This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: Kalin Series: Dumarest #4 Author: EC Tubb Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars Genre: SF Pages: 155 Words: 45K
Earl Dumarest ends up on yet another bad world that seems intent on killing him, runs into another hot and sexy psychic chicky-boo, runs into the Cyclans and loses said chicky-boo.
I have begun wondering, if traveling seems to be pretty much blind (every story involves travelers getting stranded in bad places because they didn’t know it was bad), then how does mankind stay together and not totally fracture? I mean, if everybody learns that World X is a really bad place and you’re going to be enslaved, then who would go there? I suspect both Tubb’s view and my own are formed from our own perspectives on data. Tubb was in the isolation era, where you might be lucky to know something about the State next to yours whereas I live in the Information Age where I can converse with bloggers from Zimbabwe without even thinking about it (Hi Beaton!). I “expect” civilization to be able to share data from one end to the other whereas Tubb didn’t even consider it as a possibility. It just goes to show that your surroundings and settings do affect your thought processes.
Tubb’s writing can be a bit opaque at times. It wasn’t until I saw an alternate cover that was emblazoned with “Dumarest and Dinosaurs!” (or some close approximation) that I realized the creatures Tubb describes Earl as hunting were dinosaurs. It didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the adventure to not realize that, but once I saw those words, my mental image of the various scenes were clarified greatly.
The Cyclans are once again presented as a great menace but we don’t learn anything new about them. I suspect they will be the “standard” background villain in most of these books. The Universal Brotherhood gets some extra facetime but basically we learn that they are a “Feel Good and be an Ascetic” kind of organization. There is nothing spiritual about them whatsoever beyond the mystical new age “we are all gods” kind of mumbo jumbo you’d expect from a “universal” organization.
To end, it would almost be easier if Dumarest wasn’t searching for Earth. Besides the issues I’ve talked about in previous reviews, the whole data thing applies to this as well. It shouldn’t be so hard to track down Earth, but it is because of Tubb’s world view when he wrote this. If he were alive today, he’d have to come up with a different reason for why Earth is so unknown.
I’m also including a large version of the cover again. These things are great!
★★★✬☆
From the Publisher
Click to Open
Many times, Dumarest’s dream of Earth has almost cost him his life. As he journeys from world to world, restlessly moving outwards towards the edge of the galaxy where his goal lies, Dumarest must be alert, watchful. For there are new dangers – forces more powerful than man – which threaten his dream. On a planet where violence and superstition hold sway, Dumarest forges a bond with the prophetess Kalin. And now, more than ever, he needs her. Kalin. The mutant girl whose mysterious talent for seeing into the future has already saved him from Bloodtime on Logis, from space-disaster, from slavery on desolate Chron. Kalin. Who can foretell the terrors yet to come.
This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: A Study in Brimstone Series: Warlock Holmes #1 Author: Gabriel Denning Rating: 5 of 5 Stars Genre: Fantasy Parody Pages: 229 Words: 83K
If you know your Holmes stories, most of these parodies won’t catch you totally by surprise. That’s a good thing though, because it is the similarities that keep this book grounded and from becoming stupid. The basic premise is that Warlock Holmes is a warlock of incredible power who fights the supernatural, but he’s not very bright and he’s not good with people in general. Enter Watson, a deductive genius with the ability to analyze things from a completely normal perspective. Who needs a cheap place to stay so he won’t get thrown out into the gutter. And voila, a partnership made in Hades. Throw in that Lestrade is a vampire and some other detective is a werewolf and you have yourself a recipe for fun
I laughed my head off for the entire book. I was laughing out loud and sharing bits and pieces with Mrs B until she finally said “Yep, that’s your kind of humor” and I knew enough to let it be and just enjoy it for myself. But my goodness, this was dark humor and so delicious. It was like eating an icecream sunday. For example. The Crew (Watson, Holmes and the other two detectives) find some mysterious pills that Watson suspects are poison. Holmes kidnaps the neighbor’s puppy and uses it to test the poison. He tells Watson to relax, because the puppy’s lifeline is going to end that week no matter what. The puppy takes the non-poison pill and is romping joyfully around the room. All four of our characters leave and the last sentence is something like “and the werewolf accidentally trod on the puppy”. I went off into howls of laughter. There were several such incidents that just set me off and by the books end my sides were hurting from laughing so much. I don’t know if this humor would be to everyone’s taste but it was almost like I had decided to write a book and use all the things I would find funny.
I also am aware that the final book ends in a cliffhanger’y way and that it will probably never be resolved. I have made my peace with that and will simply enjoy this for what I can get out of it. Speaking of cliffhanger’y, the ending of this book definitely falls into that camp. Not terribly, not in a way that made me want to immediately read the next book, but basically Moriarty takes over Holmes’ body and that’s how it ends. If this had been a standalone book, I’d still be ok with that ending because the humor was absolutely pitch perfect.
I have also given this the coveted “Best Book of the Year” tag. Doesn’t mean that it IS the best book, as we still have half a year to go, but my goodness, I simply have not laughed out loud so often in a very long time and that by itself deserves a lot of praise.
★★★★★
From the Publisher
Synopsis – Click to Open
Sherlock Holmes is an unparalleled genius. Warlock Holmes is an idiot. A font of arcane power, certainly. But he’s brilliantly dim. Frankly, he couldn’t deduce his way out of a paper bag. The only thing he has really got going for him are the might of a thousand demons and his stalwart companion. Thankfully, Dr. Watson is always there to aid him through the treacherous shoals of Victorian propriety… and save him from a gruesome death every now and again.
Now that we know the Pegleg Pirate was simply a patsy for the Mad Emperor to acquire the power of the Garden Spirit, who was the REAL opposition to the Emperor? The fact that he had not taken over the world meant there was some force opposing him, no matter how subtle.
But who? Who would oppose such an entity, one that was powerful enough to bend the Throne of Chains to his very will? Someone motivated by revenge, by a thirst to right a wrong, someone whose family had been destroyed by the Chartreuse Emperor! The Steampunk Elf whose eye the Emperor had stolen to use as his talismanic focus of power, was not a single child. He had a sister, a very powerful sister. She was Archmage to the Hidden King. While this Hidden King had forbade her to interfere thus far, she was strong willed and she had loved her brother dearly.
While the Emperor had usurped the power of the Tree of Day and Night, the Archmage was the original owner of it and all it’s power. That should tell you, dear Reader, just how powerful she truly was. And she used her powers to divert, impede, thwart and stall the Emperor until the Hidden King was willing to reveal himself.
Stay tuned readers, for next month’s thrilling installment of “The Mad Chartreuse Emperor’s Conquest”.
Yt ys wyth a heavy heart that Y pen thys myssyve to thee. Let me recount the past several days that thou mayest begyn to understand my woe and mysery.
Thys prevyous Saturday that saucy wench, Mrs B, wast ynvyted to a fellow workers house for a BBQ party. Aha, Y thought, a good tyme ys about to be had by all. Ymagyne my dysmay when yt turned out to be a saylors conventyon! Y josh Dear Reader, yt was only the dear fellow workers extended famyly. But myne ears were assaulted for upmost of 3 hours by uncouth and profane utteryngs. Never hast Y heard so much swearyng, not even yn the last fyve years combyned!
Ahhhh, yf only the day had ended. But lo, yt was not nearly done. Our new assystant rector and hys famyly was movyng and Saturday was the day of theyr arryval. Y wast not overly worryed, for how much materyal possessyons could a 25 year old, hys young wyfe and theyr 1 year old son have? Oh, Y have never been so mystaken yn my lyfe! They showed up wyth a 30ft uhaul truck (10 meters for those from the Olde Countrye) packed to the gylls wyth beds, dressers, bureaus, chayrs, couches and all manner of boxes. Y wast astounded and dysmayed but thankfully, wyth the church famyly showyng up, the truck wast unpacked wythyn a mere hour. Y cavyl not at tellyng thee Y tookest an Aleve that nyght!
Now, thou must be wonderyng why Y am wrytyng to thee yn thys archayc and outdated style. Thereyn lyes yet another story of woe. Prepare yourself Gentle Blogger, yt wyll take all your courage to get through thys tellyng
On Tuesday Y was struck down wyth the Chaucer Plague! Oh the horror! Y know yt wast yntroduced ynto myne house by that knave, that scallywag, that wastrel, Lord WordPress. As owner of all myne estates, only he can supply the mystycal codes to fyx yt all. But unlyke hys father, thys new Lord WordPress ys useless and a lyar. Whylst the effects lasted but 24hrs, the affect so addled me that Y am styll sufferyng mentally, as seen by thys lengthy myssyve. Many other cytyzens of the kyngdom were also afflycted but there was none to succor us yn our day of need.
And yet, the letter contynues. Y knoweth yt, an ympossybylyty thou safest, but merry, tys true.
Thursday wast our day of yndependence from the cruel tyrant. A day to celebrate and make merry. Or to leave the hustle and bustle of lyfe for a few hours, to relax. But Y, Y volunteered to help my church publycly celebrate. Y shewest up at 7am and worked myne fyngers to the bone tyyng hundreds of helyum balloons. And dealyng wyth hundreds of people as they streamed past, lyke unthynkyng salmon. Dyd that teachest me myne lesson? Nay, yt did not! Then some fryends ynvyted me and The Saucy Wench over for some BBQ. Did Y demur? Did Y pleadest exhaustion from the day, the week? Nay and again Y say, NAY! We went.
How Y survyved thys week ys beyond me. But yt’s not over yet, not by a long shot. But what today and the rest of the weekend holds must wayt for next week’s letter. My hand ys crampyng and my keyboard ys almost out of ynk.
Au revoyr untyl next tyme we meet!
Yours truly,
Ymperator Bookstoogycus the Fyrst
ps,
Gyve all my love and lots of hugs and kysses to Georgye and Lyttle Emma. Such dears…
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: Mansfield Park Series: ———- Author: Jane Austen Rating: 2 of 5 Stars Genre: Classic Pages: 346 Words: 160K
This is my third time reading this. Sadly, I think this is the lowest rating for an Austen story yet. First time I read it in ‘06 I gave it 3stars, then when I re-read it in ‘14 I gave it 4stars, now in ‘24, I’m giving it 2 stars. I am definitely a mercurial reader and reviewer.
I did not enjoy this at all. Fanny Price wasn’t just a milk sop, she was someone who wouldn’t defend herself or standup for herself, in any way. I get that she grew up being put down by her extended family and that she was sickly, but she is one of these people who is so conflict averse that she will suffer harm to herself rather than even say “No”, just a plain “No”. Instead, she gives all these fatuous reasons, and reasons can always be overcome by someone who is motivated. Just Say No! And Fanny Price wouldn’t.
I think part of my dislike is that since my last read in ‘14, I’ve had occasion to deal with someone very similar to Fanny. Mrs B and I had an older friend who was living on her own in a little one bedroom apartment. Her daughter needed a temporary place to stay and so she opened up her place to her. Her daughter agreed to pay the rent, as she was working a pretty good paying job. She paid the rent for 2 months, then quit her job, starting working at a convenience store for half the money, told her mom she couldn’t pay the rent but kept living there. Then she started bringing her latest boyfriend home. To the one bedroom apartment. Our friend complained and lamented but wouldn’t DO anything. We told her what needed to be done (call the police and have the daughter and boyfriend escorted off the premises and told not to come back) and that we would come over and be right with her as she made the call. But she wouldn’t do it. She wanted us to make the call, us to be the ones to kick her daughter out. And this had happened before. So we told her that we would help her but that SHE needed to be the one to take that first step. She ended up getting someone else to do her dirty work and we haven’t been in contact since. She would not help herself.
Fanny Price reminded of that mindset during this read. I didn’t expect her to solve her problems by herself, but I did expect her to take a step of asking for help. She expected help from her Uncle and her Cousin, and I must say, she was right in that expectation, but when they were being obtuse or confused or just plain stupid, she refused to ask outright. It frustrated me incredibly. We all have problems that are bigger than we can handle ourselves. But pretending they don’t exist, or expecting others to read our minds to know our wishes on the issue isn’t the way to solve them. USE YOUR WORDS!
Maybe in another 10 or 15 years I’ll re-read this again and have yet another reaction to this, I don’t know. But for this time, it was not a good read for me and I did not enjoy it. Which saddens me incredibly because I love Austen’s works 🙁
★★☆☆☆
From Wikipedia.org
Synopsis – Click to Open
Ten-year-old Fanny Price is sent from her impoverished home in Portsmouth to live with the family at Mansfield Park. Lady Bertram is Fanny’s aunt and her four children – Tom, Edmund, Maria and Julia – are older than Fanny. All but Edmund mistreat her and her other aunt, Mrs Norris, wife of the clergyman at the Mansfield parsonage, makes herself particularly unpleasant.
When Fanny is fifteen, Aunt Norris is widowed and her visits to Mansfield Park increase, as does her mistreatment of Fanny. A year later, Sir Thomas leaves to deal with problems on his sugar plantation in Antigua, taking with him his spendthrift eldest son Tom. Mrs Norris, looking for a husband for Maria, finds the rich but weak-willed Mr Rushworth, whose proposal Maria accepts but only for his money.
Henry Crawford and his sister Mary arrive at the parsonage to stay with their half-sister, the wife of the new incumbent, Dr Grant. With their fashionable London ways, they enliven the great house. Edmund and Mary then start to show interest in one another.
On a visit to Mr Rushworth’s estate, Henry flirts with both Maria and Julia. Maria believes Henry is in love with her and so treats Mr Rushworth dismissively, provoking his jealousy, while Julia struggles with jealousy and resentment towards her sister. Mary is disappointed to learn that Edmund will be a clergyman and tries to undermine his vocation.
After Tom returns to Mansfield Park ahead of his father, he encourages the young people to begin rehearsals for an amateur performance of Elizabeth Inchbald’s play Lovers’ Vows. Edmund objects, believing Sir Thomas would disapprove and feeling that the subject matter is inappropriate but, after much pressure, he agrees to take on the role of the lover of the character played by Mary. The play also provides further opportunity for Henry and Maria to flirt. When Sir Thomas arrives home unexpectedly, he is furious to find the play still in rehearsal and it is cancelled. Henry departs without explanation, and in reaction Maria goes ahead with marriage to Mr Rushworth. The couple then settle in London, taking Julia with them. Sir Thomas sees many improvements in Fanny and Mary Crawford initiates a closer relationship with her.
When Henry returns to Mansfield Park, he decides to entertain himself by making Fanny fall in love with him. Fanny’s brother William visits, and Sir Thomas holds what is effectively a coming-out ball for her. Although Mary dances with Edmund, she tells him it will be the last time, as she will never dance with a clergyman. Edmund drops his plan to propose and leaves the next day, as do Henry and William.
When Henry next returns, he announces to Mary his intention to marry Fanny. To assist his plan, he has used his family’s naval connections to help William achieve promotion. However, when Henry proposes marriage, Fanny rejects him, disapproving of his past treatment of women. Sir Thomas is astonished by her continuing refusal, but she does not explain, afraid of compromising Maria.
To help Fanny appreciate Henry’s offer, Sir Thomas sends her to visit her parents in Portsmouth, where she is taken aback by the contrast between their chaotic household and the harmonious environment at Mansfield. Henry visits, but although she still refuses him, she begins to appreciate his good features.
Later, Fanny learns that Henry and Maria have had an affair which is reported in the newspapers. Mr Rushworth sues Maria for divorce and the Bertram family is devastated. Tom meanwhile falls gravely ill as a result of a fall from his horse. Edmund takes Fanny back to Mansfield Park, where she is a healing influence. Sir Thomas realises that Fanny was right to reject Henry’s proposal and now regards her as a daughter.
During a meeting with Mary Crawford, Edmund discovers that Mary’s regret is only that Henry’s adultery was discovered. Devastated, he breaks off the relationship and returns to Mansfield Park, where he confides in Fanny. Eventually the two marry and move to Mansfield parsonage after Dr Grant secures a post in Westminster. Meanwhile, those left at Mansfield Park have learned from their mistakes and life becomes pleasanter there.
Some of you might have noticed that you can’t use the letter “I” here on this site, or at other sites across the wordpress.com system. It does appear to be completely random and comes and goes. Feel free to use the letter “Y” or even “Eye” in the comments if it affects you here.
I highly recommend you contact WordPress. Not because I think they will actually do anything, but simply so that other people know that they are not alone with this problem. If you are a freeplan user, wordpress can be reached through the Forums. click on the blue button that says “Add New Topic”. Make sure you list out what sites you’re having the problems on, what specific posts (if you can remember), what browser you are using and be sure to tell them that Bookstooge sent you, because I hate them and have been banned from the forums but I want them to know that I’m still here knowing how utterly useless they are. https://wordpress.com/forums/forum/support/
If you have a paid plan, you can contact them through email, supposedly. I tried that and had the problem of using the letter “i” within their system. It’s totally bs and at the moment, I hate wordpress.com more than I have in a very long time.
This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: Imperial Command Series: Empire Rising #10 Author: David Holmes Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars Genre: SF Pages: 420 Words: 166K
This was a great return to the Empire Rising series. Taking this little break from it was just what I needed to make me appreciate the space opera that is involved.
A lot of ship to ship fighting. A tiny bit of space marines kicking butt, but (hahahaaha) not nearly enough.
The little bits of “Imperial History” written in 3002 have already referenced a war with another advanced alien race AND a potential pretender to the Throne. So I’m already preparing myself for those events.
At the same time, I’m not allowing that to rob me of any enjoyment of the present conflict with the Karacknicks (giant space spiders who rule a gigantic empire). They make wonderful badguys and it’s quite enjoyable to see them getting smacked around by humanity.
★★★✬☆
From the Publisher
Synopsis – Click to Open
Trapped behind enemy lines, the survivors of the raid on Jaranna have been forced to flee deeper into enemy territory. Behind them Karacknid fleets gather to exact revenge. With danger at every turn, Admiral Lightfoot must find a way to get his ships home or Earth will be left defenseless. On Earth the Empire has been formed and is bringing the outlying colonies into its fold. Yet there are those who see themselves and not the Empire as the rightful rulers of Humanity. At the very moment when they should be preparing their people to face the Karacknids, James and Christine instead find themselves facing the threat of a civil war. If it spreads and Humanity’s strength consumes itself, the Empire will fall. For their part, the Karacknids have not removed their sights from Earth. Even as the war along the Alliance border rages on, ships are on the move. For it is through Earth’s conquest the Karacknids’ believe the end of the war will come. For those who have sworn to serve the Empire, everything hangs in the balance
