Ghosts of Empire

Empire of Bones Saga #4

by Terry Mixon

When on deadly ground, fight!

Jared and Kelsey won the battle for Harrison’s World, but the enemy holds thousands of Fleet personnel prisoner. They must get their people back without revealing who they really are or the sentient AIs will eradicate the new Terran Empire.

Coordinator Olivia West sees and opportunity to free her people from Harrison’s World now that the AI that had crushed them under its heel was no more. To do that, she must outwit the Fleet officers holding the keys to her planet’s destruction.

But foes striking from the shadows will go to any length to derail their plans. Can the three of them settle their differences before the ghosts of the Old Empire return to haunt them all?

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Military Fiction, Audiobook, Space

332 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 13, 2015

About the author

#1 Bestselling Military Science Fiction author Terry Mixon served as a non-commissioned officer in the United States Army 101st Airborne Division. He later worked alongside the flight controllers in the Mission Control Center at the NASA Johnson Space Center supporting the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station, and other human spaceflight projects.

He now writes full time while living in Texas with his lovely wife and a pounce of cats.

Reviews

[Ivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems the author got better with dramatic timing. Giving extra half a star for my personal enjoyment. The saga continues with a huge boost to loyalist Empire and Imperial Siblings.

[Melissa Hayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.

Having planets under control of higher powers can be a feeding ground for conspiracies and resistances. Here on Harrison's World, we get both. And they know very well who their enemy is. Harrison's World holds knowledge Admiral Jared Mertz and Princess Kelsey Bandar need to continue their fight against the Rebel Empire. But, can they get their people free and make allies at the same time? Or will the conspiracies of the Rebel Empire go deeper than all expected?

Veronica is talented at keeping pace with the excitement of the story. When the events pick up pace and the heart of the characters is pumping, Veronica has the feel of the fast tension to her voice, drawing me into the rush of the moment. Yet, Veronica is crystal clear in speaking so I know exactly what she says. There are moments through the book that have an echoy sound to them. I'm not sure what this is or why, me or the recording, I'm not sure. I'm repeatedly wowed at Veronica's ability and beyond any talent to give a vast cast of characters their own voices and personalities.

With Terry's writing we have come to be very close to our characters here. We've slowly added new characters that I've grown attached to as well. Now we are adding more people to the mix. It sounds like a lot of people, but the way Terry adds them keeps them all individual and easy to get to know before adding more to the group. I love this as it does not stress me out. He introduces them in their 'home' environment and when they appear on the page it's in relation to who and where they are, even not spoken or written. This makes it very easy for me to remember who's who in this growing cast of characters.

We get the story from Kelsey and Jared's POV's like previous books. But we also get a new view here. Commander Sean Meyer is in a different spot and we get to see from where he's at. And Coordinator Olivia West, who has a special connection to things.

Oooooh this book. There is so much to learn! We start to learn details of the Rebel Empire and how it's set up with their lords and rulers. Very interesting. Just when I thought things could get boring, Terry surprises me and keeps me held fast to the book. Things could easily be repeated, but they aren't. What we learn and deal with at Harrison's World grows to new heights, unlike at Pantagar.

We see how two worlds collide with needs and desires to do more. There are items that both want, yet only one has and can have. There is also desires for more on the new world we are negotiating with, Harrison's World. These worlds are damaged and the people are angry. Different people want different things - revenge, freedom, power, and more. There are people who want to rebel against the Rebel Empire and others with plans of their own. All clash as Jared and Kelsey work to get their people freed from Harrison's World. Will they make a new ally or an enemy? Or come to even grounds? There is a different hierarchy here, and it's going to be difficult to get anywhere.

This book had me groping for all sorts of ideas on how things could turn out. Oh to see how the people of Harrison's World who want to rebel against the Empire have worked for what little they have in place, and to know where those items are. Wow. There is more in common with Jared and Kelsey with Olivia and her people, they just don't know it right away. I worried how this common ground could be destroyed before it's ever found because everyone's so worried about keeping things safe against the AI and their Rebel Empire.

The creation of the Rebel Empire and their treatment of the planets is a feeding ground for rebellions and conspiracies. People wanting to be free. People wanting to climb the power ladder. It's a crafty web people weave to get what they want, and the extents they will go to. I was worried and anxious for all our friends, old and new, hoping things would turn out as they get into tight spots. I'm always mesmerized at the craftiness of authors that create systems and conspiracies this deep and this believable. Amazing talent!

Battles in space and on land. Car chases and fights. Caring people with close relations to their crew.

Aside from all my rambling, I just love this spectacularly written story, characters, and world!

[Per Gunnar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here we go for another entertaining episode of The Empire of Bones saga. After the clusterfuck by the unbelievably incompetent Captain Breckenridge it is up to our friends to clean up the mess. This of course leads them into yet another adventure on yet another world of the former Terran Empire.

The story this time revolves around the objective of getting their people back from Harrison’s World. Harrison’s World is occupied by former Terran Empire inhabitants where most of them believe they are still part of the empire and are not aware that they are actually slaves of the AIs. To complicate things the people of Harrison’s World has already made one attempt to overthrow the AIs and been severely punished for it.

The resistance movement remains however and naturally they see this moment as an opportunity. Unfortunately they believe that Jared and Kelsey are part of the AI’s version of the Terran Empire so it is up to our heroes to convince them otherwise.

As an additional incentive Harrison’s world is home for the Grant Research Facility, one of the most advanced military research facilities in the old Terran Empire. For Jared and Kelsey to get their hands on it would be a big bonus.

All these elements makes for the usual entertaining ride through a lot of action, suspense, adventure, good characters and nasty villains. The book is nicely written although, after having read four of these books, I have to say that the author could do with an editor. The dialogue is quite fun at times and the adventure plays out nicely. As usual our heroes gains some additional knowledge and technology on the way, as well as new friends.

Some of the adventure takes the form of political power play between those faithful to the AI “lords” and the supporters of the resistance movement. I quite liked the resistance movement representative. Her opponent is evil all the way and somewhat of a stereotype of a political bad guy but thankfully not as ludicrously stupid as Captain Breckenridge.

All in all this book contains the same kind of enjoyable, although not overly deep and complex, adventure plot that we have seen in the previous books. I found it a good reed.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a RUSH!!!!! well written grabbed me would not let me go... I just had to sit down and read it start to finish.

[J.R. Handley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is too long for this site, so I'm cutting out some of what you can see on the book's page. Hope this works! If not, check out the whole review here!
https://jrhandley.com/2019/05/30/book...

Characters:
In this novel, there are two main characters who we follow; Commander Jared Mertz and Princess Kelsey Bandar. Keeping the focus on two characters made you feel closer to them, which is how I like things. All of the secondary characters were a lot of fun as well! They were all fully realized, none of them felt flat or fake.

Admiral Jared Mertz: He’s a senior naval officer of the largely peaceful New Terran Empire, but he felt real and not one of those stereotypical military pencil pushers from the Pax New Terra. He was recently promoted to Admiral by his sister, an heir to the Imperial throne. He was a consummate professional who genuinely cared for the sailors and Marines under his command. He was a good officer, who knew his craft and was tactically creative during combat training simulations. As his duties grew, so did his abilities as a leader of men. He’s the kind of guy you’d want on your side once the New Terran Empire realizes that they’re still at war. When he’s exposed to combat for the first time, against the elusive “pale ones,” he proves that he’s got what it takes to get things done under fire. As the combat intensified during their expedition, he continues to prove his mettle. He’s the illegitimate son of the emperor, whose royal pedigree was discovered on his entrance physical for the Imperial Navy. This knowledge came with dark undertones, as Fleet tried to hold him back to prove they weren’t giving him special treatment. During this novel, we see more growth from him, as he’s forced to accept the continued burdens that come with his increasing responsibilities as a flag officer. This is especially evident as he is forced to risk everything in a desperate gamble to keep the existence of the New Terran Empire a secret. Like in any combat scenario, Jared’s orders lead to men dying; men and women whose ghosts will haunt his sleep. He was, by far, my favorite character in this novel. Overall, I enjoyed following him from the first word until the last! It felt like there was so much more to come from him!

Princess Kelsey Bandar: When we first meet her, she’s the spoiled daughter of the New Terran Empire, a petite bombshell of sassy entitlement. Picture a princess in your mind, and you can envision Kelsey. She’s the “spare apparent,” a term I first heard from Terry Mixon and summed her role as the second in line to the imperial throne. When she decided she wants to find a mission for her life, to become more than her status as an imperial princess, her father turns her life upside down. The emperor sends her on the voyage to explore the remains of the fallen empire, where she gets stuck on the other side of a one-sided flip point. During those adventures, she is implanted with super soldier Terran Empire Marine Raider enhancements and is left to deal with the consequences of those changes. She becomes an unlikely warrior, turning a spoiled princess into the “every man” soldier. Except she has those enhancements. In this newest edition, the Empire of Bones Saga, we see even more growth from her, making her an even more likable character. She’s coolly efficient under fire but well aware of her weaknesses in tactical doctrine. We again see her under the stress of galactic conflict, as she struggles to process everything that happened to her and her friends. Overall, I was thrilled at her growth in this novel, especially how she handled the action at Harrison’s World. I loved watching her process what happened in the last book, while things only compound for her in this latest edition. Her character came alive on the page, giving Jared and Talbot fits as they tried corralling her.

Overall, I really loved the two main characters and the entire supporting class of this book. I give these characters 5 out of 5 Grenades and can’t wait to see where the author takes in the books to come!

Plot:
The premise for this series was not that different from other space opera stories out there, humanity post-earth trying to reclaim the spacefaring society that they’d left behind. However, it’s in the execution where the author excels. His stories are pure escapism and enjoyment, under the banner of intergalactic science fiction. This book, like the rest of the novels in this series, fit squarely within the scope of an expansive space opera that I love to read. I loved that there were never any lulls that bored me, this novel was action-packed with a defined plot. There were places where I thought that he could’ve expanded certain things, but the novel as is – still works. It was just so fun that I wanted to explore every nook and cranny. The story is set as the New Terran Empire is finally revitalizing their exploration of the empire that they lost during the rebellion 500 hundred years before the story began. The New Terran Empire sets out to explore rediscover and reclaim territories it had lost. During one of those exploration missions, the main characters get stranded in an unknown region of space, and the usual shenanigans ensue. This gripping adventure was never boring, and the characters and universe behaved in a way that made sense for the worlds the author created. It was a good set-up and well-executed premise that held my interest. Since I’ve read the rest of this series, I can assure you that there are bigger things to come from the Empire of Bones universe. What I like about this universe is that it fit squarely within the large expansive worlds through the copious amounts of space opera that I read. This plot fits nicely into that framework, and Terry is raising the bar on this one. As you can tell by the gushing, I really got into this book. I couldn’t put it down; the plot was that compelling. Heck, this is my fourth or fifth re-reading of this series. I really loved the premise, and more importantly, I enjoyed how the execution. The pacing was excellent, and there was never a slow moment. There was never a point where the plot was confusing, or that I couldn’t figure out what was going on. I couldn’t ask for anything more; a unique premise, perfect execution, and incredible pacing! I again give Terry Mixon 5 out of 5 Grenades!

World Building:
This is the fourth book in the Empire of Bones Saga, and I absolutely loved it. The world was flushed out, and everything was explained in a way that made sense. The universe was consistent, with just enough of the mundane facets of life thrown in the fall grounded in this reality. Everything made sense and sucked you into the story. Some of the details seemed inconsequential, but those hooks just make me think that the larger universe will continue to grow and expand. I loved reading about the culture of the New Terran Empire, and Terry spoon fed us those details in a way that didn’t feel like an info dump. I loved how Terry showed a different vision of this future with the Kingdom of Pentagar, Harrison’s World Protectorate, and the Rebel Empire. They were a fun look into what the other possibilities were in this world. I loved the tidbits thrown into the lore about pre-fall Terra. It added to the tapestry of this overarching universe, illustrating what the possibilities were for a post-Earth culture could be. There was never anything he described that I couldn’t envision, or that felt like it wasn’t “real.” We get to see the weaponry and technology has evolved (or devolved) since the fall of the Terran Empire and feel inspired by what the characters have we gained access to. This was especially noticeable on Harrison’s World, where humanity hadn’t been sent back to the stone age. I could picture every setting described, easily envisioning myself living there. It was so believable that I’ve even entertained myself telling side stories set in this larger universe. When describing the world, Terry was light on the details… but not so much that I was lost or experienced the floating head syndrome. I could always picture the scene in my head, watching it in the movie theater of my mind. Despite being a bubblegum space opera, Terry has upped the bar of excellence, adding more sensory input to the mix; sights, sounds, smells, and feelings. He didn’t reinvent the wheel, building on the existing tropes of space opera. Instead, he made brought it into the 21st Century! Overall, the world building was well done, and I was sold on the way it happened. It felt believable, and the characters fit within the universe Terry Mixon created. Like most of the stories I read, this one didn’t take itself too seriously, which allowed you to focus on the fun, which is why I read in the first place. I give the world building 5 out of 5 Grenades.

Description:
I have to give it to this author, this novel was chock-full of visualization, and you could definitely imagine yourself in this world. He described things across the sensory spectrum; sights, sounds, smells, and even how the world felt. While I could visualize all of the characters, I would still love it if Terry could describe the characters physical traits in more details. Terry went light on the details, with just enough specifics to allow you to visualize it for yourself. Maybe not the same as Terry pictures them, but enough to form a mental image in your mind. I wanted more, but I’m told I’m an outlier on this front. The modern trend is for less description, which I detest. I loved that Terry kept his language simple, reminding me of what I liked about Tom Clancy’s style of writing. Their genres aren’t the same, but their style of language is similar, and I like that. He balanced the explanation of this new world, Harrison’s World, against the need to move the story along. There wasn’t a single place where I couldn’t picture the scenery and equipment, which added to the world that felt tangible, and I enjoyed it. The author’s description of his universe was evocative, and enough to please your average readers. Again, I always prefer more descriptions over less, but Terry did enough to get the job done.
In summary, I didn’t find any issues with the descriptions and was impressed by the literary skills of Terry. I wish he were more descriptive, but he gave you enough to form your own visual image. If you want a pulp era space opera, then this is the book for you! I give him 4 out of 5 grenades in this category. If he gave me more details, it would be a 5, but the normies would hate it!

Overall:
I really loved this book, it was a lot of fun to read. It is worth mentioning again, I’ve read these novels multiple times and never once felt like it was a waste of time. They brought back the era of pulp science fiction that started the genre we know and love. This novel harkened back to what I loved about space opera and followed the first novel in this series. The vibe of this story was amazing, and I loved seeing where the adventurers would end up. I wanted to know what happened to the Terran Empire, and how they lost so quickly to the rebels that broke an intergalactic empire in several weeks. There were no deep messages, or political themes, just good clean fun.

Like the other novels in this universe, the first thing that caught my eye was the cover. Okay, covers are the first thing that grabs us about any universe, but I digress. The spaceship on the cover is growing on me, and they’re well branded as a part of the same universe. I still prefer the ship from book three, Command Decisions, but this one is growing on me too. Overall, the covers on this series are a better fit for the space opera market, but this one also managed to hit the military science fiction genre as well. More specifically, the space fleet subgenre of military science fiction. This isn’t a flaw of the series since the books fit into both genres, just an observation. Keep in mind, I’m colorblind, so your mileage may vary. Check them out, share your thoughts in the comments.

Now onto the book itself! The military culture shown was spot on, just what I’d expect from an Army veteran. He created a compelling interstellar naval force, but again… the author spent some time working for NASA, and it shows. The place where this novel really shined was the characterizations, nobody felt like cookie cutter clichés or parodies. The way Terry Mixon portrayed how his characters handled the developments of this book was superbly done; from the “pale ones,” to the political intrigue on the various planets we get to visit with the main characters. There was never a moment where I thought… “that’s not how I would act.” I believe that the characters responded as expected to the situation they found themselves in. This proved especially true in this novel when things were strained by the actions of rogue military officers and lives were wasted on both sides. Men and women were lost responding to the actions of Captain Breckenridge, cleaning up the mess he left in the last book.

One issue I had was how the characters handled the massive destruction on Harrison’s World. When the terrorist conservative party kill large numbers of their own citizens because they’re still loyal to their AI overlord, I felt like their reactions were too understated. I wish I could be more specific, but I can’t give you any spoilers! But when that event happened, it felt like the characters treated it like it wasn’t a big deal. Death should always be a big deal, though I imagine you could become numb. It bugged me, though my wife didn’t seem bothered by it. Other than that issue, the character reactions made sense, which I liked. And in all fairness, those acts weren’t major plot points of this novel. If they address this in the follow-on novels, I’d be satisfied.

One of my complaints from the first book was how sterile the combat felt. It was well within the boundaries for the space opera subgenre but missed the mark from a military science fiction perspective. In the second novel, those issues were partially resolved, and it was more fully realized in the third novel. The combat began to feel more real, the action more intense, and the setting was grittier. It was a nice balance between the two subgenres that this book is positioned in. In this novel, Terry leaned back on the space opera side with the combat more sit-com appropriate and less military sci-fi. The action wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t the gritty military science fiction I love. Again, this novel was exactly what you would expect from the best space opera. I won’t downgrade the book for this because I believe this is just my preference for military sci-fi bleeding through. I only mention it so that the readers of my Mil SF reviews know what they’re getting with this book series. In summary of this, the action was less CQB (close quarters battle) and more existential.
One place where this book shines for me was where we get to see the space marines in action. The ship’s onboard Marine complement take charge when necessary, much like you expect if that situation happened in today’s modern military. They’re not cardboard cutouts, living tropes or cartoonish in any way. They’re real men and women, despite being mostly secondary characters who only exist on the periphery. Even when these people being largely faceless, you felt for them when they fought against impossible odds to protect the country they swore to protect. Maybe I’m projecting… being a combat veteran too, but Terry made you care about these warriors.

Since I’m mentioning more negative issues before I start gushing, I also noticed an issue with the story’s continuity. It didn’t fit anywhere else, so I’ll discuss it here. When the action took off, there was one section where it felt like Sergeant Talbot was in two places at once. I listened to this novel in audio, so if this issue was addressed in follow-on editions, it wouldn’t show up in this review. Keep that in mind if you’re reading the latest eBook of this amazing novel.

Speaking of gritty realism, one of the things that enjoyed about Terry’s novel was that logistics were considered. The characters did seem to run out of supplies, and this was a central plot point. He doesn’t dwell on it, but several casual mentions that they’d packed for a journey of several years was enough. Further, he has the sailors worried when they’re low on consumable military tech; missiles and bullets, etc. Then they end up with a lack of personnel for the vessels captured in combat. No detail was forgotten or taken for granted. It cemented that little attention to detail, making me love this series even more.

Another place where this novel shined was with the pacing. The political maneuverings were intense and believable. The characters responded as you’d expect in those circumstances. Terry kept the story moving along, constantly introducing new complications just when they’d come to some sort of resolution to the old one. In this novel, Terry kept the story moving along, illustrating the political chaos with combat going on in the background. This worked for me, and it felt right after the combat in book three. I read these back-to-back, which could be coloring my reviews.

This novel also did a great job describing the location. Terry did a great job creating Harrison’s World, I was satisfied with the amount of description here. I could envision myself here, seeing the empire as it might have been had it not for the rogue AIs that brought down the empire itself. The novel provided the level of detail I want in a book, at least as it concerned this location. Other places left out descriptions, but here he nailed it for me! Seriously, it was a lot of fun to see what might have been in this universe.

When it comes to creating believable civilizations, Terry stood heads and tails above his peers. He created four believable political polities and made the differences between them facilitate the reader’s ability to easily distinguished one from the another. I liked that he messed with the language of the Pentagarans. It felt just alien enough to be different from how we would normally speak, while still being accessible to modern readers. I detected a slight medieval vibe to some of the word choices, which he managed to pull off without sounding overly cheesy. With the Rebel Empire, since I’m not sure what to call them, the mannerisms and culture were slightly different than the other polities. It was more about their attitudes than their speech patterns, but different enough to add a unique vibe to this empire. Don’t feel bad about the confusion on what to call them, even the author couldn’t decide. I could definitely envision myself walking among these people, interacting with them, and that’s all you could ask for from an author.

Finally, I didn’t really find any grammatical or technical issues with this book. In fairness, I listened to this one on this round. But I’ve read the book three times and listened to the audiobook twice now and never noticed any serious issues. Seriously, I realize I’ve gone full fanboy, but the authors have definitely raised the bar for space opera. He’s one of the shining stars of science fiction authors everywhere, you should check it out. This book, Ghosts of Empire, was leaps and bounds above most of what’s out there! I was hooked from the first page because he wove the action in such a compelling way that you wanted to jump into the page and join the party. Some of that was because I’m already invested in this world, but if you’ve been following me, you already know that. Basically, this novel had me hooked from the beginning and kept it going throughout the whole novel. This is a book I would happily recommend, and an author I will definitely read again. Buy the novel! I give this novel a 5 out of 5 grenades!

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Ghosts of Empire" sees a thematic change from author Terry Mixon - this time it is planetary politics and cultural diversity that are central to the story.
In the wake of the disastrous space battle fought by the incompetent Captain Breckenridge, thousands of Fleet personnel have been taken prisoner. They are being held prisoner on Harrison's World, an advanced society with feudal overlords. They believe they are the true successors of the fallen Terran Empire but in reality they are under the control of the Rebel Alliance AI.
When initial negotiations prove fruitless and the prisoners are threatened it seems that military intervention is the only option for Admiral Jared Mertz. But nothing is quite as it appears.
I'm enjoying the series but there is still very little depth (either of characters or plot).
3 Stars.

[Vero · Rating 4 out of 5]

This world-building gets more complex And unfortunately a tad confusing - but still very solid, fast-paced space action.
 
The characters develop at least a little, though still quite stereotypy.
 
I still can't get my head around the "Princess Kelsey" thing - the name is pure distraction!
 
Also, I do not appreciate the old "oh, she discovered 21st century earth pop culture, so expect funny references" - nope. Don't go there. Not good.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still Appealing

I’m intrigued that this story continues to have the same pull for me even when I disagree with the way parts of the storyline develop. There are several threads which result in massive death or destruction, fortunately these events are not graphically represented. This book agains ends on a positive note, pulling the reader along and hinting at the next in the series.

[Kitty_ranma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terry Mixon's does it again. Audio version.
This is a thrill ride, again I couldn't stop listening.
Wonderful narrator.
I received this audio book at my request from the author, publisher or narrator for a honest review.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Action-packed, Easy-to-read, Entertaining, Great world building, Original, Page-turner, Unpredictable, Witty, Wonderful characters.

[A.F. Grappin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mixon really nailed this one. Some of what happened in book 3 left me feeling stagnant, but I am so in love with the characters and setting that I could not turn down reading book 4. This was a refreshing new situation for our characters, with some new people to interact with, and just a whole plethora of possibilities. I was on the edge of my seat the whole book, and I am pumped for book 5!

[Greg Inman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghosts of Empire

Admiral Jared and Princess Kelsey along with their crew help free Harrison’s World from the Rebel Fleet and are helping in getting things back into order in the system and making more allies for the Emperor.

[Jacob Donley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great addition to the series

Terry continues to spin gold in this series. The characters continue to grow and the story co tiniest to unfold.

[Volpot · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. A little disappointed in this 4th book. The book didn't advance the story much and overall the storytelling was shallow.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dumb in spots. Better than book 3, but not good enough for 4 stars.

[Eric Loflin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great action

[Jimmy Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting!

Fast moving, people rescued, arrogant people put down. Stupid (in spots) tablet changing my spelling when I don't want it changed.

[Ray Knighton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Yes

I Love how Terry Mixon writes! Right now I am trying to look ahead and trying to think what will happen when Admiral Mertz makes it back home.

[David John Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I started reading all the series it was the very best decision I made I loved it so carry on and read them all I dare you to

[Joan Lloyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is lots of politics in this one, not my favorite plot line - I like more battles (does that make me blood thirsty??). Moving right long

[Carl Gillespie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb space opera.


Rich dialog and characterization. Believable interactions. Close battles. Some losses. All in all a grand adventure for the reader. Thanks.

[John Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Admiral Jared and Princess Kelsey stopped the rebellion. However the Captain of the fleet from their homeworld Avalon, decided to not follow Princess Kelsey orders, and try to go home on their own. Unfortunately they decided on a course that took them into a major Rebel Empire sector. Captured and their flagship destroyed, Admiral Jared and Princess Kelsey must rescue them, or face the Rebel Empire discovering their home planet. Little do they know that when they reach the rebel system, they will find a whole lot more than they bargained for. Including a planet full of humans, and research facilities thought destroyed 500 years ago! Can they rescue their crew of people in time?

Loved this book! Well written, and the dialog is even better than the past book. I enjoy where this series has gone so far and look forward to seeing more from this author. He has done a great job with this series! I highly recommend checking it out!

[David P. Duffy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poor and Lazy Effort

"Ghosts of Empire, Book 4 of The Empire of Bones Saga," spins the series further down into the morass of poor and lazy writing. The novella installments, misidentified as eBooks, by both the author, Mr. Mixon, and his commercial outlets, also continues.

The amateurish writing is modular in structure. It takes the same basic sections of narrative, with all its faults and flaws, and inserts it from one novella to he next; one plot into the next. Only scenes and minor details are changed. Everywhere the characters go, they become enmeshed in conspiracies and coups, using the same tactics, details, wording. A barely acceptable storyline, has been totally buried by Mr. Mixon's unskilled, unimaginative, immature, and simplistic formalistic style.

Not recommended and fully read via Kindle Unlimited.

[Red Tide · Rating 1 out of 5]

War and pieces

The battle events in this one leave a lot of debris in their wake. Planetary surface nukes no matter how small have to seriously break up an economy. The space ships manage to spill parts all over the system postbattle. The casualties leave gaps in all the naval and military formations. Good times.

He seems determined to fast forward through plots that could properly take several volumes and years of story time. Given that you are looking for an adventure story and not literature, like me you might enjoy it, somewhat.

I looked at my reading list and found another of his books "Liberty Station". I had to stop reading it because of the number of racist comments he worked into the first few pages. Add this to his ignorance of all things military, economics, history and politics, he's special. I'd have to call him (as the Australians say), a Keeper.

[Mick Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great follow up book

Once again Terry has given us a interesting book in this series. We find that some things are not what they appear. Jared and Kelsey find that there is people on Harrison's world still willing to fight for the AIs, and more then willing to kill millions to win. I recommend you to get the full series of books, you will not be disappointed.

[John Kilgallon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Admiral Jared and Princess Kelsey continue their explorations and interactions with Harrison's World in this fourth installment of the Empire of Bones Saga. Lots of action and political intrigue! Fast paced!

[John Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent tale

Once again, Terry Mixon has spun a wonderful science-fiction story with great characters, amazing plotting and pacing that keeps the story going and he reader guessing. Looking forward to the next one!

[Ryan Burt]

The forth in the "Empire of Bones Saga". A good space drama with plenty of action and an interesting storyline. We keep following the story of Jared and Kelsey and their struggle to make sure the human race survives.

[Joanna E Girardin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another hit...

This was a great, quick read. I wish the story had been longer, but I guess I will just have to wait for the next book in 2016. Keep the hits coming!

[Paul Cooley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghosts is a worthy addition to the series and I can't wait to read the next one.

[Jesse Deleon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read for winter.

Thank you Terry Mixon another great adventure in your series. I'm recommending as a fantastic read for winter also hot coco.