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Hide and Seek
There’s only one rule in hide and seek.
Don’t get caught.
In the aftermath of a failed black-ops mission, a thrown-together crew is hiding out on a remote planet in the outer rim of Federation space.
There can be no going back for former soldiers, Dix, Vaskez and Alard, and pilot and ex-smuggler Drake. And the young boy they rescued, known as Sol, has to be kept safe at all costs – the secret he holds could unleash chaos.
It’s a precarious existence on the margins, never knowing if their cover will hold. When an opportunity presents itself, it seems as if their luck might change. But other forces are at work, and the dangers start to multiply as the net closes in.
In the end, there’s no choice. They’ll have to run. Ready or not.
Hide and Seek is Book 2 in the Star Runners series featuring Dix, Vaskez, Alard, and Drake, a renegade crew on the run from rival empires and fanatical foes. It’s military, star-crew SciFi with explosive pace, an emotional heart, and blasts of weapons-grade humour.
Don’t get caught.
In the aftermath of a failed black-ops mission, a thrown-together crew is hiding out on a remote planet in the outer rim of Federation space.
There can be no going back for former soldiers, Dix, Vaskez and Alard, and pilot and ex-smuggler Drake. And the young boy they rescued, known as Sol, has to be kept safe at all costs – the secret he holds could unleash chaos.
It’s a precarious existence on the margins, never knowing if their cover will hold. When an opportunity presents itself, it seems as if their luck might change. But other forces are at work, and the dangers start to multiply as the net closes in.
In the end, there’s no choice. They’ll have to run. Ready or not.
Hide and Seek is Book 2 in the Star Runners series featuring Dix, Vaskez, Alard, and Drake, a renegade crew on the run from rival empires and fanatical foes. It’s military, star-crew SciFi with explosive pace, an emotional heart, and blasts of weapons-grade humour.
248 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 28, 2026
2 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Rex Burke
9 books45 followersRex Burke is a SciFi writer based in North Yorkshire, UK.
When he was young, he read every one of those yellow-jacketed Victor Gollancz hardbacks in his local library. That feeling of out-of-this-world amazement never left him – and keeps him company as he writes his own SciFi adventures.
When he's not writing, he travels – one way or another, he'll get to the stars, even if it's just as stardust when his own story is done.
For a fantastic FREE prequel to the Odyssey Earth series ('First Date') not available anywhere else, sign up to his newsletter at http://subscribepage.io/GPiihl
When he was young, he read every one of those yellow-jacketed Victor Gollancz hardbacks in his local library. That feeling of out-of-this-world amazement never left him – and keeps him company as he writes his own SciFi adventures.
When he's not writing, he travels – one way or another, he'll get to the stars, even if it's just as stardust when his own story is done.
For a fantastic FREE prequel to the Odyssey Earth series ('First Date') not available anywhere else, sign up to his newsletter at http://subscribepage.io/GPiihl
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 20, 2026
I received an ARC of this book from the author. Thank you, Rex. My review is honest, and my opinions are my own.
‘Hide and Seek’ is the second book in Burke’s ‘Star Runners’ series and begins where the previous book left off, with our heroic crew hiding out on a remote farm on Kallax. The boy, Sol, who they rescued in book 1, is with them, learning how to play and act like a kid among the family of Dix’s old sergeant, Sarge, after many years living as a bioweapon and test subject. Sol must remain hidden from the monks of planet Hauga, who are on his trail and show up on Kallax looking for him. The crew, Dix, Drake, Alard, and Vaskez, have become tight-knit during the escapades of book one and their current exile. They are picking up work here and there, and one such job leads to their getting to know Jindar, a nerdy tech wizard whose skills are really unbelievable and extremely useful in the latter part of the book.
The crew gets caught up in a smuggling and human trafficking operation and has to use everything available to them to attempt to steal a ship from the bad guys and eventually get off Kallax. I was a little unsure whether this was a wise decision, as they had been taken to Kallax and had their identities stripped from them for their own safety. Reentering space-society will definitely be fraught with danger, and I can’t wait for the next book to see exactly what that will look like!
The character of Sol is adorable in this book. He has become assimilated into farm life enough that he no longer seems completely robotic and alien, learning from the two children, Fent and Karey, how to play and live like a child. However, he still has a lot to learn, and his remarks and mannerisms are often hilarious.
Jindar was a fabulous addition to the cast. His tech wizardry knows no bounds. He is a trustworthy and nice guy, but willing to steal money from the accounts of his big bad boss, Lox Wessel, particularly when it will help those wronged by Wessel. I hoped he would become a permanent crew member and leave Kallax with the others at the end. With Wessel in deep trouble with the Axis, I think he is going to be out of a job now.
‘Hide and Seek’ has all the elements needed to be a really gripping and entertaining read. The book has plenty of action with a spaceship heist, a rescue from a hospital, a motorbike chase with Jindar manipulating the traffic management system, bar fights and more! There is also plenty of heart. This crew have grown close, and they each really care for Sol. The ‘Star Runners’ series is going from strength to strength, and I look forward to reading more of this motley crew’s adventures!
‘Hide and Seek’ is the second book in Burke’s ‘Star Runners’ series and begins where the previous book left off, with our heroic crew hiding out on a remote farm on Kallax. The boy, Sol, who they rescued in book 1, is with them, learning how to play and act like a kid among the family of Dix’s old sergeant, Sarge, after many years living as a bioweapon and test subject. Sol must remain hidden from the monks of planet Hauga, who are on his trail and show up on Kallax looking for him. The crew, Dix, Drake, Alard, and Vaskez, have become tight-knit during the escapades of book one and their current exile. They are picking up work here and there, and one such job leads to their getting to know Jindar, a nerdy tech wizard whose skills are really unbelievable and extremely useful in the latter part of the book.
The crew gets caught up in a smuggling and human trafficking operation and has to use everything available to them to attempt to steal a ship from the bad guys and eventually get off Kallax. I was a little unsure whether this was a wise decision, as they had been taken to Kallax and had their identities stripped from them for their own safety. Reentering space-society will definitely be fraught with danger, and I can’t wait for the next book to see exactly what that will look like!
The character of Sol is adorable in this book. He has become assimilated into farm life enough that he no longer seems completely robotic and alien, learning from the two children, Fent and Karey, how to play and live like a child. However, he still has a lot to learn, and his remarks and mannerisms are often hilarious.
Jindar was a fabulous addition to the cast. His tech wizardry knows no bounds. He is a trustworthy and nice guy, but willing to steal money from the accounts of his big bad boss, Lox Wessel, particularly when it will help those wronged by Wessel. I hoped he would become a permanent crew member and leave Kallax with the others at the end. With Wessel in deep trouble with the Axis, I think he is going to be out of a job now.
‘Hide and Seek’ has all the elements needed to be a really gripping and entertaining read. The book has plenty of action with a spaceship heist, a rescue from a hospital, a motorbike chase with Jindar manipulating the traffic management system, bar fights and more! There is also plenty of heart. This crew have grown close, and they each really care for Sol. The ‘Star Runners’ series is going from strength to strength, and I look forward to reading more of this motley crew’s adventures!
May 6, 2026
Nicely done. Ready for the next book
There are very few novels I read twice and this is one of them. Nicely plotted and characters you care to turn the next page at 3 a.m. to see what happens next. Every word seems well chosen. No fluff to boost the length. Recommended.
There are very few novels I read twice and this is one of them. Nicely plotted and characters you care to turn the next page at 3 a.m. to see what happens next. Every word seems well chosen. No fluff to boost the length. Recommended.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Having read and enjoyed all Rex Burke’s special brand of Sc-Fi, I was very pleased to be a beta reader for this latest space adventure, the sequel to Special Delivery and number 2 in the Star Runners series. Mostly set on a fringe planet in the solar system, the book revolves around Dix and his team, the protagonists in Special Delivery, who have found refuge with a family where they can lie low and keep young Sol, their unique charge, safe. However, Vaskez, a truly kick-ass lass, and Drake, the lovable ex smuggler, spice up the tale by getting involved in a freelance job that brings them into contact with a young computer genius who convinces them he can aid them in their desire to escape planet boredom. He also helps them see they are not nearly as safe as they believe and that the dark forces are drawing closer. It’s time to plan. What happens next is a roller-coaster ride of nail-biting tension, high drama, near misses and a breathtaking conclusion. I literally could not put it down and enjoyed it immensely. Well done, Rex Burke! Very highly recommended.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I enjoyed Special Delivery (the first book in the series) so I was excited to be asked to do an ARC read of book two. This is my unbiased and honest opinion.
The story carries straight on from book one, and Rex manages to remind us of what happened previously, by cleverly working it into the first few chapters. The group has come together really well, and the book moves on at a fast pace. The new characters integrate well, and I hope some of them will continue into the next book. The plot thickens (as they say), and there are plenty of twists which definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. For once, I don't have to beg for a follow up book, as one is already promised. I definitely recommend this book, and I can't wait until the autumn and book three.
The story carries straight on from book one, and Rex manages to remind us of what happened previously, by cleverly working it into the first few chapters. The group has come together really well, and the book moves on at a fast pace. The new characters integrate well, and I hope some of them will continue into the next book. The plot thickens (as they say), and there are plenty of twists which definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. For once, I don't have to beg for a follow up book, as one is already promised. I definitely recommend this book, and I can't wait until the autumn and book three.
Review of advance copy received from Author
The Special Delivery crew is back! Yay!
Apparently book 1 was supposed to be a standalone, but man, am I glad that Dix, Alard, Vaskez, and Drake (and Sol!) kept insisting they had more stories to tell! :)
This time, they run afoul of a local bigwig, the monks are hot on their heels, and the Axis isn’t too happy with them either… What could possibly go wrong? (Spoiler alert: Plenty!)
Thank you, Rex, for another story that made me smile and laugh and bite my nails and root for this misfit crew - and always keep a lookout for the pop-culture easter eggs I’ve come to expect... :)
More, please?
Apparently book 1 was supposed to be a standalone, but man, am I glad that Dix, Alard, Vaskez, and Drake (and Sol!) kept insisting they had more stories to tell! :)
This time, they run afoul of a local bigwig, the monks are hot on their heels, and the Axis isn’t too happy with them either… What could possibly go wrong? (Spoiler alert: Plenty!)
Thank you, Rex, for another story that made me smile and laugh and bite my nails and root for this misfit crew - and always keep a lookout for the pop-culture easter eggs I’ve come to expect... :)
More, please?
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received this as a gift from the author, and I'm thrilled to have received it. Otherwise I might not have started this series for a while, and that would have been my loss. I'm now quit fond of these rough but lovable characters and really looking forward to the next installment in the series.
The pacing was good and the writing was smooth - I never felt pulled out of the story by a poorly worded sentence. The new characters were loads of fun and the original ones are like old friends. Now I just have to keep myself busy while waiting for the next volume.
The pacing was good and the writing was smooth - I never felt pulled out of the story by a poorly worded sentence. The new characters were loads of fun and the original ones are like old friends. Now I just have to keep myself busy while waiting for the next volume.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I beta read this for Rex. Full review coming. Fantastic read that skillfully and delightfully expands on book one, plot and character development. Great fun!
In the meantime, if you haven't, pick up book one. H&S drops April 28.
In the meantime, if you haven't, pick up book one. H&S drops April 28.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews