Stratagem: Journey to Nyorfias Book 3

Journey to Nyorfias #3

by Terry Roy, Terry Roy

In the wake of the enemy's masterfully executed surprise attack on Aurora Base, Easy Force endures a perilous march through a life-threatening storm. Sgt. Rett can take on any physical challenge -- but can she survive close combat with an alien superbeing on the battleground of her own mind?

Series Reading Order: Convergence, Gravity, Stratagem, Carakenne, Kyarta Girl

380 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 26, 2013

About the author

Terry Roy has written fiction under the pen names Terran Moffat, Sharona Troy, and T.M. Roy, but has recently decided to ditch all those and sign off on her works with her everyday name. As a child, she'd run out of reading material quickly so, in-between trips to the library (which was fifteen miles away at the time), she'd read encyclopedias and non-fiction and just about anything else she got her hands on without her parents knowing. This practice evolved into writing her own stories or continuations of favorite stories, complete with illustrations.

Nowadays, Terry lives just north of St Paul, Minnesota, with her two parrots. She freelances as a book designer for pixel and print books when she isn't writing. On the side she has an extensive garden and enjoys canning and freezing the bounty. You might catch her selling her hot pepper jams (and a few books) at a local farmer's market.

Reviews

[Debra Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has sat in my queue for months waiting for its turn for review. Finally, this week, I picked it up. Boy, oh boy, am I glad I did. Ladies and gents if this book is in your TBR pile, read it now, and if it isn't, add it. You won't be disappointed. This is one of the best scifi stories I've read in ages.

Sergeant Rett of the Nyorfias military is a kick-ass commander of an elite commando unit, F-troop. Under her expert direction, the psi-able unit consistently pulls off one impossible mission after another against the Yixolyrn Coalition, an alien race bent on conquering Nyorfias for its resources. Because of her strength, her determination, her dedication to the men and women of her unit, and her unfailing belief in their ability to defeat the enemy, Rett finds herself the obsession of Commander Tyndal Ihelon. The Yixolyrn commander is ruthless and determined to get his hands on her believing that if he publicly kills her, the back of the resistance will be broken. When a member of Rett's group is captured, Commander Ihelon is willing to negotiate the soldier's release, but only if Rett will trade places. Rett agrees and the action notches up higher.

As if keeping her unit and herself alive in the battle for their planet's survival isn't enough, Rett finds herself saddled with an ego-merge, a strange alien being from the planet Earth that has somehow invaded her mind. The battle of wits begins. What could the deities be thinking? Is Rett in the middle of a deities' battle between Light and Dark or is this someone's idea of a joke?

It's fantastic to read a story with a strong female lead. Make no mistake about it--Sgt. Rett is a badass. The author weaves a story that captures the reader from the opening pages and refuses to let you go. Between Rett's expertise running the military campaigns, the descriptions of the futuristic weapons and conversation between Rett and her merge Pam, I found myself turning the pages faster and faster to find out what T.M. was going to throw at them next. The other characters in the story are nicely fleshed out and came alive within the story. Battles are harsh and people die. When I read some of those passages, I found a little piece of me dying with them. That is the power of words this author has to make a scene vibrantly come alive for the reader.

As if all of the above wasn't enough to make STRATAGEM a most enjoyable story, the author throws one more piece into the mix, that is, in the form of Jaq Pym. Jaq, a Zetinorian, has been enslaved by the Yixolyrn Coalition and forced to do unspeakable things. When he has an opportunity to escape, he finds himself captured by none other than Sgt. Rett. To say anything more about these two would be a major spoiler so I leave it at that. Does Rett outright kill the defector? Does her unit go out of their way to protect him? What kind of life can a former Yixolyrn torture master expect now that he's on the other side?

There are so many good things to say about this book, but I'll stop here. My highest praise: go buy it and find out for yourself! Highly Recommended.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

By the time I got through this third book of this series I found myself thoroughly dissapointed that it was the last one. The characters really grew on me over the three books and the ending kept me glued to the pages. I liked the whole ego merge concept and the idea of experiencing an alien culture through another's eyes. A great military sci-fi read!!

[Karli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Satisfying conclusion to a strong story. Great books.