Overview: The stakes are high for an Earth engineer and his crew as they are caught in a battle between empires.In “Preparing the Ground”, Dan Melson expands his Sci-fi epic space opera to the next generation by introducing Grace’s 22-year old nephew, Joe. The main protagonist in this chapter of Melson’s expansive series is a gifted engineer who’s respected more for his connection with the family business on Earth (a company founded by Grace that supplies pets—mostly dogs, and other high-demand commodities throughout the Empire), than his proven expertise as a master technician and budding leader. As this chapter of Melson’s series opens, Joe is working an assignment aboard a space vessel that is searching for potential worlds that will meet the Empire’s standards for terra-forming. Even as the ship makes its way through several colorful star systems, Author Melson acclimates his readers to the trials and tribulations of space travel, describing in great detail and complexity the science behind space travel, envisioning the advanced technology needed to survive beyond the borders of Earth, and calculating the enormous distances and time needed to reach far-off, exo-planetary star systems.Because Melson’s writing style is highly technical and a bit overly descriptive, one can get lost in the complexity of calculations and translations that the author employs in describing the science and mathematics behind his book, as well as the laws and culture of the Empire. Melson often presents volumes of data—down to the most insignificant detail—that takes away from the essence of the story and may distract some readers.Fortunately, it’s easy to see that Melson enjoys writing. The author writes about science and math with great joy and abandon, and is avidly and completely dedicated to developing this ever-expanding story. The tediousness of reading through so many facts and figures is made more tolerable because the author limits the scope of the story and adheres to a basic cast of about a dozen, or so, familiar and relatable main characters on whom the reader can focus. “Preparing the Ground” essentially shines a spotlight on Joe’s relationships with his peers, his family, and a seemingly fated love interest. It’s with this love interest that Author Melson creates a compelling and unique connection to his readers, guaranteeing there will be a future path for his series... After all, a loving and successful partnership ultimately provides the key to the continued growth of an epic generational space opera.“Preparing the Ground” is meant to be read in sequence as part of Melson’s epic space opera. This novel isn’t for everyone, but I predict Melson’s writing will be entertaining fans of space operas and futuristic technology lovers for a long, long time. I highly recommend this series for individuals who are technologically minded and who enjoy generational Sci-fi epics about space travel and cosmic exploration.Warning: This novel does contain graphic violence, adult language, and adult sexual situations. Readers should be aware that this story may act as a trigger for survivors of sexual abuse and/or sex-trafficking and should be read with discretion.