I picked up Scorpio (Frontlines: Evolution #1) because I wanted something fast, high‑stakes, and fun, and Marko Kloos absolutely delivered. With a Goodreads rating hovering around 4.12 from nearly 8,500 readers, it’s clear this book hits the mark for a lot of people — and I can see why.
The premise is instantly engaging: eight years after humans terraform and settle a new planet, alien invaders sweep in and force the survivors underground. From there, the story moves with the kind of momentum that makes you think you’ll read “just one more chapter,” and suddenly you’re halfway through the book.
And yes, there’s a
dog.
And yes, the dog fights a dinosaur-sized alien.
And no, the dog does not die.
Since many of you who read my blog are authors, I want to share a few reactions from the reader side — not as critique, but as insight into how certain narrative choices landed for me while I was happily turning pages.
What Hooked Me Right Away
The story starts at full speed
There’s no long warm‑up. We’re dropped straight into a world already in crisis, and it works. I never felt lost; I just felt pulled in.
The stakes stay human-sized
Even with giant aliens and planetary collapse, the emotional focus stays grounded in survival, loyalty, and small wins that matter. That’s the kind of anchoring that keeps me invested in large-scale sci‑fi.
The pacing (for most of the book) is exactly what I want
Clear action, clean cause-and-effect, and characters whose decisions matter. It’s the kind of rhythm that makes a book genuinely hard to put down.
Where My Reading Experience Shifted
These aren’t “issues” with the book — clearly the vast majority of readers are having a great time. These are simply moments where my reading brain reacted in a noticeable way, and authors often tell me they appreciate hearing this kind of thing.
A dense descriptive section slowed me down
About two-thirds through, there’s a long block of description where I eventually skimmed ahead to find dialogue again. I didn’t feel like I missed anything essential, but it did interrupt the momentum for me.
As a reader, this reminded me how much pacing affects my engagement — not just what’s happening, but how information is delivered.
A couple of dog-related reactions left me puzzled
As a long-time dog owner, I found myself briefly pulled out of the story by the main character’s responses in a couple of dog-related moments. Not because the actions were wrong — just because I needed a bit more emotional context to understand them.
When a scene touches something universal — pets, loyalty, fear — readers bring a lot of their own expectations with them. A little extra clarity can go a long way.
The Bottom Line
I had a great time with Scorpio. It’s fast, engaging, and full of the kind of tension that makes military sci‑fi satisfying. I finished it quickly and immediately downloaded the next book, Corvus, which tells you everything you need to know about my overall experience.
For authors, Scorpio offers interesting examples of how readers respond to:
- fast openings without heavy exposition
- clear stakes in large-scale conflict
- shifts in pacing and descriptive density
- emotional beats that touch universal experiences
For readers like me, it’s simply an entertaining, high-energy alien-invasion story with characters worth following.
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