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Major Ariane Kedros #1
Peacekeeper: A Major Ariane Kedros Novel
First in a brand new action-packed military science fiction series. Meet Major Ariane Kedros--daring pilot, decorated soldier, war criminal.
Fifteen years ago, Ariane Kedros piloted a ship on a mission that obliterated an entire solar system. Branded a war criminal, she was given a new identity and a new life in order to protect her from retribution.
But now, twelve of Ariane's wartime colleagues are dead--assassinated by someone who has uncovered their true identities. And her superior in the Autonomist Armed Forces has placed her directly in the assassin's line of fire, while on a peacekeeping mission that will decide the fate of all humanity...
Fifteen years ago, Ariane Kedros piloted a ship on a mission that obliterated an entire solar system. Branded a war criminal, she was given a new identity and a new life in order to protect her from retribution.
But now, twelve of Ariane's wartime colleagues are dead--assassinated by someone who has uncovered their true identities. And her superior in the Autonomist Armed Forces has placed her directly in the assassin's line of fire, while on a peacekeeping mission that will decide the fate of all humanity...
340 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2008
30 people are currently reading
1556 people want to read
About the author
Laura E. Reeve
6 books48 followersLaura's first novel, PEACEKEEPER, began a series from Roc called THE MAJOR ARIANE KEDROS NOVELS (read more about the series at www.AncestralStars.com). Publishers Weekly calls it a "crisp military SF debut" and says, "Reeve drives the story at a breakneck pace." Laura was a US Air Force officer for nine years, giving verisimilitude to the military flavor of her novels. She currently lives in Monument, Colorado with her "Dr. Science" husband.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
February 5, 2010
Research really does make a difference. After reading a little bit on Laura Reeve's experiences on her website, I believe that it is her experiences in part that help her to craft such convincing bureaucrats, military men, technology, and international treaties.
She includes critical details that someone on the inside might pick up and that add a realistic touch to her inventions. She writes convincingly about the tricks of inspectors -pretending not to speak the language- the concerns of soldiers who may be obsolete in peacetime, and the shiny possibilities of the interwebs in the future, especially ear bugs and implants and privacy shields in common shopping centers where everything is monitored. I loved all this attention to detail, and it was delivered in a very non-obnoxious manner. No frustrating pauses in momentum to explain the functions and merits of every single device. No lectures. She may drop a line or two on a device, or she may expect the reader to learn from context, e.g. acronyms. If she presents a term like "Command Post" and a sentence later references "CP," not unreasonably, she expects the reader to make the connection. She spins the narrative, and she expects the reader to keep up.
For that reason, this military scifi -closer to hard scifi than soft- might lose readers who do not enjoy instant immersion in a secondary world or prefer a lecturing narrator, but everything is explained in one way or another and everything is not unfamiliar, invented or an acronym. I liked that she is not afraid to portray the more "mundane" elements -that is, the deciding elements- of events, the goings-on behind the scenes of treaties.
Reeve's characters are all also nicely fleshed-out, even the villains, although I would have liked more development. Still, I enjoyed the different points of view. In that respect, it reminded me of a scifi drama like Battlestar Galactica , albeit with a much smaller cast. The focus was on events, however. Main character Ariane is undercover, and I enjoyed the extra layer of tension as she maintained her disguise. There were no superfluous scenes. Every scene contributed to the plot and kept the narrative moving at an even jog, without fits and starts. Even the dialogue was targeted. The characters discussed their world as if they knew it without any suspicious, unlikely explanations clearly intended only for the clueless audience's benefit. "Well, John, I know you know what a privacy shield is. But let me explain it anyway..."
Although Ariane's alcohol addiction was a nice touch and added some grey, I actually thought Edones was the most believable and interesting character, so I hope he's in the sequel. This is not a romance (although I still harbor hope for him and Ariane), but Reeve did a good job making him sympathetic -no easy task- without changing his character. I'm curious to see now whether I'll enjoy the second book as much, since discovering her world was half the fun in the first, but I'm definitely giving it a try. I recommend this to anyone who likes their adventure/military scifi with a dose of realism and a plot that throws you right into the thick of things.
Warning: For a couple of torture scenes and themes of drug abuse and addiction. I forgot this earlier.
She includes critical details that someone on the inside might pick up and that add a realistic touch to her inventions. She writes convincingly about the tricks of inspectors -pretending not to speak the language- the concerns of soldiers who may be obsolete in peacetime, and the shiny possibilities of the interwebs in the future, especially ear bugs and implants and privacy shields in common shopping centers where everything is monitored. I loved all this attention to detail, and it was delivered in a very non-obnoxious manner. No frustrating pauses in momentum to explain the functions and merits of every single device. No lectures. She may drop a line or two on a device, or she may expect the reader to learn from context, e.g. acronyms. If she presents a term like "Command Post" and a sentence later references "CP," not unreasonably, she expects the reader to make the connection. She spins the narrative, and she expects the reader to keep up.
For that reason, this military scifi -closer to hard scifi than soft- might lose readers who do not enjoy instant immersion in a secondary world or prefer a lecturing narrator, but everything is explained in one way or another and everything is not unfamiliar, invented or an acronym. I liked that she is not afraid to portray the more "mundane" elements -that is, the deciding elements- of events, the goings-on behind the scenes of treaties.
Reeve's characters are all also nicely fleshed-out, even the villains, although I would have liked more development. Still, I enjoyed the different points of view. In that respect, it reminded me of a scifi drama like Battlestar Galactica , albeit with a much smaller cast. The focus was on events, however. Main character Ariane is undercover, and I enjoyed the extra layer of tension as she maintained her disguise. There were no superfluous scenes. Every scene contributed to the plot and kept the narrative moving at an even jog, without fits and starts. Even the dialogue was targeted. The characters discussed their world as if they knew it without any suspicious, unlikely explanations clearly intended only for the clueless audience's benefit. "Well, John, I know you know what a privacy shield is. But let me explain it anyway..."
Although Ariane's alcohol addiction was a nice touch and added some grey, I actually thought Edones was the most believable and interesting character, so I hope he's in the sequel. This is not a romance (although I still harbor hope for him and Ariane), but Reeve did a good job making him sympathetic -no easy task- without changing his character. I'm curious to see now whether I'll enjoy the second book as much, since discovering her world was half the fun in the first, but I'm definitely giving it a try. I recommend this to anyone who likes their adventure/military scifi with a dose of realism and a plot that throws you right into the thick of things.
Warning: For a couple of torture scenes and themes of drug abuse and addiction. I forgot this earlier.
February 6, 2010
Ariane Kedros is a a reserve in the Autotomous World's military who is called upon for secret Intelligence missions by Colonel Edones. Her day job is as a N-Space pilot aboard a space ship with Matt Journey, the own of a second generation space exploration vehicle. Ariane Kedros, however, has a secret, several years earlier, she was the pilot on a secret mission, for the Autotomous World's who were engaged in a war with Terra, and her crew deployed a temporal distortion Bomb (TD Bomb), which has the power to destroy a sun, but whose primary purpose was to destroy a space buoy, a kind of navigational buoy that allows flight to that area. The space buoy's were a gift from the Minoans, an alien species, who also inhabit Laura Reeve's universe. The idea was to stop the war.
The mission to deploy the TD Bomb, is deplored throughout space, and the army has changed Kedros's name and identity, and she gone through some form of rejuvenation, which has changed her appearance making her look younger than her years. A side effect is that drugs and alcohol do not have the same lasting effects on her metabolism.
Edones informs Kedros that someone is busy killing off all of the persons who were involved in the deployment of the TD Bomb and he wants her to go to the space station and protect one of the three survivors.
Although the cover of the book seems to show this as a military science fiction tale, its more like an espionage story as Kedros seeks to find out who is after her and the person she is trying to protect. Meanwhile, a Terran Prince, who is on the ship, who's brother was possibly killed by the TD Bomb (no one knows the effects because the space buoy was destroyed), is also on the ship.
Finally, Matt Journey has found something important on his last exploration, an artifact from a possible space traveling race, and others are seeking it.
The novel is parts mystery and parts espionage as Kedros must unravel who is after her.
I liked it so much I bought the sequel and read it right after.
The mission to deploy the TD Bomb, is deplored throughout space, and the army has changed Kedros's name and identity, and she gone through some form of rejuvenation, which has changed her appearance making her look younger than her years. A side effect is that drugs and alcohol do not have the same lasting effects on her metabolism.
Edones informs Kedros that someone is busy killing off all of the persons who were involved in the deployment of the TD Bomb and he wants her to go to the space station and protect one of the three survivors.
Although the cover of the book seems to show this as a military science fiction tale, its more like an espionage story as Kedros seeks to find out who is after her and the person she is trying to protect. Meanwhile, a Terran Prince, who is on the ship, who's brother was possibly killed by the TD Bomb (no one knows the effects because the space buoy was destroyed), is also on the ship.
Finally, Matt Journey has found something important on his last exploration, an artifact from a possible space traveling race, and others are seeking it.
The novel is parts mystery and parts espionage as Kedros must unravel who is after her.
I liked it so much I bought the sequel and read it right after.
September 4, 2011
I have mixed feelings about this book. The main character is a woman who was directly involved in the destruction of an entire universe. She's now a pilot on a geological survey ship, and she's called up for a special mission by the man who gave her a new identity fifteen years earlier. There are some fascinating SF concepts in this book--the difference between humans raised on "generational" ships versus those born on planets; a body control technique mastered by some Terrans; the character of Colonel Edones, who may or may not have a thing for the heroine; and the alien race called Minoans.
What kept me from really enjoying this book was the overuse of acronyms and too little insight into the main character. I think this is the author's first book, so perhaps she'll smooth out some of the rough patches. I'd definitely give her another try, if only to see what's up with Edones and whether or not we get to see more of the sleek and sexy Parmet Isrid.
Despite the cover, this isn't military SF, though the character is a military reservist. If you're looking for battles in space, this ain't the place. Instead, there's a bit of political maneuvering over a disarmament treaty (overseen by the mysterious Minoans) set against a murder plot targeting the heroine's former comrades.
What kept me from really enjoying this book was the overuse of acronyms and too little insight into the main character. I think this is the author's first book, so perhaps she'll smooth out some of the rough patches. I'd definitely give her another try, if only to see what's up with Edones and whether or not we get to see more of the sleek and sexy Parmet Isrid.
Despite the cover, this isn't military SF, though the character is a military reservist. If you're looking for battles in space, this ain't the place. Instead, there's a bit of political maneuvering over a disarmament treaty (overseen by the mysterious Minoans) set against a murder plot targeting the heroine's former comrades.
January 30, 2013
When I bought the book I had no expectations that I'd end up liking it as much as I did. The reviews by the people I follow really ran the gamut. I was expecting something actiony, cheesy and breezy like a Kris Longknife space adventure that I'd blow thru in a couple of nights. What a nice surprise it was for me to find that it was so much more than what I didn't expect.
The main character was very well drawn: She has a history of addiction, PTS syndrome and genocide(?), so she's coming to the story carrying a respectable amount of baggage. She's not a princess, she's not snarky, she's not an unstoppable ex-marine who can take on 5 grown men at a time, she's not not speaking to her father (who's probably dead, and isn't even a billionaire industrialist, politico, famous space hero, etc.) and she's not trying to save the universe either, which is a nice change of pace.
Rather than have a dedicated and loyal crew of space-faring lugs from central casting as her backups, she has her boss from MI who is using her and possibly in love with her, and her other boss from the ship she pilots (2-person crew) who's loyal and maybe in love with her too. Throw in a few vengeful intellegence operatives (who aren't in love with her) from the opposition in the last war, a handful of mysterious aliens, and you've got yourself a book. OK, so maybe they're from central casting too, but they don't see nearly as much work as the others.
The book had a good pace. It never really slowed down. There's plenty of action, there's plenty of real dialog, no excess of political machinations, plenty of suspense, and considering all the possible people who love her, absolutely no silly romances to foul things up. All in all, it was much better than the usual Girl-in-Space drama that orbits the bookshelf of your local store or library.
I completely agree with so many of the other reviewers about the cover. The artist never read the book. It's so different from the book as to be laughable. I almost didn't get the book because the cover is so kitschy, but the half-off price was too good to pass up. I'm guessing it was created for another book that never went to print.
I still don't know what AFCAW means, but I'm hoping to figure it out before book 2.
The main character was very well drawn: She has a history of addiction, PTS syndrome and genocide(?), so she's coming to the story carrying a respectable amount of baggage. She's not a princess, she's not snarky, she's not an unstoppable ex-marine who can take on 5 grown men at a time, she's not not speaking to her father (who's probably dead, and isn't even a billionaire industrialist, politico, famous space hero, etc.) and she's not trying to save the universe either, which is a nice change of pace.
Rather than have a dedicated and loyal crew of space-faring lugs from central casting as her backups, she has her boss from MI who is using her and possibly in love with her, and her other boss from the ship she pilots (2-person crew) who's loyal and maybe in love with her too. Throw in a few vengeful intellegence operatives (who aren't in love with her) from the opposition in the last war, a handful of mysterious aliens, and you've got yourself a book. OK, so maybe they're from central casting too, but they don't see nearly as much work as the others.
The book had a good pace. It never really slowed down. There's plenty of action, there's plenty of real dialog, no excess of political machinations, plenty of suspense, and considering all the possible people who love her, absolutely no silly romances to foul things up. All in all, it was much better than the usual Girl-in-Space drama that orbits the bookshelf of your local store or library.
I completely agree with so many of the other reviewers about the cover. The artist never read the book. It's so different from the book as to be laughable. I almost didn't get the book because the cover is so kitschy, but the half-off price was too good to pass up. I'm guessing it was created for another book that never went to print.
I still don't know what AFCAW means, but I'm hoping to figure it out before book 2.
July 23, 2014
I liked this novel a lot though it's somewhat misleadingly labeled as mil-sf, being more of an adventure/mystery/space opera with the aftermath of a long war ended by one terrible act as background.
Humanity is divided in 2 polities and an independent but essential community. About a hundred years ago, mysterious and seemingly powerful aliens called Minoans because of their culture's resemblance to the ancient one in Knossos contacted Earth.
Veiled and mysterious even now after a century of intercourse, the Minoans offered humanity N_space access, key to the stars in return for trade, and they play scrupulously by the laws of the respective polity they deal with. They imposed only one essential set of rules known as the Phaistos Protocols essentially forbidding military operations against civilian targets. The Minoans take an especial dim view of pirates, "anarchists" and terrorists and exterminate them mercilessly and efficiently, so human governments tend to do whatever it takes to stay on the aliens good side.
N-space offers FTL, but there is a hitch. A N-space buoy needs to be installed by sublight flight to the system to be accessed, so the development of the neutral "generational lines" manning sublight starships opening new systems under the aegis of various governments. The people living on those ships take the name of the line, Journey, Expedition, Voyage and such, though some "drop off" once in a while and pursue normal life, mostly in the liberal Consortium Alliance of Worlds, CAW.
With 6 "prime" planets and numerous habitats, CAW is a familiar polity, kind of an extension of today's western society, wealthy, democratic, liberal and Greek speaking, commerce oriented, though it tends to take public data and ads a bit far, like in making freely available any and all public transaction of people, which leads to everyone being surrounded by a "cloud" of personal ads when walking in public places, though of course there are privacy shields available at a cost...
Opposing it, the Terran Expansionist League, known as TerraXL, is a mysterious society, seemingly hierarchical, and ruled by a group of "Overlords", practicing strict genetic controls and aiming at evolving humanity in a race of "superhumans", though from what we glimpse of it, the TerraXL does not seem a particularly grim place either, just a different set of rules that many people accept willingly.
A lengthy war for unspecified reasons has been fought between CAW and TerraXL for 50 years, though due to the Protocols there were no mass civilians casualties. In time both sides developed terrible Temporal Distortion weapons, which supposedly can shut down a sun and surely it will shut down the N_space buoy.
Fifteen years ago, the CAW ledership sent a TD armed starship piloted by our main heroine of the novel, currently known as Ariane Kedros, to fire it in the Ura-Guinn system, destroying the N-space buoy and presumably the sun which would have led "indirectly" to the deaths of 4 billion people, so under a strict legalistic interpretation it did not violate the Protocols.
This action shocked everyone, led the Minoans to intervene and impose an armistice which now evolved into an uneasy peace and leading to the mutual decommissioning of the TD weapons which is finally ready to start. A sublight ship has been sent to Ura-Guinn and is set to report in 4 months after installing a new buoy.
Ariane Kedros wracked by guilt and slowly getting addicted to drugs and alcohol chose an experimental rejuvenation and total rewrite of her records for protection from the Terran cries for war crimes trials and the rougher justice of their undercover agents, though keeping a reserve intelligence commission as a major in the CAW military, while currently working as a pilot and minority owner of a startup exploration firm, Aether Exploration.
Owen Edones is a colonel in the CAW Intel and her superior and minder, since when a young lieutenant he took care of the identity masking details.
Matt Journey is an early thirties generation ship drop off and now explorer and majority owner of Aether Exploration which may have got a big strike at a recently opened planet - strike that means possible enormous wealth generation but also potentially fatal career ending attention from all the three big powers including the Minoans as well as various shady independents. Matt may have an unacknowledged crush on his nominal subordinate Ariadne whom he believes younger than she actually is, though he feels that she has deep secrets of her own even outside of her classified intelligence work that she does once in a while.
State Prince Isrid Sun Parmet is a high level official of TerraXL, intelligence agency director and charged by his boss Overlord 3 to supervise the TD destruction treaty in CAW space. As it happens, his brother was living on Ura-Guinn and is presumed dead which is even more painful since they were planning to join their households together and have cross-children in the genetically approved "multimarriage" families of Terra.
An unknown assassin stalks the people involved in the Ura-Guinn attack and in the intervening years quite a few such have been killed, secret identities and all.
Karthage Point, the Caw TD station where SP Parmet inspections start is commanded by Col. Icelos who has been identity modified too fro Ura-Guinn and marked for death by the unknown killer and Ariadne is recalled by Edoned to go together as CAW liaisons, with Ariadne to protect Icelos as her primary mission.
But the combination of Edones needing to go to another Space Station and the Aether's find getting in the spotlight puts Ariadne squarely in the path of quite a few people.
With a great ending that ties all threads together, Peacekeeper is a great debut and strat of a series that I am looking forward for the next volume.
Humanity is divided in 2 polities and an independent but essential community. About a hundred years ago, mysterious and seemingly powerful aliens called Minoans because of their culture's resemblance to the ancient one in Knossos contacted Earth.
Veiled and mysterious even now after a century of intercourse, the Minoans offered humanity N_space access, key to the stars in return for trade, and they play scrupulously by the laws of the respective polity they deal with. They imposed only one essential set of rules known as the Phaistos Protocols essentially forbidding military operations against civilian targets. The Minoans take an especial dim view of pirates, "anarchists" and terrorists and exterminate them mercilessly and efficiently, so human governments tend to do whatever it takes to stay on the aliens good side.
N-space offers FTL, but there is a hitch. A N-space buoy needs to be installed by sublight flight to the system to be accessed, so the development of the neutral "generational lines" manning sublight starships opening new systems under the aegis of various governments. The people living on those ships take the name of the line, Journey, Expedition, Voyage and such, though some "drop off" once in a while and pursue normal life, mostly in the liberal Consortium Alliance of Worlds, CAW.
With 6 "prime" planets and numerous habitats, CAW is a familiar polity, kind of an extension of today's western society, wealthy, democratic, liberal and Greek speaking, commerce oriented, though it tends to take public data and ads a bit far, like in making freely available any and all public transaction of people, which leads to everyone being surrounded by a "cloud" of personal ads when walking in public places, though of course there are privacy shields available at a cost...
Opposing it, the Terran Expansionist League, known as TerraXL, is a mysterious society, seemingly hierarchical, and ruled by a group of "Overlords", practicing strict genetic controls and aiming at evolving humanity in a race of "superhumans", though from what we glimpse of it, the TerraXL does not seem a particularly grim place either, just a different set of rules that many people accept willingly.
A lengthy war for unspecified reasons has been fought between CAW and TerraXL for 50 years, though due to the Protocols there were no mass civilians casualties. In time both sides developed terrible Temporal Distortion weapons, which supposedly can shut down a sun and surely it will shut down the N_space buoy.
Fifteen years ago, the CAW ledership sent a TD armed starship piloted by our main heroine of the novel, currently known as Ariane Kedros, to fire it in the Ura-Guinn system, destroying the N-space buoy and presumably the sun which would have led "indirectly" to the deaths of 4 billion people, so under a strict legalistic interpretation it did not violate the Protocols.
This action shocked everyone, led the Minoans to intervene and impose an armistice which now evolved into an uneasy peace and leading to the mutual decommissioning of the TD weapons which is finally ready to start. A sublight ship has been sent to Ura-Guinn and is set to report in 4 months after installing a new buoy.
Ariane Kedros wracked by guilt and slowly getting addicted to drugs and alcohol chose an experimental rejuvenation and total rewrite of her records for protection from the Terran cries for war crimes trials and the rougher justice of their undercover agents, though keeping a reserve intelligence commission as a major in the CAW military, while currently working as a pilot and minority owner of a startup exploration firm, Aether Exploration.
Owen Edones is a colonel in the CAW Intel and her superior and minder, since when a young lieutenant he took care of the identity masking details.
Matt Journey is an early thirties generation ship drop off and now explorer and majority owner of Aether Exploration which may have got a big strike at a recently opened planet - strike that means possible enormous wealth generation but also potentially fatal career ending attention from all the three big powers including the Minoans as well as various shady independents. Matt may have an unacknowledged crush on his nominal subordinate Ariadne whom he believes younger than she actually is, though he feels that she has deep secrets of her own even outside of her classified intelligence work that she does once in a while.
State Prince Isrid Sun Parmet is a high level official of TerraXL, intelligence agency director and charged by his boss Overlord 3 to supervise the TD destruction treaty in CAW space. As it happens, his brother was living on Ura-Guinn and is presumed dead which is even more painful since they were planning to join their households together and have cross-children in the genetically approved "multimarriage" families of Terra.
An unknown assassin stalks the people involved in the Ura-Guinn attack and in the intervening years quite a few such have been killed, secret identities and all.
Karthage Point, the Caw TD station where SP Parmet inspections start is commanded by Col. Icelos who has been identity modified too fro Ura-Guinn and marked for death by the unknown killer and Ariadne is recalled by Edoned to go together as CAW liaisons, with Ariadne to protect Icelos as her primary mission.
But the combination of Edones needing to go to another Space Station and the Aether's find getting in the spotlight puts Ariadne squarely in the path of quite a few people.
With a great ending that ties all threads together, Peacekeeper is a great debut and strat of a series that I am looking forward for the next volume.
January 21, 2021
Peacekeeper is the first book in the "Major Ariane Kedros" series. This book started slow and there wasn't much action and I just was not impressed by the storyline. In an attempt to explain the main character's backstories there was a lot of jumping back and forth from the present to the past. This works in some books but not for me in this one. The protagonist is a victim throughout most of the novel, and I just do not enjoy too much of this type of storyline. I won't be pursuing the rest of this series.
April 1, 2010
I’d actually give this story two and a half stars. It’s clear, well written and has a solid pace.
Military science fiction? Maybe. There’s been a lot of debate on the web about that terminology lately, but I think you could just as easily call this a political thriller or a murder mystery. In many ways the sciency portion of the book is as much gimmick as it is necessary to the plot. Outside of the speed of communications this could be set on earth after one country bombed another and are now settling in for peace talks. The only thing space adds to this story is well… space. Distance is equal to time here and many of the characters’ issues revolve around not knowing the result of their actions to a full extent. There are a lot of assumptions that are driving all these characters.
I don’t normally mind the idea that the science can be taken away from the story so much, but there were other issues that made me dislike this story as much as I liked it. I don’t believe the main character had to be a woman. I have a hard enough time relating to many female characters, but add to that a dependence issue and you’ve lost me. I like the fact that the character doesn’t “win” every little battle along the way. Getting beat up is part of what’s supposed to get you to the edge of your seat. I didn’t care nearly as much for Maj. Kedros as I did for her erstwhile (?) business partner Matt.
Having given that portion of negative – let me focus on a few positive things. The author has clearly written what she knows. The political items, the tricks of the politicians and all the minutia of military inspections are solid and real. Characters that react and change given circumstances like SP Parmet are very real to me. I wish the author had given more time to Nestor’s Muse and what was actually found by Matt while out prospecting, but I’m guessing these things will come up in later novels.
Glad I read it. Don’t think I’m rushing back for more.
Military science fiction? Maybe. There’s been a lot of debate on the web about that terminology lately, but I think you could just as easily call this a political thriller or a murder mystery. In many ways the sciency portion of the book is as much gimmick as it is necessary to the plot. Outside of the speed of communications this could be set on earth after one country bombed another and are now settling in for peace talks. The only thing space adds to this story is well… space. Distance is equal to time here and many of the characters’ issues revolve around not knowing the result of their actions to a full extent. There are a lot of assumptions that are driving all these characters.
I don’t normally mind the idea that the science can be taken away from the story so much, but there were other issues that made me dislike this story as much as I liked it. I don’t believe the main character had to be a woman. I have a hard enough time relating to many female characters, but add to that a dependence issue and you’ve lost me. I like the fact that the character doesn’t “win” every little battle along the way. Getting beat up is part of what’s supposed to get you to the edge of your seat. I didn’t care nearly as much for Maj. Kedros as I did for her erstwhile (?) business partner Matt.
Having given that portion of negative – let me focus on a few positive things. The author has clearly written what she knows. The political items, the tricks of the politicians and all the minutia of military inspections are solid and real. Characters that react and change given circumstances like SP Parmet are very real to me. I wish the author had given more time to Nestor’s Muse and what was actually found by Matt while out prospecting, but I’m guessing these things will come up in later novels.
Glad I read it. Don’t think I’m rushing back for more.
April 6, 2010
This is a weak first book, but still worth reading simply for the promise it shows and growth the author makes during the progress of the book.
It's one of those futures where they have AF instead of Navy ships, which also makes it less enjoyable as a read, but considering the author is ex-AF and the bunker/ICBM on a stellar scale which makes up the base premise of the series, it's readable.
It's one of those futures where they have AF instead of Navy ships, which also makes it less enjoyable as a read, but considering the author is ex-AF and the bunker/ICBM on a stellar scale which makes up the base premise of the series, it's readable.
January 5, 2016
Okay, it was great. And funny at times! With feels! And my mind kept trying to find patterns to fit the plot into and IT DIDN'T TURN OUT THAT WAY. So that was great too. I want to read the rest of the books~~ I feel like starting a women of *powaa* spree...
February 17, 2018
I'd like to like this more than I did. Honestly, it was getting to be a chore to continue reading at times and I found it very difficult to have any sympathy for, or empathy with, any of the characters. The decision to have more or less all of the story split across multiple threads and POV did not make the story more compelling or easier to read.
The world Reeve is spinning seems to be the main character here. A huge amount of time is spent setting up things for later books in the series. Political situation, technology, mysterious aliens, the nature of what happened in the past. Yes, the last of those relates to our supposed heroine, but having it all unfold in the manner it does doesn't really make for a great story. This is like reading the plot of a first Spider-Man (or Batman) movie: there's so much time spent setting everything up and explaining why things are happening that there's no time for the thin plot to really get going.
The murder-mystery aspect of the story, which could have been the interesting bit, was so obvious that I found myself wondering whether I should just skip to the end to confirm I was right. The villain (or the two villains) are so patently obvious as soon as they are revealed that there's basically no mystery. I read on thinking, 'no, can't be that one, that has to be a red herring,' but no, it was who I thought it was.
So, probably a set up for something bigger and better in the future, but I'm not sure I can be bothered to find out.
The world Reeve is spinning seems to be the main character here. A huge amount of time is spent setting up things for later books in the series. Political situation, technology, mysterious aliens, the nature of what happened in the past. Yes, the last of those relates to our supposed heroine, but having it all unfold in the manner it does doesn't really make for a great story. This is like reading the plot of a first Spider-Man (or Batman) movie: there's so much time spent setting everything up and explaining why things are happening that there's no time for the thin plot to really get going.
The murder-mystery aspect of the story, which could have been the interesting bit, was so obvious that I found myself wondering whether I should just skip to the end to confirm I was right. The villain (or the two villains) are so patently obvious as soon as they are revealed that there's basically no mystery. I read on thinking, 'no, can't be that one, that has to be a red herring,' but no, it was who I thought it was.
So, probably a set up for something bigger and better in the future, but I'm not sure I can be bothered to find out.
April 14, 2018
The first great thing about this novel, the first in a series, is that the reader is brought into the universe it is set in without a lot of exposition at the start, instead introducing the main characters as they interact together. Major Ariane Kedros, a soldier in the reserves, is called up for a mission by her intelligence chief that involves supervising a peace treaty-mandated weapons inspection on a space station. Her civilian boss, Matt Journey, is negotiating rights to a planet that they discovered and claimed and may hold key ancient technology. Kedros also discovers that an assassin has been targeting her crew from her previous identity as a commander who was ordered to launch a weapon that devastated an entire solar system, making her a war criminal in the eyes of the empire that is now part of the peace treaty.
Kedros has been enhanced by implants since her identity switch, but she definitely has human failings which makes her a great character to root for. The action is nicely bookends by the investigation, both by Kedros and Journey, and keeps interest going as to what is going to happen on the next page. I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series.
Kedros has been enhanced by implants since her identity switch, but she definitely has human failings which makes her a great character to root for. The action is nicely bookends by the investigation, both by Kedros and Journey, and keeps interest going as to what is going to happen on the next page. I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series.
December 19, 2017
This is a pretty good Mil-SF adventure, with enough freshness of approach to hold my interest despite some stumbles. The plot is set in the aftermath of an interstellar war and involves more puzzle-solving than action. The main characters are reasonably complex, and the heroine uses up at least 3 of her 9 lives in the course of the novel. I liked the starship technology and the military setup. The twist ending comes as a surprise and isn't entirely convincing, but the novel comes to a satisfactory ending, with hooks for the sequels. I'm likely to continue on. A worthwhile read: 3.4 stars.
Several others have noted that the cover has absolutely nothing to do with the actual book. Worth repeating. Not a "girls with guns" book!
Several others have noted that the cover has absolutely nothing to do with the actual book. Worth repeating. Not a "girls with guns" book!
November 21, 2022
I'm sorry for this rating. This is actually a really well written book. I just wanted an action packed military sci-fi as it is advertised, and what I got is boring politics, history, patenting procedure (really, is there anyone who cares about patenting procedures?), a tragic heroine with drug and alcohol problems for whom I felt zero sympathy and a few sexist assholes (yeah, a second wife is really needed when the first one is "bland" in the sex department, wow, that made me see red like few other things).
So while I find the quality of the writing great, the contents just bored me or irritated me.
So while I find the quality of the writing great, the contents just bored me or irritated me.
February 14, 2021
An interesting military-ish sci-fi story. I liked the world building with the different factions and their interactions. The characters were so-so, I'm hoping that Ari and Matt get a bit more fleshing out. The plot was fairly exciting in some places and downright boring in others. I am hoping there is a bit more action in the next book, since this one didn't have much in the way of action scenes. I am also hoping that we get to see more about the aliens and finally learn the truth about Ura-Guinn. Overall 3 out of 5 stars.
April 28, 2020
I did enjoy this first novel of the series, though there were a few trivial questions that nagged at the edges of my brain, like "Who is this woman on the cover of my book? Where is Ariane, with her 'dark curls'?", and "What's a Naga? I understand it is a fighter craft of some sort, and the status display of the new generation is on the left side, now; but what is it?"
May 4, 2019
the cover is ugly but the book is gud
April 19, 2025
cool factions, interesting tech. addiction side-plot was well done.
December 22, 2017
Fifteen years ago, Ariane Kedros was part of a mission that destroyed an entire solar system. While she and her crew were just following orders, unaware of exactly what it was they had been ordered to accomplish, it is little surprise that to the enemy, they are the worst kind of war criminals. Given a new identity for protection, Ariane now pilots an exploration vessel with her business partner but remains a reservist for the army's intelligence branch. Now someone is taking out those involved in that long-ago mission one by one, and Ariane is sent on a dangerous undercover mission to protect one of the few survivors.
This was... fine. Entertaining enough to keep me going for the most part, though I didn't really feel all that much invested in the story or characters. Might continue the series at some point.
This was... fine. Entertaining enough to keep me going for the most part, though I didn't really feel all that much invested in the story or characters. Might continue the series at some point.
October 26, 2011
cover - On her website, Ms Reeve has notations or quotes up about the "wretched" covers. I kind of like the cover, however the one thing that gets to me is the blond hair - the character has short dark curls, not flowing long blond locks. Also, I don't remember her carrying a large gun anyplace in the book, or even the sequels. But you know - how covers can be. I still like the cover though.
I just love SciFi - especially SciFi with space ships, implants and enhancements, and bigger than life scenarios. This trilogy has it all - even a tortured, flawed yet strong female character. Ariane Kedros just doesn't give up.
Ariane Kedros has a past, one with a different name, different face and slightly older face than she has now. She's in a program to protect her identity because of her history of following some orders that destroyed a solar system. Even though her identity is supposed to be secret, seems someone knows or has guessed who she is.
Ariane works for Aether Explorations - is part of a two person crew. Her other job is as reserve military, and sometimes undercover work for a Colonel Edones. In this novel, she's assigned to be part of an inspections team as two former warring factions are dismembering their weapons of mass destruction - these weapons can destroy whole solar systems...like in her secret past.
Ariane also has a problem - she's an alcoholic who practices extreme self control with the exception of her occasional binges. Being an N-Space pilot necesitates her using certain drugs, so that complicate matters.
So off Ariane goes, to her new assignment and her undercover second assignment - to be bait for someone who is systematically murdering her former crew-mates...and the plot thickens.
I enjoyed this book so much. There is intrigue, suspense, fighting and interesting characters. The dialog is superb - sounding real and never over dramatic or forced. I also enjoyed all the SciFi elements, the ships, the space travel, the weapons. There were sections where info was woven into the story, but it didn't feel heavy handed - it was handled in an interesting way, so that I wasn't left feeling like I wanted to skim over parts, or wanted to nod off. That's probably not easy to do when writing SciFi or any type of novel where you have to basically invent a whole complete history with added beings. In this case, the added beings are the alien Minoans. They are this super law abiding species that has extended a helping hand to humans, helping them to achieve space travel. Only they might have a hidden agenda. Many are afraid of them, because they can destroy quickly and have almost magical technology.
There are two other books in this series - Vigilante, and Pathfinder. At this time, I've finished all three, and enjoyed each one.
I just love SciFi - especially SciFi with space ships, implants and enhancements, and bigger than life scenarios. This trilogy has it all - even a tortured, flawed yet strong female character. Ariane Kedros just doesn't give up.
Ariane Kedros has a past, one with a different name, different face and slightly older face than she has now. She's in a program to protect her identity because of her history of following some orders that destroyed a solar system. Even though her identity is supposed to be secret, seems someone knows or has guessed who she is.
Ariane works for Aether Explorations - is part of a two person crew. Her other job is as reserve military, and sometimes undercover work for a Colonel Edones. In this novel, she's assigned to be part of an inspections team as two former warring factions are dismembering their weapons of mass destruction - these weapons can destroy whole solar systems...like in her secret past.
Ariane also has a problem - she's an alcoholic who practices extreme self control with the exception of her occasional binges. Being an N-Space pilot necesitates her using certain drugs, so that complicate matters.
So off Ariane goes, to her new assignment and her undercover second assignment - to be bait for someone who is systematically murdering her former crew-mates...and the plot thickens.
I enjoyed this book so much. There is intrigue, suspense, fighting and interesting characters. The dialog is superb - sounding real and never over dramatic or forced. I also enjoyed all the SciFi elements, the ships, the space travel, the weapons. There were sections where info was woven into the story, but it didn't feel heavy handed - it was handled in an interesting way, so that I wasn't left feeling like I wanted to skim over parts, or wanted to nod off. That's probably not easy to do when writing SciFi or any type of novel where you have to basically invent a whole complete history with added beings. In this case, the added beings are the alien Minoans. They are this super law abiding species that has extended a helping hand to humans, helping them to achieve space travel. Only they might have a hidden agenda. Many are afraid of them, because they can destroy quickly and have almost magical technology.
There are two other books in this series - Vigilante, and Pathfinder. At this time, I've finished all three, and enjoyed each one.
February 20, 2010
When I picked up this book a couple of months ago we didn’t have a good fit. Now I can’t understand what I had a problem with? It is a very good book!
Laura is a talented world builder, she remind me of David Weber. She has built an universe where the outer colonies , the Consortium of Autonomous Worlds, are dominated by the Greek culture. The alien culture that gave humanity the temporal technology to reach the stars is called Minoans since they share symbols from the Greek equivalent. Now generation ships travel from star to star setting up Temporal Buoys as they go.
The Autonomous war with the Terran Expansion League( XL) ended 15 years ago after they detonated the first Temporal Displacement Weapon used. The Minoans declared Pax Minoan, and the humans damn better follow it.
Major Ariane Kedros was the pilot of the Naga ship that deployed the TD. Now she and everyone in their line of command have been given new identities by the government. Terra have declared them all war criminals.
Ariane returns from a successful prospecting trip with Matt, her employer. They have hit a mother-load, ruins of an ancient civilization and what looks like an inactive Temporal Buoy. Awaiting on them are an Association Light Cruiser with a mission for Ariane. Twelve people involved in the Ura-Guinn mission have been assassinated and there are only 3 more left alive including her. With the mobile temporal distortion weapons treaty the TD weapons are to be dismantled within a year but first there will be inspections. So her mission is to be the inspection liaison at KarthagePoint Naga Command Base and at the same time protect her former colleague from assassination.
Meanwhile on Hellas Prime Matt has his own problems especially since his agent get murdered and he is taken into custody.
I think i found another friend for those long scandinavian nights. Good books are your friends.
Btw I ordered the next two books in the series from Amazon today, one of them is a pre-order the other one will be here in a few weeks. Later.
Laura is a talented world builder, she remind me of David Weber. She has built an universe where the outer colonies , the Consortium of Autonomous Worlds, are dominated by the Greek culture. The alien culture that gave humanity the temporal technology to reach the stars is called Minoans since they share symbols from the Greek equivalent. Now generation ships travel from star to star setting up Temporal Buoys as they go.
The Autonomous war with the Terran Expansion League( XL) ended 15 years ago after they detonated the first Temporal Displacement Weapon used. The Minoans declared Pax Minoan, and the humans damn better follow it.
Major Ariane Kedros was the pilot of the Naga ship that deployed the TD. Now she and everyone in their line of command have been given new identities by the government. Terra have declared them all war criminals.
Ariane returns from a successful prospecting trip with Matt, her employer. They have hit a mother-load, ruins of an ancient civilization and what looks like an inactive Temporal Buoy. Awaiting on them are an Association Light Cruiser with a mission for Ariane. Twelve people involved in the Ura-Guinn mission have been assassinated and there are only 3 more left alive including her. With the mobile temporal distortion weapons treaty the TD weapons are to be dismantled within a year but first there will be inspections. So her mission is to be the inspection liaison at KarthagePoint Naga Command Base and at the same time protect her former colleague from assassination.
Meanwhile on Hellas Prime Matt has his own problems especially since his agent get murdered and he is taken into custody.
I think i found another friend for those long scandinavian nights. Good books are your friends.
Btw I ordered the next two books in the series from Amazon today, one of them is a pre-order the other one will be here in a few weeks. Later.
July 9, 2009
Not sure about this one. For one thing, I have no idea why 'Peacekeeper' was the title. Ari did not keep the peace and there were no law enforcement officers as major characters. The flashbacks were random and unnecessary. I don't much like flashbacks at the best of times, and it tends to indicate a scene that the author couldn't bear to cut.
The blurb bore less than usual resemblance to the content of the book. Kedros is a war criminal; she has no remorse (she acted under orders, or variously, didn't know that was what the orders were going to do -- the emphasis changes depending on who is in the room) for her part in the death of an inhabited solar system. Perhaps this is because the much harped on 'we'll know in four months' will reveal no one really died from the solar system in the sequel.
The interesting stuff was the throwaways -- the Minoan civilisation has been visiting Earth off and on for millenia; The basic cultural drivers come from a world where Alexander didn't die in his 30s (or so I gather) and went on to found an empire that lasted a lot longer than the Seleucids and Ptolemies. Murderous hackers forcing governments to ban cyborg implants.
The story about the contracts and the alien artefacts was overdone and overcomplicated. The sudden change of heart by the Prince made no sense -- the beating shouldn't have happened at all, or it should have been clearer that Nathan was deliberately being shouldered out. And I was expecting Ari's old comrades to be the bad guys from the gratuitous scene with Ari started flashing back about how weird Cypher was around her that time with Brandon.
Enjoyable but patchy. I will look out for the second and see what she does with the aliens, and hopefully Ari will become an active participant rather than the rather hapless repeat kidnap victim she was in this. (I counted three (including the shanghai-ing off to the space station), which seems excessive for a military reservist...)
The blurb bore less than usual resemblance to the content of the book. Kedros is a war criminal; she has no remorse (she acted under orders, or variously, didn't know that was what the orders were going to do -- the emphasis changes depending on who is in the room) for her part in the death of an inhabited solar system. Perhaps this is because the much harped on 'we'll know in four months' will reveal no one really died from the solar system in the sequel.
The interesting stuff was the throwaways -- the Minoan civilisation has been visiting Earth off and on for millenia; The basic cultural drivers come from a world where Alexander didn't die in his 30s (or so I gather) and went on to found an empire that lasted a lot longer than the Seleucids and Ptolemies. Murderous hackers forcing governments to ban cyborg implants.
The story about the contracts and the alien artefacts was overdone and overcomplicated. The sudden change of heart by the Prince made no sense -- the beating shouldn't have happened at all, or it should have been clearer that Nathan was deliberately being shouldered out. And I was expecting Ari's old comrades to be the bad guys from the gratuitous scene with Ari started flashing back about how weird Cypher was around her that time with Brandon.
Enjoyable but patchy. I will look out for the second and see what she does with the aliens, and hopefully Ari will become an active participant rather than the rather hapless repeat kidnap victim she was in this. (I counted three (including the shanghai-ing off to the space station), which seems excessive for a military reservist...)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2009
I usually classify myself as a fantasy person, so it always surprise me when I pick up a sci-fi book. I picked up this one because I follow the blog of the author's agent, and something about it caught my eye. I don't know quite what, since I don't usually care for military scifi.
I'm glad I picked up. The prose had all the complexity, and acronym-heavyness, you'd expect out of both a heavily technological setting and a military setting but was also smooth and easy to read. It was easy to sink into and pick up on what unfamiliar words meant, though perhaps my mythology background helped because the world is heavily embroidered with Greek iconography. One thing I really liked was how it felt grounded in our world, like a projection into our future, with scattered references to the world we know. Though the story had elements of grimness and war it was also felt like an optimistic view of the future.
I really enjoyed the characters, all of them felt three dimensional though there were a few here and there, especially towards the end, that I would have liked to have seen more of. The heroine especially was believable in the context of her background.
The book's weakness was probably that I found it hard to follow the plot at times. So much of it went on below the surface that I felt like I missed things, but thankfully the text was easy enough to read and the characters compelling enough that I kept going.
I'm favorite parts of the book were the brief quotes at the beginning of every chapters, which gave excellent snippets of the world, and the mysteries that surrounded the Minoans and what Aether's Touch found. I'm looking forward to reading the next book, to see the mysteries set up in this book unfold.
I'm glad I picked up. The prose had all the complexity, and acronym-heavyness, you'd expect out of both a heavily technological setting and a military setting but was also smooth and easy to read. It was easy to sink into and pick up on what unfamiliar words meant, though perhaps my mythology background helped because the world is heavily embroidered with Greek iconography. One thing I really liked was how it felt grounded in our world, like a projection into our future, with scattered references to the world we know. Though the story had elements of grimness and war it was also felt like an optimistic view of the future.
I really enjoyed the characters, all of them felt three dimensional though there were a few here and there, especially towards the end, that I would have liked to have seen more of. The heroine especially was believable in the context of her background.
The book's weakness was probably that I found it hard to follow the plot at times. So much of it went on below the surface that I felt like I missed things, but thankfully the text was easy enough to read and the characters compelling enough that I kept going.
I'm favorite parts of the book were the brief quotes at the beginning of every chapters, which gave excellent snippets of the world, and the mysteries that surrounded the Minoans and what Aether's Touch found. I'm looking forward to reading the next book, to see the mysteries set up in this book unfold.
December 15, 2008
Peacekeeper published by Roc and released in December of 2008 is “The First in a Brand-New Series”. I first heard about the book from Laura Reeve’s sister. We were both attending WorldCon in Denver last August. I wrote the title down and the next day bookmarks were out on one of the display tables. I put the book in my Amazon wish list and purchased it as soon as it was released. While I have been disappointed in many first books I was not disappointed in Peacekeeper. The story is very well written, the plot well thought out and the back-story worked in a way that does not distract from the flow of the novel.
Ariane Kedros is a woman with a past. As a member of the Consortium of Autonomous Worlds military she and her crew set off a forbidden weapon that destroyed a system. To the Terran Expansion League she is a war criminal. For 15 years Ariane has been hidden behind a new identity but now someone is killing everyone responsible for the decision to use the weapon. The killings have started at the top of the chair of command. Ariane, a reserve major, is tapped to find the killer. Ariane is a well-drawn and complex character full of internal conflicts. The other characters in the book have their own conflicts adding depth to the story.
Laura Reeve has written a great first book and I am looking forward to reading Vigilante (Roc, ~October 2009), the next in the series.
Ariane Kedros is a woman with a past. As a member of the Consortium of Autonomous Worlds military she and her crew set off a forbidden weapon that destroyed a system. To the Terran Expansion League she is a war criminal. For 15 years Ariane has been hidden behind a new identity but now someone is killing everyone responsible for the decision to use the weapon. The killings have started at the top of the chair of command. Ariane, a reserve major, is tapped to find the killer. Ariane is a well-drawn and complex character full of internal conflicts. The other characters in the book have their own conflicts adding depth to the story.
Laura Reeve has written a great first book and I am looking forward to reading Vigilante (Roc, ~October 2009), the next in the series.
July 1, 2010
Solid storytelling, a decent mystery, and lots of details to make it feel real. A bit too much military procedure for me, and way to many acronyms to keep track of, but it's not a military/battle sci-fi book and readers who aren't into that sub-genre shouldn't let that turn them off, just skim past it and focus on the story.
I'm very curious to see how Ari and Matt's big discovery turns out, if there are survivors in the "destroyed" solar system, and what the Minoans really are. I enjoy when there are ongoing aspects to a series in addition to individual episodes for each book. Ari's job with Intelligence sets up the separate books nicely. I could have done without all of the Greek names and cultural references. It doesn't feel realistic that Gaia-ism would rise, at least in that way, as she indicated as a natural response to Kristos and Mumammadan religions at the time of Earth's expansion into the universe. I like the idea that they revere DNA and creation, but they aren't a culture that messes with DNA that much, so that seemed out of place. And that ancient Greece would become the religious and cultural focus, and Greek the common language, seems like reaching, and just unnecessary. But it's not substantial to the story and just a minor irritation.
I'm very curious to see how Ari and Matt's big discovery turns out, if there are survivors in the "destroyed" solar system, and what the Minoans really are. I enjoy when there are ongoing aspects to a series in addition to individual episodes for each book. Ari's job with Intelligence sets up the separate books nicely. I could have done without all of the Greek names and cultural references. It doesn't feel realistic that Gaia-ism would rise, at least in that way, as she indicated as a natural response to Kristos and Mumammadan religions at the time of Earth's expansion into the universe. I like the idea that they revere DNA and creation, but they aren't a culture that messes with DNA that much, so that seemed out of place. And that ancient Greece would become the religious and cultural focus, and Greek the common language, seems like reaching, and just unnecessary. But it's not substantial to the story and just a minor irritation.
September 3, 2016
A good bit of world building, an interesting space operaish detective novel. I predicted who the traitor was a little bit too early, but I'll definitely read the next one. Fans of Elizabeth Moon, David Weber, and Ender's Game would probably like it. I like the strong female protagonist, the acknowledgment of difficulty coping with actions during wartime(with less depression than David Feintuch.
Generally a good book. Definitely could see it leading to another few good books, I want to see what happens with the prospecting/mining ship...
Generally a good book. Definitely could see it leading to another few good books, I want to see what happens with the prospecting/mining ship...
April 14, 2012
Just Ok
This book started out a bit slow. To be honest, there wasn't much action and I wasn't overly impressed by the storyline.
The characters had too much talk and self-reflection for my taste. The action scenes were very few and far between. However, whenever there was an action scene, it was very interesting and did kept my attention.
Unfortunately the sparse action was insufficient to entirely hold my attention and interest; and it took me a long time to get through this book.
But on the plus side, I did manage to finish the book and despite my frustration with a lot of parts in this novel, I do see a lot of potential in this series. Therefore, I will definitely be reading the next installment Vigilante.
I also recommend:
Song of Scarabaeus
A Galaxy Unknown
Space Trippers Book 1: Trippin'
This book started out a bit slow. To be honest, there wasn't much action and I wasn't overly impressed by the storyline.
The characters had too much talk and self-reflection for my taste. The action scenes were very few and far between. However, whenever there was an action scene, it was very interesting and did kept my attention.
Unfortunately the sparse action was insufficient to entirely hold my attention and interest; and it took me a long time to get through this book.
But on the plus side, I did manage to finish the book and despite my frustration with a lot of parts in this novel, I do see a lot of potential in this series. Therefore, I will definitely be reading the next installment Vigilante.
I also recommend:
Song of Scarabaeus
A Galaxy Unknown
Space Trippers Book 1: Trippin'
February 2, 2017
Quite a decent first novel, really solid sci-fi, good plot and decent characterization. I would describe the writing as tentative though, it's not at all dull or bad, but it lacks a certain passion or full commitment. For instance, Kedros is a decent example of the female heroic archetype as written by western women writers[1][2], but a crucial aspect of this archetype is exhibited only sporadically[3].
[1] Yes, I recognize that this is cultural and not genetic etc
[2] The character who really introduced me to this archetype is Jani Killian as written by Kristine Smith. As an aside, I thought Kim Stanley Robinson did a good job, for a guy, with Aiah in City on Fire.
[3] Specifically, the self-critical or self-effacing inner monologue.
[1] Yes, I recognize that this is cultural and not genetic etc
[2] The character who really introduced me to this archetype is Jani Killian as written by Kristine Smith. As an aside, I thought Kim Stanley Robinson did a good job, for a guy, with Aiah in City on Fire.
[3] Specifically, the self-critical or self-effacing inner monologue.
January 11, 2009
I really enjoyed this novel written by a fellow Colorado author. I don't typically read science fiction, and it took me awhile to feel comfortable in Laura's complex and fully-fleshed-out futuristic world, but then I really got into the story, the political machinations and the--dare I say it, being a mystery author?--mystery of the whole thing. Major Ariane Kedros is a complex three-dimensional protagonist who's not perfect by far, but her flaws make us sympathetic for her and want to root for her. Peecekeeper was a very satisfying read. I can't wait to read the next in the series, Vigilante (Roc, October 2009).
May 1, 2010
I'll admit my bias upfront: I'm a friend of author. But I think I would have liked this in any case. As a first novel in a planned series it does have to spend significant time setting up an alternate future and establishing all the necessary elements. It was fun to learn the jargon and piece together the factions in this particular future. I found it quite original and I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't see where it was going or how it would end. I need to get going on reading the next one, "Vigilante."
February 3, 2013
I wanted to like this book, the concept and the female protagonist drew me to it. I made it to the end of the third chapter, but I was bored out of my mind. I can't say for certain what the problem was, but I just didn't care about the characters. I think it was too world-building heavy. I have no problem with dropping in the middle of a new world with little explanation beyond context for the jargon/slang. However, this was either too much or the characters/situation just weren't interesting enough to pull me through.
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