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Ptorix Empire #1
The Iron Admiral: Conspiracy
NOTE: Alternate cover edition for ASIN B00I90OGEY.
Peace in the Galaxy hangs in the balance.
Amid rising inter-species tensions, brilliant systems Engineer Allysha Marten takes one last job to rid her of debts and her cheating husband. On the mysterious planet Tisyphor she meets a security guard who wins her trust and her affection. Like her, he suspects that there's more to the operation on Tisyphor than reopening an abandoned mine. Together, they uncover a plot that threatens to plunge the Galaxy into inter-species war. As they scramble to prevent the coming holocaust, Allysha is horrified to learn that her new lover is ex-Admiral Chaka Saahren, the man the Ptorix call Chozhu the Destroyer, the man responsible for the death of her father, along with millions of other innocent civilians.
In a race against time, Saahren must convince Allysha to set aside her conflicted emotions about him to help him prevent the coming conflagration. And perhaps while he's doing that, he'll win back the only woman he's ever loved.
Peace in the Galaxy hangs in the balance.
Amid rising inter-species tensions, brilliant systems Engineer Allysha Marten takes one last job to rid her of debts and her cheating husband. On the mysterious planet Tisyphor she meets a security guard who wins her trust and her affection. Like her, he suspects that there's more to the operation on Tisyphor than reopening an abandoned mine. Together, they uncover a plot that threatens to plunge the Galaxy into inter-species war. As they scramble to prevent the coming holocaust, Allysha is horrified to learn that her new lover is ex-Admiral Chaka Saahren, the man the Ptorix call Chozhu the Destroyer, the man responsible for the death of her father, along with millions of other innocent civilians.
In a race against time, Saahren must convince Allysha to set aside her conflicted emotions about him to help him prevent the coming conflagration. And perhaps while he's doing that, he'll win back the only woman he's ever loved.
242 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2011
76 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
Greta van der Rol
56 books61 followersGreta van der Rol loves writing science fiction with a large dollop of good old, healthy romance. She lives not far from the coast in Queensland, Australia and enjoys photography and cooking when she isn't bent over the computer. She has a degree in history and a background in building information systems, both of which go a long way toward helping her in her writing endeavours.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
March 27, 2012
This book was kind of a guilty pleasure, actually. It is a SF/Romance, which is already SO hard to pull off, and it looks like it's self-published from the looks of it, but I actually kind of enjoyed it in a REALLY simplistic way. "Girl falls for man she thinks is enemy" is a good plot I enjoy, and the heroine was a kind of too-perfect character but I dug her being so gifted with the hacking thing. Did I believe the hero was actually one of the most ruthless generals in the universe? Nah. Was it weird that he was proposing marriage to her so early in their relationship? YES. But I kept reading anyway for some weird reason. I dunno, if you wanna delve into the SF/Romance you can DEFINITELY do worse than this book.
May 26, 2020
This is some pretty good scifi. Lots of politics and science and even a space battle thrown in. The aliens are strange, and our heroes are strong. Lots of secondary characters, which was both good and bad
Some rough spots, so it's a weak 4-stars.
I will likely read the next one.
Some rough spots, so it's a weak 4-stars.
I will likely read the next one.
May 28, 2018
I enjoyed the sci-fi elements, but the characters and relationships were flat. I also couldn't get behind the hero at all.
May 12, 2015
Nice science fiction adventure with a side dish of aliens. The back story on the characters is piecy so why they feel or act the way they do has to be put together slowly.
The romance was sweet but unbelievable--he wants to instantly marry her (even though she already is). The heroine is naive and is ill used by many, but mostly her husband. I was disappointed she didn't divorce him immediately after his adultery. It also made the romance between the wife and the hero very uncomfortable. Infidelity, even if your marriage partner isn't faithful and is a bad person, shows a weakness of character that doesn't bode well for future relationships. Also, lying about your identity and saying you love someone is cheap. Makes for drama, that's it. I would have loved this story otherwise.
mature content
The romance was sweet but unbelievable--he wants to instantly marry her (even though she already is). The heroine is naive and is ill used by many, but mostly her husband. I was disappointed she didn't divorce him immediately after his adultery. It also made the romance between the wife and the hero very uncomfortable. Infidelity, even if your marriage partner isn't faithful and is a bad person, shows a weakness of character that doesn't bode well for future relationships. Also, lying about your identity and saying you love someone is cheap. Makes for drama, that's it. I would have loved this story otherwise.
mature content
August 4, 2014
Plenty of potential lost in the murky waters of "genre mixing", not good enough (for me) to be Sci-Fi, way too absurdly quick to be a believable love story.
The lack of an ending doesn't make the love any more real. (He falls for her the moment he sees her.) Pity, there could have been a good story here.
The lack of an ending doesn't make the love any more real. (He falls for her the moment he sees her.) Pity, there could have been a good story here.
February 21, 2015
Anthology - part of Nebula Nights: Love Among The Stars
I liked the beginning, I liked the fast pace and then it slowed down so incredibly much that I read another book in the meantime. The ending felt incomplete. **1/2
I liked the beginning, I liked the fast pace and then it slowed down so incredibly much that I read another book in the meantime. The ending felt incomplete. **1/2
September 21, 2015
3.5 stars
Read
February 20, 2021giving up 1/3 of the way. Writing is very choppy and dialogue is wooden. Disappointing as story looks interesting but without the characters it'd nor worth reading.
September 22, 2011
Greta van der Rol’s The Iron Admiral – Conspiracy is the first Scifi book I have liked in the past ten years.
I’ve read Scifi since I was a kid. Lem, Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke and Bradbury filled my teen years too and well into adulthood, but then I found myself falling off the genre. For example, everyone touted Ender’s Game as something that everyone should read, but I dropped it halfway through. Since then I have taken up Scifi with lukewarm results.
Now, however, I picked up Greta van der Rol’s The Iron Admiral. I found the same elements in it that I used to like so much in the past: a solid, interesting plotline, good writing, and the most important thing: the Science in Science Fiction delivered so well that it simply doesn’t attack the reader. There are the shift-space-capable battle cruisers, stun guns and alien species, but as in the best of the genre books, they simply exist and are not elaborated upon, let alone explained to death. I especially liked the portable hyperspace gate – when can we buy them?
I have read van der Rol’s excellent debut To Die a Dry Death, in which her voice was clear and lucid already, but I am happy to see development even in this department. The way she carries the story and its multitude of characters is very readable and it is easy to follow the convoluted storyline. Allysha and Saahren come across as very human characters, complete with little quirks and habits. I have never met a live ptorix, but I am willing to take van der Rol’s portrayal of them as a species with their own agenda (and tentacles).
I am willing to recommend this book to any fan of the genre, and even to fans of just romance: you should check how romance can bloom while an interspecies war looms in the future.
I’ve read Scifi since I was a kid. Lem, Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke and Bradbury filled my teen years too and well into adulthood, but then I found myself falling off the genre. For example, everyone touted Ender’s Game as something that everyone should read, but I dropped it halfway through. Since then I have taken up Scifi with lukewarm results.
Now, however, I picked up Greta van der Rol’s The Iron Admiral. I found the same elements in it that I used to like so much in the past: a solid, interesting plotline, good writing, and the most important thing: the Science in Science Fiction delivered so well that it simply doesn’t attack the reader. There are the shift-space-capable battle cruisers, stun guns and alien species, but as in the best of the genre books, they simply exist and are not elaborated upon, let alone explained to death. I especially liked the portable hyperspace gate – when can we buy them?
I have read van der Rol’s excellent debut To Die a Dry Death, in which her voice was clear and lucid already, but I am happy to see development even in this department. The way she carries the story and its multitude of characters is very readable and it is easy to follow the convoluted storyline. Allysha and Saahren come across as very human characters, complete with little quirks and habits. I have never met a live ptorix, but I am willing to take van der Rol’s portrayal of them as a species with their own agenda (and tentacles).
I am willing to recommend this book to any fan of the genre, and even to fans of just romance: you should check how romance can bloom while an interspecies war looms in the future.
July 26, 2015
What I liked:
Excellent world building, technology, and I love the non-human Ptorix - a concept underdone in the SFR I've read so far. I especially enjoyed the alien planet Tisyphor with its deadly fauna and interesting flora, and the almost poetic descriptions of Ptorix architecture, plus the complex, well-thought out politics and inevitable friction between two species (bearing in mind how difficult it is for human beings alone to get along with one another as it is). And while I didn't buy the hero's insta-love, nor that he was the notorious(?) Iron Admiral, he wasn't a jerk and he cared about her in a way that wasn't totally focused on having sex with her as soon as possible.
What I didn't like:
A bit disjointed and rough at the start, and I really didn't buy the main hero's insta-love for the heroine. I liked Allysha: a bit naive, a little bit 'helpless maiden' at times, but also a tech nerd and unassuming. I was also slightly disturbed by the hero's continued conviction that she would marry him eventually even when she was saying no. Love his conviction but found it rather stalkerish/obsessive.
In conclusion:
A book for those who like the ST/Firefly kind of SF with a romantic element, and providing the insta-love thing doesn't prove too big an obstacle. I would read them more for the SF concepts and the action than for the slightly less than believable 'romance' - the ending is more a dubious status quo than the HEA/HFN required to be a true romance. However, as this is only book one I'm assuming there's an overall romantic arc to the series to satisfy the romance fans by the end.
Excellent world building, technology, and I love the non-human Ptorix - a concept underdone in the SFR I've read so far. I especially enjoyed the alien planet Tisyphor with its deadly fauna and interesting flora, and the almost poetic descriptions of Ptorix architecture, plus the complex, well-thought out politics and inevitable friction between two species (bearing in mind how difficult it is for human beings alone to get along with one another as it is). And while I didn't buy the hero's insta-love, nor that he was the notorious(?) Iron Admiral, he wasn't a jerk and he cared about her in a way that wasn't totally focused on having sex with her as soon as possible.
What I didn't like:
A bit disjointed and rough at the start, and I really didn't buy the main hero's insta-love for the heroine. I liked Allysha: a bit naive, a little bit 'helpless maiden' at times, but also a tech nerd and unassuming. I was also slightly disturbed by the hero's continued conviction that she would marry him eventually even when she was saying no. Love his conviction but found it rather stalkerish/obsessive.
In conclusion:
A book for those who like the ST/Firefly kind of SF with a romantic element, and providing the insta-love thing doesn't prove too big an obstacle. I would read them more for the SF concepts and the action than for the slightly less than believable 'romance' - the ending is more a dubious status quo than the HEA/HFN required to be a true romance. However, as this is only book one I'm assuming there's an overall romantic arc to the series to satisfy the romance fans by the end.
October 23, 2015
Interesting, but the admiral seemed more like a green boy than a man, as did the heroine quite frequently. I was a bit squicked out by his weird insta love professions and obsession with marriage.
August 25, 2019
Allysha Marten agrees to do one last job with her soon to be ex-husband to help him out of a financial jam. But she finds the IT system she helps create is a shield for some illegal operations. While on the job, she meets Brad Stone, security guard and is attracted to him. He also is suspecting hidden operations and the two plan to sabotage the place and leave. So begins their flight across space and the opening of a bigger can of worms. Find romantic space opera.
September 27, 2020
Hurry
An exciting adventure full of suspense, chaos, surprises, and evil. The emotions are overwhelming terror, anguish, betrayal, fear, and disbelief. You get hooked from the beginning until the end. You won’t be able to put it down until you finish. There are so many surprises, secrets, and attacks as they fight for survival and to stay one step ahead of their evil enemies.
An exciting adventure full of suspense, chaos, surprises, and evil. The emotions are overwhelming terror, anguish, betrayal, fear, and disbelief. You get hooked from the beginning until the end. You won’t be able to put it down until you finish. There are so many surprises, secrets, and attacks as they fight for survival and to stay one step ahead of their evil enemies.
June 6, 2017
DNF - wasn't anything special, and then we were introduced to the hero. Who turns out to be a super creeper , so immediate put down, squick factor to the max :(
May 31, 2019
An exciting space thriller where the heroine and hero try to stop an intergalactic war. While the heroine is conflicted in her feelings toward the hero, the hero is certain in his feelings for her. They discover the plot and make their escape in order to stop a war from starting.
January 19, 2020
Allysha has great computer and language skills but she is trying to disentangle herself from her slimy husband. She gets involved with the good guys even though she doesn't trust them.
Entertaining book
Entertaining book
April 16, 2020
I love Admiral Chaka Saahren - an alpha without the hole. Allysha is great - smart, resourceful, and heroic. The core tension that separates them got a bit old and frustrating, but bonus points for the Ptorix - truly alien aliens.
July 20, 2017
There's a lot Allysha needs to sort out in this adventurous space opera. 3.5 stars
December 8, 2019
A great read
This is a marvellous book. Can't be put down until the very end. I would recommend it to all lovers of military science fiction and romantic space opera.
This is a marvellous book. Can't be put down until the very end. I would recommend it to all lovers of military science fiction and romantic space opera.
July 18, 2023
Excellent! Highly recommended if you like space opera with action and adventure.
August 30, 2023
I liked it.
Read
October 7, 2016I hope I didn't pay more than .99 for this. Insta-love, insta-marriage proposal, TSTL heroine and I just can't finish it.
June 26, 2011
This book was way fun, but dang it, I didn't know before I began that it was not a complete volume unto itself. I read, fully expecting there to be resolution at the end, and when I came to the last page, I was yelling "NOOOOOOOO!" which the author probably heard in Australia.
Anyway, I am now salivating for book two. This is one of the beauties of a trilogy or series. I don't know why some people are so set against them. I like them. Of course, if it takes an author ten years to come out with book two, I might feel differently.
I liked Allysha a lot. She's well fleshed out and likeable. I rooted for her (and her green eyes) all the way through, and I understood completely how she got herself into the mess with Sean. I been there, sista! As far as the Admiral? I fell for him myself, very early on, I must confess. He's delicious. How Allysha can resist him, I don't know. She has far more willpower than I. There is a lot of sexual tension in this book.
Another thing I really liked is how the author doesn't over explain anything. Either you get it, or you don't, but it doesn't really matter. If you don't understand things like space travel and military probe droids,(which sounds a little concerning) that's okay. She doesn't go into long info blocks describing what these things are and how they work. You, the reader, just gradually pick it up as you read. I LOVE that.
I want the second book NOW! I need more Iron Admiral!
Anyway, I am now salivating for book two. This is one of the beauties of a trilogy or series. I don't know why some people are so set against them. I like them. Of course, if it takes an author ten years to come out with book two, I might feel differently.
I liked Allysha a lot. She's well fleshed out and likeable. I rooted for her (and her green eyes) all the way through, and I understood completely how she got herself into the mess with Sean. I been there, sista! As far as the Admiral? I fell for him myself, very early on, I must confess. He's delicious. How Allysha can resist him, I don't know. She has far more willpower than I. There is a lot of sexual tension in this book.
Another thing I really liked is how the author doesn't over explain anything. Either you get it, or you don't, but it doesn't really matter. If you don't understand things like space travel and military probe droids,(which sounds a little concerning) that's okay. She doesn't go into long info blocks describing what these things are and how they work. You, the reader, just gradually pick it up as you read. I LOVE that.
I want the second book NOW! I need more Iron Admiral!
April 13, 2011
How to describe Iron Admiral? Sci-fi? Absolutely. Romance? Yep. Adventure? Another yep. This is a quick read (the kind you pick up...and then don’t put down until done!), fast-paced with loads of action and changes and scenery.
Iron Admiral is also cleverly constructed, the details of other worlds, politics and races woven throughout to create a synergy of backstory and tale that never feels contrived (I am somewhat in awe of that!). World descriptions are good, with everything the reader needs without resorting to huge chucks of words. The plot is excellent, from weapons trading and a nasty virus to the shenanigans of politicians and two races in conflict. I am very impressed by Greta van der Rol’s writing style: she uses minimal words to say much and really pulls it off.
Characters are believable. Allysha is a likable heroine and seriously clever. Saarehn is the kind of man we like to read about- strong and capable, but also enigmatic. The lesser characters are colourful, some downright dastardly- but we like that!
I got to the end of Iron Admiral...and wanted to find out what happens next...and that is always a good sign. Can’t wait to read the next one!
Elaina J Davidson
April 2011
Iron Admiral is also cleverly constructed, the details of other worlds, politics and races woven throughout to create a synergy of backstory and tale that never feels contrived (I am somewhat in awe of that!). World descriptions are good, with everything the reader needs without resorting to huge chucks of words. The plot is excellent, from weapons trading and a nasty virus to the shenanigans of politicians and two races in conflict. I am very impressed by Greta van der Rol’s writing style: she uses minimal words to say much and really pulls it off.
Characters are believable. Allysha is a likable heroine and seriously clever. Saarehn is the kind of man we like to read about- strong and capable, but also enigmatic. The lesser characters are colourful, some downright dastardly- but we like that!
I got to the end of Iron Admiral...and wanted to find out what happens next...and that is always a good sign. Can’t wait to read the next one!
Elaina J Davidson
April 2011
February 23, 2016
I read this because Goodreads said if you liked Dark Deeds (which I loved) then they also suggest this one.... This feature is not working as well for me as it has in other genres and I have been trying hard to be on an alien kick.
I didn't like how our hero immediately thinks he loves this woman and says it out loud and to himself often after he first meets her. I think he should have started with thoughts of her attributes (which she has many) like when he first sees her... "She's beautiful..." or like after she does the impossible of getting into the military droid... She's magnificent.". I would like to grow to the L word not start off with it after first seeing her and asking her to marry him:/ It really took away from the romance for me. It also took away from our hero and I really liked him other than this.
I didn't like that this is basically half a book and if your want the other half of the romance you have to read the next one.... though, I am off to read in now, so I guess it does work, but it still makes me angry and if I would have had to wait a year for it... I probably would have thrown my kindle and not read it.
I didn't like how our hero immediately thinks he loves this woman and says it out loud and to himself often after he first meets her. I think he should have started with thoughts of her attributes (which she has many) like when he first sees her... "She's beautiful..." or like after she does the impossible of getting into the military droid... She's magnificent.". I would like to grow to the L word not start off with it after first seeing her and asking her to marry him:/ It really took away from the romance for me. It also took away from our hero and I really liked him other than this.
I didn't like that this is basically half a book and if your want the other half of the romance you have to read the next one.... though, I am off to read in now, so I guess it does work, but it still makes me angry and if I would have had to wait a year for it... I probably would have thrown my kindle and not read it.
May 5, 2011
The Iron Admiral: Conspiracy tells the story of Allysha Marten, information systems guru extraordinaire, as she takes off to a new mining planet with her soon-to-be-ex-husband, Sean. One last job to clear his debts and she'll be free of his lying, gambling, cheating self forever. The conspiracy that she finds on this new mining world takes her by surprise, as does help from the new security officer, Brad Stone, who's really Saahren (the Iron Admiral) in disguise. Too bad Allysha hates Saahren and everything he stands for.
The awkward romance that ensues is woven together perfectly with the conspiracy plot. In fact, the romantic elements of the story were my favorite parts. The description throughout the book is vivid and realistic, especially when describing the Ptorix, an alien race co-existing with humans, and their customs and architecture.
Overall, fans of sci-fi romance and space operas are sure to find The Iron Admiral: Conspiracy an engaging and thrilling read. I can't wait for the sequel!
The awkward romance that ensues is woven together perfectly with the conspiracy plot. In fact, the romantic elements of the story were my favorite parts. The description throughout the book is vivid and realistic, especially when describing the Ptorix, an alien race co-existing with humans, and their customs and architecture.
Overall, fans of sci-fi romance and space operas are sure to find The Iron Admiral: Conspiracy an engaging and thrilling read. I can't wait for the sequel!
December 14, 2011
Allysha is in an unhappy marriage to a scheming drunkard named Sean. Unfortunately, she has to do one more job with him to assure that any debts he’s created don’t follow her.
She and Sean are human, but live amongst ptorax, a blue, furred people with writhing tentacles at the end of four arms, currently demonstrating against the humans among their midst.
The job on Tisyphor wouldn’t be hard work and is away from the demonstrations. It also would see her financially free of Sean and the goons that are pursuing him. All seems well as they land on the planet where an old mine reopening needs her expertise of interfacing ptorix systems with human systems.
The pace picks up with her discovering more and more information about the long-abandoned mines and the reader finds themselves within the story very quickly.
The writing is professional and seamless. The characters are believable and the dialogue comes across naturally. This author has every right to be in this profession and deserves an avid fan base clamoring for more of her work. I
She and Sean are human, but live amongst ptorax, a blue, furred people with writhing tentacles at the end of four arms, currently demonstrating against the humans among their midst.
The job on Tisyphor wouldn’t be hard work and is away from the demonstrations. It also would see her financially free of Sean and the goons that are pursuing him. All seems well as they land on the planet where an old mine reopening needs her expertise of interfacing ptorix systems with human systems.
The pace picks up with her discovering more and more information about the long-abandoned mines and the reader finds themselves within the story very quickly.
The writing is professional and seamless. The characters are believable and the dialogue comes across naturally. This author has every right to be in this profession and deserves an avid fan base clamoring for more of her work. I
April 16, 2011
When Allysha arrives at a new planet and a new job with her estranged husband, whom she caught cheating, she thinks it's going to be a quick job to help him out financially, and she'll be free afterwards. She couldn't be more wrong. Soon, she discovers that there is a lot more to the job than she thought, and the impications of what she finds out have deep political consequences between the humans and the alien Ptorix race.
This book is also a love story between Allysha and Saahren, who is known as the Iron Admiral, but has been sacked from his position. With neither of them being honest about who they are and what they're doing, the relationship goes through the peeling back of several layers. I enjoyed this aspect of the book in particular.
The book interweaves a rollicking space opera adventure with a love story in a way that kept me reading.
This book is also a love story between Allysha and Saahren, who is known as the Iron Admiral, but has been sacked from his position. With neither of them being honest about who they are and what they're doing, the relationship goes through the peeling back of several layers. I enjoyed this aspect of the book in particular.
The book interweaves a rollicking space opera adventure with a love story in a way that kept me reading.
January 26, 2015
I got this as a free purchase from Barnes and Noble, and I wasn't expecting very much. In my experience, most science fiction romance stories don't have very good world-building. However, this series has been the exception to that rule. The "universe" that this story takes place in was as well thought out as many others and the story itself would have been interesting, even without the romance angle.
The heroine, Allysha, was irritatingly naive at times, but considering she was very sheltered, it was believably so. I did wonder why she was so adamantly pro-Ptorix and anti-human, but I chalked it up to "it's in the script, dammit." Otherwise, there would have been very little conflict to overcome between her and the hero.
Overall, a fun read.
The heroine, Allysha, was irritatingly naive at times, but considering she was very sheltered, it was believably so. I did wonder why she was so adamantly pro-Ptorix and anti-human, but I chalked it up to "it's in the script, dammit." Otherwise, there would have been very little conflict to overcome between her and the hero.
Overall, a fun read.
April 28, 2016
Pros: This book had fantastic sci-fi settings, detailed alien cultures, and great intrigue. I liked the clever but naive heroine and thought the relationship with the estranged husband was well-handled.
Cons: The romance was a little too much insta-love for me, and the hero Saahren was inconsistent and contradictory. Sometimes he's the competent, take-charge warrior, while other times he's the romantically inept bumbler. He seems like the good guy, the true hero, but then he acts like an ass. If he had remained more the man he started out in the beginning and hadn't blurted out professions of love right off the bat, I think I would have liked the romantic elements as much as the rest of the book.
Overall, I thought this was a really entertaining sci-fi read that I would recommend.
Cons: The romance was a little too much insta-love for me, and the hero Saahren was inconsistent and contradictory. Sometimes he's the competent, take-charge warrior, while other times he's the romantically inept bumbler. He seems like the good guy, the true hero, but then he acts like an ass. If he had remained more the man he started out in the beginning and hadn't blurted out professions of love right off the bat, I think I would have liked the romantic elements as much as the rest of the book.
Overall, I thought this was a really entertaining sci-fi read that I would recommend.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews