Tanis Richards: Shore Leave

Aeon 14: Origins of Destiny #1

by M.D. Cooper

It'll take two minds to solve this mystery...
Commander Tanis Richards has finally come into port after a seven month tour on the edge of Jovian space, and she's looking forward to some much deserved shore leave. But Tanis's commanding officer has other things in mind for her.

Enfield Technologies has developed a new technique to pair enhanced L2 humans with AIs, and the military wants Tanis to undergo the procedure. Though she feared the worst, after meeting Darla, Tanis realizes that having an AI—especially a fabulously wealthy one—is better than she'd ever imagined. Darla foots the bill for Tanis to enjoy her convalescence at The Grand Eire, Vesta's most luxurious resort.

Swimming in the infinity pool with a stunning view of space is just what the doctor ordered, except it will be far from a restful vacation. Everything starts to go downhill when Tanis sees someone who should be nowhere near the resort—largely because Tanis had killed him a week ago.

Tanis is thrust into a mysterious conspiracy that could bring down the Federation, but when she gets to the bottom of it, what she finds is...none other than herself.

NOTE: This novel was previously published in the Galactic Genesis anthology.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Audiobook, Fantasy

302 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 21, 2018

About the author

Malorie Cooper likes to think of herself as a dreamer and a wanderer, yet her feet are firmly grounded in reality.

A ‘maker’ from an early age, Malorie loves to craft things, from furniture, to cosplay costumes, to a well-spun tale, she can’t help but to create new things every day.

A rare extrovert writer, she loves to hang out with readers and people in general. If you meet her at a convention, she just might be rocking a catsuit, cosplaying one of her own characters, or maybe her latest favorite from Overwatch!

She shares her home with a brilliant young girl, her wonderful wife (who also writes), a cat that chirps at birds, a never-ending list of things she would like to build, and ideas…

Reviews

[Slugpuppy3]

Tanis gets her first embedded AI, Darla. Darla is a mischievous fashionista; Tanis is—Not. Someone stole something from a ship Tanis impounded. Tanis is—Not Happy. The fight is on!

[Emmalynn]

Awesome to see the beginnings of Tanis. This was a great read/listen with enough action, humor, snark to satisfy the entertainer in me.

[Gareth]

Great story, start of a trilogy (at least) of prequels of sorts, digging more into the beginnings of Tanis Richards, now one of my favourite characters in all the different book series I have read. You don't need to have read any of the main series (Intrepid Saga and Orion War) to read this book, it is a good stand alone introduction to the Aeon 14 universe and to Tanis. Compared to the other books, Tanis is paired with a different AI, Darla, who is certainly different to Angela, but a good character nonetheless who I think meshes well with Tanis. We don't see much of most of Tanis' crew here, but the ones we do see more of are good, rounded characters. Story itself is a good one, good degree of suspense and action throughout, with a few nice downtimes in amongst it all, with a couple of surprises in there. All up, another very good read.

[PL]

I have been a fan of the Aeon 14 books for awhile now. I was excited when M. D. Cooper finally started writing about the origins of Tanis Richards. There is so much texture to this character that it has always been obvious to me she must have a lot of history in his imagination.
I have read this series from book 0 to book 3 (there are 5...so far). I have the same thing to say about all the Origins of Destiny Books; they are a great ride from page one. M. D. Cooper is the kind of story teller that paints pictures as he goes.
If you have not read the Aeon 14 books there is almost a myriad of starting points. The best book to begin with, in my opinion, is Outsystem: A Military Science Fiction Space Opera Epic (Aeon 14: The Intrepid Saga Book 1). You will know by the end of the book if you are hooked. Enjoy the read :)

[Marcus]

Interesting book detailing what should have been a boring shore leave for a commander in the Terran Space Force surprises the reader. The commander's immediate supervisors hijack her shore leave by scheduling her for a secret operation which places an AI in her head and the situations tend to go downhill from that point. She is attacked several times, her crew is arrested by the MP's, she is arrested by the MP's, escapes and is placed on the most wanted list, and discovers a subversive plot involving her superior officers. An interesting story.

[Trent Baker]

Before Tanis Richards set out for the stars in the Intrepid she was an officer in the TSF.
This series focuses on Tanis and her experience in the TSF that shaped her into a pivotal character of the Aeon 14 universe.
I think that Cooper does some of his best work when the book is focused on one character and so far the Tanis Richards series does not disappoint.
The plot is well paced and the banter between Tanis and her new AI companion is entertaining.
A great addition to the lore of the Aeon 14 universe.

[Scott]

A Great Start

For those new to the Aeon 14 universe then this is an ideal starting point. For those who are fans then this fills in the gaps that we always wondered about for our heroine. What was her journey? , was she always so great? . A must for all fans of kick ass woman in space and one i particularly enjoyed as this has now started a entire series just for the origins of Tanis.

[David St. Lawrence]

Nonstop Action!

This book has one surprise after another for the reader. I wholeheartedly recommend this book if you like complex plots and watching good people struggle to overcome corruption and intrigue in large political organizations. The action takes place in space but it would equally be at home in any terrestrial situation. This book offers great non-stop reading!

[Paul Reichman]

God how I love Tannis Richards

Sometimes almost just like reading and MD Cooper book because everything else is just so vanilla and bland afterwards. No matter how many sides stories are lots or additional riders involvement the books remain incredibly exciting I love them and someday maybe I'll be able to read every single one of them

[Sean Alexander]

A fast-paced, exciting read that will keep you wanting more. The 'pairing' of the main characters creates a very interesting subplot to the main storyline. Trying to figure out the good guys from the bad guys will keep you on your toes. A very good beginning to a new series. Not for the squeamish or faint of heart though some scenes can be disturbing.

[juliette dempsey]

How I became a spy

Tanis super spy.😀
A great origin story adventure. Great characters with realistic situations and lots of action and adventure.
Travel around Sol getting into trouble and being a stylish badass at the same time.
P.s. That hotel sounds amazing and the face changing mod is painful but useful in many situations.😀

[Art]

I like a really bouncy, convoluted shoot-em-up! M.D. Cooper has done a great job of keeping me interested and entertained, during a rather draggy, depressing snowy week, when the world news only pummeled me with ideas of political pirates and oligarchs making distressing pronouncements about their premeditated grandiose objectives. Thank you for this!

[PJ Lea]

Relaxing? Maybe not ..

Not exactly a relaxing time off for Tanis Richards, though it is good to find out more about her younger years. I already knew she was extraordinary from reading the other books about her but this seals the deal. Fantastic story and very funny in places.

[Caius Fabius]

I really enjoyed this!

I am am Andre Norton and Robert Heinlein fan. This has the fun, excitement and moving storyline that will grab you in the iron grip of a prosthetic arm and keep you long after you needed to do something else!

[James Zimmerman]

Great tale

Love the characters, the situations they encounter and the adventures that occur. I find that no matter where in the timeline I am the story is always engaging and entertaining. Totally addicting.

[Kerry Sharp]

Pacey action

A heavily augmented human beats all. Will be reading more.
Given its a scifi the characters are believable and carry the narrative. Lots of action a bit of mystery in the far future.

[Roxy Fox]

I really liked seeing Tanis earlier in her career. Though I hope to see how she meets Angela. I like her crew too. It is nice to see her when she wasn’t so powerful. It is easier to connect with her in these books.

[Ron]

Great Adventure Story

Tanis Richards commander of a small patrol ship. Returns from an extended tour of duty to the military base of vests for some well deserved R&R. But what happens is a rollercoaster of intrigue and adventure. Great start to this series definitely recommend

[Jillian Cori lippert]

I'd really like to give this book 3.75 stars. It was entertaining but not at the 'can't put it down' level. I liked the strong female protagonist and the basic story. I only found 1 grammatical error. I've purchased the box set and look forward to more stories with Tanis and Darla.

[Mick Bird]

We get a glimpse of our famous and notorious heroine, Tanis Richards. Showing us her early days and what a ride she takes us on in this story of her induction into the MICI Highly recommend!

[Alastar]

A Nice Peek into the past

I found shore was a nice little look into how Tanis managed to become such a trouble magnet lol. Also Darla's introduction was nice.

[Ann Zdunczyk]

Tanis kicks butt

It is great to go back to see her before all the other adventures. Read to find out what she is up to in the beginning!

[N]

Phenomenal book

Amazing world building with a good mix of ethical issues and humour. . I seem to have stumbled into a universe that I plan to explore

[Kyle Descamps]

Full of laughter

This story will make you laugh. I touches a little on series prior but gives you enough to see what she becomes. Basically she had good influence. Lol

[Chris]

Great adventure

As usual Tannis never fails to be awesome paired with Darla wow what a tram and Harm is a welcome addition to the proceedings as well

[Terry Gero]

Tanis exciting as always.

[Diane Smith]

Origins

Enjoyed getting to know how Tanis became the badass she is in later books as I read some of these out of order. Well written, relatable characters

[Tina]

This series is not for me

[Nick Rollins]

A fun pulpy mystery. Nice world-building, thin characters, but the story churns right along.