The Icarus Plot (The Icarus Saga #1) 3.5Stars

 

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Title: The Icarus Plot
Series: The Icarus Saga #1
Author: Timothy Zahn
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 318
Words: 120K
Publish: 2022

This is a “new” series by Timothy Zahn that follows up on his standalone book The Icarus Hunt. This series is “Icarus” adjacent, in that we follow a new set of characters who were not actually part of the Icarus Hunt. But Project Icarus is front and center, so it definitely deserves the Icarus name.

I’d last read The Icarus Hunt back in 2016 and had zero problem slotting right back into the universe. Zahn does an absolutely bang up job of introducing a new set of characters while giving us just enough enough from the Icarus Hunt so new readers can completely understand what is going on. Part of that is because this series is published by Baen while The Icarus Hunt was published by Bantam and I suspect Baen didn’t want readers to go exploring outside their garden. That makes zero sense to me, but hey, publishers, amiright? Anyway, any new reader can dive right into this science fiction series without worrying about backstory. However, if they should choose to go back and read The Icarus Hunt afterwards, they’ll just have a richer, fuller experience.

Now, my last read of Zahn was his Quadrail series, a space detective series. It became obvious through those 5 books that Zahn had one voice for his writing. Sadly, that is the case here. I kept getting flashbacks to Quadrail while reading this book. Gregory Roarke and Selene, the main characters here, sound and act almost exactly the same as Frank Compton and Bayta (notice the lack of last name for the women? It’s not derogatory on Zahn’s part, it’s just his formula) from Quadrail. The situations are different, but multiple alien encounters happen (just like in Quadrail) and Roarke reacts the same as Frank Compton. Selene/Bayta is a side character and stays that way. It was like seeing an actor from a movie I really like acting in another movie. Imagine if Agent Smith from the Matrix was acting all “Smith’y” as Elrond in the Lord of the Rings movies? Or if Agent Smith was acting like Elrond while being in the Matrix? It didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the book, but it did leave me concerned that maybe this Icarus series was going to end up feeling like Quadrail 2.0.

Zahn writes really good move/counter-move/TWIST/count-twist/move kind of stories and that is the case here. Just when I thought maybe I had a handle on things, everything shifted and I had to put what I had before into this new perspective that had just opened up to me. As long as you don’t mind knowing that you don’t know what is actually going on, you’ll love this book.

Overall, I like the ideas presented here, I like how this continues the Icarus storyline but with new people while incorporating the original cast and I like the inclusion of more aliens and wider socio-political stage. My concerns I’ve already voiced, so now we’ll see if they happen or not.

Bon Voyage...

★★★✬☆

From the Internet

The Icarus Plot, the first book in Timothy Zahn's Icarus Saga, follows former bounty hunter Gregory Roarke and his Kadolian partner, Selene. Working as peaceful trailblazers, their quiet life ends when they are hired by mysterious operatives to track down a woman named Tera and a secret project known as Icarus.

• The Setup: Roarke is drawn to the job not just for the unlimited budget, but for the chance for long-delayed payback against an old adversary.

• The Hunt: As Roarke and Selene search for Tera, they realize they aren't the only ones in the game. Multiple groups of bounty hunters and one of the most ruthless drug lords in the galaxy are all vying for the target.

• The Twists: Every employer and player in the plot has their own hidden agenda. Roarke must constantly determine who to trust and survive countless long cons while uncovering the true nature of the Icarus project

Six years ago, the freighter Icarus disappeared with all hands aboard. Five years ago, bounty hunter Gregory Rourke and his partner Selene were hunting the Icarus’ captain Jordan McKell when they were both ambushed. Now Rourke and Selene are trailblazers, surveying unknown worlds. Now they’re hired by a mysterious pair who want them to return to bounty hunting. The target? Another member of the Icarus. For Rourke, it looks like payback time.

But Rourke is about to find himself hip deep in a plot with more players than he can possibly realize. His employers are untrustworthy. Other bounty hunters are in on the chase. One of the worst drug lords in the spiral arm of the galaxy has added his own bounty. The woman Rourke is hunting is playing a game of her own, and she has her own allies.