Overdraft: The Orion Offensive – “Poison Pill”

Overdraft: The Orion Offensive

Episode 8 – “Poison Pill”

With Episode 8 “Poison Pill”, Overdraft: The Orion Offensive comes to a close. The final episode ends the series on an enjoyable, lighthearted note that I think works best for the overall story. Jamie meets his ultimate fate, Bridget brings war to the Xylanx, and Kolvax’s nefarious plan to destroy Earth reaches its conclusion. Yet surprisingly, not everything is completely wrapped up.

Just looking at this episode, there was a good mix of action and fun. Jamie is stuck in a bangnox with one of the most deadliest substances in the universe. As can be expected, he goes crazy. Bridget leads her Surge team into a firefight with the Xylanx on one of their space stations. This in turn leads to a tense, personal struggle between Kolvax and Bridget. There are fights, duels and a battle with the Spore. Yet there is humor mixed in. The story even manages to end with a laugh.

As the conclusion to an eight part story, it’s a nice end. It’s not epic or mind blowing, but it is satisfying and fun. In fact there are some storythreads left open for a future tale. John Jackson Miller even gives it a name, Overdraft: The Cygnus Campaign. Having enjoyed this adventure, I’m definitely on board for the next one.

In parting, I think The Orion Offensive was a great idea that played out well. I really enjoyed having the story spread out over the course of several months. The episodes of the serial were entertaining. In a way, it was like a sci-fi sitcom. Each episode had its own self-contained story and some fun humor. But being a book, there was a lot more character and story exploration. That said, it’ll be interesting to read all the episodes back-to-back in book format to compare the experiences. As is, I give this episode and series a five out of five metal bikinis.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.