What do you think?
Rate this book
Zack Lancestrom #2
The Voidburned Queen
A broken ship. A legacy tainted. A path into the dark.
Zack's crew survived running a Federal Fleet blockade only to fall into the clutches of an unscrupulous space captain. They have minutes to take over a ship three times the size of their shuttle before they get marched out of an airlock, and they're outnumbered eight to one. To make matters worse, the ship is carrying cargo for the biggest criminal organization in the star cluster, the Venturi Cartel, and no one has crossed them and lived.
Not every problem can be solved with a gun. The Federal Fleet is still after them. The Cartel is everywhere. Their AI has been infected with a deadly virus, and the planet they're heading toward is suffering from not one but two pandemics.
The simplest thing would be to give Desdemona Venturi what she wants, but this time she picked a fight with the wrong crew.
From D.J. Bodden, bestselling author of Viridian Gate Online: The Illusionist and the Black Year Series, comes the second book in the massive and ever-expanding FiveFold Universe!
Zack's crew survived running a Federal Fleet blockade only to fall into the clutches of an unscrupulous space captain. They have minutes to take over a ship three times the size of their shuttle before they get marched out of an airlock, and they're outnumbered eight to one. To make matters worse, the ship is carrying cargo for the biggest criminal organization in the star cluster, the Venturi Cartel, and no one has crossed them and lived.
Not every problem can be solved with a gun. The Federal Fleet is still after them. The Cartel is everywhere. Their AI has been infected with a deadly virus, and the planet they're heading toward is suffering from not one but two pandemics.
The simplest thing would be to give Desdemona Venturi what she wants, but this time she picked a fight with the wrong crew.
From D.J. Bodden, bestselling author of Viridian Gate Online: The Illusionist and the Black Year Series, comes the second book in the massive and ever-expanding FiveFold Universe!
532 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 11, 2021
43 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
D.J. Bodden
32 books153 followersD.J. Bodden is a tech-startup COO who writes books because words are magic. He's an avid reader of science-fiction and fantasy, a gamer, a former pilot and coffee trader who's been to every continent but Antarctica. He's been woken up by gunfire, jumped out of helicopters, and climbed medium-sized hills in scorching weather; He likes to make people laugh for the wrong reasons; He tries to sell people grimoires disguised as fiction; He is scared of spiders, and only recently learned to ride a bike.
D.J. lives in Switzerland with his wife and thinks it's important that they should someday be adopted by a fox.
D.J. lives in Switzerland with his wife and thinks it's important that they should someday be adopted by a fox.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 12, 2021
The Voidburned Queen is the second book in D. J. Bodden’s new Zack Lancestrom series, itself part of the larger FiveFold Universe. In the last book, Zack escaped his homeworld of Politeia in a stolen shuttle, narrowly avoiding a last minute interception by the Federal Fleet, who now know that Zack has in his possession a very, very old super AI, the thing Federal Fleet most fears.
And now that he has gotten away in the company of a rogue robot, now what? I was very much looking forward to seeing the rest of the universe that Bodden had put together, and I was not disappointed by The Voidburned Queen.
Once freed from his home, there are worlds to explore, deals to be made, plots to be hatched [or thwarted], rivals and villains to challenge. The setup here is very much in the tradition of the classic space RPG Traveller, and the books that inspired it like Space Viking, The Winds of Gath, and Ensign Flandry.
The only one of those I have read is Space Viking, by H. Beam Piper, but since Ensign Flandry is by Poul Anderson I have a hunch I would probably like that one too. Much like these classics of space opera, the universe Zack finds himself in is harsh and cruel, but also full of opportunity for the lucky and resourceful.
And also like Traveller, the events he finds himself involved in alternate between politics, trade, and desperate firefights. Which is exactly where Zack finds himself at the end of book one, which leads directly into the events of book two. Where a series of increasingly steep bets pays off very handsomely indeed. The action is constant, the intrigue convoluted, and above all I just enjoy seeing Zack in action. He may be one step from a pirate, but he has a heart of gold.
Much of the flavor of Zack’s universe is borrowed from the Greeks. Zack’s use of a memory palace, the names of ships like Artemisia of Cara, or Zack’s homeworld of Politeia, openly modeled on Plato’s Republic. Part of the fun comes from seeing how all the borrowed pieces get put together in a new way.
While the narrative is well-contained within this book, coming to a satisfactory conclusion, there are plenty of other things lurking in the background to provide Zack with challenge and adventure for years to come. I look forward to it.
I received an advanced review copy from the author.
And now that he has gotten away in the company of a rogue robot, now what? I was very much looking forward to seeing the rest of the universe that Bodden had put together, and I was not disappointed by The Voidburned Queen.
Once freed from his home, there are worlds to explore, deals to be made, plots to be hatched [or thwarted], rivals and villains to challenge. The setup here is very much in the tradition of the classic space RPG Traveller, and the books that inspired it like Space Viking, The Winds of Gath, and Ensign Flandry.
The only one of those I have read is Space Viking, by H. Beam Piper, but since Ensign Flandry is by Poul Anderson I have a hunch I would probably like that one too. Much like these classics of space opera, the universe Zack finds himself in is harsh and cruel, but also full of opportunity for the lucky and resourceful.
And also like Traveller, the events he finds himself involved in alternate between politics, trade, and desperate firefights. Which is exactly where Zack finds himself at the end of book one, which leads directly into the events of book two. Where a series of increasingly steep bets pays off very handsomely indeed. The action is constant, the intrigue convoluted, and above all I just enjoy seeing Zack in action. He may be one step from a pirate, but he has a heart of gold.
Much of the flavor of Zack’s universe is borrowed from the Greeks. Zack’s use of a memory palace, the names of ships like Artemisia of Cara, or Zack’s homeworld of Politeia, openly modeled on Plato’s Republic. Part of the fun comes from seeing how all the borrowed pieces get put together in a new way.
While the narrative is well-contained within this book, coming to a satisfactory conclusion, there are plenty of other things lurking in the background to provide Zack with challenge and adventure for years to come. I look forward to it.
I received an advanced review copy from the author.
May 1, 2021
Zack had left Politea with his small crew, being shot out of the sky under the orders of his own father, the Governor of Politea, he was in search of evidence to prove that his ancestors were not traitors and to find a way to fix his AI, Ark 11 before all it's past memory was lost. They got intercepted and attacked by a rogue captain who tried to kill Zack but the tables were turned and Zack and his crew took on a much bigger spaceship than their own Betzy 11, with a much bigger crew, and carrying an illegal cargo for the biggest criminal cartel across the universe. Anyone and everyone who had tried to cross Desdemona Venturi, head of this cartel ended up dead, so was Zack attempting the impossible and risking all his friends' lives? Many lives are lost and others suffered injuries beyond measure however Zack is a true hero, showing great strength of moral character and attempting to do what is right in the face of betrayal and evil. With the Federal Fleet in pursuit Zack as now captain of the Journeyman, attempts to star jump from one star to another to flee and get much needed medicines to a star whose people were dying from not one but two deadly virus which were decimating them and to get vengeance on the cartel and Venturi. This novel is once action jam-packed with action, with Zack around there is never a dull moment, and though the book gets sometimes too technical for my mind to comprehend the story is brilliant and captivating from start to finish and what a surprising finish it is. I love reading about the multiverse, I particularly love Kissh'ik, the star spider with whom Zack has a symbiotic relationship and Ark 11 who can get quite snarky at times and look forward to Zack's next adventure.
June 9, 2021
I thought book 1 was a solid entry into the space opera science fiction genre, but book 2 takes that to the next level.
Zack is helming the Journeyman, along with the Betsy II when they need something smaller. He takes the stolen Betsy II and leverages his way up to the Journeyman, and then leverages even further by taking out a loan to buy much needed medicine and taking it to Exeter to break the cartel stranglehold there.
To say it goes well is a bit underwhelming. They kill and capture key cartel operatives, and then Zack decides to double down by going after the cartel itself.
Meanwhile, on his ship different factions are forming as Grace creates problems with his crew. Not everyone has a strong will, and she seems to recognize those who don't before working to bring them over to her side.
The fact that Zack comes so far in such a short time has me worried for book three. Everyone's luck runs out at some point.
Book 2 is only 500 pages, but it's 500 dense pages that can't be skipped over or you'll miss something. The writing is crisp yet descriptive, and it felt like the author settled into the story with this one.
Highly recommended. 5/5*
Zack is helming the Journeyman, along with the Betsy II when they need something smaller. He takes the stolen Betsy II and leverages his way up to the Journeyman, and then leverages even further by taking out a loan to buy much needed medicine and taking it to Exeter to break the cartel stranglehold there.
To say it goes well is a bit underwhelming. They kill and capture key cartel operatives, and then Zack decides to double down by going after the cartel itself.
Meanwhile, on his ship different factions are forming as Grace creates problems with his crew. Not everyone has a strong will, and she seems to recognize those who don't before working to bring them over to her side.
The fact that Zack comes so far in such a short time has me worried for book three. Everyone's luck runs out at some point.
Book 2 is only 500 pages, but it's 500 dense pages that can't be skipped over or you'll miss something. The writing is crisp yet descriptive, and it felt like the author settled into the story with this one.
Highly recommended. 5/5*
May 21, 2021
An interesting series
This 2nd book in this series is as interesting as the first. With interesting characters and an intriguing storyline and lots of action and suspense it will keep you wanting more
This 2nd book in this series is as interesting as the first. With interesting characters and an intriguing storyline and lots of action and suspense it will keep you wanting more
July 15, 2021
I enjoyed this book more than the first and I thought the first book was really good. The story was the most compelling aspect to me. There was a lot of action, adventure and mystery. We get to know the characters better and I liked them more and more.
May 13, 2021
See my review of book 1 for caveats, but other than the smattering of objectionable content, the plot, action, and characters made for a great read. I look forward to book 3.
September 8, 2021
8/10: Excellent read, well written, fell right into the fictional world created.
“Of course not, dear.” “Don’t you patronize me, Zack Lancestrom.” “Wouldn’t dream of it, my heart.”
“Of course not, dear.” “Don’t you patronize me, Zack Lancestrom.” “Wouldn’t dream of it, my heart.”
December 21, 2021
Was pleasantly surprised to enjoy this book even more than the first! I feel like we got to know more of the characters and there were twists and turns I was not able to predict (that's a huge plus in my book). You also get a larger sense of the galaxy itself, while book one really focused on a single planet, with Voidburned Queen we meet so many more people and see so many places. Bodden also leaves little hints of ideas that I really hope he picks up for book 3.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews