@limirj Thank you for your feedback, and I am sorry that is how you feel and thank you for posting your critique. I can say with full honesty that I was not intentionally dragging things out. Everything is what I wanted to say, being characters/plots/cultural/politics/military struggles/POVs, not to drag things out but because I find them interesting and depth. I am not saying I didn't have a few pacing issues (I am not happy with how V3 turned out, but don't know how else to install Assiaya/Ryder as leader).
For the first book of Ad Astra (Volume 4 is the final, and I will start a new book with V5-7 or 8). I always intended for the first Collection (Prolog-V4) to focus more on the beginning aspects of the isekai. Most people ignore this and go straight to D-Day (and I understand why). I wanted to show that this was a new world, that the US isn't the big dog. That fish out of water feeling, showing a bit of what it was like when I was growing up (not having GPS, forced to use physical maps if we had them XD, which we always didn't) This would have been the only time I could ever do what I did in the story because it would be to late, showing how much we rely on modern Earth infrastructure and without it, it reshapes how we can fight.
My goal was to make this point where the US earned the right to be here. The earn their allies, the love of the native people (that are there), and show all factions on Alagore that a new power has arrived on the moon. Not the Gate way (where everyone on Falmart simp for JDSF). This moment is going to be a major change in the state of Alagore.
As I said and you noted, Volume 4 is coming to a end. We have entered the final battle and this will be the end of this phase. Most of the foundation that I have been building in these last few volumes will allow the story to go further.
Thank you, I hope you continue to enjoy the story.
