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RCN #13
To Clear Away the Shadows
NEW ENTRY IN DAVID DRAKE'S LANDMARK RCN SERIES
ADVENTURES BEYOND THE EDGE OF THE KNOWN UNIVERSE
The truce between Cinnabar and the Alliance is holding, and the Republic of Cinnabar Navy is able to explore regions of the galaxy without the explorers being swept up in great power conflict.
The Far Traveller is probing sponge space to open routes for Cinnabar traders - and for RCN warships if war breaks out again. But besides astrogation, the Far Traveller is to survey and catalog life forms on the worlds it touches.
Harry Harper has just been posted to the Traveller. He's an RCN officer by convention, a scientist by training - and a member of one of leading aristocratic families on Cinnabar by birth.
Lieutenant Rick Grenville would rather serve on a warship in the heart of battle, but peace and the whim of the Navy Board have put him on an exploration vessel instead. He finds that the dangers on the fringes of civilization are just as great as those from missiles and gunfire that he expected to face.
As internal struggles cause the Alliance to relax its iron grip, regional forces are attempting to increase their own power - and they're not fussy about the means they use.
Besides the biological answers that officials on Cinnabar expect the Far Traveller to find, the ship's Director of Science, Doctor Veil, has her own agenda: to learn more about the Archaic Spacefarers who roamed the universe tens of thousands of years before humans reached the stars.
The crew of the Far Traveller is poised to clear more of the shadows away from the deep past than ever before in human history - if they survive.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Praise for prequel Though Hell Should Bar the Way:
“Though Hell Should Bar the Way is vastly entertaining, a tale that demonstrates Drake’s skill as an author, illustrating why Drake is one of the best living science fiction authors today." (The Daily News of Galveston County)
ADVENTURES BEYOND THE EDGE OF THE KNOWN UNIVERSE
The truce between Cinnabar and the Alliance is holding, and the Republic of Cinnabar Navy is able to explore regions of the galaxy without the explorers being swept up in great power conflict.
The Far Traveller is probing sponge space to open routes for Cinnabar traders - and for RCN warships if war breaks out again. But besides astrogation, the Far Traveller is to survey and catalog life forms on the worlds it touches.
Harry Harper has just been posted to the Traveller. He's an RCN officer by convention, a scientist by training - and a member of one of leading aristocratic families on Cinnabar by birth.
Lieutenant Rick Grenville would rather serve on a warship in the heart of battle, but peace and the whim of the Navy Board have put him on an exploration vessel instead. He finds that the dangers on the fringes of civilization are just as great as those from missiles and gunfire that he expected to face.
As internal struggles cause the Alliance to relax its iron grip, regional forces are attempting to increase their own power - and they're not fussy about the means they use.
Besides the biological answers that officials on Cinnabar expect the Far Traveller to find, the ship's Director of Science, Doctor Veil, has her own agenda: to learn more about the Archaic Spacefarers who roamed the universe tens of thousands of years before humans reached the stars.
The crew of the Far Traveller is poised to clear more of the shadows away from the deep past than ever before in human history - if they survive.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Praise for prequel Though Hell Should Bar the Way:
“Though Hell Should Bar the Way is vastly entertaining, a tale that demonstrates Drake’s skill as an author, illustrating why Drake is one of the best living science fiction authors today." (The Daily News of Galveston County)
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First published January 1, 2019
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About the author
David Drake
306 books886 followersDavid Drake is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now one of the major authors of the military science fiction genre.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
June 22, 2019
Unfortunately it seems this is the end of Lt Leary books, although this is sold as part of the series, it isn’t! If the author was being honest he should have labelled it under a different series title.
What made these books stand out wasn’t the stories, which although OK were nothing special. It was the relationship and contrast between the two main characters, Daniel Leary and Adele Mundy that made them really interesting. Without them this was a very ordinary story.
Under normal circumstances I would have probably given at least 2 stars, but I can’t help feeling I’ve been cheated.
What made these books stand out wasn’t the stories, which although OK were nothing special. It was the relationship and contrast between the two main characters, Daniel Leary and Adele Mundy that made them really interesting. Without them this was a very ordinary story.
Under normal circumstances I would have probably given at least 2 stars, but I can’t help feeling I’ve been cheated.
January 19, 2020
This is a book set in Drakes' RCN universe, though neither Mundy nor Leary appear. It features two young men, one a scientist and the other an officer of the ship, and their adventures in exploring a half dozen or so planets to which they've recently been granted peace-time access. The narration frequently flips back and forth from first- and third-person, which is rather confusing at the beginning but I became accustomed to it. Stops are made on five or six worlds, and the different political, social, and scientific situations are quite interesting, although there's no strong book-length theme other than a coming-of-age riff that feels a little forced at the very end.
