A densely plotted and riveting futuristic thriller.
In this SF debut, native Martians suspect a coverup following a political assassination on their home planet.
By the mid-23rd century, colonized Mars is finally getting its independence. But during a ceremony honoring the red planet, someone assassinates the president of the United Nations Interplanetary Council. Brig. Gen. Keith Brennan of the Protectorate Forces joins the investigation, which quickly identifies the shooter, dead from an apparent suicide. But higher-ups look increasingly dubious, as they subsequently tie a local businessman and his son—two obvious scapegoats—to the assassination. The UNIC puts Mars’ independence on indefinite hold. It further orders Gov. Helena Chu, who was to become Mars’ president, to declare martial law. Meanwhile, pirate attacks on Mars have soared, including an alarmingly successful strike against one of the Protectorate Forces’ elite units. This only exacerbates the planet’s growing civil unrest. Helena, Brennan, and others surmise a conspiracy of some kind that, perhaps, starts with the UNIC. But it’s soon clear anyone questioning the authorities or somehow linked to the assassination will wind up accused, suppressed, or something much more permanent. Fox’s Mars-set series opener is primarily a conspiracy-laden mystery. The narrative centers on a handful of absorbing characters, all with their own stories that connect to the main plot. For example, Cadet Lisa Colt’s peers unfairly disregard her because of her admiral mother, though the military leader often debases Lisa. While the author aptly describes the familiar environment, the characters’ gradual unease and the developing tensions actually propel the gripping story. In the same vein, Fox laces his prose in cynicism: If Brennan “were the beach that was holding back the ocean of corruption,” Helena “was a rock outcropping being eroded away in the breakers. The analogy brought a painful realization, he had always wanted to visit the beaches on Earth.” Much of the tale is unresolved at the end, and a number of uncertain fates will surely leave readers eagerly anticipating the sequel.
A densely plotted and riveting futuristic thriller.Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-954344-10-5
Page Count: 537
Publisher: Dawnrunner Press
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An ambitious but plodding space odyssey.
Having survived a disastrous deep space mission in 2038, three asteroid miners plan a return to their abandoned ship to save two colleagues who were left behind.
Though bankrolled through a crooked money laundering scheme, their original project promised to put in place a program to reduce the CO2 levels on Earth, ease global warming, and pave the way for the future. The rescue mission, itself unsanctioned, doesn't have a much better chance of succeeding. All manner of technical mishaps, unplanned-for dangers, and cutthroat competition for the precious resources from the asteroid await the three miners. One of them has cancer. The international community opposes the mission, with China, Russia, and the United States sending questionable "observers" to the new space station that gets built north of the moon for the expedition. And then there is Space Titan Jack Macy, a rogue billionaire threatening to grab the riches. (As one character says, "It's a free universe.") Suarez's basic story is a good one, with tense moments, cool robot surrogates, and virtual reality visions. But too much of the novel consists of long, sometimes bloated stretches of technical description, discussions of newfangled financing for "off-world" projects, and at least one unneeded backstory. So little actually happens that fixing the station's faulty plumbing becomes a significant plot point. For those who want to know everything about "silicon photovoltaics" and "orthostatic intolerance," Suarez's latest SF saga will be right up their alley. But for those itching for less talk and more action, the book's many pages of setup become wearing.
An ambitious but plodding space odyssey.Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-18363-2
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
A laugh-out-loud “why choose?” romance of intergalactic proportions.
What’s worse: to be killed by a lion or dropped on a strange planet and forced into an alien breeding program?
Dorothy Valentine had a happy career in wildlife biology, studying meerkats in their native environment and living on her own terms. That is, until a hungry lion decided to make her into lunchmeat. Abducted from Earth at the moment of her death—along with the lion who attacked her—Dory becomes Subject 4 in an alien research project. The goal: to extend the life of the Sankado species, whose females were left behind on their dying home planet. With "a few modifications," Dory is a prime candidate for Sankado breeding…except for the secret birth control implant in her arm. To make matters more complicated, she hooks up with two Sankado men, Sol and Lok, while under the influence of an alien love serum, becoming their Zhali—a mate for life. Luckily, they don’t mind sharing Dory or one another. Just when their three-way honeymoon is about to kick off, however, Lok’s old enemy rears his ugly head, putting all of their lives in peril. Lemming’s characterization really shines here. Sassy Dory, sensitive and whip-smart Sol, and the dominant, flirtatious Lok all feel fully realized, as do Toto and Intern—the lion who tried to eat Dory and the birdlike alien responsible for observing her. The sex scenes are spicy, if perhaps too few and far between, and the dialogue is snappy and realistic.
A laugh-out-loud “why choose?” romance of intergalactic proportions.Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2025
ISBN: 9780593818633
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2025
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