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The Szuiltan Alliance
Space Opera Science Fiction
When Steve Drake, Space Trader, agreed to take on a trade to the Szuiltans, the only truly alien race ever discovered in man's expansion across the galaxy, he had no idea it would land him in the middle of murder, intrigue and an interplanetary war!
When Steve Drake, Space Trader, agreed to take on a trade to the Szuiltans, the only truly alien race ever discovered in man's expansion across the galaxy, he had no idea it would land him in the middle of murder, intrigue and an interplanetary war!
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 7, 2012
1 person is currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Neil Davies
91 books57 followersBorn in 1959, and preferring not to think too hard about it, Neil Davies writes genre fiction (mostly science fiction and horror, but he refuses to be held to that). When not writing books, he records music with his son as The 1850 Project, and paints pictures of dubious artistic merit with acrylic paints. When not creating, he likes to read books, listen to music, and watch well-made films and trashy TV. A solitary animal by nature, he nevertheless lives with his long-suffering wife and two adult children in the Wirral, UK.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 31, 2014
I've been searching for a decent indie space opera for a while and this is certainly one of the better ones. At heart, it is a political thriller, with overtones of military sci-fi, strange aliens, religious conflicts and a whole heap of complicated personal relationships. Most of the large number of cast are pleasingly well-rounded characters, though there were a few who were not particularly memorable, which led to a bit of head-scratching when they reappeared. The few improbable plot devices were resolved by the twist at the end, which though not entirely unexpected was nevertheless effective. I am tempted to read the rest of the trilogy, but I don't think it's written yet...!
February 4, 2022
This book was well written and presented from multiple view points. It built on a war between two major worlds and the people who were involved in that war. There was never any true knowing what would come next in the story line.
The byplay of the various characters and major players was interesting.
The narration was good and the various voices of the characters done well.
This book was provided free of charge with the expectation of an honest review.
The byplay of the various characters and major players was interesting.
The narration was good and the various voices of the characters done well.
This book was provided free of charge with the expectation of an honest review.
March 25, 2014
Police detective Tom Gates was once only a cover for the galaxy’s highest paid- assassin. It’s easy to catch bad guys and killers when you’re one yourself. But after his wife’s death, he walked away from his true profession. Now he’s just another city-paid gumshoe with a bad past. On Earth things have proceeded much as they always have. Cities get bigger, politicos chase power and cops chase bad guys. On the world of Dirve humanity is a barely tolerated presence. Seen as a late-coming, foul and backwards species, they occupy squalid slums, barely scraping by. But when a series of killings rocks the human community Gates is sent to solve them. What he finds will bring back old memories and worse. The killer is none other than a fellow classmate from Mort, the world of assassins.
Author of Raised in Evil and Interludes: 11 More Tales Of Dark Imagination, Hard Winter, and the recently re-released The Szuiltan Alliance: Book One of The Szuiltan Trilogy, Neil Davies paints a grim future in this science fiction thriller.
Originally released in paperback by Publish America, this revised and rewritten release of A World Of Assassins is the author’s preferred edition, available only as an e-book.
Davies takes the classic police-detective story into space, following in the footsteps of many science fiction greats like Isaac Asimov’s Caves of Steel (1954, Doubleday) However, having the protagonist on both sides of the law is distinctly modern. The result is a plot that pulls the reader along with over-lapping mysteries. Davies is very comfortable in the format, echoing current thrillers at home in any airport newsstand, like Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s Gideon’s Sword (2011, Splendide Mendax) and Keith Thomson’s Once A Spy (2010, Tristar). Fast moving people like fast moving books, and this is just right.
All the essentials are present. No matter the species, temptation overrides morals and taboos to color the future in slimy shades of grey. Competing assassins make sure that tension and violence stay ratcheted up in red light districts while revenge compels citizens down dark paths. And Tom Gates is left sifting through the mess, trying to make sense of knotted and torn threads of evidence. Battling loneliness, racism, and a situation rapidly spinning out of control, he must reconcile his past with the present he’s chosen before the killings spiral out of control. All the while he must ask himself whether he is the detective or the assassin.
The world is entertaining. Cops are cops no matter the planet, scraping along on a shoestring budget that prevents overdone CSI grandstanding. Making a policeman an assassin provides all the right toys with a new planet as the perfect sandbox. Plenty of relationship drama, infidelity and prostitution combine with humanity’s unchanged underbelly. Though the style demands an almost uncomfortable level of seediness, there’s enough steam and passion for any good thriller.
The pages of World of Assassins may turn quickly, but it ends up being thin. The split between sci-fi, detective, and assassin themes leave each feeling unfulfilled. The title is misleading, suggesting a story about the actual Assassin’s College on Mort but delivering three former and current paid killers, only two actually from the school. The natives of Dirve lack a true alien quality. It becomes difficult to suspend disbelief when every important character conversant in English, the language of a hated minority, and conversations with Dirve police sound far too conversational:
That being said, Davies’ gumption and grit is admirable. The book can devour hours to reveal a twist that’s easy to miss, leading to a confrontation any martial arts enthusiast will appreciate for its simple, elegant viciousness.
Originally reviewed for www.isotropicfiction.com by James Lowery. Read the original review at: http://isotropicfiction.com/blog/2012...
An unrepentant bibliophile living in Portland Maine, James Lowery writes and plays music in between hunting new content to devour. Books beware…
Author of Raised in Evil and Interludes: 11 More Tales Of Dark Imagination, Hard Winter, and the recently re-released The Szuiltan Alliance: Book One of The Szuiltan Trilogy, Neil Davies paints a grim future in this science fiction thriller.
Originally released in paperback by Publish America, this revised and rewritten release of A World Of Assassins is the author’s preferred edition, available only as an e-book.
Davies takes the classic police-detective story into space, following in the footsteps of many science fiction greats like Isaac Asimov’s Caves of Steel (1954, Doubleday) However, having the protagonist on both sides of the law is distinctly modern. The result is a plot that pulls the reader along with over-lapping mysteries. Davies is very comfortable in the format, echoing current thrillers at home in any airport newsstand, like Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s Gideon’s Sword (2011, Splendide Mendax) and Keith Thomson’s Once A Spy (2010, Tristar). Fast moving people like fast moving books, and this is just right.
All the essentials are present. No matter the species, temptation overrides morals and taboos to color the future in slimy shades of grey. Competing assassins make sure that tension and violence stay ratcheted up in red light districts while revenge compels citizens down dark paths. And Tom Gates is left sifting through the mess, trying to make sense of knotted and torn threads of evidence. Battling loneliness, racism, and a situation rapidly spinning out of control, he must reconcile his past with the present he’s chosen before the killings spiral out of control. All the while he must ask himself whether he is the detective or the assassin.
The world is entertaining. Cops are cops no matter the planet, scraping along on a shoestring budget that prevents overdone CSI grandstanding. Making a policeman an assassin provides all the right toys with a new planet as the perfect sandbox. Plenty of relationship drama, infidelity and prostitution combine with humanity’s unchanged underbelly. Though the style demands an almost uncomfortable level of seediness, there’s enough steam and passion for any good thriller.
The pages of World of Assassins may turn quickly, but it ends up being thin. The split between sci-fi, detective, and assassin themes leave each feeling unfulfilled. The title is misleading, suggesting a story about the actual Assassin’s College on Mort but delivering three former and current paid killers, only two actually from the school. The natives of Dirve lack a true alien quality. It becomes difficult to suspend disbelief when every important character conversant in English, the language of a hated minority, and conversations with Dirve police sound far too conversational:
“But that’s illegal,” complained Sdam in the English they all spoke out of courtesy to Tom. “Not to mention disgusting. What sensible dirve would want to even go near a human female? It doesn’t make sense.”
That being said, Davies’ gumption and grit is admirable. The book can devour hours to reveal a twist that’s easy to miss, leading to a confrontation any martial arts enthusiast will appreciate for its simple, elegant viciousness.
Originally reviewed for www.isotropicfiction.com by James Lowery. Read the original review at: http://isotropicfiction.com/blog/2012...
An unrepentant bibliophile living in Portland Maine, James Lowery writes and plays music in between hunting new content to devour. Books beware…
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews