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Cutter's Wars #2
The Vastalimi Gambit
At the close of the twenty-fourth century, a series of revolutions has caused the galaxy to descend into chaos. With the Galactic Union Army stretched thin, mercenary units have arisen for those who have the need—and the means—to hire them…
Kay, the alien member of the Cutter Force Initiative, has returned to her brutal home world of Vast on a mission of mercy. Before she joined the merc team, she was a great healer. And now her skills are sorely needed. Hundreds of Vastalimi—including her blood-kin—are dying mysteriously.
But is the plague a work of nature? Or is it a bioengineered virus, purposefully unleashed? Kay and Doc Wink will have to find out the hard way.
With the Cutter Force light-years away, the two find the odds against them—and on a planet like Vast, where violence abounds and life is cheap, they may be facing a foe they can’t defeat…
Kay, the alien member of the Cutter Force Initiative, has returned to her brutal home world of Vast on a mission of mercy. Before she joined the merc team, she was a great healer. And now her skills are sorely needed. Hundreds of Vastalimi—including her blood-kin—are dying mysteriously.
But is the plague a work of nature? Or is it a bioengineered virus, purposefully unleashed? Kay and Doc Wink will have to find out the hard way.
With the Cutter Force light-years away, the two find the odds against them—and on a planet like Vast, where violence abounds and life is cheap, they may be facing a foe they can’t defeat…
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published December 31, 2013
11 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
Steve Perry
312 books361 followersLibrarians note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Steven Carl Perry has written over fifty novels and numerous short stories, which have appeared in various magazines and anthologies. Perry is perhaps best known for the Matador series. He has written books in the Star Wars, Alien and Conan universes. He was a collaborator on all of the Tom Clancy's Net Force series, seven of which have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller list. Two of his novelizations, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire and Men in Black have also been bestsellers. Other writing credits include articles, reviews, and essays, animated teleplays, and some unproduced movie scripts. One of his scripts for Batman: The Animated Series was an Emmy Award nominee for Outstanding Writing.
Perry is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, The Animation Guild, and the Writers Guild of America, West
Steven Carl Perry has written over fifty novels and numerous short stories, which have appeared in various magazines and anthologies. Perry is perhaps best known for the Matador series. He has written books in the Star Wars, Alien and Conan universes. He was a collaborator on all of the Tom Clancy's Net Force series, seven of which have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller list. Two of his novelizations, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire and Men in Black have also been bestsellers. Other writing credits include articles, reviews, and essays, animated teleplays, and some unproduced movie scripts. One of his scripts for Batman: The Animated Series was an Emmy Award nominee for Outstanding Writing.
Perry is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, The Animation Guild, and the Writers Guild of America, West
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 12, 2021
A slight improvement over the first book. The individual characters are more flushed out and built upon. Perry excels in writing colorful characters. My criticism with this book is also the same as the last, the main plot can be a bit trite and predictable. All and all a fun read and I look forward to more of the same in the next one.
November 19, 2020
Notes:
Currently on Audible Plus
Currently on Audible Plus
August 2, 2024
Cutter’s Wars sērijas (par triloģiju varētu saukt vien skaita dēļ) darbība norit 24.gadsimta noslēdzošajā fāzē, laikā, kad cilvēce veiksmīgi spējusi kolonizēt neskaitāmas planētas, kā arī sastapusies un atšķirīgos līmeņos spējusi rast, ja ne sadarbību, tad neitralitāti ar dažnedažādām citplanētiešu rasēm. Kardarbība, kaut arī pastāv Galaktiskās Savienības armija, kā jau daudz kas cits, šķiet arī kļuvis vairāk privātas sfēras lauciņš vai vismaz dažādi sīkie uzdevumi, kur algotņu privātās armijas un grupējumi noder labāk nekā lielā mašinērija.
https://poseidons99.com/2024/08/02/st...
https://poseidons99.com/2024/08/02/st...
May 2, 2019
Another good read. Cutter Force Initiative is back and the dialog is up to snuff. The story ain't half bad, and even allows you to delve deeper in the background of your favorites characters, as a second book should. So, light sci-fi, good characters, great read... You won't mind more.
