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The “Looking Glass” alternatively known as the “Voyage of the Space Bubble” is a hard military science fiction series of novels by John Ringo. The first novel of the series was Into the “Looking Glass” that was first published in 2005 to much critical acclaim and commercial success.
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Order of Looking Glass Series By: John Ringo, Travis S. Taylor
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Into the Looking Glass | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Vorpal Blade | 2007 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Manxome Foe | 2008 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | Claws That Catch | 2008 | Description / Buy |
The Looking Glass series centers on the creation of “looking glasses” a type of trans-space portals. The glasses have recently been discovered and the narratives are based on what effect the discovery has had including how the discovery of things on portals has changed life both on Earth and off it. At the opening of the series a cataclysmic event occurs that leads to the opening of several portals that lead to a different universe. The novels are full of non-friendly and friendly conflicts and contacts that form the basis of the story, without necessarily having a hero who uses guns and muscles.
In “Into the Looking Glass” the first novel of the series, Chen a scientist experiments with the modification of physics laws in a given area. He does not know the results of the experiment but a 60 kiloton blast immediately after suggests something came of it. He has created an enigmatic black sphere known as the “Chen Anomaly” that is a passage way into an alternate universe.
The Secretary of Defense learns of the explosion in Florida and taking with him a Dr. William Weaver, goes to brief the president in Washington. The president forms a crack team led by Dr. Weaver and Todd Miller a SEAL Chief who are tasked with investigating the portals of the Looking Glass and the phenomenon itself. The novel is an excellent novel that established John Ringo as one of the best military science fiction authors ever.
BEST LOOKING GLASS BOOKS
Manxome Foe: The third novel of the “Looking Glass” series of novels has some of the most exciting of plots. The team is just coming back from a successful first mission when they have to scramble and go back on another mission aboard the Vorpal Blade, the Alliance Space Ship. A gate colony just fell to unidentified aliens and to the men on planet Earth, all other things must take second place when the news does arrive. The Vorpal Blade is sent to learn about the aliens, rescue survivors, and the fate of the colony. It is an excellent novel full of rigorous science, quirky characters, and nonstop action.
Vorpal Blade: The second novel of the series is another exciting novel of the series that is sequel to the first. Adams the SEAL Chief and Dr. William Weaver make a comeback on a ship named the SBN Nebraska a converted ship ready to take on the vagaries of interstellar space. But even as they are the leads in the investigation activities, the Force Recon Marines who are fed manure and kept in the dark often have to bear the brunt of the action. But that only lasts until the team lands onto an alien planet and have to take up arms themselves. The Vorpal Blade ranges in themes from beauty and health tips, cosmology, particle physics, and armored space monsters. It is an excellent story that returns to the traditional science fiction conventions when the beasts were ugly and intractable.
Claws That Catch: The fourth novel of the series is a great novel in the series about news from a distant planet. An ancient civilization is rumored to have created a powerful energy source that is key to the energy needs of the Vorpal Blade. But on the way to learn and find the distant civilization the team encounters much more than they bargained for. To make matters worse the ship is suddenly attacked and infested by a rabid species of scorpion like arachnoids that could wipe out the entire team.
OTHER BOOK SERIES YOU MAY LIKE
Many fans of the “Looking Glass” series of novels are also fans of the “Tau Ceti Agenda” series of novels by Travis S. Taylor. The novels are a combination of political and science fiction thrillers set in Mars and in the United States, and feature a struggle for political power on Earth and in space.
“Looking Glass” fans also enjoy the “Lt. Leary” series of novels by David Drake. These are light political thrillers featuring Lieutenant Daniel Leary of the Cinnabar Navy, who battles for supremacy and power over Cinnabar.
What Is The Next Book in The Looking Glass Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Looking Glass Series. The newest book is Claws That Catch and was released on November, 1st 2008.