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Keiko #2
Dark Sky
In the sequel to the thrilling Dark Run, which Publishers Weekly called “a terrific debut,” Ichabod Drift and his crew sign on for a new smuggling job that soon goes south when they are separated and caught up in a dangerous civil war.
When Ichabod Drift and the Keiko crew sign on for a new smuggling job to a mining planet, they don’t realize what they are up against. The miners, badly treated for years by the corporation, are staging a rebellion. Split into two groups, one with the authorities and one with the rebels, Drift and his crew support their respective sides in the conflict. But when they are cut off from each other due to a communication blackout, both halves of the crew don’t realize that they have begun fighting themselves…
When Ichabod Drift and the Keiko crew sign on for a new smuggling job to a mining planet, they don’t realize what they are up against. The miners, badly treated for years by the corporation, are staging a rebellion. Split into two groups, one with the authorities and one with the rebels, Drift and his crew support their respective sides in the conflict. But when they are cut off from each other due to a communication blackout, both halves of the crew don’t realize that they have begun fighting themselves…
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 5, 2015
91 people are currently reading
764 people want to read
About the author
Mike Brooks
79 books548 followersMike Brooks was born in Ipswich, Suffolk and moved to Nottingham when he was 18 to go to university. He’s stayed there ever since, and now lives with his wife, two cats, two snakes and a collection of tropical fish. When not working for a homelessness charity he plays guitar and sings in a punk band, watches football (soccer), MMA and nature/science documentaries, goes walking in the Peak District or other areas of splendid scenery, and DJs wherever anyone will tolerate him.
And, y’know, writes.
And, y’know, writes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
October 21, 2021
This book, like the first in the series (Dark Run) is an absolute blast. I know there are lots of space operas that emulate Firefly, you know, a somewhat dubious crew in a spaceship taking whatever jobs they can get, but this series is the best I have read in that vein. We were introduced to our rag-tag crew of the Keiko in the last volume, but I will introduce them again here as they are so much fun. Ichabod Drift, the Mexican captain with dyed violet hair. Former privateer/space pirate for the Europeans (one of main governments on Earth and each with their own colonies; the others being North America, the Union of African States, and Red Star, an amalgamation of China and Russia). Bit of a lady's man, smooth talker, and decent in a fight if need be. Tamara, something of a second mate. Former GIA agent (something like CIA, but galactic now). Why she quit her job and joined the crew is still a bit of a mystery, but she is hard as nails. Jenna, the newest member. About 20, coming from a rich colony, she was a former university student and an expert 'slicer'; something like a hacker. Why she joined is still a mystery as well. Apirana, a giant Maori. He was a thug and in jail and now is something of the enforcer on the crew. Finally, we have the siblings Jia and Kuai. Jia is an excellent but crazy pilot and always bickering with here mechanic brother.
The group dynamics are lots of fun, and Brooks tosses in enough quips and snark to put a smile on your face while reading this. In the last installment, the crew took on a seemingly safe smuggling job only to find out at the last minute that they were smuggling in a nuke to level Amsterdam; ditching the bomb in the sea, they decided to go after the guy who 'hired' them. They, after some trials and travails, got the guy and his money stash. One of the biggest accounts was in New Samara, a pleasure planet for the rich.
In a New Samaran casino, Bland was approached and given an offer by the biggest mob boss on the planet. All he has to do is to go to another planet in the system, unlivable, but a major source of ore for the Red Star government. Once there, he just has to pick up some information regarding ore shipments from the underground capital and get them back. Seems like easy money, but little did the crew of Keiko know that a revolution was about to break out on the planet!
What makes this so fun, besides the great group dynamics concerns Brooks' easy writing style. His prose just flows so naturally! Mix in some great action sequences and such, and you have a recipe for a fast, fun read. This will probably never win any awards, but it really is a cut above typical space pulp opera to be sure. I see this as a very worthy homage to Firefly, and if you liked that series, you should really like this. 4.5 stars!!
The group dynamics are lots of fun, and Brooks tosses in enough quips and snark to put a smile on your face while reading this. In the last installment, the crew took on a seemingly safe smuggling job only to find out at the last minute that they were smuggling in a nuke to level Amsterdam; ditching the bomb in the sea, they decided to go after the guy who 'hired' them. They, after some trials and travails, got the guy and his money stash. One of the biggest accounts was in New Samara, a pleasure planet for the rich.
In a New Samaran casino, Bland was approached and given an offer by the biggest mob boss on the planet. All he has to do is to go to another planet in the system, unlivable, but a major source of ore for the Red Star government. Once there, he just has to pick up some information regarding ore shipments from the underground capital and get them back. Seems like easy money, but little did the crew of Keiko know that a revolution was about to break out on the planet!
What makes this so fun, besides the great group dynamics concerns Brooks' easy writing style. His prose just flows so naturally! Mix in some great action sequences and such, and you have a recipe for a fast, fun read. This will probably never win any awards, but it really is a cut above typical space pulp opera to be sure. I see this as a very worthy homage to Firefly, and if you liked that series, you should really like this. 4.5 stars!!
May 21, 2018
I liked this one better than its prequel. One thing I wish he would get around is the cliche barroom scene. If I ran into as much unwanted trouble in bars as the main character, I’d have booze delivered.
August 4, 2021
Drift shrugged. “I’ve made a career out of never quite being killed by everything around me going wrong.”
Plenty went wrong.
What I liked:
This was one action-packed chaotic event after another.
There is no attempt at featuring a moral to the story.
It's violent in a practical way.
What I didn't like:
No sexy time.
Lame budding romance.
The lack of camaraderie. This is a huge story weakness. Kuia and Apirina are especially apathetic.
"...if we all got rich tomorrow an’ I could settle down, I’d probably wish [the crew] well an’ not think much more about ’em."
Well hell, if you don't care I don't care. I like Drift but he's not enough to carry the series.
I may or may not read Book Three.
August 8, 2017
Another unabashed shoot-em-up, with a fine balance between the banter and the gore. Cases in point:
“Poker is a game of tactics and subtlety!” Drift protested.
“Not the way you play it."
Her dress of a glistening burgundy fabric wasn’t strapless so much as mainly composed of straps."
Well,” Drift said to no one in particular, “that wasn’t so ba—”
“In future, how about we avoid planets made up exclusively of fucking white people?” Jack had drawled to his captain.
“Shut up and try to look pale” had been Moutinho’s sole response.
“Poker is a game of tactics and subtlety!” Drift protested.
“Not the way you play it."
Her dress of a glistening burgundy fabric wasn’t strapless so much as mainly composed of straps."
Well,” Drift said to no one in particular, “that wasn’t so ba—”
“In future, how about we avoid planets made up exclusively of fucking white people?” Jack had drawled to his captain.
“Shut up and try to look pale” had been Moutinho’s sole response.
June 5, 2025
3.5 stars
This was an enjoyable escapade, but I don't feel that I would call it an adventure, which is ultimately what I was looking for after having a great time with Dark Run. I felt like a bit of the charm of that first book was missing here, although most of the same characters (all of the key ones) were present.
I tend to find that once the space travel is taken out of the equation, sci-fi can quickly lose its appeal for me, and set on one planet, one city even, Dark Sky did suffer there. The usual hijinks were present, the usual sass from certain characters, but I want more of the exploration and the thrill of chase and evasion, like we saw in the first book.
I'll note that I listened to the audiobook for Dark Sky, and the narration was of a really good quality, with great accents for Drift and Apirana in particular.
This was an enjoyable escapade, but I don't feel that I would call it an adventure, which is ultimately what I was looking for after having a great time with Dark Run. I felt like a bit of the charm of that first book was missing here, although most of the same characters (all of the key ones) were present.
I tend to find that once the space travel is taken out of the equation, sci-fi can quickly lose its appeal for me, and set on one planet, one city even, Dark Sky did suffer there. The usual hijinks were present, the usual sass from certain characters, but I want more of the exploration and the thrill of chase and evasion, like we saw in the first book.
I'll note that I listened to the audiobook for Dark Sky, and the narration was of a really good quality, with great accents for Drift and Apirana in particular.
September 8, 2017
Dark Run, the first book in Mike Brooks "Dark" series was a blowout fun read.
A scamp spaceship captained by Ichabod Drift, a rogue and ex-privateer, not afraid to step across the legal line, and crewed by a likable set of characters, including Tamara Rourke, an ex-spy, who thwarted a plot to drop a nuke on Amsterdam, and then went after the potential perpetrator by conniving and fooling the military that they were a select crew employed by Rourke's old spy organization, it had all the great elements of old style science fiction spaceship books. I re-read it again just before reading Dark Sky, the second book in this series, and it still held me in thrall.
Dark Sky, not so much.
Although we may clamor for more of the same thing, its not unusual for a novelist to try to do a different story. But this story, not that much fun at all. The problem, is the story, our fun crew gets " stuck on planet during a revolution" story. And we all know the story, although Brooks re-tells it slightly differently. The setting is interesting, the planet is subject to intense storms so all of the people live underground. The planet was settled for its ore and the miners are treated horribly by the governor and the future Russian empire that runs the planet for the ore.
They start the revolution just as Drift and his crew arrive on planet to smuggle information off planet to the system's strongman and casino owner. Naturally the crew ends up split up, with Drift and two of his crew, Jia Chang, his pilot and her brother Kaua, the ship engineer, stuck fighting for the local security forces, while Jenna, their computer slice (hacker) and Apirana, (their muscle) end up separated when Apirana gets wounded and Rourke lands with the revolutionaries.
While Drift ingratiates himself with the outnumbered chief of the security forces by helping them in a gun battle, Rourke convinces the patriots of her worth (based on her knowledge of security forces protocol). Meanwhile Jenna and Apirana soon join Rourke, but Apirana is hurt. Making matters worse for our crew is that another spaceship is on planet as well, this one led by Ricardo Moutinho, a bad apple, whose only redeeming quality is the size of his equipment. Moutinho's crew has also been separated during the early days of the revolution, so he and Rourke end up working together with revolutionaries.
In the end, the two split crews have to work together to get off planet before government forces come to put down the revolution. Its all very predictable.
Fun crew, some good dialogue. Tired story.
I am hoping that Brooks finds a fun story in the upcoming third book.
A scamp spaceship captained by Ichabod Drift, a rogue and ex-privateer, not afraid to step across the legal line, and crewed by a likable set of characters, including Tamara Rourke, an ex-spy, who thwarted a plot to drop a nuke on Amsterdam, and then went after the potential perpetrator by conniving and fooling the military that they were a select crew employed by Rourke's old spy organization, it had all the great elements of old style science fiction spaceship books. I re-read it again just before reading Dark Sky, the second book in this series, and it still held me in thrall.
Dark Sky, not so much.
Although we may clamor for more of the same thing, its not unusual for a novelist to try to do a different story. But this story, not that much fun at all. The problem, is the story, our fun crew gets " stuck on planet during a revolution" story. And we all know the story, although Brooks re-tells it slightly differently. The setting is interesting, the planet is subject to intense storms so all of the people live underground. The planet was settled for its ore and the miners are treated horribly by the governor and the future Russian empire that runs the planet for the ore.
They start the revolution just as Drift and his crew arrive on planet to smuggle information off planet to the system's strongman and casino owner. Naturally the crew ends up split up, with Drift and two of his crew, Jia Chang, his pilot and her brother Kaua, the ship engineer, stuck fighting for the local security forces, while Jenna, their computer slice (hacker) and Apirana, (their muscle) end up separated when Apirana gets wounded and Rourke lands with the revolutionaries.
While Drift ingratiates himself with the outnumbered chief of the security forces by helping them in a gun battle, Rourke convinces the patriots of her worth (based on her knowledge of security forces protocol). Meanwhile Jenna and Apirana soon join Rourke, but Apirana is hurt. Making matters worse for our crew is that another spaceship is on planet as well, this one led by Ricardo Moutinho, a bad apple, whose only redeeming quality is the size of his equipment. Moutinho's crew has also been separated during the early days of the revolution, so he and Rourke end up working together with revolutionaries.
In the end, the two split crews have to work together to get off planet before government forces come to put down the revolution. Its all very predictable.
Fun crew, some good dialogue. Tired story.
I am hoping that Brooks finds a fun story in the upcoming third book.
June 13, 2018
When Ichabod Drift and the Keiko crew sign on for a new smuggling job to a mining planet, they don’t realize what they are up against. The miners, badly treated for years by the corporation, are staging a rebellion. Split into two groups, one with the authorities and one with the rebels, Drift and his crew support their respective sides in the conflict. But when they are cut off from each other due to a communication blackout, both halves of the crew don’t realize that they have begun fighting themselves…
I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as I did the first book in the series. I feel like there is just a little something missing here to make this series really good. It reminds me a lot of the Tales of the Ketty Jay series, but just pales in comparison. The characters are mildly interesting but lack some depth. I wasn't crazy about Drift in the beginning but he has grown on me as I've read these and I like the rest of the crew as well, I just don't feel like I know them as well as I would like to. Apirana and Jenna are probably my favorites, and I enjoyed the evolution of their relationship, but also was annoyed that every time Apirana was mentioned in the book the author felt the need to mention his size. This wasn't the only character this repeatedly occurred with, but it was the most obvious. I feel like this is rather lazy story telling. Instead of developing the characters more and giving us more information about them we just get the same repeated information over and over.
The plots are also mildly interesting in this series but lack something as well. I really didn't feel like the ending was satisfactory because I wanted to know what the information was that they were hired to obtain in the first place and we never find out what it was or why the person that hired them wanted it. Maybe we will find out in the next book.
I know I'm sounding very critical of this book, and although I'm mildly disappointed in it, I do want to point out that I did still enjoy it. I enjoyed it just enough that I will read the next book in the series, but I doubt I will read beyond that if the author publishes more.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as I did the first book in the series. I feel like there is just a little something missing here to make this series really good. It reminds me a lot of the Tales of the Ketty Jay series, but just pales in comparison. The characters are mildly interesting but lack some depth. I wasn't crazy about Drift in the beginning but he has grown on me as I've read these and I like the rest of the crew as well, I just don't feel like I know them as well as I would like to. Apirana and Jenna are probably my favorites, and I enjoyed the evolution of their relationship, but also was annoyed that every time Apirana was mentioned in the book the author felt the need to mention his size. This wasn't the only character this repeatedly occurred with, but it was the most obvious. I feel like this is rather lazy story telling. Instead of developing the characters more and giving us more information about them we just get the same repeated information over and over.
The plots are also mildly interesting in this series but lack something as well. I really didn't feel like the ending was satisfactory because I wanted to know what the information was that they were hired to obtain in the first place and we never find out what it was or why the person that hired them wanted it. Maybe we will find out in the next book.
I know I'm sounding very critical of this book, and although I'm mildly disappointed in it, I do want to point out that I did still enjoy it. I enjoyed it just enough that I will read the next book in the series, but I doubt I will read beyond that if the author publishes more.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
February 3, 2018
In the first book, sometimes I found myself doubting that the Firefly references were intentional because they just felt misplaced (“I am a leaf on the wind”… during a successful flight?! why would you do that to me?!). In this book, the references just… I don’t know it couldn’t be heavily inspired by Firefly, when there’s a scene in which one character wonders if “bi zui” (shut up) is the only Mandarin the captain knows. Hmmm… sounds so familiar… And if this is like Firefly, I think I know exactly what the next book is going to be like based on a tiny scrap of the summary. Two words (well, a name): Adelai Niska.
It’s not a bad thing that it’s reminiscent of Firefly, but it can be distracting. Still, it has a lot of features which aren’t like Firefly, like the Maori bruiser Apirana (who would actually prefer not to beat people up for a living). There’s sweet relationships between various members of the crew, and everything trucks along fast enough to keep me interested. It’s derivative, yeah, but it’s entertaining, and I’m along for at least one more book.
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
It’s not a bad thing that it’s reminiscent of Firefly, but it can be distracting. Still, it has a lot of features which aren’t like Firefly, like the Maori bruiser Apirana (who would actually prefer not to beat people up for a living). There’s sweet relationships between various members of the crew, and everything trucks along fast enough to keep me interested. It’s derivative, yeah, but it’s entertaining, and I’m along for at least one more book.
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
March 29, 2018
Light, light, lightweight.
We start with the old "forced to take a contract" setup.
Then the terms of completion include an obvious "ha, what could go wrong?" trap with the expected storm. Not only did I know right away that they would not get out before the storm, but I also knew right away that .
I liked the problem that Apirana encountered, because the hypercapable slicer (sees new system, rapidly types in "^#%#&77#%#%#-- [llpo]" and takes control of the planet) and the hypercapable pilot (garbage can on top of a bomb? Sure, I can fly it sideways in variable gravity) are really getting on my tits. Not to mention that Moutinho's pilot is just as good. Bah.
So we move on to the standard "trapped in a revolution" plot, and Brooks sure doesn't add anything to it.
I liked some of the character development, but more than a few times we got into a very bad case of "Sigh, I really don't like to kill people - oh, excuse me a minute .." BuddaBuddaBuddaZapZapZap "... sorry for the interruption, as I was saying I am a peaceful man ..." (turns and slits an attacker's throat) "... who always strives for consensus."
Muradov is good, I'll grant that. The Governor is as bad as Muradov is good. He fell just short of "bwah-hah-hah, I'll have my revenge!"
Speaking of Moutinho ... we go to a randomly chosen planet at a random time. Guess who's there? A whole galaxy to choose from, and where's Moutinho? Of course. Then we're fleeing through the streets in a vehicle, heading straight for their destination, and driver Rourke takes a right and a left For No Reason except that it puts them in an alley with ... yep, you guessed it, Moutinho's team, who could have been anywhere but, nooooooo, here they are.
But ya know, in the end, this is what authors DO when they write lightweight books, and you didn't pick this up expecting "Consider Phlebas," so why worry? Read fast and enjoy.
I won't read any more of these, though. I already know how it ends. Slicer hacks everything, pilot flies through impermeable wall of impossibilium, and off we go until the next Powerful Bad Guy catches them in his web.
We start with the old "forced to take a contract" setup.
Then the terms of completion include an obvious "ha, what could go wrong?" trap with the expected storm. Not only did I know right away that they would not get out before the storm, but I also knew right away that .
I liked the problem that Apirana encountered, because the hypercapable slicer (sees new system, rapidly types in "^#%#&77#%#%#-- [llpo]" and takes control of the planet) and the hypercapable pilot (garbage can on top of a bomb? Sure, I can fly it sideways in variable gravity) are really getting on my tits. Not to mention that Moutinho's pilot is just as good. Bah.
So we move on to the standard "trapped in a revolution" plot, and Brooks sure doesn't add anything to it.
I liked some of the character development, but more than a few times we got into a very bad case of "Sigh, I really don't like to kill people - oh, excuse me a minute .." BuddaBuddaBuddaZapZapZap "... sorry for the interruption, as I was saying I am a peaceful man ..." (turns and slits an attacker's throat) "... who always strives for consensus."
Muradov is good, I'll grant that. The Governor is as bad as Muradov is good. He fell just short of "bwah-hah-hah, I'll have my revenge!"
Speaking of Moutinho ... we go to a randomly chosen planet at a random time. Guess who's there? A whole galaxy to choose from, and where's Moutinho? Of course. Then we're fleeing through the streets in a vehicle, heading straight for their destination, and driver Rourke takes a right and a left For No Reason except that it puts them in an alley with ... yep, you guessed it, Moutinho's team, who could have been anywhere but, nooooooo, here they are.
But ya know, in the end, this is what authors DO when they write lightweight books, and you didn't pick this up expecting "Consider Phlebas," so why worry? Read fast and enjoy.
I won't read any more of these, though. I already know how it ends. Slicer hacks everything, pilot flies through impermeable wall of impossibilium, and off we go until the next Powerful Bad Guy catches them in his web.
July 26, 2021
fun, dynamique et haletant. Un plaisir de retrouver l'équipage de la Keïko dans une nouvelle aventure (oui pq j'ai découvert que c'était une série, qu'allez vous faire?). Hâte de lire la suite !
June 12, 2018
Folliwing where Dark Run ended, the crew of the Keiko take some well deserved rest. Not long after that, Drift gets contacted by a mob boss to obtain some valuable information, and to Drift it seems like an easy payload to obtain. They set their new course for Uragan a mining colony ,where , to put it lightly, all shit is about to hit the fan.
I am realy happy my fiancée decided to introduce me to Mike Brooks, he has written a very nice, fun, easy to read and follow space opera. I loved it.
I am realy happy my fiancée decided to introduce me to Mike Brooks, he has written a very nice, fun, easy to read and follow space opera. I loved it.
October 21, 2018
Read for October's book group.
The Captain and crew of the Keiko have mostly landed on their feet after the nearly disastrous previous job and are taking a little R&R on the planet New Samara where the local crime lord/gangster/ethically questionable CEO offers Drift an "easy" in/out job. Get into Uragan, get the the information, get out before plants storms shuts down all air traffic for three days, deliver information.
Ahh...if it were only that easy, we wouldn't have a story.
Once on the planet, the crew find themselves facing A Major Nemesis, miss their flight window, get caught in a local revolution, are split up, and have to overcome tremendous odds to get back to their ship. In a nutshell.
This is, ultimately, a brain-candy sci-fi romp. Perfect for commuting, sitting in an airport, or just checking out for a while. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. There's not a lot of substance, the characters are a bit two dimensional, there is nothing new about the plot...but it was fun. And sometime's ya just need fun.
I have a couple of tiny grievances I do need to air: Dear Authors, can we do something other than the overly predictable and tired bar fight trope? Can our adversaries sit down and have a drink instead of fisticuffs? Go for a stroll around the promenade? A little creativity here would be appreciated.
I am starting to find Jenna as a character...annoying. A rich girl who's trying to hide secrets but pretty much failing. Of all the crew, she's the one I'm liking the least - she's become the token white chick in our diverse, mutli-lingual, multi talented crew.
And a few highlights of things I did enjoy: I enjoyed having the crew divided, finding themselves on opposite sides of the revolution, and having to figure out how to get back to the ship. It was (for me) an interesting way to show both sides of the conflict and include some character development.
The additional antagonists (whose name I'm not even going to try and spell, but we'll call Ric), was an enjoyable - and needed - touch. He also found his crew split, caught unexpectedly in the revolution, and everyone had to work together. I think without this added element, this would have been rather ho-hum.
Ultimately, classic space pirates/smugglers trying to stay on the good side of the law while harboring shady pasts and, well, getting into all sorts of unexpected trouble. Plot is light, fun, humorous, and moves smartly along. Recommended if you like that sort of scifi.
The Captain and crew of the Keiko have mostly landed on their feet after the nearly disastrous previous job and are taking a little R&R on the planet New Samara where the local crime lord/gangster/ethically questionable CEO offers Drift an "easy" in/out job. Get into Uragan, get the the information, get out before plants storms shuts down all air traffic for three days, deliver information.
Ahh...if it were only that easy, we wouldn't have a story.
Once on the planet, the crew find themselves facing A Major Nemesis, miss their flight window, get caught in a local revolution, are split up, and have to overcome tremendous odds to get back to their ship. In a nutshell.
This is, ultimately, a brain-candy sci-fi romp. Perfect for commuting, sitting in an airport, or just checking out for a while. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. There's not a lot of substance, the characters are a bit two dimensional, there is nothing new about the plot...but it was fun. And sometime's ya just need fun.
I have a couple of tiny grievances I do need to air: Dear Authors, can we do something other than the overly predictable and tired bar fight trope? Can our adversaries sit down and have a drink instead of fisticuffs? Go for a stroll around the promenade? A little creativity here would be appreciated.
I am starting to find Jenna as a character...annoying. A rich girl who's trying to hide secrets but pretty much failing. Of all the crew, she's the one I'm liking the least - she's become the token white chick in our diverse, mutli-lingual, multi talented crew.
And a few highlights of things I did enjoy: I enjoyed having the crew divided, finding themselves on opposite sides of the revolution, and having to figure out how to get back to the ship. It was (for me) an interesting way to show both sides of the conflict and include some character development.
The additional antagonists (whose name I'm not even going to try and spell, but we'll call Ric), was an enjoyable - and needed - touch. He also found his crew split, caught unexpectedly in the revolution, and everyone had to work together. I think without this added element, this would have been rather ho-hum.
Ultimately, classic space pirates/smugglers trying to stay on the good side of the law while harboring shady pasts and, well, getting into all sorts of unexpected trouble. Plot is light, fun, humorous, and moves smartly along. Recommended if you like that sort of scifi.
August 11, 2017
This is the second book in the Keiko series. This book was written better than the first in the series. It is an action packed story with a wide range of characters that continue to develop. I found it hard to set this book down. If you like action, with a wide range of characters that are the crew of a transport ship that do jobs whether legal or not to get by, then I recommend this book. Easy, fast and fun read.
October 27, 2018
3.5/5 stars
These books are just so fun. I really enjoyed what the crew of the Keiko got up to in this book. I definitely didn't actually read the synopsis before reading, so I was surprised by where the plot went with this one, but in a good way. I liked how we got to see more development of the characters and see different sides to them. The way the author split the group up really worked for this. The writing was easy and addictive, and I am excited to finish this trilogy off. :)
These books are just so fun. I really enjoyed what the crew of the Keiko got up to in this book. I definitely didn't actually read the synopsis before reading, so I was surprised by where the plot went with this one, but in a good way. I liked how we got to see more development of the characters and see different sides to them. The way the author split the group up really worked for this. The writing was easy and addictive, and I am excited to finish this trilogy off. :)
August 2, 2021
Ichabod and his crew always seem to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. This time it's off to a mining planet to get some confidential information that will make the people they are working for very rich.
But a forecasted major storm arrives early then expected and then it's a fight to get off the planet. In the middle of which rebel groups try to take over the planet.
Lots of action all around.
Good read, good author and great series
But a forecasted major storm arrives early then expected and then it's a fight to get off the planet. In the middle of which rebel groups try to take over the planet.
Lots of action all around.
Good read, good author and great series
August 7, 2017
Another solid outing with the crew of the Keiko see's Captain Drift's crew having to choose a side when they find themselves in the midst of a social revolution. Plenty of fast action, and a bit more complexity in the plot and characters than in the first outing. Good stuff for Firefly fans.
July 3, 2019
This series is one of those comfort reads - great fun and fast paced. I thoroughly enjoy the characters and Brooks’ prose is enjoyable. When you’re looking for fun SF that isn’t too heavy, this is a great chill out space for the brain.
January 30, 2018
It’s not often that I read a sequel that’s better than the original. I really enjoyed Mike Brooks first novel, Dark Run, but this one is is even better. Great characters, great, well thought out plot, and just a plain fun read! Good job Mike Brooks!
February 13, 2020
Fun book #2. "Everyone saw. No one cares. Get up."
March 14, 2018
Much less Sci-fi-y than the last one. Which was good as we got to know the crew of the Keiko better.
October 6, 2017
Dark Run is the second book in the Keiko series of science fiction books. In this installment, the crew of the Keiko is cashing in on a well deserved rest following the events of the previous book. Ichabod Drift has brought his crew on the planet of New Samara into one of the most prestigious casinos in the galaxy, run by Russian mobster Orlov. After Orlov hires Ichabod to do a simple job on the mining planet of Uragan (part of the Red Star Confederate), the crew finds themselves in an even bigger predicament; that of a city in the midst of a revolution.
I really enjoyed this book, even more than the first one. It's a really fun, action-packed ride, and the problems with the second half of the first book and the pacing are greatly improved on here. This is a solid book through and through; there are no moments where I felt like the plot escaped Brooks like it did in the first one, and no real unnecessary detours. The characters that are introduced are mostly sympathetic and well-developed, and I will admit I didn't think the plot would go in the direction it did after the first few chapters. Mild spoilers for some character development from this point on.
Dark Run started off as as a small, character focused story that turned into a blockbuster action at the end, with no proper transition between the two. In this one, Brooks does a great job of properly building the tension and establishing the characters that are important to the later developments of the story. From the moment the crew set foot on Uragan, there is an oppressive and heavy atmosphere, and things just keep getting worse, and tenser as the story progresses until it explodes in an open riot. We are introduced to both Murat and Ricardo fuckin Moutinho really early on, and this made them both more compelling characters. Likewise, the team is split up earlier on, which ups the stakes and the tension, as they are separated on different levels, with no way of communicating and the knowledge that they are caught in a very serious situation they have no real power to influence.
Uragan is a mining planet controlled by the Red Star, which seems to be a lose federation of Russian and Chinese control. As such, it's a planet ruled by bureaucracy, rules and order. The way the city is described, it's designed and built in a strictly utilitarian fashion, the people are all tired and scared, and the government controls pretty much all of their life. I did find some of the things on how oppressive the Russian planet is a little archaic, but considering what is actually happening in Russia right now, it didn't seem to far fetched. It was interesting to read about a planet that only speaks Russian and uses Cyrilc, and how this affected the crew, especially Ichabod who didn't.
Another thing that I really liked in terms of plot, was how the situation wasn't black and white and painted as revolution good, government bad. There were lots of pros and cons on both sides, delivered by characters and the setting itself. Even the catylist for the plot, which was the Shirkovs' insistence to be smuggled off the planet painted this as a city where despite people being desperate to leave, completely annihilating the social and governmental structure would have dire consequences that would make the lives of the inhabitants even worse. As someone who grew up in a country where the remnants of this fear are still very much real and felt on a daily basis, I found this aspect very true. I liked that Brooks didn't paint any of the other Federations as better either; Ichabod was a pirate for the Europeans after all, and Rooke's job for the North Americans was instigating rebellions and insurgencies in foreign territory and then letting them be crushed by the governments to score political points.
This leads me nicely into the characters. Like I said in my previous review, my favorite part of this series are the characters. I don't think I've ever really read a book where the main character is by far my favorite out of the bunch, but arguably, Ichabod is what makes the Keiko crew for me. He is thrown out of his element in this book, as not only is he unable to speak Russian, but he also finds himself backing the side of the law for once. I loved his relationship with Murat, how he acknowledged the man was capable and cared about his people, while also constantly looking for a way out for himself and his team. I also liked that Micah was mentioned a lot, and his absence affected Ichabod both on a character and on a plot level. Likewise his secret actually was brought up too, shaping some of his decisions as well as how other characters (notably Aparna and Jenna perceive him).
Ichabod gets paired with Jia and Kuei in this book, and Jia doesn't get too many moments to shine in this. She does get a rather nice scene with her brother where they argue over neglecting their parents, but really the accent was put mostly on Kuei. I didn't particularly care for him. I don't know if it's his personality as he's supposed to be a slightly cowardly, passive aggressive man, but Micah was passive aggressive too, and I loved him. I think Brooks just doesn't really know what to do with him, so Kuei ends up having very little personality. It's implied he might be gay, but it's such a throwaway line that even I'm not sure if that's intentionally, or I just misread it.
The character that I did like a lot in this group was Murat. Continuing the theme of diverse characters, Murat was Muslim, on a planet of predominantly Russian Orthodox miners. He is a really good character; he's lawful good through and through, and I really liked his banter with Ichabod who's the definition of chaotic neutral. He was a man who cared about his duties and his city, was smart but also too dedicated to following the rules to be actually effective at his job. His character turn at the end felt genuine and built up to, and I'm glad he'll be a part of the next book.
On the other team we have Rooke, Jenna and Aparna. I love Aparna, and in this book he's even more endearing. He is such a sweet character, despite his temperament, and I loved his relationship with Jenna. At first, I wasn't sure if I liked the direction their relationship was going, but honestly it's so sweet, and feels very natural. These are both people who have spent their whole life building up walls and expectations, so finding each-other as comfort and support felt very natural. There is something noteworthy, that the big, intimidating Maori man is allowed to not just be a good character who isn't only there for violence or comic relief, but is also allowed to have a genuine, sweet, romantic relationship with another character.
Jenna was my least favorite character in the first book, and in here, I still can't shake of the feeling that she's a little too perfect. Brooks tries to balance this out by making her awkward and more than a little snobby and prejudiced, which was fine though I could have done without her temper tantrums. I do like how it's very clear her character is growing in confidence, and am curious to find out what happened with the Circuit to make her so hostile to them.
Rooke is the last of the main cast, and I really liked that we got to see more of her in this book. She was fine in the first one, but she always felt a little too perfect and impenetrable as a character. Here we get to see her tired, making mistakes and getting invested in the rebellion, despite her intentions and better judgement. Her breaking into the broadcast building through the pipe reminded me of the scene where Inej climbs the exhaust in Six of Crows which is fitting since both are similar character types. I liked that the book acknowledged the character's age, especially with her, but the best parts were her banter with Moutinho.
It's fitting that Ichabod's foil would be a Brazilian smuggler who speaks Portugese and Russian, and has slept with Rooke. Moutinho was a blast, a thoroughly duplicitous, self-serving character who I nevertheless enjoyed immensely. He doesn't get the chance to confront Ichabod, and instead spends large chunks of the book antagonizing Rooke and trying to get Jenna to switch crews, but I am absolutely waiting for the inevitable confrontation in a later book.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It was a definite fun ride, with some heavier themes, and the ending left a lot open for the future book (which is coming out, like now). I am thoroughly satisfied with this adventure and am eagerly awaiting the next one.
I really enjoyed this book, even more than the first one. It's a really fun, action-packed ride, and the problems with the second half of the first book and the pacing are greatly improved on here. This is a solid book through and through; there are no moments where I felt like the plot escaped Brooks like it did in the first one, and no real unnecessary detours. The characters that are introduced are mostly sympathetic and well-developed, and I will admit I didn't think the plot would go in the direction it did after the first few chapters. Mild spoilers for some character development from this point on.
Dark Run started off as as a small, character focused story that turned into a blockbuster action at the end, with no proper transition between the two. In this one, Brooks does a great job of properly building the tension and establishing the characters that are important to the later developments of the story. From the moment the crew set foot on Uragan, there is an oppressive and heavy atmosphere, and things just keep getting worse, and tenser as the story progresses until it explodes in an open riot. We are introduced to both Murat and Ricardo fuckin Moutinho really early on, and this made them both more compelling characters. Likewise, the team is split up earlier on, which ups the stakes and the tension, as they are separated on different levels, with no way of communicating and the knowledge that they are caught in a very serious situation they have no real power to influence.
Uragan is a mining planet controlled by the Red Star, which seems to be a lose federation of Russian and Chinese control. As such, it's a planet ruled by bureaucracy, rules and order. The way the city is described, it's designed and built in a strictly utilitarian fashion, the people are all tired and scared, and the government controls pretty much all of their life. I did find some of the things on how oppressive the Russian planet is a little archaic, but considering what is actually happening in Russia right now, it didn't seem to far fetched. It was interesting to read about a planet that only speaks Russian and uses Cyrilc, and how this affected the crew, especially Ichabod who didn't.
Another thing that I really liked in terms of plot, was how the situation wasn't black and white and painted as revolution good, government bad. There were lots of pros and cons on both sides, delivered by characters and the setting itself. Even the catylist for the plot, which was the Shirkovs' insistence to be smuggled off the planet painted this as a city where despite people being desperate to leave, completely annihilating the social and governmental structure would have dire consequences that would make the lives of the inhabitants even worse. As someone who grew up in a country where the remnants of this fear are still very much real and felt on a daily basis, I found this aspect very true. I liked that Brooks didn't paint any of the other Federations as better either; Ichabod was a pirate for the Europeans after all, and Rooke's job for the North Americans was instigating rebellions and insurgencies in foreign territory and then letting them be crushed by the governments to score political points.
This leads me nicely into the characters. Like I said in my previous review, my favorite part of this series are the characters. I don't think I've ever really read a book where the main character is by far my favorite out of the bunch, but arguably, Ichabod is what makes the Keiko crew for me. He is thrown out of his element in this book, as not only is he unable to speak Russian, but he also finds himself backing the side of the law for once. I loved his relationship with Murat, how he acknowledged the man was capable and cared about his people, while also constantly looking for a way out for himself and his team. I also liked that Micah was mentioned a lot, and his absence affected Ichabod both on a character and on a plot level. Likewise his secret actually was brought up too, shaping some of his decisions as well as how other characters (notably Aparna and Jenna perceive him).
Ichabod gets paired with Jia and Kuei in this book, and Jia doesn't get too many moments to shine in this. She does get a rather nice scene with her brother where they argue over neglecting their parents, but really the accent was put mostly on Kuei. I didn't particularly care for him. I don't know if it's his personality as he's supposed to be a slightly cowardly, passive aggressive man, but Micah was passive aggressive too, and I loved him. I think Brooks just doesn't really know what to do with him, so Kuei ends up having very little personality. It's implied he might be gay, but it's such a throwaway line that even I'm not sure if that's intentionally, or I just misread it.
The character that I did like a lot in this group was Murat. Continuing the theme of diverse characters, Murat was Muslim, on a planet of predominantly Russian Orthodox miners. He is a really good character; he's lawful good through and through, and I really liked his banter with Ichabod who's the definition of chaotic neutral. He was a man who cared about his duties and his city, was smart but also too dedicated to following the rules to be actually effective at his job. His character turn at the end felt genuine and built up to, and I'm glad he'll be a part of the next book.
On the other team we have Rooke, Jenna and Aparna. I love Aparna, and in this book he's even more endearing. He is such a sweet character, despite his temperament, and I loved his relationship with Jenna. At first, I wasn't sure if I liked the direction their relationship was going, but honestly it's so sweet, and feels very natural. These are both people who have spent their whole life building up walls and expectations, so finding each-other as comfort and support felt very natural. There is something noteworthy, that the big, intimidating Maori man is allowed to not just be a good character who isn't only there for violence or comic relief, but is also allowed to have a genuine, sweet, romantic relationship with another character.
Jenna was my least favorite character in the first book, and in here, I still can't shake of the feeling that she's a little too perfect. Brooks tries to balance this out by making her awkward and more than a little snobby and prejudiced, which was fine though I could have done without her temper tantrums. I do like how it's very clear her character is growing in confidence, and am curious to find out what happened with the Circuit to make her so hostile to them.
Rooke is the last of the main cast, and I really liked that we got to see more of her in this book. She was fine in the first one, but she always felt a little too perfect and impenetrable as a character. Here we get to see her tired, making mistakes and getting invested in the rebellion, despite her intentions and better judgement. Her breaking into the broadcast building through the pipe reminded me of the scene where Inej climbs the exhaust in Six of Crows which is fitting since both are similar character types. I liked that the book acknowledged the character's age, especially with her, but the best parts were her banter with Moutinho.
It's fitting that Ichabod's foil would be a Brazilian smuggler who speaks Portugese and Russian, and has slept with Rooke. Moutinho was a blast, a thoroughly duplicitous, self-serving character who I nevertheless enjoyed immensely. He doesn't get the chance to confront Ichabod, and instead spends large chunks of the book antagonizing Rooke and trying to get Jenna to switch crews, but I am absolutely waiting for the inevitable confrontation in a later book.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It was a definite fun ride, with some heavier themes, and the ending left a lot open for the future book (which is coming out, like now). I am thoroughly satisfied with this adventure and am eagerly awaiting the next one.
December 27, 2018
A fun ride!
April 16, 2020
Thoroughly enjoyed Dark Sky, second book in the space opera series aboard the space ship Keiko. I like dour, conscienceless Ichabod Drift and his well mixed human crew, just about getting by with very dodgy but correspondingly well paid work. Naturally this leads to complications and so far they have made a quite a few enemies around the universe they operate in. Expecting these to turn up again in the future to extract revenge. All the crew have a complicated back story, some previous secrets revealed in the first book Dark Run, more coming out here in Dark Sky, but still much unknown.
It is a pretty grim universe in general, with rather basic terra formed way stations between industrial planets. There are luxuries for the wealthy but everyone else out for what they can get to survive. An overriding harshly authoritarian governing body seems to be in general control, but to be honest I found this far more realistic than a future universe of sweetness and light. Despite this there is good humour among the crew and the crazy situations they land up with.
This was great fun to listen to, read by one of the best possible SFF narrators, Damian Lynch, and his accents for the different nationalities were perfect, and he did full justice to author's well rounded characters . Specially delighted to have a big Maori around for a change. This series has me hooked and looking forward to more. Thanks Mike Brooks, please keep them coming.
It is a pretty grim universe in general, with rather basic terra formed way stations between industrial planets. There are luxuries for the wealthy but everyone else out for what they can get to survive. An overriding harshly authoritarian governing body seems to be in general control, but to be honest I found this far more realistic than a future universe of sweetness and light. Despite this there is good humour among the crew and the crazy situations they land up with.
This was great fun to listen to, read by one of the best possible SFF narrators, Damian Lynch, and his accents for the different nationalities were perfect, and he did full justice to author's well rounded characters . Specially delighted to have a big Maori around for a change. This series has me hooked and looking forward to more. Thanks Mike Brooks, please keep them coming.
December 9, 2015
This is Brooks's sequel to Dark Run, about the crew of the spacecraft Keiko who each have a past to run from and have created a family among themselves. And are also sometime smugglers.
What I really enjoy about Brooks's novels is that they're a return to the classic space adventure. We have unique characters, believable space-age societies and fast-paced plots - resulting in me staying up too late at night while I read 'one more chapter'.
In Dark Sky, the crew are spending up large their ill-gotten gains from their work in Dark Run when Ichabod Drift is offered a short-term job - and the chance to prove his worth to his crew, who don't have much faith in him anymore. Unfortunately, circumstances beyond his control turn the mission into a steaming pile of cack, and the crew are separated and have to work out how to survive on their own - while trusting that everyone still has each other's backs.
It's a really enjoyable read with some great one-liners, and I nearly always couldn't tell where the plot was heading. (And the one development that I did guess, about the Chief, I'm really happy about.)
My one request is that we hear from more Jia in book three. As Drift says of her, "she's part genius and part insane", and I love it when she nuts off. :D
What I really enjoy about Brooks's novels is that they're a return to the classic space adventure. We have unique characters, believable space-age societies and fast-paced plots - resulting in me staying up too late at night while I read 'one more chapter'.
In Dark Sky, the crew are spending up large their ill-gotten gains from their work in Dark Run when Ichabod Drift is offered a short-term job - and the chance to prove his worth to his crew, who don't have much faith in him anymore. Unfortunately, circumstances beyond his control turn the mission into a steaming pile of cack, and the crew are separated and have to work out how to survive on their own - while trusting that everyone still has each other's backs.
It's a really enjoyable read with some great one-liners, and I nearly always couldn't tell where the plot was heading. (And the one development that I did guess, about the Chief, I'm really happy about.)
My one request is that we hear from more Jia in book three. As Drift says of her, "she's part genius and part insane", and I love it when she nuts off. :D
November 9, 2016
A fast moving SF take with a clue of smugglers trying to do something that is only marginal illegal when a revolution comes knocking. A multi-racial crew with a. Fine mix of male and female characters and some nice universe building a series I want to read a lot more of!!
January 21, 2016
I haven't really much else to say that I didn't already say about Dark run. Maybe a bit darker than than it. Hope there is already a next one in works, want more!
October 4, 2018
Let's keep this short and sweet: Dark Sky is the most enjoyable book I've read in 2016. Believable and engaging characters, great story, tight writing. Brooks writes the way I hope SFF is going.
June 30, 2017
I enjoyed this book, but after the first book, my expectations were too high, I think.
November 21, 2017
DARK SKY
by Mike Brooks
Keiko, Book 2
DARK SKY is the sophomore effort worked up by Brit and author Mike Brooks. I read his DARK RUN in January of 2017, and was able to pick up the sequel from my library… well, later. While I was kinda so-so on the initial Keiko book, the I had no trouble cruising right through the follow-up. But let’s set the scene, yeah?
DARK SKY picks up right where DARK RUN leaves off—more or less—with a dead power-player, a bunch of said-dead-guy’s money, and a potentially mutinous crew. When we last saw them, Captain Ichabod Drift had been outed as former privateer Gabriel Drake, a man who’d vented his ship, leaving it and his former crew behind to die. One of the main issues I have with DARK SKY begins right here. The plot begins in a luxurious casino on a world inhabited by the rich and elite, the crew are enjoying a little down-time spent gambling with a dead man’s coin. The mood among the crew is tense and strained. Except… it really doesn’t ever seem like it. I mean, we are reminded a few times over the first quarter or so of the text that the crew might mutiny, but, well, they really never seem like they’re going to. The text keeps reminding us of the ‘pirate’ thing, and suggesting that the crew thinks differently about Drift—they just don’t ever seem to. It just, it’s not convincing.
Anyway, soon enough the crew is forced into a difficult situation and Drift decides to take on a smuggling contract to a nearby mining world. They must locate and retrieve some intel on the future mining product and leave before a regular storm strikes the planet, essentially eliminating any outside contact for a few days. Think… Chronicles of Riddick. Storm. Inaccessible planet. Stuff. And, of course, with such a small margin for error, everything goes wrong. A rebellion strikes the planet, with Drift and his crew separated in two, each group stuck on opposing sides in the conflict.
The plot takes the presumable path from here, with the crew using each side in the conflict in order to reunite and escape the planet. The story is not without its conflicts, with a few entertaining twists thrown in. The overarching story combines with those individual adventures of each crew member, and their interactions and relationships. It make for an interesting dynamic, and one that I enjoyed. There wasn’t a whole lot of mystery involved, which—combined with the fact that the looming mutiny never really loomed—made the conclusion feel slightly straightforward. If it were a game, I’d call it “linear”. However, just because something is simple, doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyable. And, all in all, I kinda liked it.
It’s not exactly space-opera or anything, but there are spaceships and augmentations and stuff. It’s a fun, exciting story set in a generally interesting, if not overly detailed universe. It leaves a lot of the technical details out, trusting on the reader to use their imagination—which I had no problem doing. My only other problem with DARK SKY occurs at the end. Or, doesn’t occur. Or… whatever. Not everything is cleared up. I left feeling unfulfilled, like something was missing. I doubt it’ll be coming up in the next one, though I could be wrong. I just grabbed it from my local library this week, so we’ll see.
Anyhow, Despite my two reservations—one at the fore, one at the out—and the fact that I didn’t really praise the rest of it, I read DARK SKY in three days. True, I had a bit of a deadline. True, DARK SKY was only a little over 300 pages. But it was a pretty good read. I went from questioning whether I’d continue with the series to wanting to.
DARK DEEDS is next. I hope it lives up the the standard that DARK SKY set.
RATING: 4 / 5 stars. Definitely recommendable, and I would, in fact, recommend it. A little hiccup at first levels off to what turns out to be a thoroughly enjoyable adventure. The Keiko crew works well together and everything comes together quite nicely. A cursory, low-tech description which outlines the world and leaves the rest for the reader to fill in. While not all the threads are resolved, but nothing too gigantic is left out. A good one, and well worth the time.
by Mike Brooks
Keiko, Book 2
DARK SKY is the sophomore effort worked up by Brit and author Mike Brooks. I read his DARK RUN in January of 2017, and was able to pick up the sequel from my library… well, later. While I was kinda so-so on the initial Keiko book, the I had no trouble cruising right through the follow-up. But let’s set the scene, yeah?
DARK SKY picks up right where DARK RUN leaves off—more or less—with a dead power-player, a bunch of said-dead-guy’s money, and a potentially mutinous crew. When we last saw them, Captain Ichabod Drift had been outed as former privateer Gabriel Drake, a man who’d vented his ship, leaving it and his former crew behind to die. One of the main issues I have with DARK SKY begins right here. The plot begins in a luxurious casino on a world inhabited by the rich and elite, the crew are enjoying a little down-time spent gambling with a dead man’s coin. The mood among the crew is tense and strained. Except… it really doesn’t ever seem like it. I mean, we are reminded a few times over the first quarter or so of the text that the crew might mutiny, but, well, they really never seem like they’re going to. The text keeps reminding us of the ‘pirate’ thing, and suggesting that the crew thinks differently about Drift—they just don’t ever seem to. It just, it’s not convincing.
Anyway, soon enough the crew is forced into a difficult situation and Drift decides to take on a smuggling contract to a nearby mining world. They must locate and retrieve some intel on the future mining product and leave before a regular storm strikes the planet, essentially eliminating any outside contact for a few days. Think… Chronicles of Riddick. Storm. Inaccessible planet. Stuff. And, of course, with such a small margin for error, everything goes wrong. A rebellion strikes the planet, with Drift and his crew separated in two, each group stuck on opposing sides in the conflict.
The plot takes the presumable path from here, with the crew using each side in the conflict in order to reunite and escape the planet. The story is not without its conflicts, with a few entertaining twists thrown in. The overarching story combines with those individual adventures of each crew member, and their interactions and relationships. It make for an interesting dynamic, and one that I enjoyed. There wasn’t a whole lot of mystery involved, which—combined with the fact that the looming mutiny never really loomed—made the conclusion feel slightly straightforward. If it were a game, I’d call it “linear”. However, just because something is simple, doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyable. And, all in all, I kinda liked it.
It’s not exactly space-opera or anything, but there are spaceships and augmentations and stuff. It’s a fun, exciting story set in a generally interesting, if not overly detailed universe. It leaves a lot of the technical details out, trusting on the reader to use their imagination—which I had no problem doing. My only other problem with DARK SKY occurs at the end. Or, doesn’t occur. Or… whatever. Not everything is cleared up. I left feeling unfulfilled, like something was missing. I doubt it’ll be coming up in the next one, though I could be wrong. I just grabbed it from my local library this week, so we’ll see.
Anyhow, Despite my two reservations—one at the fore, one at the out—and the fact that I didn’t really praise the rest of it, I read DARK SKY in three days. True, I had a bit of a deadline. True, DARK SKY was only a little over 300 pages. But it was a pretty good read. I went from questioning whether I’d continue with the series to wanting to.
DARK DEEDS is next. I hope it lives up the the standard that DARK SKY set.
RATING: 4 / 5 stars. Definitely recommendable, and I would, in fact, recommend it. A little hiccup at first levels off to what turns out to be a thoroughly enjoyable adventure. The Keiko crew works well together and everything comes together quite nicely. A cursory, low-tech description which outlines the world and leaves the rest for the reader to fill in. While not all the threads are resolved, but nothing too gigantic is left out. A good one, and well worth the time.
July 14, 2025
Ichabod Crane and his ragtag crew have to retrieve vital information from an informant from a mining planet before some volatile storm begins, cutting off all travel. There's a hitch in the plan when the informant wants the Keiko crew to transport him and his husband off-planet before any information can be provided. Then things escalate further when a riot begins and the crew is separated: some with the rebels while others are stuck with the military.
3.5 stars.
My enjoyment of this book increased so much because it wasn't bogged down by so much info-dumping. Pretty sure it's because it's the sequel so Mike Brooks should have gotten all of the heavy info-dumping out of the way in the first book. I liked the dilemma that was introduced: a riot separating the crew and now they're on (literal) warring sides while trying to find their way back to one another. On top of all that, I thought it was fun that a rival crew was also on the planet and causing problems for Ichabod pre- and mid-rebellion. It added a new dynamic and made the characters seem more real for revealing past relationships/rivalries.
Out of all the subplots, I enjoyed Jenna and Apirana's the most. One, their romance was sweet, understated without feeling underdeveloped, and unexpected. And two, they had to deal with the Circuit Cult, people who replace their body parts with augmented robotic parts, and seeing different subcultures in this dystopian future was fascinating. I can totally see how a movement like that would start considering how people are becoming so reliant on AI.
Everyone's doing what they can to survive. Ichabod and the Chang siblings are stuck aiding the military, which is ironic, since Ichabod and authority aren't a great mix. Meanwhile, Tamara Rourke sides with the rebellion until she can find a way out. I was surprised by how much Rourke aided the rebellion, going so far to strategize plans on their behalf and cutting down communication lines. The rebellion is still ongoing when the characters leave, and I thought it was odd that she wasn't worried that word wouldn't leak out that she had some involvement with the riot overtaking this profitable mining planet . There was even footage of her in the background conspiring with rebels during a news broadcast.
And speaking of loose ends, this whole mess started because the Russian informant wanted to be smuggled off-planet. He and his husband are with Ichabod and the siblings for a while, but then they just disappeared. I'm guessing in some sort of military custody and got separated as Ichabod and the military chief continued on with their plans. Maybe I just glossed over the explanation and missed it, but what happened to them??? So much for keeping promises. Ichabod and his crew weren't going to get paid because they couldn't leave the mining planet in time, but at least escort these poor people like you agreed.
I had such an easier time with Dark Sky in comparison to Dark Run. However, I still couldn't connect with the story or the world. So 3.5 stars it is.
3.5 stars.
My enjoyment of this book increased so much because it wasn't bogged down by so much info-dumping. Pretty sure it's because it's the sequel so Mike Brooks should have gotten all of the heavy info-dumping out of the way in the first book. I liked the dilemma that was introduced: a riot separating the crew and now they're on (literal) warring sides while trying to find their way back to one another. On top of all that, I thought it was fun that a rival crew was also on the planet and causing problems for Ichabod pre- and mid-rebellion. It added a new dynamic and made the characters seem more real for revealing past relationships/rivalries.
Out of all the subplots, I enjoyed Jenna and Apirana's the most. One, their romance was sweet, understated without feeling underdeveloped, and unexpected. And two, they had to deal with the Circuit Cult, people who replace their body parts with augmented robotic parts, and seeing different subcultures in this dystopian future was fascinating. I can totally see how a movement like that would start considering how people are becoming so reliant on AI.
Everyone's doing what they can to survive. Ichabod and the Chang siblings are stuck aiding the military, which is ironic, since Ichabod and authority aren't a great mix. Meanwhile, Tamara Rourke sides with the rebellion until she can find a way out. I was surprised by how much Rourke aided the rebellion, going so far to strategize plans on their behalf and cutting down communication lines. The rebellion is still ongoing when the characters leave, and I thought it was odd that she wasn't worried that word wouldn't leak out that she had some involvement with the riot overtaking this profitable mining planet . There was even footage of her in the background conspiring with rebels during a news broadcast.
And speaking of loose ends, this whole mess started because the Russian informant wanted to be smuggled off-planet. He and his husband are with Ichabod and the siblings for a while, but then they just disappeared. I'm guessing in some sort of military custody and got separated as Ichabod and the military chief continued on with their plans. Maybe I just glossed over the explanation and missed it, but what happened to them??? So much for keeping promises. Ichabod and his crew weren't going to get paid because they couldn't leave the mining planet in time, but at least escort these poor people like you agreed.
I had such an easier time with Dark Sky in comparison to Dark Run. However, I still couldn't connect with the story or the world. So 3.5 stars it is.
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