(All of the really nasty characters in Drake's books are named Platt, or occasionally Easton; I think by now the redoubtable Mundy would have noted this and reported it to Sand so that a galaxy-wide cleansing operation could be undertaken, thereby making the Republic a much better place for us all.)
(All of the really nasty characters in Drake's books are named Platt, or occasionally Easton; I think by now the redoubtable Mundy would have noted this and reported it to Sand so that a galaxy-wide cleansing operation could be undertaken, thereby making the Republic a much better place for us all.)
November 30, 2019
scattered episodes with no clear central theme. I prefer the action-filled stories of Lt Leary
June 8, 2019
I Miss Leary and Mundy badly!
With out Daniel Leary and Adele Mundy, it is just a run of the mill space opera. Very interesting read. But I want more Leary And Mundy!
With out Daniel Leary and Adele Mundy, it is just a run of the mill space opera. Very interesting read. But I want more Leary And Mundy!
May 4, 2019
A new series in the RCN, Daniel Leary universe. 3.5 stars.
January 5, 2020
The RCN series was never truly great sci-fi in my opinion but its cast of characters still made it an entertaining and worthwhile read. However in this book Drake continues the trend we have seen in his previous book, where he already relegated the previous characters to the side, and presents entirely new characters and plots with practically nobody of the previous cast having any real presence. And since those characters were the reason why I still read the series I/we are left with something of a substandard sci-fi adventure set in the same setting as the RCN but without its charme.
June 26, 2019
A hodge-podge of short stories loosely tied together by common characters. The larger story arc is a coming of age style story with a bit of quest for the ancient astronauts. The first person often alternated between two differing characters which just jumbled things more. I did like how it created a sort of "he said, he said" perspective on the first meeting but it quickly grew old. I also didn't care for the constant usage of "sponge space". I don't recall exactly what Drake named the alternate reality between the stars in the earlier books, but it wasn't "sponge space". There were several times it was described as "like the holes of a sponge" but that is as close as it got. I just cringed every time I read that.
June 23, 2019
NOT WORTH THE MONEY!
DNF at 43% due to boredom. The Leary and Mundy series (as I call it) is my second favourite SF series after Vorkosigan, and it is an insult to such a great series that this blah book is now a part of it. Though Hell Should Bar the Way, without our beloved main characters in the lead, was still better than good, 4.25 stars compared to 5 for the rest of the books. To Clear Away the Shadows is a huge step down.
DNF at 43% due to boredom. The Leary and Mundy series (as I call it) is my second favourite SF series after Vorkosigan, and it is an insult to such a great series that this blah book is now a part of it. Though Hell Should Bar the Way, without our beloved main characters in the lead, was still better than good, 4.25 stars compared to 5 for the rest of the books. To Clear Away the Shadows is a huge step down.
August 10, 2019
First, this is not a Daniel Leary book. Second, the first 60% of the book is so dull I could barely bring myself to read it. Each chapter is a visit to a planet, each covered with minimal detail. Not a lot of character development either. I was getting pretty tired of the whole 18th century British navy in space concept before this, now I am completely done with it. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.
June 2, 2020
I enjoyed the book but it was not up to the expectations I had based on the Leary / Mundy books. It felt more like episodes of a TV series stitched together with the RCN framework than a single novel length adventure. I'm not sure I'll pre-order another in the series that doesn't have Leary and / or Mundy.
May 24, 2025
Scientific exploration in the 19th centuryspace, nobles and colonials included. A fun read with a touch of adventure and a slight bit on the evils of racism.
Also David Drake has passed on :(
Also David Drake has passed on :(
May 17, 2023
The problem with this book is its an experiment. As such, it’s hard to market, so they’ve labelled it as part of the ‘RCN saga’. While it’s set in the same ‘world’, against the backdrop of an uneasy peace between two galactic empires, recently at war, and uses the same technology, the book has no characters from the previous series, and doesn’t follow the evolving political situation, both domestic and foreign. Neither is it a mixture of military sci-fi and espionage that featured in the previous books.
Instead it’s an explicit homage to the adventures of naturalists in the 19th century. As such, it’s inherently episodic in nature. As a consequence, it’s structured like a short season of a tv show. In the first couple of episodes, in which the main cast, some minor characters and the season arc are introduced, then there’s a couple of mostly unrelated episodes in which the minor characters are barely mentioned, then the last couple of episodes where there’s a couple of set pieces, the minor characters are brought back and the season arc is completed.
Which isn’t to say it’s bad. It’s very entertaining, and the action flows nicely. What costs it a star is the feeling like the ‘show’ was cancelled after 1 season, but the studio allowed the showrunners to tack a final scene on to give closure. It just feels like it ends abruptly, like it was forced to end, instead of finding a natural ending. Again, this is probably in line with how the records of the naturalists that inspired it end, but it feels unsatisfying. Fair play to the author for trying something adventurous, though.
Instead it’s an explicit homage to the adventures of naturalists in the 19th century. As such, it’s inherently episodic in nature. As a consequence, it’s structured like a short season of a tv show. In the first couple of episodes, in which the main cast, some minor characters and the season arc are introduced, then there’s a couple of mostly unrelated episodes in which the minor characters are barely mentioned, then the last couple of episodes where there’s a couple of set pieces, the minor characters are brought back and the season arc is completed.
Which isn’t to say it’s bad. It’s very entertaining, and the action flows nicely. What costs it a star is the feeling like the ‘show’ was cancelled after 1 season, but the studio allowed the showrunners to tack a final scene on to give closure. It just feels like it ends abruptly, like it was forced to end, instead of finding a natural ending. Again, this is probably in line with how the records of the naturalists that inspired it end, but it feels unsatisfying. Fair play to the author for trying something adventurous, though.
April 28, 2025
My selection for the Reddit Fantasy 2025 'Last in a Series' Bingo square.
Three and a half stars rounded up to four. Science Fiction / Space Opera. The book follows the crew of the RCN survey ship Far Traveller as they explore the fringes of civilization, escape dangers, and uncover the secrets of the Archaic Spacefarers. If you've read any of the previous books in the series, you will know that they feature Captain Daniel Leary and Lady Adele Mundy and the crew of their ship in the Cinnabar navy. It was a surprise (and a disappointment) to discover that they don't appear in this last book in the series. I do wonder whether the author planned to write more about Lord Harper (the MC in this book), as he left it wide open at the end for future adventures. Sadly he stopped writing two years later (due to "unspecified cognitive health problems" according to his Wikipedia page) and died in 2023, so we'll never know.
(Other 2025 Bingo squares that this would fit: Hidden Gem (HM); Generic Title; Recycle a Bingo Square: ('SFF Novel Published in 2019' square from 2019)).
Three and a half stars rounded up to four. Science Fiction / Space Opera. The book follows the crew of the RCN survey ship Far Traveller as they explore the fringes of civilization, escape dangers, and uncover the secrets of the Archaic Spacefarers. If you've read any of the previous books in the series, you will know that they feature Captain Daniel Leary and Lady Adele Mundy and the crew of their ship in the Cinnabar navy. It was a surprise (and a disappointment) to discover that they don't appear in this last book in the series. I do wonder whether the author planned to write more about Lord Harper (the MC in this book), as he left it wide open at the end for future adventures. Sadly he stopped writing two years later (due to "unspecified cognitive health problems" according to his Wikipedia page) and died in 2023, so we'll never know.
(Other 2025 Bingo squares that this would fit: Hidden Gem (HM); Generic Title; Recycle a Bingo Square: ('SFF Novel Published in 2019' square from 2019)).
April 27, 2019
In the RCN universe of Lt. Leary (read from an Edelweiss e-ARC), this new science fiction book by David Drake follows totally new characters, Lord Harry Harper, an upper class biologist and his new friend Lt. Rick Grenville. Peace has come to the Republic of Cinnabar and regular RCN officers are looking for work. When the Far Traveler is sent out on a scientific mission Rick Grenville is happy for the work. Harry Harper is happy to tapped to assist Dr. Margot Veil. Dr. Veil wants Harry for his aristocratic background because it's the only way she'll be taken seriously by the captain of the ship. As the ship travels from one (usually small) world after another, Harry & Rick manage to get involved in many adventures, all relatively short since they don't stay that long in any one place. The world of Cinnabar is very class oriented and so are the characters in this book. The author based his book on 18th & 19th century gentlemen scientists and provides us with a fun read.
May 3, 2019
To Clear Away the Shadows by David Drake
This is another book in the RCN series. Cinnabar and the Alliance are currently not fighting. A recommissioned cruiser, the Far Traveller is tasked with surveying.
This seemed like more of a collection of short stories than a novel. There was little continuity to events as they happened. However, the premise of a star ship visiting different environments does lead to a lack of continuity. The search for the Archaic Spacefarers is the primary theme for continuity and that is tenuous at best.
The discovery of artifacts could have been pursued and led to a more interesting plot. Harry Harper was a likeable character who demonstrated a bit of a lack of self-confidence. Rick, on the other hand, seemed confident in all areas including womanizing. I would have liked to seen Joss given a bigger part in overall events.
The book was okay.
This is another book in the RCN series. Cinnabar and the Alliance are currently not fighting. A recommissioned cruiser, the Far Traveller is tasked with surveying.
This seemed like more of a collection of short stories than a novel. There was little continuity to events as they happened. However, the premise of a star ship visiting different environments does lead to a lack of continuity. The search for the Archaic Spacefarers is the primary theme for continuity and that is tenuous at best.
The discovery of artifacts could have been pursued and led to a more interesting plot. Harry Harper was a likeable character who demonstrated a bit of a lack of self-confidence. Rick, on the other hand, seemed confident in all areas including womanizing. I would have liked to seen Joss given a bigger part in overall events.
The book was okay.
January 3, 2020
Lord Harry Harper is assigned to the Far Traveller, a former Navy ship now acting as a survey ship in areas that Cinnabar has little connection to. His job is biologist, assigned to assist Dr. Margot Veil, the real scientist. Harry has the training but is just out of school. His extra assignment is to be the aristocrat to get introductions to the important families on the worlds they visit. He has the connections via his family. His part is told in first person.
Lieutenant Rick Grenville is about Harry's age and they quickly become friends, even though Rick is a dedicated officer of the Navy and would rather serve on a warship than on a survey ship. His secondary focus is meeting pretty young women on the worlds they visit. His part is told in third person.
Interesting adventures ensue and both young men get to prove themselves, both together and separately.
Lieutenant Rick Grenville is about Harry's age and they quickly become friends, even though Rick is a dedicated officer of the Navy and would rather serve on a warship than on a survey ship. His secondary focus is meeting pretty young women on the worlds they visit. His part is told in third person.
Interesting adventures ensue and both young men get to prove themselves, both together and separately.
February 29, 2024
For me, this book was a smoothly written disappointment. The book was listed as part of the Royal Cinnabar Navy series. The normal protagonists in the series are Daniel Leary and Signal Officer Adele Mundy. They do not appear in this book. We are introduced to Lt. Harry Harper, a biologist on the research vessel RCS Far Traveller aka the Fart. I believe the book would be classified as a mosaic novel. Instead of having a single themed narrative, we are treated to a series of adventures experienced by Harper as The Fart visits various far flung planets where he is supposed to perform biological research and cataloging. Peripheral characters were sketchy with very little development. I thought that this was an overall mediocre effort.
August 15, 2019
Republic of Cinnabar exploration vessel The Far Traveler is exploring badly charted human star systems. Dr. Veil, Director of Science on board the ship, has requested newly graduated Harry Hopper from an aristocratic family on Cinnabar in the hopes that his noble rank would open doors to secrets museums of the local aristocrats. On this voyage To Clear Away the Shadows (hard from Baen) Lord Harry makes friends with Lieutenant Rick Grenville. Each of them helping the other out of scrapes at the ships several landings. David Drake tells a fun tale of friendship and scientific exploration in a far future echo of the nineteenth century.Review printed by Philadelphia Free Press
January 9, 2021
I'll try and keep this entirely spoiler free.
A Lt Leary novel with no Lt Leary: This does answer the question of whether the series should be "RCN" or "Lt Leary".
This book can be read with no knowledge of any of the previous 12 books.
It's a straight forward journey of discovery in the Victorian manner, where empires explore the universe discovering and claiming new places, much to the surprise of some of the natives who already consider the places found.
Archaeology, daring rescues and the dangers of frontier life drive the story forward.
The question of the book seems to be, who is the civilised person and who is the savage here?
A Lt Leary novel with no Lt Leary: This does answer the question of whether the series should be "RCN" or "Lt Leary".
This book can be read with no knowledge of any of the previous 12 books.
It's a straight forward journey of discovery in the Victorian manner, where empires explore the universe discovering and claiming new places, much to the surprise of some of the natives who already consider the places found.
Archaeology, daring rescues and the dangers of frontier life drive the story forward.
The question of the book seems to be, who is the civilised person and who is the savage here?
June 22, 2019
Not sure why this book was included in the series. None of the main characters in any of the other of the books in the series figured in the story of this book. Would not recommend this book even though I am a big fan of the rest of the series. As I read the other reviews I can’t figure out why the readers gave several stars to this book. While I have given all the other books in the series 4 or 5 stars, besides mentioning the RCN this novel has none of the characters or the action of the first 12 in the series.
April 5, 2023
Lt. Harry Harper joined the crew of the Far Traveler's Biology team at the request of Dr. Veil. She was hoping that Lt. Harper would be able to use is status in society to open doors as the Far Traveler surveyed lesser known regions of space. Dr. Veil hoped to confirm that there had been Archaic Spacefares, but Lt Harper, Joss, the hunter attached to the Biology team, and Lt. Rick Grenville just hoped to survive the active volcanoes, deadly traps, crazy political factions, and sheer bad luck. A very nice addition to the RCN universe!
June 6, 2019
Another story in a great series! This entry introduced RCN Officers Rick and Harry, both very likable characters on a succession of entertaining adventures (albiet far lighter and less dire than those of Leary and Mundy). The best new character introduced was Technician Joss and I would love to see a novel based on her back story, giving readers an inside look at life in the Alliance and exploring her moral code of "us" (her buddies) vs "them".
Read
August 26, 2019This was a change from all the previous books, as this book has an entirely new cast of characters. None of the familiar people like Daniel, Adele or Tovera. Also this is different because parts of the book have one character in first person telling the tale, whereas all the other books are in third person.
A good story, although I'm not sure where it goes from here, as the end seemed to take things away from the RCN...
A good story, although I'm not sure where it goes from here, as the end seemed to take things away from the RCN...
October 3, 2019
So, one of the main characters engages in a little mild sexual assault, gets pouty when the girl turns him down, and ends up having to save her life. I'm thinking, "If she ends up sleeping with him out of gratitude, I'm done."
And, of course, she does, without even bothering to first get medical attention after being knocked out by alien fungus spores and falling into a fucking active volcano. As you do. Because, you know, priorities.
And, of course, she does, without even bothering to first get medical attention after being knocked out by alien fungus spores and falling into a fucking active volcano. As you do. Because, you know, priorities.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2021
Standard David Drake
This book is well written like almost all of his works. The story is set in the Republic of Cinnabar universe but uses unique characters. Everything is consistent and I think it expands on the Leary storyline. On a side note, I've been reading David Drake books for three decades. He is very consistent in using the name Platt for unsavory characters. They always meet a fitting end.
This book is well written like almost all of his works. The story is set in the Republic of Cinnabar universe but uses unique characters. Everything is consistent and I think it expands on the Leary storyline. On a side note, I've been reading David Drake books for three decades. He is very consistent in using the name Platt for unsavory characters. They always meet a fitting end.
August 19, 2021
New characters and simply a series encounters on several planets as the crew of the Far Traveller head out to catalog native species and chart routes. It seems like a bridge book for introduce the Shining Empire (new enemies?) and the idea of the Ancient Spacefarers having been colonizers and explorers of the galaxy before humanity went to the stars.
Had a bit of an abrupt and unsatisfying ending.
Had a bit of an abrupt and unsatisfying ending.
August 28, 2024
It was not what I expected. To much biological information and just a bit of adventure. The characters weren’t really likeable. It was the fact that they were other characters because the core were there and less. The aliens artifact are the only line that makes it interesting. The characters are the same: The scarred women, the congenial and the grumpy lts. I pushed through till the end because I knew that it was the end of the series.
June 20, 2019
A VGood Read! :-)
This book is a fitting volume of the RCN series by D Drake even if it does not follow the indomitable Leary/Mundy pair. It is another quick read by an entertaining author. Strongly recommend both the series (I have enjoyed them all!) & this particular novel, too.
This book is a fitting volume of the RCN series by D Drake even if it does not follow the indomitable Leary/Mundy pair. It is another quick read by an entertaining author. Strongly recommend both the series (I have enjoyed them all!) & this particular novel, too.
June 29, 2019
A New Take on the RCN
As a long time fan of the books about the Royal Cinnabar Navy I was a bit surprised that it was a different set of characters. After a few pages I was well stuck into it and enjoyed it to the very end. Look forward to the next installment but also hope to soon have a new Daniel O'Leary to savor as well.
As a long time fan of the books about the Royal Cinnabar Navy I was a bit surprised that it was a different set of characters. After a few pages I was well stuck into it and enjoyed it to the very end. Look forward to the next installment but also hope to soon have a new Daniel O'Leary to savor as well.
September 3, 2019
Wow! What a terrific read!
Peace has come to the RCN. What better time to take a voyage of discovery - to chart out new routes, learn more about the planets along the way, etc.
I especially liked that both Harry and Rick were strong protagonists. And I liked the Far Traveler’s crew, particularly Technician Joss.
Highly recommended for all RCN fans and fans of well-told stories!
Peace has come to the RCN. What better time to take a voyage of discovery - to chart out new routes, learn more about the planets along the way, etc.
I especially liked that both Harry and Rick were strong protagonists. And I liked the Far Traveler’s crew, particularly Technician Joss.
Highly recommended for all RCN fans and fans of well-told stories!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews