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Lunar Free State #9
Stand on Xanadu
What do you do when one of your deep space survey ships discovers a fertile, Earth-like planet that isn’t currently occupied by humans or any other intelligent species?
If you’re the Lunar Free State, you make plans to put a colony there—and try to keep it secret so the Confederated Nations of Earth don’t do the same. Unfortunately, though, the secret gets out, and the CNE scrambles to launch their own colony project, starting a race by both nations to make their claim to the planet.
But when exobiologist Kim Jin Li discovers that the planet does, in fact, have native intelligent life—a race of feline predators that communicate telepathically—the discovery sets up a confrontation between LFS and CNE warships in orbit, and the LFS Marines and CNE Peacekeepers on the ground.
Is this the beginning of the long-expected final war between the Lunar Free State and the Confederated Nations of Earth?
If you’re the Lunar Free State, you make plans to put a colony there—and try to keep it secret so the Confederated Nations of Earth don’t do the same. Unfortunately, though, the secret gets out, and the CNE scrambles to launch their own colony project, starting a race by both nations to make their claim to the planet.
But when exobiologist Kim Jin Li discovers that the planet does, in fact, have native intelligent life—a race of feline predators that communicate telepathically—the discovery sets up a confrontation between LFS and CNE warships in orbit, and the LFS Marines and CNE Peacekeepers on the ground.
Is this the beginning of the long-expected final war between the Lunar Free State and the Confederated Nations of Earth?
449 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 8, 2023
46 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
John E. Siers
37 books35 followersJohn Siers is an Air Force veteran, currently retired from his old job as a software developer. He spends his time writing, and operates a little gunsmith business on the side.
John lives near Memphis, Tennessee with his wife, youngest son, dog, and two cats. Hobbies include astronomy, woodworking, hunting, and shooting sports. He has been writing Science Fiction for over twenty years, and published his first full-length novel, The Moon and Beyond in 2012. His second novel Someday the Stars was published in May,2013 and won the 2014 Darrell Award for Best SF Novel by a Midsouth Author.
John has since published four more novels in his Lunar Free State series and has also contributed two novels and several short stories to universes developed by other authors. He is currently working on the seventh Lunar Free State novel, and the series is now being translated into German for release on Amazon.de and is also being put out in audio book form on Audible.
John lives near Memphis, Tennessee with his wife, youngest son, dog, and two cats. Hobbies include astronomy, woodworking, hunting, and shooting sports. He has been writing Science Fiction for over twenty years, and published his first full-length novel, The Moon and Beyond in 2012. His second novel Someday the Stars was published in May,2013 and won the 2014 Darrell Award for Best SF Novel by a Midsouth Author.
John has since published four more novels in his Lunar Free State series and has also contributed two novels and several short stories to universes developed by other authors. He is currently working on the seventh Lunar Free State novel, and the series is now being translated into German for release on Amazon.de and is also being put out in audio book form on Audible.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 29, 2023
Another good book in the The Lunar Free State series. Of the nine books in the series, so far, seven have been solid four stars, one a three star and one did a dip down to two stars.
This one is a four star one. Maybe not a super strong four star one but a four star one nonetheless.
The book follows the previous book in the time line and throws in a new twist in the form of a new planet with, as it turns out, not only intelligent but telepathic inhabitants.
Then of course, in comes the CNE, which essentially is a merge of the useless, and has we have recently come to learn terrorist supporting, UN and EU. Of course it all goes to hell as one could expect. CNE has the same non-existent respect for freedom and moral values as the politicians in UN and EU has today.
This is really why these books never seem to go above four stars for me. There is constantly this background noise of despicable political asshattery which is really grating one me.
As usual, the rest of the book is really good though. Although, I would say that the title is quite a bit of hyperbole. From that title I would have expected a bit of… you now… an actual stand, a show down and some nice fighting towards the end.
Well, that does not really happen. Sure the CNE dumbasses got their asses kicked again but not really enough for them to get the message and the hinted at “final war” just fizzles out. I have to say I felt a wee bit disappointed at the end.
This one is a four star one. Maybe not a super strong four star one but a four star one nonetheless.
The book follows the previous book in the time line and throws in a new twist in the form of a new planet with, as it turns out, not only intelligent but telepathic inhabitants.
Then of course, in comes the CNE, which essentially is a merge of the useless, and has we have recently come to learn terrorist supporting, UN and EU. Of course it all goes to hell as one could expect. CNE has the same non-existent respect for freedom and moral values as the politicians in UN and EU has today.
This is really why these books never seem to go above four stars for me. There is constantly this background noise of despicable political asshattery which is really grating one me.
As usual, the rest of the book is really good though. Although, I would say that the title is quite a bit of hyperbole. From that title I would have expected a bit of… you now… an actual stand, a show down and some nice fighting towards the end.
Well, that does not really happen. Sure the CNE dumbasses got their asses kicked again but not really enough for them to get the message and the hinted at “final war” just fizzles out. I have to say I felt a wee bit disappointed at the end.
May 8, 2024
For the first few books in the series, Siers cheerfully killed off protagonists to keep things moving...then he fell in love with Lorna Greenwood, who's survived for the last six books. Lorna is suffering from Honor Harington syndrome at this point, rapidly advancing in the service of Luna from academy graduate in book 4 (In the Service of Luna) to the current title where she's the admiral in charge of defending the latest system the Luna Free State has taken interest in.
It's not a planet inhabited by humans (still waiting for Siers to drop the other shoe on how humans got spread around...but I'm sure he'd got a clever answer up his sleeve) but instead it' 's more like the land of Niven's Kzin, warrior kitty cats. Big warrior kitty cats. Telepathic ones.
Fortunately, the LFS scientists respect natives, no matter how strange they look, and the big cats take a shine to our scientists and marines. Try as they might, the LFS can't keep the new planet secret for long, and the weather Confed shows up in force to do "research" or to put it another way, "to make as much trouble for the moonies as they possibly can."
Yeah. Pissing off 100-kilo killer cats and a bunch of Moonie Marines is a really good idea.
Also back this book is exobiologist Jin and her marine guy, Darius who get considerably more airplay than Lorna Greenwood. We get occasional sidebars to visit characters from other books on the worlds they're on and a bit of discussion of the viability of the whole military state concept.
This is book 9 folks, where a lot of series call it quits, but Siers has a lot more story to tell.
It's not a planet inhabited by humans (still waiting for Siers to drop the other shoe on how humans got spread around...but I'm sure he'd got a clever answer up his sleeve) but instead it' 's more like the land of Niven's Kzin, warrior kitty cats. Big warrior kitty cats. Telepathic ones.
Fortunately, the LFS scientists respect natives, no matter how strange they look, and the big cats take a shine to our scientists and marines. Try as they might, the LFS can't keep the new planet secret for long, and the weather Confed shows up in force to do "research" or to put it another way, "to make as much trouble for the moonies as they possibly can."
Yeah. Pissing off 100-kilo killer cats and a bunch of Moonie Marines is a really good idea.
Also back this book is exobiologist Jin and her marine guy, Darius who get considerably more airplay than Lorna Greenwood. We get occasional sidebars to visit characters from other books on the worlds they're on and a bit of discussion of the viability of the whole military state concept.
This is book 9 folks, where a lot of series call it quits, but Siers has a lot more story to tell.
March 26, 2024
Binge read the whole series anxious for the next book
This series is very good. A lot of action and characters you want to be. An enemy you can recognize and hate. Even though set in the future you can see the politics developing today. Highly recommend hoping it continues
This series is very good. A lot of action and characters you want to be. An enemy you can recognize and hate. Even though set in the future you can see the politics developing today. Highly recommend hoping it continues
August 3, 2024
finally. Something new!
I was about to give up. I felt like I was reading the same battle scenes again and again. Now we have some new, thought provoking material. I’m staying.
I was about to give up. I felt like I was reading the same battle scenes again and again. Now we have some new, thought provoking material. I’m staying.
December 12, 2025
Skating a bit close to Weber's Honorverse, but well-handled and enjoyable.
August 14, 2023
I love the LFS!
My biggest complaint about this series of books is that it's not real and I can't emigrate. I'm sure most SF nerds feel the same way.
My biggest complaint about this series of books is that it's not real and I can't emigrate. I'm sure most SF nerds feel the same way.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews