A sturdy entry in an ongoing space saga.
In Lallier’s SF novel, one in a series, raids from ferocious reptilian space pirates test the mettle of space-faring 23rd-century humans.
The author continues his Solar Commonwealth series in this installment, set in the early 23rd century. Humanity is spreading across space with its membership in a widespread “Concorde” alliance of alien worlds, not unlike the Federation in Star Trek. Earth is part of a vast, pan-galactic Commonwealth of advanced civilized worlds, but humans tend to be poorly regarded as junior members—newcomers compared to the more ancient species. Even human-appearing races, such as the blue-skinned Tyndal, are considered to be lesser than the rest. Still, it’s a surprise to human leadership (and their sponsoring aliens, the elephantine, tentacled Ssenn) when the customarily aloof Tyndal propose their own special alliance to share trade, intelligence, and defense. Just as the various players are digesting this offer, attacks hit some remote human outposts and outlying Tyndal routes. The Ssenn reveal the existence of the Krayd, a reptilian race with savage warrior instincts, unpredictable high-risk tactics, and a piratical culture; practically all they have has been plundered from others in and out of the Commonwealth. Defending against Krayd predation tests the barely formalized Earth–Tyndal accord, with many eyes (or eye-stalks) watching. The SF military action (which resembles naval engagements) is excitingly conveyed from the vantage points of the humans, the aggressive Krayd, and the rest of the ensemble cast. Some asides feature series regular “the Regent,” an uncommonly sensible Earth man endowed by the Ssenn with an extraordinarily long life and mythic presence, wisely guiding the Terrans to become responsible citizens of the stars while striving to preserve democracy and oppose despotic intervention. Readers can practically visualize Patrick Stewart in the role, and there’s even talk of building a ship called Enterprise. Ultimately, the novel delivers a diverting yarn of interstellar diplomacy and warp-speed combat strategy: “Now the gunboats scattered as the swarm defender let loose with its own guns, each shot bathing the gunship in sapphire death and causing it to spin in a different direction.”
A sturdy entry in an ongoing space saga.Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 9798421483021
Page Count: 506
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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PERSPECTIVES
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.
Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z(2006).
A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.Pub Date: June 16, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
A cleverly titled, cozy SF romance that marks Thorne as a writer to watch.
After purchasing a dilapidated, century-old starship called the Destitute, Torian Razner discovers that the moss covering it is, in fact, a deeply sarcastic sentient computer with abandonment issues.
Torian’s sister, Celise, is dying. Determined to save her life by getting her to a distant planet with air she can breathe, Torian ignores her former captain Amelia Perrosk’s warning that it’s an impossible task (along with any romantic feelings she might have for Amelia). Using the only ionite bars she has to her name, Torian purchases an ancient, moss-covered alien starship that appears to be on its last legs, so to speak. She hardly expected the moss to be a sentient computer or for it to hold a century-old grudge against its former alien captain. Moss quickly proves itself to be acerbic, intelligent, and rightly angry after being having been left behind for 100 years by its former captain. The two form a reluctant and surprising alliance, Torian proving to Moss that not all captains are “dog-turd fungus,” and they both gradually evolve into the best versions of themselves, human or otherwise. It’s obvious from the early pages that Thorne has crafted a story tailored to fans of Becky Chambers’ Monk & Robot series and Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries. Falling somewhere between the two, this is a delightful mashup of romance, found family, and a touch of violence as Moss grapples with its feelings about its former captain and the unexpected kindness that Torian shows. Sweet without being overly saccharine, it’s a book for readers who want the adventure that comes with the vastness of outer space without its harsher realities.
A cleverly titled, cozy SF romance that marks Thorne as a writer to watch.Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9781250414144
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Bramble Books
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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