It’s been two years since Caine Riordan was relieved of his command for following both his orders and his conscience. Now he’s finally received the message he’s been waiting for: a summons to visit the ancient and enigmatic Dornaani. And this time, making direct contact is not just professional, but personal: the Dornaani still have his mortally-wounded love, Elena Corcoran, in their unthinkably advanced medical facilities.
But instead of arranging a swift reunion, Riordan’s new Dornaani hosts are not only disinterested in human affairs, but are in such social disarray that they have lost track of Elena’s surgical cryocell. Riordan must blaze his own trail through dying and dangerous worlds to find the mother of his child, her fate as uncertain as the true agenda of the Dornaani leaders.
However, as new clues and new threats push Caine’s quest beyond the edge of known space, he discovers that the Dornaani empire is not merely decaying; there are subtle signs that its decline is being accelerated from without. Which means that rescuing Elena is just half the mission: Riordan must report that the Dornaani collapse is not only being engineered, but that it is the prelude to a far more malign scheme:
To clear a path for a foe bent on destroying Earth.
This is the fifth book in the Caine Riordan science fiction series by Charles E. Gannon. The series has several names including the 22nd Century series and Tales of the Terran Republic. Previous books include Caines’ Mutiny, Raising Caine, Trial by Fire and Fire with Fire. There are at least two more books planned for the series which are Endangered Species and Protected Species.
This is a space opera set in Gannon’s Terran Republic world. His world is descriptive and full of life that you want to explore further (and can in other books).
The series is well-done; even though it took years to build, it was well worth the wait. The fourth novel fell a little flat and left me disinterested in continuing the series, however this one has re-sparked my interest.
This novel is well-written and definitely deserves a place alongside the first three novels.
Gannon has created a fantastically strong character in Riordan that almost jumps off the pages. He is smart and quick-witted with a won’t quit attitude.
This is a novel worth picking up and we give it 4 stars
Written by: Charles E. Gannon
Cover Art by Bob Eggleton
Published by Baen Books
How we rate our Books
1 = We finished the book with effort
2 = Readable, but more fluff than substance
3 = Good
4 = Pretty Good and worth passing on to your friends
5 = We couldn’t put the book down
