Phantos Fire

by Anne Lambert, Jeff Lambert

Nyla has problems. What happens when part of the planet you are on is alive, sentient, and you're killing it? Nyla--a g-e, or genetically engineered individual--takes this concern to the born humans. But Nyla is property, tied to a specific planet, and forever doing someone else's business, and no one is interested in listening. Born human colonists gave up everything and gambled their lives and freedom to make the colony a success; they don't believe Nyla, nor does the head of the planet, her lover. If Nyla is right, they'll be no better off than she for the born humans, paying back the InterGalactic Mining Company would make indentured servants of them and their families for generations. Nyla has problems and she's on her own. She only hopes she's smart enough and good enough to save them all.

220 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2011

About the author

Anne Lambert was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and resided there until her marriage to Jeffrey Lambert after his graduation from the Naval Academy in 1976. Together they traveled the world throughout his career, sharing their adventures with their two children, Meg and Pat. After retirement they settled in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Anne enjoys writing, reading, cooking , sewing, embroidery, research and a host of other activities. There aren't enough hours in the day to complete everything she wants to do. She has Therapy dogs who visit hospitals with her, bringing cheer and also teaching Autistic children sign language. Anne also teaches literacy to adults.

Reviews

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted at: http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...

Humans and genetically engineered humanoids - or GEs - share Phantos IV. They are there to mine titanium ore, the lifeline for Phantos IV. In reality it is the GEs, made specifically for this planet, who take the risks and get the ore. GE Nyla Four has discovered a reason why they must stop mining immediately.

The Un are the sentient inhabitants of the planet who can change not only their shape, but their inner essence. They are reluctant to communicate with any human but Nyla due to previous attempts ending in death for both humans and Un. Without proof, the humans refuse to acknowledge their existence.

Nyla and her fellow GEs along with the Un, fight for their rights with the corporation who sponsor and run the planet. The corporation’s human representatives have their own agenda, and it’s not a nice one. If the GEs and Un fail they will all be destroyed by the greed of the humans.

I enjoyed reading this book, though it sagged a bit in the middle. Thankfully, it didn't take long before it picked up again and got a new lease of life. When that happened, though Nyla had changed and I couldn’t really understand the difference in her. At the beginning of the book she was well balanced and co-existed with the humans on Phantos IV, despite the fact they treated GEs as second class citizens. Later she became bitter and twisted with a hatred for humans which didn’t jive with her previous character. She also crossed the line with her fellow GEs.

Nyla Four is the main character, but the other GEs and humans fit well into the story. The friends, the ex-lover, the traitor, even the splicer of genes for GEs - they all have their part to play. A disaster brings the two factions of humanity together and with the help of the Un they sort out their differences. Happy ever after - definitely not. What good is it to live comfortably together if their very existence is threatened?

As mentioned, I did enjoy reading Phantos Fire. It's a well written book with bold, vibrant characters and a completely new story idea for this genre. The Epilogue finished the story nicely as it showed what happened after the book finished. If this hadn’t been there I would have been wondering if I’d guessed right about some of the partnerships the authors hinted at in the final chapters. Despite showing the greed and lack of compassion of the humans, this story shows a future with an intriguing twist, plus a look at the way our race might interact with others in space. If you're looking for something to read with a difference Phantos Fire could be the one for you.

[Loukie Adlem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine this: a small group of genetically engineered people stranded on an inhospitable planet. The odds are poor. Dust storms and biting cold winds swirl against the dome that is their sole protection, and then the power fails. One can almost hear the movie music cue in the background. If you like Sci-Fi, you'll probably like this story.

It is a gripping thriller, right from the first page. It starts with a court scene. Nerve-wracking stuff. The Lamberts wrote a great villian. Oh, how I despised Byron. The slimeball. And they didn't spare their protagonist, Nyla. She messes up, sometimes. She has bad taste in men. But she has guts and lots of them. The scene where she negotiated with the Chancellor of Calumnus left me with knots of tension in my tummy.

Phantos Fire touches on some serious issues like the rights of genetically engineered people; racism and reverse racism. The alien race who get ripped off when their planet is strip mined, and survival, the will to live and prosper.

But most of all it is a great story, and I look forward to seeing more work from these authors.