July 4, 2021
Was better than the first one. World building was more subtle and stronger then the first one, character development felt more organic and less "in your face". The main plot and sub plot were both relatively enjoyable and while the author again went for a twist ending, this one didn't feel as standard as the one in the first one. There was still some obvious character-building or forced exposition, but it felt like it was actually going somewhere. Some parts of the book felt copy-pasted, and I'm almost positive one section describing Wink's knife was, but it wasn't particularly obnoxious and I can understand why it was done.
Not much more to it than that. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could as opposed to the first one, which was definitely 3 stars. It's beach novel sci-fi and was an enjoyable read in that regard. I feel like the author definitely recognized that a bit more in this novel.
Not much more to it than that. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could as opposed to the first one, which was definitely 3 stars. It's beach novel sci-fi and was an enjoyable read in that regard. I feel like the author definitely recognized that a bit more in this novel.
November 24, 2023
This second installment of the Cutter’s Wars series is propulsive, one of the few books that actually deserves the appellation “breakneck”. Cutter’s mercenary crew is defending some farmers while their two medics are off investigating a possible pandemic on the Vastalimi homeworld. So we get two different kinds of action running simultaneously: the war stuff from MilSF stories and the amateur detectives infiltrating an alien criminal underworld. Keeps things lively! Plus we get more insight to these characters.
I quite like the “gentlemen mercenary” aspect of this universe, where rules of conflict and duels are obeyed. Sure, they’ll kill each other all day long, but it’s not personal - it’s just their job. Once a clear winner is obvious, they stand down and negotiate. Then it’s off to the next battle.
I did this in audiobook, and R.C. Bray’s performance is excellent.
I quite like the “gentlemen mercenary” aspect of this universe, where rules of conflict and duels are obeyed. Sure, they’ll kill each other all day long, but it’s not personal - it’s just their job. Once a clear winner is obvious, they stand down and negotiate. Then it’s off to the next battle.
I did this in audiobook, and R.C. Bray’s performance is excellent.
December 30, 2022
Much better than the first book. The exploration of the Vastalimi culture, including politics and family, added depth to an intriguing mystery. There is a secondary thread, which mainly serves to allow two of the team to work alone for much of the story.
On to the next...
On to the next...
May 16, 2018
3.5 stars, good military action, fun characters. Crazy story.
March 24, 2017
I really like Steve Perry's work. He has a fabulous writing style. I loved his " step "
series. He knows and can relate combat operations.,as well as getting the reader caught up in the emotional side of the storyline.
series. He knows and can relate combat operations.,as well as getting the reader caught up in the emotional side of the storyline.
June 26, 2014
This book started out promisingly, but devolved into a muddled mess with a very disappointing ending.
I generally like Steve Perry books and I had read the first book in this series, which I thought was okay (just okay), so I thought I would give this sequel a chance. And he let me down. Oh well.
The book is about two members of the Cutter's Force Initiative, a team of mercenaries -- Kay and Wink. Wink is a human doctor and a merc. Kay is an alien Vastalimi, all of whom are stronger and faster than humans. It's almost impossible to beat them in combat. Kay has been serving with Cutter when she gets a message from her brother telling her of a plague that has broken out on her home planet of Vast and asking her to return, as she's an excellent Healer. Kay goes and brings Wink with her. However, it's dangerous. The Vastalimi don't like humans and they don't like Kay either. Indeed, she's challenged to a battle to the death, which she wins. We meet her brother, a doctor, and her sister, a member of the police. On Vast, the police are all powerful. They are judge, jury, and executioner and can kill you on the spot if they deem it warranted.
Meanwhile, Cutter and his crew are fighting a minor merc war on a backwater planet. This part of the book just seems like filler to me. It really adds nothing. So back to Kay and Wink. Wink determines it's poison that's killing off the Vastilimi and he and Kay start asking questions. Then they get kidnapped. They're not heard from for several days, so Cutter and the others leave their planet and go to Vast to search for them. However, they've escaped and are out interviewing potential suspects. And on and on. It gets really boring, the interviews. It seems like filler too. Perry must have had a minimum words requirement to fulfill because this book could have been edited down.
*** SPOILER ALERT ***
The end is beyond anticlimactic. It's deeply disappointing. The culprit behind the murderous plague is Kay's sister. She thinks the police are going downhill, that they're not getting the quality of the recruits they once got. So she concocts this plan to kill off various criminals, as well as innocents -- including members of her own family -- to throw people off the trail, just so the police would look good in solving the crime and so they could recruit better once again. Yeah. It's utterly stupid. And to make it worse, Perry can't write a book without gratuitous sex scenes, so Wink and Kay end up in the sack together, with Wink thinking about a threesome. And that's it. The ending sucks!!! I can't believe I read this. For part of the book, I was engaged. There were some exciting moments. But the slow parts drag it down and the ending kills it. Too bad. Not recommended.
I generally like Steve Perry books and I had read the first book in this series, which I thought was okay (just okay), so I thought I would give this sequel a chance. And he let me down. Oh well.
The book is about two members of the Cutter's Force Initiative, a team of mercenaries -- Kay and Wink. Wink is a human doctor and a merc. Kay is an alien Vastalimi, all of whom are stronger and faster than humans. It's almost impossible to beat them in combat. Kay has been serving with Cutter when she gets a message from her brother telling her of a plague that has broken out on her home planet of Vast and asking her to return, as she's an excellent Healer. Kay goes and brings Wink with her. However, it's dangerous. The Vastalimi don't like humans and they don't like Kay either. Indeed, she's challenged to a battle to the death, which she wins. We meet her brother, a doctor, and her sister, a member of the police. On Vast, the police are all powerful. They are judge, jury, and executioner and can kill you on the spot if they deem it warranted.
Meanwhile, Cutter and his crew are fighting a minor merc war on a backwater planet. This part of the book just seems like filler to me. It really adds nothing. So back to Kay and Wink. Wink determines it's poison that's killing off the Vastilimi and he and Kay start asking questions. Then they get kidnapped. They're not heard from for several days, so Cutter and the others leave their planet and go to Vast to search for them. However, they've escaped and are out interviewing potential suspects. And on and on. It gets really boring, the interviews. It seems like filler too. Perry must have had a minimum words requirement to fulfill because this book could have been edited down.
*** SPOILER ALERT ***
The end is beyond anticlimactic. It's deeply disappointing. The culprit behind the murderous plague is Kay's sister. She thinks the police are going downhill, that they're not getting the quality of the recruits they once got. So she concocts this plan to kill off various criminals, as well as innocents -- including members of her own family -- to throw people off the trail, just so the police would look good in solving the crime and so they could recruit better once again. Yeah. It's utterly stupid. And to make it worse, Perry can't write a book without gratuitous sex scenes, so Wink and Kay end up in the sack together, with Wink thinking about a threesome. And that's it. The ending sucks!!! I can't believe I read this. For part of the book, I was engaged. There were some exciting moments. But the slow parts drag it down and the ending kills it. Too bad. Not recommended.
February 11, 2014
http://openbooksociety.com/article/th...
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Sammy
*Beware of Spoilers*
Steve Perry is an awesome writer and I have read many of his stories (all 5stars) so I’m really sad to say that this story was such a disappointment, it felt and read like someone else wrote it. The quote on page one grabbed me in, it’s one of my favorites:
”If you look long enough into the Void, the Void begins to look back through you. -Friedrich Nietzsche
This doesn’t even connect to the story for me. Then the prologue pulled me in more, first part of chapter 1 even more, then it jumped to something else and I got a bit confused, still interesting but it wasn’t smoothly done. This whole book felt like reading two different stories and appeared not to have much in common other than the characters all worked together at some point. I have read books that do this and somehow have a connection that finished it off in a perfectly fit together puzzle. Not here. There were things that would sound really interesting, but would go nowhere.
The mystery part of this story was sooooooo slow that I got a bit bored with it. No progress made and then at the end of the story it was just there, no build up. Very odd.
Much of the dialog was dull or trying to be funny. The buddy jokes got old and kept coming. Things were not clear throughout the story. It was so upsetting because the premise of this book could have been awesome, if only the author would have stuck to one story. The medical mystery should have had its own story without jumping back and forth to the part which again had nothing to do with what I considered the main part of the story.
Sometimes when reading a story it will go back and forth perhaps every other chapter not this one it would jump in the middle of a chapter. I’d have to go and reread because I thought I had missed something important.
The ending seriously???? The two main characters have sex and then Wink wonders if he can get another member to have sex for a threesome, because he had already had sex with her at some earlier date, it felt like it was thrown in as an after thought to add some sex.
With all that said the writing in some parts was done very well. Would I recommend this book? Not really. I know it’s the first book in a series, so much of the negative things, could just be the curse of the 1st book in a new series. Perhaps some, but definitely not all of the issues.
Since this is an author that I have loved in the past I will probably read one more book in this series, just to see and hope it grabs me throughout the whole story.
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Sammy
*Beware of Spoilers*
Steve Perry is an awesome writer and I have read many of his stories (all 5stars) so I’m really sad to say that this story was such a disappointment, it felt and read like someone else wrote it. The quote on page one grabbed me in, it’s one of my favorites:
”If you look long enough into the Void, the Void begins to look back through you. -Friedrich Nietzsche
This doesn’t even connect to the story for me. Then the prologue pulled me in more, first part of chapter 1 even more, then it jumped to something else and I got a bit confused, still interesting but it wasn’t smoothly done. This whole book felt like reading two different stories and appeared not to have much in common other than the characters all worked together at some point. I have read books that do this and somehow have a connection that finished it off in a perfectly fit together puzzle. Not here. There were things that would sound really interesting, but would go nowhere.
The mystery part of this story was sooooooo slow that I got a bit bored with it. No progress made and then at the end of the story it was just there, no build up. Very odd.
Much of the dialog was dull or trying to be funny. The buddy jokes got old and kept coming. Things were not clear throughout the story. It was so upsetting because the premise of this book could have been awesome, if only the author would have stuck to one story. The medical mystery should have had its own story without jumping back and forth to the part which again had nothing to do with what I considered the main part of the story.
Sometimes when reading a story it will go back and forth perhaps every other chapter not this one it would jump in the middle of a chapter. I’d have to go and reread because I thought I had missed something important.
The ending seriously???? The two main characters have sex and then Wink wonders if he can get another member to have sex for a threesome, because he had already had sex with her at some earlier date, it felt like it was thrown in as an after thought to add some sex.
With all that said the writing in some parts was done very well. Would I recommend this book? Not really. I know it’s the first book in a series, so much of the negative things, could just be the curse of the 1st book in a new series. Perhaps some, but definitely not all of the issues.
Since this is an author that I have loved in the past I will probably read one more book in this series, just to see and hope it grabs me throughout the whole story.
August 30, 2016
A good book, very enjoyable, but a little disjointed. The characters start out split up, and it turns out that one group was following the plot while the other group was basically just killing time and providing filler.
Wasn't bad, was still interesting reading, but ultimately seemed a bit pointless.
My other complaint is that the Vastalimi are a bit too much the Proud Warrior Race Guy trope. At times I found myself fighting the urge to roll my eyes at the very clichéd warrior culture they were wading through.
Despite that, the cast is still very good and very interesting. You learn a bit more about them, and their backgrounds. I'd honestly be entertained with them just sitting around telling stories.
Wasn't bad, was still interesting reading, but ultimately seemed a bit pointless.
My other complaint is that the Vastalimi are a bit too much the Proud Warrior Race Guy trope. At times I found myself fighting the urge to roll my eyes at the very clichéd warrior culture they were wading through.
Despite that, the cast is still very good and very interesting. You learn a bit more about them, and their backgrounds. I'd honestly be entertained with them just sitting around telling stories.
March 17, 2014
Better than the first in the series. I would push this to 3.5 stars. If the third one ups the game a little more, I'll go back to buying them. The Matador series had a background of revolution that elevated it to space opera. We need either more grit or more humor to substitute for the depth that's missing. I sure have my hopes up for the next!
July 22, 2015
Steve Perry is and has always been an artist using words. I consider myself a scifi nut and enjoy when the future has a nice spin to it. Perry delivers on describing a more positive future and after reading one of his novels...I tend to feel like I am accomplishing something for the better good of the future in my own existence.
August 13, 2014
I haven't read Steve Perry in quite a while, but I've liked his work, particularly the Matador novels from the 80's. I've just discovered this more recent work, Cutter's Wars, and started reading them out of order. Fun military minded space faring Sci-fi, even if you are pretty sure the good guys are impossibly better than everybody else.
April 27, 2015
Perry seems to be hitting his stride with this new series. To me, this series isn't as good as his Matador series, but it is an excellent read. Rather classic military SF. Looking forward to #3, they seem to be getting better with each book.
April 14, 2014
A great story that rockets along. I can't wait until the next installment!
March 10, 2015
Another exciting adventure, with a twist I did not see coming. Very deep and developed characters. Great read again by Steve Perry.
July 31, 2015
Not as fun as the first one
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews