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Colonial Explorer Corps #3
The Saha Declination
She survived the academy, but did it prepare her for an alien world?
Siti Kassis excelled at the Academy, earning honors and respect. She has one last cadet mission before she graduates, but it should be easy. She'll be the most junior member of an established Explorer Corps team landing on a partially explored planet. With decades of experience and the full support of the corps, what could go wrong?
Then they encounter dangerous aliens, sabotage from within, and a deadly enemy at the gates.
Siti must rely on her friends--and some of her enemies--to survive the final challenge.
Siti Kassis excelled at the Academy, earning honors and respect. She has one last cadet mission before she graduates, but it should be easy. She'll be the most junior member of an established Explorer Corps team landing on a partially explored planet. With decades of experience and the full support of the corps, what could go wrong?
Then they encounter dangerous aliens, sabotage from within, and a deadly enemy at the gates.
Siti must rely on her friends--and some of her enemies--to survive the final challenge.
- GenresScience Fiction
313 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 15, 2021
About the author
Julia Huni
53 books192 followersAuthor of the Colonial Exploration Corps, Space Janitor, Recycled World, and Krimson Empire series.
I grew up in the US Pacific Northwest, and after twenty years roaming the country with the US Air Force, I'm back. I have a spouse, three kids, and a dog named Pippin.
I've been an IT guy, a choir director, an executive assistant, a stay-at-home mom, a college instructor, and that lady at the information booth in a tourist town. But writer is the best job ever, because I get to make stuff up. Stuff I wish were true; stuff I'm glad isn't true.
When I'm not writing, I like to knit, read, bake, and ski. I also love to travel.
I grew up in the US Pacific Northwest, and after twenty years roaming the country with the US Air Force, I'm back. I have a spouse, three kids, and a dog named Pippin.
I've been an IT guy, a choir director, an executive assistant, a stay-at-home mom, a college instructor, and that lady at the information booth in a tourist town. But writer is the best job ever, because I get to make stuff up. Stuff I wish were true; stuff I'm glad isn't true.
When I'm not writing, I like to knit, read, bake, and ski. I also love to travel.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 15, 2021
I received an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for posting my honest review. *No spoilers*.
This is the third book in The Colonial Explorer Corps series. It takes place in the same universe as the author’s Space Janitor and Recycled World series.
The first book took place exploring, while the second book followed the main character Siti, as she attended the Colonial Explorer Corps Academy. This third book has the crew exploring a new world.
The author works a lot of detail into the story without bogging it down. The story has good pacing. This book finds Siti having to deal with problems on a few different fronts and the author manages to weave them all together. The author continues to develop the main characters in order to keep them interesting.
I was very happy to see my second favourite character Liam have an expanded role in the story. It does lead to questions about Liam that I’m interested in learning about.
This book was a fun and enjoyable read and I recommend it as such.
This is the third book in The Colonial Explorer Corps series. It takes place in the same universe as the author’s Space Janitor and Recycled World series.
The first book took place exploring, while the second book followed the main character Siti, as she attended the Colonial Explorer Corps Academy. This third book has the crew exploring a new world.
The author works a lot of detail into the story without bogging it down. The story has good pacing. This book finds Siti having to deal with problems on a few different fronts and the author manages to weave them all together. The author continues to develop the main characters in order to keep them interesting.
I was very happy to see my second favourite character Liam have an expanded role in the story. It does lead to questions about Liam that I’m interested in learning about.
This book was a fun and enjoyable read and I recommend it as such.
July 1, 2023
Reviewed on Lili Lost in a Book
Siti and the crew are headed on their senior mission, which is the last mission before they graduate from Colonial Explorer Academy. And if you think things are gonna go easy-peasy for Siti, that she's gonna go explore a planet, learn things, and come back to the academy without issue, well you’d be WRONG. Because just like in the last book, things go all sorts of wrong in this book! And I loved it! Lol.
So Siti was on this mission, minding her own business, when someone sabotaged a bot and framed Siti for it!
And before they know it, she and Joss are stuck in unfamiliar and unexplored territory, surrounded by enemies.
What made this even more interesting was that in order to get out of this situation, Joss and Sit had to trust some of these enemies. It was crazy right from the start and really engaging, and I just really enjoyed this book! I liked following Siti and her friends (and enemies) as they went from one bad situation to another, all while trying to find help and evade the bad guys at the same time. I liked seeing how resourceful they were, and even little Liam pitched in, which was amazing! I love that little glider.
I also really liked the characters, which have been growing on me more and more as the books go on. One character that surprised me was Lee because holy crap was he a terrible person in the last book! And I won't say much to avoid spoilers, but you got to know him a bit better in this book and honestly, by the end of this book, I didn't totally hate him anymore.
The book also had some pretty good action. Even in the end when the action was over, things weren't totally resolved yet, but that entire situation was tense!
But yeah, I really liked this! It was just a crazy, fun adventure and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store for Siti after this!
Siti and the crew are headed on their senior mission, which is the last mission before they graduate from Colonial Explorer Academy. And if you think things are gonna go easy-peasy for Siti, that she's gonna go explore a planet, learn things, and come back to the academy without issue, well you’d be WRONG. Because just like in the last book, things go all sorts of wrong in this book! And I loved it! Lol.
So Siti was on this mission, minding her own business, when someone sabotaged a bot and framed Siti for it!
And before they know it, she and Joss are stuck in unfamiliar and unexplored territory, surrounded by enemies.
What made this even more interesting was that in order to get out of this situation, Joss and Sit had to trust some of these enemies. It was crazy right from the start and really engaging, and I just really enjoyed this book! I liked following Siti and her friends (and enemies) as they went from one bad situation to another, all while trying to find help and evade the bad guys at the same time. I liked seeing how resourceful they were, and even little Liam pitched in, which was amazing! I love that little glider.
I also really liked the characters, which have been growing on me more and more as the books go on. One character that surprised me was Lee because holy crap was he a terrible person in the last book! And I won't say much to avoid spoilers, but you got to know him a bit better in this book and honestly, by the end of this book, I didn't totally hate him anymore.
The book also had some pretty good action. Even in the end when the action was over, things weren't totally resolved yet, but that entire situation was tense!
But yeah, I really liked this! It was just a crazy, fun adventure and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store for Siti after this!
September 6, 2021
This series of books keeps getting better and better!
Siti has grown a bit and improved a little (or a lot if you only read the first one), the antagonists are much more believable this time around, and Liam is starting to remind me of the Carl Sagan character in C. Gockel's Archangel Down book series. I hope this isn't just a trilogy since I would like to learn about what happens to these characters next.
Now as a grumpy old guy, I have a complaint about this book too. Read my reviews about the previous books to learn about the others, but this time I can say it is only extreme minor nitpicking. There were a few times when one of the characters would bring up the fact that Siti was a real whiny character in the first book, and the first time it happened I thought "Yeah, No Kidding", but after that (there were only two or three times total) it felt like stumbling into a bad typo and all I could think was "Please just don't remind me about it anymore."
If you read the previous books and were going to give up on them, give this one a chance. If you liked the others, you probably are not bothering to read my blathering about it and are reading it already, but if not, you know what to expect and I think you will like this one even more.
Disclaimer: I read an ARC with the sole obligation of writing an honest review and posting it in several locations.
Siti has grown a bit and improved a little (or a lot if you only read the first one), the antagonists are much more believable this time around, and Liam is starting to remind me of the Carl Sagan character in C. Gockel's Archangel Down book series. I hope this isn't just a trilogy since I would like to learn about what happens to these characters next.
Now as a grumpy old guy, I have a complaint about this book too. Read my reviews about the previous books to learn about the others, but this time I can say it is only extreme minor nitpicking. There were a few times when one of the characters would bring up the fact that Siti was a real whiny character in the first book, and the first time it happened I thought "Yeah, No Kidding", but after that (there were only two or three times total) it felt like stumbling into a bad typo and all I could think was "Please just don't remind me about it anymore."
If you read the previous books and were going to give up on them, give this one a chance. If you liked the others, you probably are not bothering to read my blathering about it and are reading it already, but if not, you know what to expect and I think you will like this one even more.
Disclaimer: I read an ARC with the sole obligation of writing an honest review and posting it in several locations.
September 20, 2021
Cadets have one last assignment before being commissioned but there are external influences - 5 stars
After three years of school, there is an off-world assignment. Assignments are made to separate the cadets and expose them to experiences as explorers of the universe.
The cadets have matured; most give their all in the notion that they must help each other for each of their professional assignments. There are young adults who seem to be looking only for their own interests. The final exercise seems tuned to excise troublesome students before they complete their training and become Ensigns.
The cadets that we have been following are assigned to a planet being evaluated for its potential. Qureshi is cold and smells bad but is still within the Goldilocks zone. It is close to the homeworld of the enemy known as the Gagarians. Seri and Joss find something that previous explorers overlooked; they wind up in quarantine.
The grav-belts and ScanNSeal medical cuffs seemed like reasonably advanced technology while the drones that they can employ were just better than what is available today. There were tools that seemed to be just modestly advanced that you will surely be using in the next few decades.
The excitement of trying to survive on a hostile planet is infectious. There are malfunctions and breakdowns leading to suspicion that one or more people want to scuttle the mission. As the severity of "bad" surprises increases, we observe clear-minded thinking, Accusations of willful sabotage lead to bigger things and even a trial.
Unfortunately, this book is the end of the trilogy (I'm ready for more!). There is a mammal, named Liam, known as an "air glider" who conveniently helps out but by this time I was willing to accept the chittering nonsense as communication and let the adventure play out.
You are in for a super adventure, well worth your time. Enjoy!
After three years of school, there is an off-world assignment. Assignments are made to separate the cadets and expose them to experiences as explorers of the universe.
The cadets have matured; most give their all in the notion that they must help each other for each of their professional assignments. There are young adults who seem to be looking only for their own interests. The final exercise seems tuned to excise troublesome students before they complete their training and become Ensigns.
The cadets that we have been following are assigned to a planet being evaluated for its potential. Qureshi is cold and smells bad but is still within the Goldilocks zone. It is close to the homeworld of the enemy known as the Gagarians. Seri and Joss find something that previous explorers overlooked; they wind up in quarantine.
The grav-belts and ScanNSeal medical cuffs seemed like reasonably advanced technology while the drones that they can employ were just better than what is available today. There were tools that seemed to be just modestly advanced that you will surely be using in the next few decades.
The excitement of trying to survive on a hostile planet is infectious. There are malfunctions and breakdowns leading to suspicion that one or more people want to scuttle the mission. As the severity of "bad" surprises increases, we observe clear-minded thinking, Accusations of willful sabotage lead to bigger things and even a trial.
Unfortunately, this book is the end of the trilogy (I'm ready for more!). There is a mammal, named Liam, known as an "air glider" who conveniently helps out but by this time I was willing to accept the chittering nonsense as communication and let the adventure play out.
You are in for a super adventure, well worth your time. Enjoy!
September 30, 2021
Whoa, here goes another roller-coaster masterpiece! Siti and the class are divided up for Senior Tour – field work with real Explorers on one of several planets. As with all of Ms. Huni's books, the descriptions are so vivid that you can easily imagine yourself looking over shoulders and experiencing the world and the daily routines. Landing on Qureshi, Siti and her supervisor discover a snail with strange abilities, which plays quite a part in the rest of the book. When asked to fix a bot, Siti realizes that her name is on a sabotage program and she is immediately sent back to the main ship, thus ending her Explorer career. However, the shuttle malfunctions and crashes, and she and 3 others end up on the moon Saha, which is reported to have toxic air and magnetic interference. While searching for a way to contact their people they discover an encampment of Gagarians, their adversaries in the galaxy. (A new bit of information: Contrary to my expectations, the Gagarians do NOT speak Russian. Not important to the plot, though.) Taking care of the injured Major and finding out why this unreported camp exists, not to mention avoiding capture (or escaping), are the name of the game, all keeping you on the edge of your seat. Don't miss this series – and do start at the beginning.
I received an advance copy and freely leave this honest review.
I received an advance copy and freely leave this honest review.
August 31, 2021
There's a bit of a time gap between the last 2 books of the trilogy, Siti and her friends are almost ready to graduate Colonial Explorer Corps Academy. Just one more exercise to complete, and it should be easy for her, since it involves being part of a team doing an assessment of an already partially explored planet. Something she's already experienced! But with Siti very little goes according to plan, she very soon finds herself accused of treason and on the way back to the base ship the craft she's on crash lands on a nearby moon. Then it gets really exciting! Siti again shows her leadership capabilities and coping skills. Alien spies, secret bases, deadly native life forms, an exciting adventure a maturing Siti handles with help from her friends... including her sair-glider Liam. I really enjoyed this book which successfully completes Siti's trilogy, but leaves room for more Explorer Corps stories. I received an ARC and this is my voluntary and unbiased review.
September 15, 2021
This was a great story, with good pacing and it kept my interest throughout!
I do love stories with lots of action, which both this book and this series do have, plus the occasional lighter moment. I also like it that although this is part of a series, and the best read will come from going through the series in order, each book is a story in its own right (no cliffhangers!!) and so does make a good and satisfying read.
This was a story that was hard to put down, and I found the characters to be well developed and, fortunately, believable. I do love good scifi, and this is that, and although the tech is more of what we might imagine the future to be, the feeling of this book, with the great story and good action, reminds me of some of the classic scifi which I grew up on (a long time ago). That is a very good thing indeed.
I do love stories with lots of action, which both this book and this series do have, plus the occasional lighter moment. I also like it that although this is part of a series, and the best read will come from going through the series in order, each book is a story in its own right (no cliffhangers!!) and so does make a good and satisfying read.
This was a story that was hard to put down, and I found the characters to be well developed and, fortunately, believable. I do love good scifi, and this is that, and although the tech is more of what we might imagine the future to be, the feeling of this book, with the great story and good action, reminds me of some of the classic scifi which I grew up on (a long time ago). That is a very good thing indeed.
September 16, 2021
❤💚🪐 An excellent sequel !
At the Colonial Explorers Corps Academy, the students are gathered in anticipation of results.
They will soon go on space exploration.
Serenity Kassis finds herself attributed to the Qureshi Planet Exploration team.
In the team, some of her friends are there, but not only...
----------------
Here is the excellent sequel which tells the dangerous adventures of apprentice
explorer Siti Kassis.
This novel, different from the first two volume, reads very quickly with great pleasure.
I love the whole of this beautiful, very successful sci-fi YA series, fascinating to read, with endearing characters, especially the endearing character of Serenity Kassis !
♥️ A big crush for the whole series♥️
At the Colonial Explorers Corps Academy, the students are gathered in anticipation of results.
They will soon go on space exploration.
Serenity Kassis finds herself attributed to the Qureshi Planet Exploration team.
In the team, some of her friends are there, but not only...
----------------
Here is the excellent sequel which tells the dangerous adventures of apprentice
explorer Siti Kassis.
This novel, different from the first two volume, reads very quickly with great pleasure.
I love the whole of this beautiful, very successful sci-fi YA series, fascinating to read, with endearing characters, especially the endearing character of Serenity Kassis !
♥️ A big crush for the whole series♥️
September 15, 2021
Following Siti Kassis through her Colonial Explorer Corps training, you'd think that reaching the final challenge before graduation should mean she and her teammates were ready for anything. Since they were going to a planet with no sentient lifeforms, it should end up being pretty routine. By now, though, you know that Julia Huni stories are NEVER routine or without exciting twists and turns. Once again, she delivers!
September 17, 2021
Read books in order
Great adventure, I couldn’t blame them for mistrusting Lee,
he has been all over the place with the adventures.
All the corruption all in the top, I was so happy they were able to
Prove their innocence. Was a little but not really on how smart,
Her glider was. Loved the little stinker’s ability.
They need to work on finding a translator for him he deserves it.
He was very instrumental in getting the evidence they needed.
Great adventure, I couldn’t blame them for mistrusting Lee,
he has been all over the place with the adventures.
All the corruption all in the top, I was so happy they were able to
Prove their innocence. Was a little but not really on how smart,
Her glider was. Loved the little stinker’s ability.
They need to work on finding a translator for him he deserves it.
He was very instrumental in getting the evidence they needed.
September 15, 2021
A brilliant third part to this amazing, well written sci fi fantasy series! Excellent ideas & storyline, superb characters development & overall an amazing read! I can't say enough about this author, she writes so well it is always such a pleasure to read! I do recommend this story as well as all of this writers works! You are in for a treat!
August 30, 2021
Quite exciting. Once again, Siti manages to step into a huge pile of trouble. Once again, she learns quite a bit and comes out the other end. Lots of old and friends and those who might be friends or are they? All in all a very satisfying read.
This might be my favorite of the series so far.
This might be my favorite of the series so far.
September 16, 2021
An amazing story.loved the adventures on both Qureshi and Saha there was clear growth of characters between the Grissom Contention and this one . While we meet again an old friend while officially the last in the arc will miss and hope there are more books in the series maybe a merger of all series
October 5, 2021
Another awesome adventure
Julia Huni does it again with another great adventure with Siti, Liam and Joss. They have completed the academy and go on their first real mission. Non stop action and old foes make this a must read!
Julia Huni does it again with another great adventure with Siti, Liam and Joss. They have completed the academy and go on their first real mission. Non stop action and old foes make this a must read!
February 7, 2022
Book 3 in the series
Siti and her classmates are doing their senior tour, the final exercise before graduation and commissioning. Things don’t go well from the start. An interesting plot with lots of diverse characters. A great story.
Siti and her classmates are doing their senior tour, the final exercise before graduation and commissioning. Things don’t go well from the start. An interesting plot with lots of diverse characters. A great story.
June 22, 2022
Blasted book
Blasted book schedule. Why does it take so long for the next book to come out? When we are eager to read the next volume
we do NOT want to wait what seems like forever! Good book! Where is the next one?
Blasted book schedule. Why does it take so long for the next book to come out? When we are eager to read the next volume
we do NOT want to wait what seems like forever! Good book! Where is the next one?
October 30, 2022
Treachery is Such An Ugly Word
Old friends and old enemies are back to help or hinder Siti on her new assignment. Trying to figure out who is the enemy is harder than dodging dangerous animals. Again, I couldn't put it down and I am off to read the fourth book now.
Old friends and old enemies are back to help or hinder Siti on her new assignment. Trying to figure out who is the enemy is harder than dodging dangerous animals. Again, I couldn't put it down and I am off to read the fourth book now.
May 13, 2022
Heinlineish
Really good space opera. There were elements of Doc Smith in there as well as some of the Master’s in the vein of his per Stranger books.
Really good space opera. There were elements of Doc Smith in there as well as some of the Master’s in the vein of his per Stranger books.
February 10, 2024
good fun
Love, this adventure. I really enjoyed reading this book, with a few twists and turns. This is just fun escapism. Highly recommended.
Love, this adventure. I really enjoyed reading this book, with a few twists and turns. This is just fun escapism. Highly recommended.
November 20, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed Siti's newest adventure! It was fun to meet familiar faces as well as get to know new friends and foes as well. Like many readers, I am a big fan of Liam, sair-glider extraordinaire, and I'd love to read more about this special little fellow, not only since he often seems to be the brain of the group.
This series just keeps getting better and better, and I hope there will be more CEC stories in the future. Pretty please?
This series just keeps getting better and better, and I hope there will be more CEC stories in the future. Pretty please?
December 14, 2021
Another fun instalment featuring Siti and other familiar characters. Full of action and intrigue, I'm definitely going to continue reading this series. Nobody ever gets too seriously hurt and when they do there's always a med pod at some point, and things always turn out okay in the end.
One day we'll know why the sair glider is so intelligent.
One day we'll know why the sair glider is so intelligent.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews