Echoes of War

by Kristine Smith

Debts linger, waiting to be paid. When Colonel Niall Pierce is kidnapped, Jani Kilian is ordered to stay out of it. Niall may be her best friend, but he is also an officer in the Commonwealth Service and a full human while she is the half-idomeni head of the hybrid enclave of Thalassa—to attempt his rescue would not only call his loyalty into question and endanger his life but increase tensions between the Commonwealth and the alien idomeni.

Jani is also facing her own problems. Outside forces and inner turmoil are menacing Thalassa, and the behavioral changes wrought by her hybridization leave her shaken and concerned about what she is becoming. But when a threat from her own past compels her to join the search for Niall, she comes to believe that an adversary she thought vanquished has returned. As she and her enigmatic partner Lucien Pascal dodge pursuers and build shaky alliances, she realizes her past and present are one and the same, and dangers she once faced could return to claim her and everything—and everyone—she loves.

Genres: Science Fiction

432 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 6, 2023

About the author

Kristine Smith is the author of the Jani Kilian series and other science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories under her own name. Her fiction has been nominated for the Locus Award for First Novel, Philip K. Dick Memorial Award and the IAFA William L. Crawford Fantasy Award, and she was the 2001 winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, she spent 26 years working in pharmaceutical product R&D. She was born in the Northeast, grew up in the South, and currently lives in the Midwest.

Kristine Smith has also written the supernatural thrillers GIDEON and JERICHO under the name Alex Gordon.


Photo by Joel Danto/Danto Photography

Reviews

[Scott Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some context - this series and author were something I'd found in a forum discussion two years ago, found it an interesting concept, and picked up all five volumes. The earlier ones were a little rough around the edges (as are many early-career novels), but were engrossing enough and definitely improved as the series rolled on (better dialogue, better character development, more expansive and interesting world-building).

I had thought the overall narrative and character arc were relatively complete after the fifth book, and with sixteen years gone since its publication I will admit I did not expect a continuation of the series until the author's announcement of an upcoming title, so I picked it up to read on my Kobo. This volume was a bit of a slower start, and had a few moments of over-focus on the bureaucratic process aspects of "document examining" that felt like a brief return to the first book, but mostly felt like it fit with the latter books in the series. There's a definite (mild) reliance on the history and character development from the previous books, so I don't recommend it as a starting point, and it doesn't spend as much time really developing the locales or setting the scenes as I'd like. Overall it's a worthwhile addition to the series that _might_ be opening up a new arc - time will tell!

[Diane McConnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

You need to start with Code of Conduct!

Like many other readers I thought that Jani Kilian was in a good place at Thalassa on Elyas but the author has decided that Jani needs a new challenge by trying to find out who kidnapped Colonel Niall Pierce and rescue him from his captors.

I’ve been meaning to reread The Jani Kilian Chronicles and I was thrilled to find out that Kristine Smith is continuing the series and I can’t wait to see her in her new position.

[Kyri Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this long awaited sequel didn't make a lot of sense to me. Why was the document misplaced and forgotten about in the first place? The plot pretty much lost me and didn't seem to have a logical arc.

[Richard H Cawthorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth waiting for

Thank you Kristine Smith! Book 6 is the best of this series, with your wonderful characters in full action mode. Well worth the wait.