2015 science fiction short novel. Ship-owner Caleb Shepperd, pilot and
spy Francesca, and the android Number 1001 continue to be badly messed
up people dancing around each other, and only one of them has an
excuse.
The first book worked reasonably well, because it was introducing
the universe and the characters. This one doesn't need to do the
former, and the new characters it introduces aren't terribly
interesting. There's a certain amount of procedural space robbery and
double dealing, and a lot of setup for future episodes, but this is
nothing like a complete story.
At the end of the first book, our heroes were variously imprisoned or
reporting back to their secret paymasters. At the end of this one it's
not quite that bad, but all the emotional relationships have been
flung about all over the place, to the point that the characters felt
more like puppets of the author than people I could care about. It's
not even a matter of lack of sympathy; I find it hard to believe in
someone who is as determined to make every possible bad decision as
Shepperd is shown to be here but who is still capable of putting his
boots on in the morning, never mind flying a starship.
"She is afraid, and a liar."
"That she is." He sauntered forward, tossed the rifle against his
shoulder, and stopped behind his flight chair. "Much like the rest
of us."
Yeah, and that pretty much sums up the whole book, and indeed the
series to date. No good guys, not even any not-particularly-bad-guys,
lots of Aha, But You Did Not Realise My Plan moments. I can see how it
might appeal, but this one really didn't work for me. Followed by
Trapped.
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