The Circuit: The Complete Saga by Rhett C. Bruno

The Circuit: The Complete Saga Reviews

• 
  Lyn

  An excellent SF space opera that draws readers in and keeps them flipping pages to the jaw dropping end.
  
  Beginning with
  Executor Rising Bruno introduces readers to an alternate history post-apocalyptic universe where humanity has been forced from Earth to live out in the solar system. Similar in setting and style with Bruno's
  Titanborn stories, The Circuit demonstrates his ability to tell a first rate space opera.
  
  
  Progeny of Vale and
  Earthfall continue Bruno's dark vision and complete an SF trilogy that was fun to read.
  
  
• 
  Glenn W. Russell

  Too dystopian.
  
  The primary protagonist is a psychopath who hates a planet. He manages to destroy it, then decides that maybe he should help people instead. What a crock. The story is well written, but not entertaining unless you are truly into being depressed by your reading entertainment.
  
• 
  Ron

  Earth is an uninhabited waste land ravaged by humanity for its resources.
  Humanity is scattered across the solar system and asteroid belt. The New Earth Tribunal rule over most of humanity following the religion of the Earth spirit.
  But one man along with his android Adim will challenge there rule and attempt to break the shackles and free humanity to reach for the stars.
  This is an epic space opera with all the ingredients heroics personal sacrifice and space battles
• 
  Jonathan E. Brickman

  Not quite bad enough for a one-star, but brutal, amoral, evil, and vengeance-based. Got about 2/3 through the whole and decided I didn't need to bother.
• 
  Ric

  Space opera
  
  In a future where planet Earth has turned into a desolate wasteland, mankind moves into artificial habitats spanning from Luna to Mars to moons of Saturn and Jupiter, and various asteroids, forming the titular Circuit. As the novels (3 of them in this one audiobook) unfold, the Circuit is ruled by a religious faction known as the Tribune. A plot is hatched by Cassius, an expunged member of the Tribune, to remake the Circuit into a new enterprise, one more akin to his ideal. Through the agency of his automaton, Adam, he initiates a violent clash between forces of the Tribune and previously vanquished groups, primarily comprised of Belters. Other SFnal elements include: gravitom, an earth-based element that provides enormous energy, but can cause a deadly disease when humans are exposed; advanced propulsion technology; and weaponry that can be seen mostly in the Expanse such as railguns; shields against radiated energy. All of these come together in a fairly engaging narrative (the 3 novels present one coherent story) that can keep fans of space opera happy.
  
  4.25 stars with an incentive to read other works by the author.
• 
  Jas

  This is an epic Space Opera in every sense of the genre. It is rather interesting looking at the other reviews that have been written for the story, and how divisive they have been, but I think to a large degree, those that are positive have understood the story, whilst those that are negative have either completely misunderstood the concept of the story (such as degrading the language, there was a point to it, it is meant to have a Shakespearean theme to it, giving it a bit of flare, and as in line with the genre, making it a, wait for it… ‘Space Opera’!!!!)
  The other thing that gets me is this constant criticism of what can and can’t happen in Sci-Fi. There is a reason it is called Science-Fiction, because it is ‘make believe’, it allows for a certain freedom in the story telling. We don’t know everything now. Go back a bit and people thought the Earth was flat (there are still some that think it now???), Sci-fi allows for people to play with the universe and have a bit of fun. Sure, I will be the first to say that it does work better if the story has some believability and credibility to it. But this is a prime example of every armchair critic going I have a degree in something, we can’t do that. People need to get over it and just enjoy the story. It would be nice if people actually took more time to provide constructive criticism of a useful nature, or gave some useful feedback on the actual book, rather than pointing out that ‘I’m an Engineer, and that bit of ship couldn’t possibly do that”. It’s like that great argument about how Dragon’s couldn’t possibly turn like that and…
  Oh, hang on, OF COURSE THEY CAN’T, THEY AREN’T REAL!!! Same thing applies.
  Because at the end of the day, The Circuit has a lot to enjoy with its Shakespearean style characters and language that add a bit of flair to the dialogue, to the fascinating array of characters each with their own agenda and to an intriguing back drop the author has created for the events to unfold.
  In this particular Universe, the Earth is a scarred ruin, lifeless, and what is left of humanity is scattered amongst the planets of the solar system. Earth however has provided a unique element, gravitum, which allows for artificial gravity on both ships and other planets, helping with terraforming to some extent. Amongst each of these colonies and worlds, ships travel ‘The Circuit’, some for trade, some for transport, and other to deliver the precious ‘gravitum’.
  Amongst these worlds there are different Political factions and groups, each with their own histories, goals for the future and agendas. The Author has created rich and deep backgrounds for each of these factions, allowing you to immerse yourself in the culture and the agenda’s of each of the different groups.
  The story is told from the points of view of several main characters, but the central character, our tragic anti-hero is Cassius. Cassius believes in a variety of different things, and wants to see a particular future for the human race, but he has some very different views from that of the rest of the human race and more importantly, its leadership. Cassius is a brilliant man, who has the ability to build various things, and one of these is an Android called ADIM. ADIM is to some extent a sentient life form, in that he is able to learn and adapt from things around him. Cassius designed ADIM to learn, but also to protect him, and as with most of these type of things, an AI with a program to project a Human, or that is expected to project Humanity can usually only come to one conclusion – end all humans. It appears to be the only logical way to stop human violence – end all humans.
  Cassius of course has his own demons, he built ADIM due to the loss of his own son on Earth, and, due to this, now blames a particular group that he seeks vengeance against.
  ADIM itself is a rather interesting character, carrying out orders for its Master. It is interesting watch how the Android changes over the course of the book as its AI slowly evolves and learns about humans.
  Another main character in the book, and easily the best (it is so good to see some really strong Female leads coming through in Sci-Fi now, even though poor Sage is a bit mentally unstable due to her upbringing), is a deeply flawed Sectorial Religious Warrior, Sage. Sage is an exquisite character, and her growth and transformation as she takes on different persona’s is exceptional and also a lot of fun to read. Sage is a connecting point for all the main Characters in the book, linking their various stories together.
  Sage is another character that has a very interesting growth path as she weaves her way through the story.
  The final ‘main’ character (there are a multitude of other minor characters), is Talon. Talon is driven by his desire to protect his daughter, and see her have a long and safe life, something that is difficult to do on most of the settlements of the Circuit. Early on in the book, Talon believes that his daughter, Elisha, has been taken, and he spends most of the rest of the book searching and hunting for her, being ex-Military.
  This book has many different stories to tell, of a man seeking power and retribution, of an Android seeking its place in the Universe, or a young woman, a deadly assassin, who is trained in so many skills, also trying to work out what she wants from her life, and a Man driven by love.
  All of these stories are intertwined with several minor stories, and are brought together with such a fascinating and in-depth background of each of the differing settlements, as well as the different ships that move amongst them. The dialogue is just outstanding, with a Shakespearean prose giving it a bit of an edge for something different, and you have to be willing to go along with that to get the full enjoyment out of it.
  This is a great series (the 3 books in one book), and it is well worth the read.
• 
  Mandy

  The Circuit is a string of colonies across the solar system where humans live mining resources. They are overseen by something called the New Earth Tribunal who are a religious sect who believe in something called the Spirit which they believe will one day welcome home to Earth humanity. However some random attacks are believed to come from the Ceresian sect in an attempt to challenge the Tribunal. Can a band of unlikely heroes challenge and save them all? Can the Tribunal's best spy, a Ceresian mercenary, an android and disgraced general save them from a conspiracy to bring down the Tribunal and change the Circuit forever? The trilogy contains:
  Executor Rising
  Progeny of Vale
  Earthfall
  
  Buckle up for this dramatic saga where you might think you know who the good and bad guys are, but then a change happens and you will start to doubt yourself and your judgement of character as everything changes as you read. There are twists and turns aplenty. It's told in such a clever way that it feels like you are reading a film script (and I think it should be turned into one). I loved the way the characters were developed and the “journey” they went through in their own self knowledge and personality as well as any journey they went through as part of the story. I've tried to think about who I find as my favourite character and I can't – I might have one in book 1, but by book 2 it has changed to someone else, so I guess I love them all although I have to admit to a soft spot for android ADIM who could help me so much with the practicalities in my own life. The finale of this trilogy was an explosive ending that had me so hooked that I stayed reading it even though I really should have been asleep. This as a story that has parallels with real life – there are politics, religion, technology, progress, artificial intelligence to name just a few.
• 
  J C Steel

  Talon Rayne, ex-enforcer to one of the overlords of the Ceresian clans, is dying. The element that provides gravity to the stations and asteroids that house humanity in the solar system is lethal on direct exposure, and his days are numbered. Isolated as he is from his previous position, the rumours are still disturbing; freighters going missing, and the Tribunal, fervent worshippers of the spirit of Earth, are stepping up their enforcement among the scattered settlements that humanity calls home. When Talon's previous masters call on him for one last mission, Talon has no idea what he's about to stumble into...
  
  The Circuit Trilogy is an epic science-fiction adventure from author Rhett C Bruno, set in a future where unrestricted resource exploitation has left Earth itself uninhabitable, and the human population is spread through the solar system in a web of stations, moons, and asteroids. With an eclectic group of protagonists, including ex-Tribune Cassius Vale, a dying Ceresian, and a very current, increasingly disaffected Tribunal Enforcer, the conflicts of personality and ideology run deep. In some cases, I felt that the characters could have been developed more early on; any hints concerning why Sage Volus acts as she does aren't forthcoming for some time, which made her more difficult to relate to early in the story. Equally, while the reader becomes increasingly aware of the depth of the world-building as the trilogy progresses, it isn't very apparent in the earlier stages of the story, and frankly I feel it deserves the mention. However, with a storyline rife with politics and plots, and the stakes nothing less than Earth itself, this trilogy is an enjoyable read.
  
  Reviewed for
  By Rite of Word.
• 
  Susan

  I was provided an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this one - interesting story about humanity and how we survive away from Earth - but not too far as we have not ventured beyond our planetary system. Earth is a wasteland being mined for Gravitum (a substance which allows gravity in our various settlements out in the Circuit). Many interesting characters, including an artificial intelligence in the form of a robot (he seemed quite human and I rather liked him even with all his faults). Plenty of nasty people to deal with and the heroes have many flaws, as do every human. And just when you think the story is over, one last sentence will make you think again. The author can continue with this trilogy if he chooses, though many characters don't survive.
  
  It must be noted that my copy could have used additional editing. I wonder if mine was not the final issue. It wasn't so bad I couldn't read the story but it did make me pause and lose track of what I was reading. Mostly it was usage errors, like using pallet instead of pallette. There was one section early on where part of a sentence was in the middle of another (made no sense) and then showed up a paragraph later.
  
  Altogether a good, entertaining read, warts and all. :) The author has a good imagination and his descriptions really make the reader "see" the areas of the Circuit.
• 
  Joe Crowe

  This is almost too much sci-fi action.
  
  ALMOST.
  
  Rhett Bruno's three books in the Circuit series are all here. If you've never read any Rhett Bruno, now you can read a LOT of Rhett Bruno.
  
  The Circuit series is a three-book space opera series, crammed with robots. Mercenaries. Space war. All the ingredients. These stories are unapologetic sci-fi action. I require nothing further.
  
  Bruno has done tons more stuff. Honestly, you might never run out. (Check out RhettBruno.com)
  
  Here's what I wrote in my review of "From Ice to Ashes," one of the three books in the series:
  
  This one is a gritty space adventure that starts with a gory fight scene. That’s pretty much the best way for any story to start. I approve.
  
  First-person stories have unique difficulties, but author Rhett Bruno handles it well. For one thing, there’s no omniscient narrator. You, the reader, only know what the hero of the book knows, which sometimes is not much.
  
  The story reminds me of Glen Cook’s Black Company or Warhammer 40K: brutal military action with intensely defined characters.
  
  The bad guys here are THE WORST. When the good guys take them on, it’s thrilling, cathartic fun. Like, listening to pro-wrestling theme songs kind of fun.
  
  (Review from an early review copy.)
• 
  S

  I found the story at times gripping, and some of the characters complex (that's a good thing), but mostly could not suspend my sense of disbelief. I am not much into Marvel-like super powers and there was too much of this, plus a lot more glossing over the realities of physics than I normally tolerate. The editing is at best middling with typical errors like confusing 'passed' with 'past' and the ever present middle American "off of" (when off already means 'away from'), which seriously interrupted the story flow. I ended up highlighting all the 'off of' instances in the three books, and this alone reveals I never really got carried away with the story. Too bad, I really was prepared to rate this more than just average.
• 
  Sharon Phelps

  I loved the book from beginning to end. The characters jumped out of the pages with a life of their own that was slowly revealed. Even ADIM, a lifeless Android, came to life in a way that I could identify with him. The story line was intriguing, unique and full of adventure and excitement.
  A true epic along the lines of the old books and movies such as Gone With the Wind and Exodus. I couldn't review this series as a three book series but as a single book with a bridge in the middle that connects the two main books. For me it was a masterpiece of creative writing. In summation, I loved it and want more from this author.
• 
  odedo1 Audio book worm.

  There is no question about it, Rhett C. Bruno the author is an amazing one!
  And even so that this is a great audiobook you always feel that something is missing, you get clues but not the whole story of how humanity got to the point of the beginning of this book, the clues of humanity destroying the earth, the wars afterward could have been another book, one before The Circuit, that whats missing and is the reason why I couldn’t give this creation 5 stars.
  But it’s still a great audiobook !
  Narration by Jefferson Mays was a perfect choice for this book, he truly have done a perfect job on this one.
  
  So yes even so that I got some complaints about this audiobook, I absolutely recommend it.
• 
  O.S. Prime

  If you liked Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues or Mysterious Island, there's a character in this book for you. Otherwise, you might find difficulty finding a character to "get behind." One of the two other main characters is a boring daddy-loves-his-daughter-and-cares-about-nothing-else type. The other is compelling in her split victim/hero role, but still a bit hard to like. The plot kept me guessing but the story dragged to a conclusion in my opinion. Still, a pretty good read.
• 
  Mike

  Bad guys doing bad things. GOOD guys doing bad things. No one is likable, and throughout, there seemed to me to be a continuous undercurrent of misogynistic tones, not of the characters but from the author. Women are in short supply in this book, and women portrayed and strong individuals are straight up missing, despite the main character supposedly being Herculean. Just couldn’t enjoy it, favorite character was not even human, it was the only character who is honest with itself and that one was the most interesting. (Audio book)
• 
  Rebecca Hammond

  An interesting post-Earth solar system vision is introduced but the entire trilogy (it’s really just one long book than 3 separate ones) hinges on basically one man’s nihilistic plans to destroy Earth. There is an epic amount of self-monologues, many of which are literally saying the same thing over and over again. I only finished because of the principle of sunk costs, I’d already read 500 pages so gfogured I should see it through. It unfortunately wasn’t really worth it.
• 
  Melanie S

  "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves." - Confucius
  
  The Circuit is the omnibus compilation of author Rhett C. Bruno's first trilogy of SF novels - Executor Rising, The Progeny of Vale, and Earthfall. I'm delighted to have read them in one longer work (thank you, RB, for the ARC), since each by itself is an incomplete picture. Together they form an epic on par with the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, but set instead eons into the future. Fascinating, a bit dark in tone, and in cinematic detail, the story of one man's quest for humanity's freedom is inextricably woven into his personal quest for vengeance against those he believes killed his only child. Once a Tribune, now an exile, Cassius Vale turns his back on past benefactors, abjures his oaths and his religion, and plays all sides against one another in a brilliant campaign of political maneuvering, military strategy, and guerrilla warfare using disinformation and a stealth weapon of his own creation. His dead son's ex-fiancee, an ex-opeative for his former enemy, an innocent child, and various other characters in contributing roles keep the action rolling in multiple locations across the solar system, as they begin to see through the miasma of religious conflict, historical military defeats, terrorist acts and pointing fingers to discover the truth of Cassius Vale. Bruno's occasional new-author awkwardness is far overshadowed by his detailed world building, tight and suspenseful plotting, and absolutely brilliant characterization. Major and minor, every character speaks with a unique voice, and leaves an indelible impression, making The Circuit an unforgettable journey into a pivotal moment in human development and, simultaneously, a portrait of one human's flawed yet breathtaking brilliance. Some may see the story's end as hopeful, others as dystopian, but no one who reads this will ever forget it.
• 
  Brad

  I'm confused by my feelings toward The Circuit. That is to say, I have almost none. I take no issue with the prose; it was fine. The setting was similarly so. Adequately imagined and described.
  
  Despite this, it never pulled me in. I was never interested in what happened. I never really cared about any of the characters. I'm not clear as to why.
  
  I read through it like a season of America's Next Top Model – on in the background and in no way invested.
  
  It wasn't a grind to read, but I'm glad I can now move on to something else. Season two of America's Next Top Model maybe.
  
• 
  Wilco Roos

  No, just not for me.
  Every sentence filled with dread and dystopia, the writing style is good, the main charr makes me wanne puke. This is the world Trump would love, all for the rich, including pure water, and everyone else just gets enough not to die.
• 
  Peter

  No
• 
  Ane Ellasdatter

  I cannot believe I paid for this crap. Steer clear from these books! The only reason I finished the trilogy was so I could give an honest review of it all, and it is truly the worst books I have ever finished. If I ever remember who recommended them to me, they will be placed firmly on the "never listen to again" - list.
  
  What's wrong with it, you ask? The way it's written. It's just terrible literature. Very graphic descriptions, like having a movie told to you. The author doesn't know the difference between then and than, or man and men. Super cheesy names, characters that don't make sense, disgusting male gaze. The tech seems old and clunky. The world is only half-finished.
  
  So we know there are merchants, miners, soldiers, politicians, wait staff and sex workers. Are there any other jobs in this future world? Do kids go to school? How do they grow food? It all just seems too simple and not thought through.
  
  Character/caricature impressions and some spoilers:
  Sage Volus (the femme fatale) : the beautiful, cold blooded killer, who is great under pressure, but completely falls apart and cries all the time around her boss. Plus the whole me-too situation. Would a trained executor really allow that to happen? And would she be such an emotional mess with the brain implant that numbs her? Makes no sense.
  
  Cassius Vale: the misunderstood genius. Who talks to his beloved android about everything, but apparently not his master plan. Which I don't at all buy the reasoning for.
  
  ADIM, the needy android. Super intelligent, but still does not refer to himself in the first person. The whole plot of emotional discovery he goes through is just too plain and obvious. And the eyes spinning as he thinks? Stupidest thing I ever heard. Also, why would he say the number of androids he can control at the time without delay, and not have this be a thing in the upcoming battle? Wasted plot opportunity.
  
  Talon Rayne: the devastatingly handsome miner and ex-hitman. Heart of gold, good at cards and fighting. Why he is the one who figures things out eventually, and not the brilliant Sage, is a mystery.
  
  Redeming features? The last chapter in book two and the first half of book three does have a story that though predictible is entertaining.
• 
  Samantha Bean

  Full disclosure: I only made it through the first book, so my review is really only of Executor Rising (not that I think the series gets better).
  
  I have so many problems with this book, but by far the biggest is the treatment of the female characters.
  
  The female protagonist has absolutely no agency, which is baffling given the fact that she is apparently a super-human spy. I guess she is supposed to be brainwashed by the theocracy? But that just makes her boring to read.
  
  What’s worse is that, while clearly meant to be the “bad ass female lead,” she is written as anything but. The author continually describes her as “whimpering,” “sniveling,” “stumbling,” etc. Except for one scene in which she kills a gladiator (albeit with great difficulty) we never see her do anything remotely bad ass without the help of a man.
  
  I could possibly dismiss this as merely clumsy writing, but the author’s clear disrespect for women is evident in other areas of the book, as well...
  
  For example: while the world building in this novel leaves much to be desired, you can use context clues to understand the moon from which the male protagonist originates to be primarily a mining operation. We see no women miners and robots have apparently been given all of the food service jobs. So, despite the fact that sex work appears to be the best option for women to support themselves on this moon, the male protagonist’s distain for sex workers practically drips off the page.
  
  His primary motivation is keeping his daughter from “having to go into” sex work. Not sure what he thinks her alternative is... unemployment, apparently.
  
  I realize that it’s not only women who do sex work, and there are male sex workers mentioned in the book, but the only sex worker we actually meet is a woman whom the male protagonist finds irresistible but also detestable? So that’s confusing. The whorephobic language used by him to describe her is off-putting to say the very least.
  
  I only finished this book because Jefferson Mays narrates the audiobook. So at least that made it pleasant to listen to. I will not continue with the series. Even Jefferson’s voice isn’t enough for me on this one.
• 
  Bonnie Dale Keck

  NOT kindle unlimited, actually do some advanced reader copy reading for him, on some of his, and while absolutely can't stand soap operas do like decent space opera. Actually read this one in trilogy, this one, see very bottom for list of all in trilogy. reading more than one book with deadline is hard enough but reading 2, yeah that's a bit rough so have to really like the books/writer. With a trilogy, which this was part of, yeah, have to REALLY like what they like. Double that for pasting on amazon and goodreads and where ever get asked to post if didn't already post when did those.
  
  Earth is a dying planet. To survive, humanity founds the Circuit, a string of colonies across the solar system, dedicated to mining resources vital to preserving what remains of mankind. The New Earth Tribunal, a powerful religious faction, rises to rule the Circuit. They believe a Spirit within the Earth will one day appear and welcome humanity back home. But following a string of seemingly random attacks, the Tribunal suspects its mortal enemy, the Ceresians, have rallied to once again challenge their absolute rule. Join an unlikely band of would-be saviors--the Tribunal's best spy, a roguish Ceresian mercenary, a subservient android and a disgraced general--as they are drawn into a conspiracy destined to change the Circuit forever. A new, sinister threat has arisen--and it plans to bring down the Tribunal once and for all.
  
  Contains the Complete Trilogy:
  Executor Rising
  Progeny of Vale
  Earthfall
  The Complete Circuit Trilogy (Omnibus Edition) (The Circuit)
• 
  Dan

  I received a free audiobook copy of The Circuit for review. Honestly, at first I was not into it at all. It was a slow start, I had no investment in the characters and I really didn't understand what was going on. However, after the first few chapters, I was definitely hooked. A space opera set in the distant future, The Circuit will draw you in and make you genuinely care about these characters, root for them at different time periods, and realize that with few exceptions, most of them exist in grey areas far between exclusively good or exclusively bad. "War does not determine who is right — only who is left." Well written with an appropriately paced story-line, The Circuit is definitely worth a read.
• 
  Y.I. Washington

  Not My Cup of Tea.
  
  I read somewhere in the description for this trilogy that fans of The Expanse would like this. I can definitely state that, for me, that statement didn't hold true.
  
  I really wanted to love this trilogy but, I just didn't. I prefer stories with various shades of drama, action, levity, twisty surprises and, multidimensional characters with great arcs. For me this only had action and drama. Only three characters seemed to have any kind of an arc, whereas everyone else was flat. There was a very low amount of levity in one or two chapters and no surprises.
  
  
  I was left feeling depressed about the entire trilogy and am not sure that this author's style is for me.