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Castaways #3
Rats
The circle is broken.
Dalton and Olivia have been captured, stolen away in the night by Mr. Shaddock and his crew of rodent mercenaries. Their fellow students have been warned not to intervene: there are politics in play, and everyone from the rat-clans to the Saunders Academy’s mysterious investors want this situation — and the school’s kidnapped students — to vanish in silence.
For Amy, Vail and the rest of the Castaways, silence was never an option.
Putting their lives on the line, they set out into the endless void of the In-Between, intent on tracking Shaddock down and rescuing Dalton and Olivia. From a space station at the edge of eternity to a cosmic pirate galleon, from a barren death-world inhabited by gigantic, carnivorous monsters to a sleek and shining neon metropolis, they won’t give up the hunt.
They’re either going to bring their friends home, or die trying.
Dalton and Olivia have been captured, stolen away in the night by Mr. Shaddock and his crew of rodent mercenaries. Their fellow students have been warned not to intervene: there are politics in play, and everyone from the rat-clans to the Saunders Academy’s mysterious investors want this situation — and the school’s kidnapped students — to vanish in silence.
For Amy, Vail and the rest of the Castaways, silence was never an option.
Putting their lives on the line, they set out into the endless void of the In-Between, intent on tracking Shaddock down and rescuing Dalton and Olivia. From a space station at the edge of eternity to a cosmic pirate galleon, from a barren death-world inhabited by gigantic, carnivorous monsters to a sleek and shining neon metropolis, they won’t give up the hunt.
They’re either going to bring their friends home, or die trying.
- GenresUrban FantasyYoung Adult
346 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 9, 2026
32 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
About the author
Craig Schaefer
46 books1,336 followersCraig Schaefer's books have taken readers to the seamy edge of a criminal underworld drenched in shadow (the Daniel Faust series), to a world torn by war, poison and witchcraft (the Revanche Cycle), and across a modern America mired in occult mysteries and a conspiracy of lies (the Harmony Black series).
Despite this, people say he's strangely normal. Suspiciously normal, in fact. His home on the Web is www.craigschaeferbooks.com.
Despite this, people say he's strangely normal. Suspiciously normal, in fact. His home on the Web is www.craigschaeferbooks.com.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 26, 2026
I usually like this author's books much more than I liked this one.
Probably one of the problems was I had forgotten lots of the details about the characters since I read the last book, but still. That happened at the beginning of book 2, also, and I still liked it.
This whole book was basically a chase. Everybody was chasing each other. These people were looking for their friends, who were perhaps held by those people. So they were looking for this other guy, who they thought could help them find those people. But then, after they found him, that other guy was a stinker, which they had to overcome. Plus, those people perhaps holding their friends were trying to find yet another guy, so everybody's running around trying to outsmart each other. And, except for "these people," everyone's a bad guy. Lots of racing around, traps, and other shenanigans. Snore.
The first two books of this series were MUCH better. I'm worried about the two other books coming up.
Sorry, Heather.
Probably one of the problems was I had forgotten lots of the details about the characters since I read the last book, but still. That happened at the beginning of book 2, also, and I still liked it.
This whole book was basically a chase. Everybody was chasing each other. These people were looking for their friends, who were perhaps held by those people. So they were looking for this other guy, who they thought could help them find those people. But then, after they found him, that other guy was a stinker, which they had to overcome. Plus, those people perhaps holding their friends were trying to find yet another guy, so everybody's running around trying to outsmart each other. And, except for "these people," everyone's a bad guy. Lots of racing around, traps, and other shenanigans. Snore.
The first two books of this series were MUCH better. I'm worried about the two other books coming up.
Sorry, Heather.
February 19, 2026
Rats is another fun entry in the Catsaways series.
This time the plot revolves around a rescue mission, which gives the story a tight structure. It moves fast and doesn’t overcomplicate things. The redemption arc (?) here is serviceable, but never especially deep or surprising. The villains are also fairly caricatural, but subtlety is not why I'm reading this series.
I'm here for pulp-fiction escapism, snappy momentum, and high-stakes confrontations. On that front, Rats absolutely delivers. It may not be the most layered installment, but it’s a solid, enjoyable ride, and it left me more than ready to pick up the remaining two books.
This time the plot revolves around a rescue mission, which gives the story a tight structure. It moves fast and doesn’t overcomplicate things. The redemption arc (?) here is serviceable, but never especially deep or surprising. The villains are also fairly caricatural, but subtlety is not why I'm reading this series.
I'm here for pulp-fiction escapism, snappy momentum, and high-stakes confrontations. On that front, Rats absolutely delivers. It may not be the most layered installment, but it’s a solid, enjoyable ride, and it left me more than ready to pick up the remaining two books.
March 5, 2026
When shit hits the fan in this one, it really hits!
)O(
Anahera's prophecy: three go out, nine come back.
Out: Amy, Vail and Bahati
Back:
)O(
Anahera's prophecy: three go out, nine come back.
Out: Amy, Vail and Bahati
Back:
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews