I
especially enjoyed this book because I'd passed over it several times. I
thought I knew what to expect: a one-joke tribute to the Star Trek trope of
anonymous red-shirted security guards being killed while the heroes dodge every
phaser blast. But... ha! I was wrong, and I loved it.
I found an unexpected
parallel universe the Trekker in me adores. These redshirts are characters to
root for. As they unraveled their predicament, I huffed, giggled, and laughed out
loud. I want more books that prove me wrong.
'I can honestly say I can't think of another book that ever made me laugh this much. Ever' Patrick Rothfuss, New York Times bestselling author of The Name of the Wind
Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It's a prestige posting, and Andrew is even more delighted when he's assigned to the ship's Xenobiology laboratory. Life couldn't be better ... although there are a few strange things going on:
(1) every Away Mission involves a lethal confrontation with alien forces
This
is a terrific take on a "first colony story." A small group of lonely
elders are sent to the Red Planet because who'll complain when they never
return?
The technology is pared down, and you don't need to be steeped in sci-fi
jargon, but this is the Mars I love and respect. The team faces serious
dangers.
The
hero, a successful science fiction writer (I loved him immediately), is the best type of troublemaker, sometimes
smart and sometimes stupid, solving problems in ways no one
else even considers. I kept reading far into the night.
This
book has everything a scifi adventure needs: spaceships, black holes,
exoplanets, and androids. Also, well-developed characters facing personal demons
as friends become foes and enemies become allies.
The story contains little
gems. I loved the aptitude test for new officers – so believable (and delightful,)
I wonder if it happened on some real-life military ship. When I was about to
head out for an appointment, I read faster and faster.
Could I finish the story
before I had to leave? Well, maybe being five minutes late wasn't so bad. Ah! Satisfying ending.
A weapon of unimaginable power. A desperate mission to the center of the galaxy. Mankind's fate hangs in the balance.
Captain Thomas Holbrook has agonized over the thought of someday drawing a one-way mission. When he receives orders to divert his CentCom warship to the center of the galaxy, a region from which no vessel has ever returned, he comes face-to-face with his greatest fear.
It’s the year 2330. The “aughts,” robots that warred for independence from mankind, seek insurance against the ever-present human threat. An aught ship speeds to the galactic center for material to build a weapon that…
A fragile foothold on a vast frozen plain. A crashed spaceship’s pilot may have been murdered, and suspicion divides the settlers.
Determined to explore with her robots, Emma Winters leaves Earth forever and makes the one-way journey. She trained with her friends for the planet’s deadly challenges, but living on Mars drives them apart. The corporation that sent them has no answers as conflicts escalate toward catastrophe.
Her allies falter and clues to survival remain beyond Emma’s grasp. Can she discover the truth, or will the first humans on Mars be the last?
