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Gate Ghosts #3

Race Rivalry

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The sisters’ leader, Miriamal, and three mining chairpersons investigate an unexplored wormhole for possible economic expansion. Aboard the Dominance, they exit the wormhole and are stunned to find the nearby system inhabited. More troubling, technologically advanced warships hold station above the system’s exoplanet.

SADEs witness the hasty return of the Dominance and the cessation of messages between Miriamal and Lisa Dyehouse, the leader of the three chairpersons. Cremsylon communicates the odd events to Julien in the Thartath system. In turn, Julien dispatches a scout ship to traverse the wormhole and identify the reason for the relationship’s truncation.

In the Thartath system, Julien wrestles with how to rehabilitate the sisters, members of the notorious militarist sect. Captain Nira Racine presents him a novel idea. She borrows a concept from Cremsylon, who shares the musings of Ceda, a human clone. Ceda tells the SADE that sisters are like clones, and their reintegration requires their creators — humans.

On Naiad, Samuel’s situation grows dire. His code is stretched thin between a vault site belonging to X-Ore’s Chairperson Jason Lazama and the comtech department. The comtech director is suspicious of SADE code left within her systems, and, when the elections are complete, she vows to sweep the systems clean and then reboot every digital device.

The Truth Matters partners race against time to save Samuel, their digital friend, and they’re not above leveraging an unreliable criminal hacker to aid in their plot.

503 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 11, 2022

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About the author

S.H. Jucha

45 books475 followers
From my early years to the present, books have been a refuge. They’ve fueled my imagination. I’ve traveled to faraway places and met aliens with Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke, Herbert, and Le Guin. I’ve explored historical events with Michener and Clavell, and I played spy with Ludlum and Fleming.

There’s no doubt that the early sci-fi masters influenced the writing of my first two series, The Silver Ships and Pyreans. I crafted my stories to give readers intimate views of my characters, who wrestle with the challenges of living in space and inhabiting alien worlds.

Life is rarely easy for these characters, who encounter aliens and calamities, but they persist and flourish. I revel in examining humankind’s will to survive. Not everyone plays fair or exhibits concern for other beings, but that’s another aspect of humans and aliens that I investigate.

My stories offer hope for humans today about what they might accomplish tomorrow far from our home world. Throughout my books, humans exhibit a will to persevere, without detriment to the vast majority of others.

Readers have been generous with their comments, which they’ve left on Amazon and Goodreads for others to review. I truly enjoy what I do, and I’m pleased to read how my stories have positively affected many readers’ lives.

If you’ve read my books, please consider posting a review on Amazon and Goodreads for every book, even a short one. Reviews attract other readers and are a great help to indie authors, such as me.

The Silver Ships novels have reached Amazon’s coveted #1 and #2 Best-Selling Sci-Fi book, multiple times, in the science fiction categories of first contact, space opera, and alien invasion.

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Community Reviews

5 stars
382 (63%)
4 stars
168 (27%)
3 stars
49 (8%)
2 stars
4 (<1%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Profile Image for Tony Hisgett.
3,048 reviews37 followers
January 15, 2022
I’m completely out of step with everybody else, but I really didn’t like this book. I thought the ’Silver Ships’ books were great and I even liked the first book in this series ’ Axis Crossing, but I don’t like the ‘Sisters’ and the first couple of chapters of this book left me cold. I tried to keep going, but in the end I had to admit defeat and accept this series just isn't for me.
36 reviews1 follower
January 17, 2022
Best of the series

I've enjoyed every book in Mr Jucha's series from the beginning, some more than others. This is perhaps his best work. The pace of the storyline has quickened, and there is more dialog and character interaction used to tell the story. Multiple thread of a vast storyline a woven together in an intriguing and smooth way. Unfortunately as the storylines merge and begin to come to a head... Well that's the nature of an ongoing tale, and you have to wait for the next installment. Don't get me wrong, the book is especially long for the cost, as many authors call them complete at a few hours reading and this far exceeded that. Looking forward to the next one. If you are considering the book I strongly recommend starting at the beginning of the series .
244 reviews3 followers
January 20, 2022
Something missing

I struggled to get through this book. Generally I'd read one of SHJ's books in a day. Three quarters of the way it got more interesting to me. I'm thinking it might be because the cast of characters is so long and there are so many differing storylines that you are just getting into one when the plot twists back to another.

Admittedly I don't like the new descendants as I had grown to love the old charecters but I don't know I accepted the Pyreans when they were first introduced. Not my favorite book.
88 reviews2 followers
January 22, 2022
Another excellent installment

As usual Mr Jucha spins a fascinating tale that captivates while stimulating the imagination. New challenges and new races on the frontier as old friends continue to grow and expand their outlooks and capabilities. I sincerely hope I avoided any overt spoilers that are not either implied by the title or par for the course with all the previous books.

Please, Mr. Jucha, do not stop writing. As long as you have tales to spin I will be patiently (or impatiently) waiting to read whatever you put out next.
568 reviews10 followers
February 12, 2022
This is an extension of Jucha's SILVER SHIPS saga, several hundred years into the future. Alex and Renee have passed into history. but their legacy lives on. Newcomers Escher, Allie, and Ceda are poised to become the leading human characters in this new saga. Their efforts to contain the militant group of "sisters" continues, as a new possible threat arises. A previously unknown race, the Krackus have established a detention colony just one wormhole away. What are their intentions? Are they peaceful or warlike? Four stars for this one.
149 reviews
January 16, 2022
Satisfying

When I start 1 of you cause books Time just stops. I am immersed in the story following the characters and their adventures. This continuation in the Silver sShips universe, all be it several centuries later is just awesome. The interaction of the the characters The plot line the suspense. Time just flies once you start reading I eagerly await the next book.
1 review2 followers
January 20, 2022
I also found the ending of the Silver ships series and the forward time jump a bit of a jolt and struggled with the number of new characters introduced in the first 2 books in this series, but book 3 is really getting back to the storytelling we all love.
Really welcome the possibilities revealed through the wormhole :-)
14 reviews
January 23, 2022
As engaging as ever

This new stage in the series is, as always, an excellent and engaging reading. I could barely put the book down. I am looking forward to see these worlds explore. And to think there is still a fifth colony out there.
351 reviews3 followers
January 24, 2022
The new human colony offers more challenges that Sister domination.

Multiple groups with various agendas must interact to find a solution to the discovery of an aggressive enemy beyond an unexplored vortex. SADES and Federation support arrive to help.
33 reviews
January 25, 2022
Another Amazing Series

Absolutely love and enjoy S. H. Jucha’s character development and plots. Can’t wait for the next installment and hope for at least 20 books in this series… just like The Silver Ships.
5 reviews
February 1, 2022
Another tremendous read from Scott Jucha

I have been a fan of Scott’s writing from his first in the Silver Ships series and this recent book, Race Rivalry, is another great example of a compelling, well written addition to his latest series. Well done.
Profile Image for Mike.
14 reviews
May 4, 2022
Jucha continues to deliver in this 3rd installment tracking his universe from the SADEs point of view. Alex and Renee may be gone, but they're really the ghosts that influence this series, and Jucha's up to the task of making you want to turn the pages while never losing a cerebral touch.
Profile Image for Lauren Scheibal.
406 reviews14 followers
May 26, 2022
Although I really liked the first two books of this series, there are too many characters and plot lines that I start to get a headache while reading. I almost didn’t finish this book, and will not be reading any more of the series as it comes out.
3 reviews
October 5, 2024
One of the best series I’ve read in a very long time

The storytelling takes me back to my youth when I would read Asimov under my covers with a flashlight, long after I was to be sleeping.
4 reviews
June 10, 2025
A Cacophany of Characters and Plots

I like the charaterizions and interplay of the many different entities revealed in the book. I especially like the emphasis on equality for all sentient beings.
59 reviews1 follower
February 26, 2022
Continued Success

I will eagerly await the next book in your series. I've thoroughly enjoyed and now we see the next chapter of the Sades and decendants Alex Racine and others.
18 reviews
February 26, 2022
Good reading

The story line is fun to follow. I only wish it did not jump around so much. But over all I enjoyed the fantasy
.
301 reviews2 followers
March 10, 2022
Wonderful story.

Masterfully written! The story and the characters grab you and won't turn loose. This is another wonderful series set in this universe.
Profile Image for Craig Dean.
545 reviews3 followers
May 4, 2022
I think it sets a lot about a book when you reach the end with a mixture of relief at having finished and consternation at realising that the series is far from over.
16 reviews
May 27, 2022
good read

Fun book developing the new series well. Enjoying the character development. If you like space opera stories you will enjoy this latest installment.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Pablo.
Author 1 book43 followers
October 24, 2023
This was fun. I'm finding the characters very interesting and the ending is such a cliffhanger.
Profile Image for Ed Tinkertoy.
289 reviews4 followers
March 22, 2022
This book has multiple story lines. The story continues to highlight things that are being done to combat the militarist SADE's. Then there are descriptions of things done to save the AI Samuel from being lost. And finally, there are efforts to determine whether the aliens found on the other end of a wormhole are hostile and will attack the humans.

Its interesting that the author did not describe any of the aliens that were found on the other side of the wormhole. Perhaps he intends to describe them when they finally meet biologicals and humans.

Some of this book is very hard to follow because there are multiple characters from multiple planets, and it is sometimes hard to remember who is a biological vs is a SADE. The book is a good read otherwise. But it would be better if not read on a kindle so reference could be made to the Glossary at times to clarify who is who. And star map would also be good.
Profile Image for James.
178 reviews3 followers
June 12, 2022
Great series. I don't miss a book.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews