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Empty Space: Betrayal
295 pages, Paperback
Published October 26, 2025
About the author
Michael Jan Friedman
375 books210 followersMichael Jan Friedman is an author of more than seventy books of fiction and nonfiction, half of which are in the Star Trek universe. Eleven of his titles have appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list. Friedman has also written for network and cable television and radio, and scripted nearly 200 comic books, including his original DC superhero series, the Darkstars.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 5, 2026
Over the years, I have come to know that when I see the name Michael Jan Friedman on the cover of a sci-fi space opera novel, it is going to be a truly great one. Empty Space: Betrayal certainly fits in as a great space opera story involving a cast of some of the most interesting characters I've read about in all my years of reading. The reason the characters are so amazing is that they differ greatly from many I can remember reading. I put a lot on the quality of the players in a tale, and, right from the beginning, the principal character is unique in my experience.
Another great part of reading Mike's stories is his outstanding plot twists. The reader never sees what comes when it comes to books by this highly experienced author.
Empty Space: Betrayal is a great story space opera fans should not miss.
While the Terran system faces threats from alien species, it falls to the men and women of the Terran Fleet to provide an adequate defense. This becomes increasingly difficult when the Terrans are suffering heavy casualties. One of those casualties is Captain Robinson Dark, an officer who dies in the line of duty. However, the Terrans have learned how to reanimate their fallen officers to fight another day, at least for a while, until they eventually suffer from madness and become a danger to their fellow crewmates.
Because of his reanimation, Captain Dark no longer qualifies to command a starship, even though he retains all his skills and knowledge from before his death. On the other hand, he can very well command a mission to retrieve alien technology to help the Terran war effort.
He has to make a deal with an enemy to get his job done. It is almost like making a deal with the Devil, but as shaky as that may appear, it goes pear-shaped unexpectedly. Nothing is assured even in what seems to be a well-planned mission.
Robinson Dark is a captain and a leader. He is also what is called an "empty," a reanimated individual who retains knowledge and experience from their previous life, but not their emotions. While devoid of emotion, Dark is not without compassion. He indeed cares about those in his command, and he also defends other empties from the bigotry they face at the hands of those who are living their "first lives." While there are those who feel animosity at being commanded by empties, Dark is highly respected by most of those he commands, and he leads them well.
My favorite point of plot involves a precarious alliance Dark forms with a Poyan Elder, Za'mogh. When Dark discovers a secret about some alien technology, he must find a way to get to it, so he makes a deal with Za'mogh to retrieve the tech and share it with the Poya. This tech could mean a huge shift in power in the galaxy. Unfortunately, Za'mogh has ambitious enemies and must watch his back. Dark doesn't know about Za'mogh's problems. This all makes for a great story full of twists and turns. It is pure literary fun!
The theme that stands out to me the most in Empty Space: Betrayal is that of betrayal and deceit. Za'mogh gets an abject lesson on that theme, but he also teaches a lesson in the consequences of it. This, for me, was the best part of the story.
My takeaway from this story is from a line uttered by Michael Corleone in the film The Godfather Part II. He said, "Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer." The line speaks for itself and, as an aside note, the quote is commonly attributed to Sun Tsu or Machiavelli, but there is much ongoing debate on this score.
I deeply appreciated and enjoyed reading Empty Space: Betrayal. It is a great space opera with feeling. It has everything one could want from a sci-fi novel: great heroes and appalling villains, and a character who defies being either a hero or villain. There are numerous obstacles for the characters to work through. Mike's writing flows off the page and into the mind's eye to play out in an extremely entertaining way. It is an entertaining work of genius from an author who excels at writing just plain fun stuff.
Another great part of reading Mike's stories is his outstanding plot twists. The reader never sees what comes when it comes to books by this highly experienced author.
Empty Space: Betrayal is a great story space opera fans should not miss.
While the Terran system faces threats from alien species, it falls to the men and women of the Terran Fleet to provide an adequate defense. This becomes increasingly difficult when the Terrans are suffering heavy casualties. One of those casualties is Captain Robinson Dark, an officer who dies in the line of duty. However, the Terrans have learned how to reanimate their fallen officers to fight another day, at least for a while, until they eventually suffer from madness and become a danger to their fellow crewmates.
Because of his reanimation, Captain Dark no longer qualifies to command a starship, even though he retains all his skills and knowledge from before his death. On the other hand, he can very well command a mission to retrieve alien technology to help the Terran war effort.
He has to make a deal with an enemy to get his job done. It is almost like making a deal with the Devil, but as shaky as that may appear, it goes pear-shaped unexpectedly. Nothing is assured even in what seems to be a well-planned mission.
Robinson Dark is a captain and a leader. He is also what is called an "empty," a reanimated individual who retains knowledge and experience from their previous life, but not their emotions. While devoid of emotion, Dark is not without compassion. He indeed cares about those in his command, and he also defends other empties from the bigotry they face at the hands of those who are living their "first lives." While there are those who feel animosity at being commanded by empties, Dark is highly respected by most of those he commands, and he leads them well.
My favorite point of plot involves a precarious alliance Dark forms with a Poyan Elder, Za'mogh. When Dark discovers a secret about some alien technology, he must find a way to get to it, so he makes a deal with Za'mogh to retrieve the tech and share it with the Poya. This tech could mean a huge shift in power in the galaxy. Unfortunately, Za'mogh has ambitious enemies and must watch his back. Dark doesn't know about Za'mogh's problems. This all makes for a great story full of twists and turns. It is pure literary fun!
The theme that stands out to me the most in Empty Space: Betrayal is that of betrayal and deceit. Za'mogh gets an abject lesson on that theme, but he also teaches a lesson in the consequences of it. This, for me, was the best part of the story.
My takeaway from this story is from a line uttered by Michael Corleone in the film The Godfather Part II. He said, "Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer." The line speaks for itself and, as an aside note, the quote is commonly attributed to Sun Tsu or Machiavelli, but there is much ongoing debate on this score.
I deeply appreciated and enjoyed reading Empty Space: Betrayal. It is a great space opera with feeling. It has everything one could want from a sci-fi novel: great heroes and appalling villains, and a character who defies being either a hero or villain. There are numerous obstacles for the characters to work through. Mike's writing flows off the page and into the mind's eye to play out in an extremely entertaining way. It is an entertaining work of genius from an author who excels at writing just plain fun stuff.
Displaying 1 of 1 review