charity, last of the four main protagonists and honest citizen of the rich, privileged world of Central, finds herself a prisoner in a detention centre after her life turns into a Kafkaesque nightmare. The encounter that will change the course of her destiny is with fellow detainee, Foss Fingal.
Paralleling these external events and adding to our emotional engagement with the protagonists is the story of each character’s steps on a path to self-discovery, with all the questions, doubts, and changes of mind that such a human journey entails. Their advances and retreats are influenced by their interactions with each other, as well as with other important characters who help precipitate plot twists. Each has his own motivations, which may not be all they appear. How much of what happens is a consequence of their individual choices? How much is due to chance? How much is pre-destined? With the introduction of 250-year-old Kahina Sahava and her secret project, Future Data, which uses patterns of probability to predict and control future events, yet another intriguing layer is added to the plot.
It’s difficult for an author to write about such a complex world with such a large cast of characters without either having the reader nod off due to an over-abundance of detail or, alternatively, become confused due to insufficient explanation. The narrative style of ‘Trust A Few’ combines clarity and momentum with literary richness, occasionally giving rise to weighty, carefully hewn passages setting out explanations and lines of reasoning which hold the reader’s attention while underpinning the story’s solidity. I was torn between galloping through the pages to find out what happened next and lingering to savour the details of such admirable writing. The descriptions, too, of this futuristic, dystopian universe were really well done.
In short, I shall be downloading another book in the series asap. The only dilemma is which way to go, backwards of forwards?? I unreservedly recommend this first novel in ‘The Haruspex Trilogy’ not just to sci fi fans but to anyone interested in a beautifully written story about human relationships and the search for personal identity.
E.M. Swift-Hook What a great read!
I was highly intrigued by the story and I was right to be intrigued, it hooked me right away! The plot was great which focused around four central characters with trust issues playing a big part and everybody all having different end games.
I love how it focuses on a former bad guy who loses his memories and he then questions himself and begs the question what is good and what is evil.
The book ended abruptly, leaving me wanting more which hopefully I will find in a sequel.
A very good read with great writing and I would highly recommend. I eagerly await the sequel. 383

“You’ve been gone a long time Jaz, and word is you’ve come back â€" changed.

After five years of brutal convict military service, Jaz just wants to rebuild his shattered life. But the past is hard to escape. The 'City has always been a dangerous place to live: now it's lethal. Not only are the crime lords exploiting its lawless streets, it is also the unwitting test bed for a sinister corporate technology. As Jaz tries to find an old friend who needs him, can a new ally help? Can he even be trusted?

'Trust A Few' is the first book in 'Haruspex', a tense new, sci-fi trilogy from Fortune's Fools. Trust a Few (Haruspex Trilogy #1)

Haruspex brings us books four to six of the Fortunes Fools triple trilogy. And perhaps it brings us a step closer to understanding the lives of the protagonists as they struggle to survive in a place where brutality is the common coin and life is held very cheaply indeed.

To read these books is to be drawn into a world where the certainties that ground us in the here and now are shaken to their very foundations. We are asked to examine precisely what it is that makes us individuals, and to suspend our judgement within the framework of what constitutes 'good' and what 'evil'.

Take this journey if you dare. You might never look at the world through quite the same eyes.

E M Swift Hook has given us a five-star read that shines brightly in our one-star world. Hugely recommended Trust a Few (Haruspex Trilogy #1) 4 Stars

Trust the few is a complex and gritty sci-fi novel, well written with wit and precision.

Avilon, Jaz, Charis and Durban were all great and well-fleshed out characters and the author has a knack for great, punchy 1st lines in many of her chapters.

However, I found the novel a bit of a slow start, as there was a lot of names and world-building to process right from the first few pages and the info dumps continued well into the novel. I did get into the book once Star City was introduced, about halfway through. I also loved the way the Last Hope Bar was described, and the fact the name is probably a reference to Star Wars.

The only other problem was that Trust the Few ended a little abruptly in my opinion, but it does make you want to read the sequel.

Overall, it was a fairly good sci-fi novel. If you don’t mind multiple POV shifts, and you enjoy your sci-fi packed with action and inventive worlds, you’ll enjoy this book.
English Space Opera at its finest!

E.M. Swift-Hook does it again! Her story telling jumps out and hits you in the smacker, full force.

In this first book of 3 of the second 'Fortune's Fool's' trilogy 'Huruspex', we are confronted with some familiar faces, Avilon Ravid and Durban Chola. Then there are some 'not so' familiar faces, Jaz Baldrick and Charity Sweetling...and the enigma that is 'Shame Cullen', and it is Shame Cullen that brings them all together. Each character's story is intricately woven and each have their little quirks.

Avilon Ravid has been released from his service from the specials after 5 years forced service. He has no memory of his past life, only what he's been told be the coalition. Jaz Baldrick was like a brother to him, and had been discharged a little beforehand. Avilon makes it his mission to find Jaz, getting caught up in the trappings of Shame Cullen along the way.

Trust is always an issue as the story goes forward. Making you wonder, who can be trusted in the first place. It is gripping, and brutal in places... and has an ending that leaves you wanting more...I love the way the author ends her books... crafty =D.

If you like Space Opera's, add this book to your list. You'll regret it if you don't. Trust a Few (Haruspex Trilogy #1) My rating is 4.2
This is a solid sci-fi novel follows a few characters and stories. The story from the book is located in far future and most of the story is linked to Avilon Revide. He was once a threat to the Coalition and after he was caught, his memory was erased and hi is transferred to the Special Legion as an ordinary soldier. It is the worst unit that exists in the Coalition and most of their soldiers are killed in action or they were killed in the camp of Legion. The worst examples of the human race and the waste of civilization run by the Coalition are sent to Legion and only the strongest survive five years of military service. After five years of service, Avilon is demanding to release him and Legion because he has the right to become an ordinary citizen. The only reason for his desire to release is friendship with his superior commander Jazzar Baldrik. With the new identity, he goes to find Jaz. But soon he will discover that this is not so easy, and what the real truth about him, he still needs to find out. Writer E.M. Swift-Hook's elegant writing introduces us into a world of the future in which everything goes hand in hand with intrigues and calculations. The Coalition's power is used with all possible means to conceal the truth and turn it into its interest. Only sometimes such calculations can be dangerous and unpredictable. I would recommend the book to Sci-Fi fans.
I received a free copy from the author without an obligation to review. Review of Trust a Few by E.M. Swift-Hook
If you have watched world class figure skating and held your breath as the contestants spin and leap through their performance, pushing the very boundaries of physics then you will know the tension this author can generate. The main characters, all together on the same wafer-thin ice perform their complex individual dances till Death, the ultimate judge, calls time.
True to the first three books of this series the twists and turns of the plot and the diverse aims and emotions of the protagonists refuse to give up the conclusion till the last sentence.
This is a new world, with new characters and a level of technology which would have seemed witchcraft in the previous setting but Avalon and Durban Chola are still the main thread pullers in this tapestry of intrigue and treachery.
Just enough background is common to the previous stories not to leave the reader floundering in the unknown but as before, just when you begin to think you know where the story is going solid ground turns to quicksand and only by keeping the pages turning will you reach the masked finale.
If you are a fan of Fortunes Fools then you are in for another treat. If you have not read the first trilogy then don’t delay in starting on them. This saga gets better with every twist of the plot and you are depriving yourself of entering one of the best science fantasy worlds available.
English