Rath's Deception (The Janus Group Book 1)

"Rath's Deception," the first book in Piers Platt's "The Janus Group" series, is a decent book with decent writing and a fairly good story. That's not exactly high praise, but the book is a reasonable way to spend some time: there's nothing really wrong with it. I do have some complaints about it, though:- I don't really have a word to explain this, but the writing is a bit thin or convenient. People say or do things that they really shouldn't, just to move the plot along. This gets much better as the book goes along, so I think it's just a way for the author to get some background to us and to get the story moving.- There are almost no differences among the various planets we visit during the book. These could almost be different cities in one country instead of different worlds spread throughout the galaxy. Similarly, even though this takes place in some indeterminately far-flung future, the society is pretty much indistinguishable from ours.- The author uses FTL space flight which takes several days to get from planet to planet. Yet, the plot is almost entirely dependent on instantaneous personal communication/telemetry across those same distances. It's not the end of the world, but there's really no explanation for why physical ships take days to cross the distance while a telephone call or tracking signal can do it instantly and without lag.- The bad guys' training program is not complete. They recruit minor orphans from the slums as their assassins, yet don't train them to fit into the society they'll be working in. They spend tens of millions of dollars training these people, charge a couple of million for each job, but most of their "contractors" don't survive to their 10th job. Their break-even point is probably 5 jobs. Yet, they don't bring their "contractors" back in for feedback or re-training. Seems a bit wasteful. For instance, in the case of our protagonist's first job, they could have hired some gang member off the street for a mere pittance to perform the same level of work. Along with wasteful, that would seem to bring down the reputation they have for subtlety.Though those things are apparent in the book, they don't really bring down the story all that much. So, I'm rating the book at an OK 3 stars out of 5 and will probably continue the series (especially since by the time the ending rolled around, the book was much better than it was at the start).The novels in Piers Platt's "The Janus Group" series are:1.  Rath's Deception (The Janus Group Book 1) 2.  Rath's Gambit (The Janus Group Book 2) 3.  Rath's Reckoning (The Janus Group Book 3)

Piers delivers a hell of an outer space action adventure ride with this first book in his Janus Group series.Rath is a teenager with a secret, a photographic memory that is his and his brother Vonn's ticket our of the slums of their homeworld of Tarkis. Things go sideways when Vonn is caught double crossing the local drug lord. With Vonn dead, Rath leaves his drugged out parents and takes to the streets. Three years later he is still surviving on his own when he is picked up by a recruiter for the Guild. Rath is offered the deal of a lifetime: be trained as an elite hitman, and when he makes it to fifty kills, he gets fifty percent of the fees collected for his kills.So Rath goes to work for the Janus Group, but something is wrong. He isn't a stone cold killer and no one thinks he will last long before getting captured or killed himself.Can Rath survive his contract and collect a reward that would set him up for life? Or will he fail like so many others before him.I suggest you pick up this great read and find out for yourself.

I found it interesting. Not enough to go for the rest of the series.

I loved this whole series. It is so well written and creative. The characters are well developed, even the lesser ones. I didn't feel the need to edit poor grammar or typos, thereby allowing me to simply enjoy the books. I will read the whole series again. I enjoyed it that much! Someone compared this series to the Bourne Identity series. There is no comparison. This one is leagues ahead of that. I read the whole series within days of picking up Rath's Deception. They are fast paced but not hurried. The conclusion is well thought out and thorough. There weren't any rushed, tossed together parts to try to tie it up in a neat bow. It all just flowed beautifully to its culmination. I will be copy and pasting this review to all of the books within the series as it is applicable to all of them.

Do you like a good science fiction book that is full of intrigue? Then I recommend Rath's Deception by Piers Platt. This book will keep you glued to it throughout the read.The author has developed a storyline that is full of intrigue and suspense. It has non-stop action and adventure. The fast pace, makes it fun to read and never boring. With all its plot twist and turns you have to stay on your toes to keep up. I found it to be a fun and easy read.Piers Platt's characters are realistic and down to earth. I like when I can identify with a character and get behind them in the story. This made for a great story to get into.I really liked Rath's Deception by Piers Platt and I highly recommend this book to all readers.

This story is very detailed and well written. I definitely recommend this story to anyone who is interested in dropping their minds into the future. This story is about revenge, family, money, love, corruption, and of course life! The story has many elements of potential future products, and the way they are described is user friendly as if all the gadgets and devices are currently in production. The main character is very interesting and lively. The surrounding characters, even the ones you only read about for a few pages, are very life-like and believable. The world is large but simple. The only thing I didn't like is the character's name which is pronounced "wrath." To fit my liking, I just tacked on a E and made it "Rathe" But that last bit is my problem not the books. I recommend! I will start reading the second part soon!

These days I tend not to give 5 stars to any book that is not genuinely original. Rath's Deception is, in my opinion, original. It starts off by asking how a young Rath can rise above the poverty of the street. He is offered a route out through serious crime. It is not an easy way out but the deal could work well for those who persist. Ultimately, it turns out that the deal is not all that it appeared to be and Rath has to find a deception if he is to escape with his life.A very clever plot and a well written tale. The ending felt to be too short to be compatible with the body of the book but I will forgive Piers Platt this fault. Overall an excellent, and very original story, that kept me turning the pages all the way through to the very end.

Cant wait for the next Marvel masterwork, grab this instead.Action packed, cold hearted.Frantic pacing. A rarity of a book kept me up all night.Solid plotting, and the hero...no cant tell you no spoilers.OK I rarely update a review, but this one needs a rider added.The next book in the series book 2 is half the size of book 1 Dont get me wrong the story continues at the same frantic pace, even so I felt a little cheated. Now do I buy book3 and finish of the story and then refuse to read anything else the author writes in protest, or do I cut my losses...still pondering will update when I decide.

I enjoyed reading this book, interesting storyline, kept my interest and kept me reading all the way through.On the negative side, the story wound up sort of quickly, compared to he way the story unfolded earlier in the book.. It sort of felt like he writer had written his quota of words for his book and no wants to sell you the next one... Appreciate writers need to earn a living, but personally I expect a book to tell me a reasonably complete story, not leave me feeling l need to purchase another book to understand the story.

Morally questionable fare.Couldn't learn to care about or identify with the woes of a paid assassin who uses (among other things) a sort of futuristic 3D printer to kill an innocent woman.

Probably won't win any awards, but well enough written to keep me turning the pages. Reminded me in some ways of Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat. Will probably buy book 2 in the series.