Shadow Pawn

The War in Shadow Saga #5

by P.R. Adams

What would you do to save your people?

Captain Faith Benson brought the most powerful task force ever assembled into Gulmar space to form an alliance against their mutual enemies, the Azoren Federation. That alliance went out the window when the Gulmar capital was destroyed by an even greater threat: the Khanate.

Now Benson and the last of the Gulmar security forces must travel to the Azoren home world of Himmel to strike a deal with their psychotic enemies. Without that deal, there's no chance they can stand against this new enemy.

But the terms of the alliance may be worse than anyone expected, and it may cost Benson everything she holds dear.

Get your copy of Shadow Pawn today, and dive into the thrilling world of intrigue and twisted betrayal.

384 pages, Paperback

Published July 16, 2021

About the author

I was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. I joined the Air Force, and my career took me from coast to coast before depositing me in the St. Louis, Missouri area for several years. After a tour in Korea and a short return to the St. Louis area, I retired and moved to the greater Denver, Colorado metropolitan area.
I write speculative fiction, mostly science fiction and fantasy. My favorite writers over the years have been Robert E. Howard, Philip K. Dick, Roger Zelazny, and Michael Crichton.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A totally absorbing, gripping fifth book in the military sci-fi Shadow series by P. R. Adams. One to read as part of the series. Maybe even watch the sci-fi films when they come out (that's a big heads-up to all those directors out there to make this series into something bigger)!

Faith Benson is Commander of the Kedraalian fleet on a diplomatic mission to meet the Azoren High Command. From the outset she finds herself ill at ease with the way things develop. On Himmel, she and her team are 'escorted' to their meeting in the capital city, where matters escalate and they are separated, but not before meeting Supreme Leader Graf and one of the 'Golden Children' Field Marshal Dietmar Faulk.
Captain Benson finds herself secreted in different locations, some austere, others luxurious, a guest of Field Marshall Faulk's own plans to further his career.

Despite it being part of the mission, Damien Caville is struggling to come to terms with having to shoot his sister. Now he must make sure that the mission is a success. On a pirate ship on it's way to Ash Shivan, it seems likely that he himself may wind up dead,possibly at the hands of his companions, the captain and his crew.

Satrap must rely on Ikhama to help him keep the ship captains in his fleet under control. He has already had to deal with one assassination attempt and is in no shape to cope with any such further happenings. He needs to conquer the Kedraalian's in order to keep his place and maybe his dreamed of freedom.

These and others are part of the story playing out in space and the planets of the Kedraalian's, Gulmar, Azoren and Khanate peoples.

I have enjoyed reading all the books in the series and I'm looking forward to the next one (while at the same time not wanting it to end). They are well crafted and easy to slide your mind into the worlds as an observer. I really recommend that you read the whole set.

"For the dream to live, the dreamer must die."

I received a free copy of this novel from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oops, I updated the wrong book when I was "currently reading" two at once. Sorry for any misunderstanding about this book.

Although not a standalone story, and due to the complexity of the series with an abundance of contending characters and forces, the mix of social conventions with military and diplomatic intrigue is exhilarating to consider. This episode, like the others, bounces around several stories that are intermingled mostly due to being contemporary, although they are gradually coming together. I suspect many conflicts to be resolved in the final episode.

[Mike W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another well written, exciting book in the "Shadow War" series, full of intrigue, suspense, and action. This is a fast paced series about an officer that had been sidelined in her career suddenly thrust into awful situations, where she must make the right decisions to keep herself and her crew alive, and defeat those who seek the destruction of her stellar nation…and the hidden manipulators pulling levers behind the scenes.

I love the various elements that make up this series - the shadowy intrigue and mystery of the political machinations that are providing clashes and conflict between interstellar nations, the military space fleet actions, the spy craft of the intelligence agents, and the very human characters struggling to survive and accomplish the mission.