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Tales of the Terran Republic
Mission Critical
SOLDIERS LOST IN TIME, 152 LIGHT-YEARS FROM HOME, WITH A DAUNTING TASK FOR SURVIVAL
Taken from their planet and their century, they are not just the Lost they are Murphy’s Lawless.
Major Rodger Y. Murphy should have died when his helicopter crashed off the coast of Mogadishu in 1993. Instead, he woke up in 2125, 152 light-years from home. Murphy and 100 other “Lost Soldiers” have been retrieved and awakened by two officers of the Consolidated Terran Trevor Corcoran and Richard Downing.
Promising to return, Corcoran and Downing leave the twentieth-century castaways with a daunting establish a base of operations on the main world of R’Bak using local allies they have yet to recruit and enemy equipment they have yet to seize. They haven't been back yet.
But the company of misfits and ne’er-do-wells who’ve taken the nickname Murphy’s Lawless rise to the challenge!
About the Terran Republic series featuring Caine
About Caine's
“This is military Science Fiction the way it’s supposed to be written. . . . All in all, a highly satisfying tale of the Terran Republic that moves the story forward and setting us up for the next chapter, which promises to be interesting at worst and explosive at best.” — SFcrowsnest
About Raising Caine :
“Raising Caine unveils a lot of thought-provoking ideas, but ultimately this is a space opera adventure. There are space battles, daring emergency landings, desperate quests, hand-to-hand combat, and double-and-triple crosses. It’s an engrossing read. You owe it to yourself to read the two previous books in order. Then enjoy Raising Caine . It’s an intergalactic thrill-ride.” — Fantasy and Science Fiction Book and Audiobook Reviews
“This is science-fiction adventure on a grand scale.” — Kirkus
“Gannon’s harrowing . . . military space opera (following Trial by Fire ) builds well on his established setting . . . Gannon’s signature attention to developing realistic alien worlds makes this installment satisfying.” — Publishers Weekly
“[A]n incredibly active book . . . as our protagonists are confronted by the beautiful, terrible, and sometimes lethal variety of the universe and its inhabitants. . . . A whole mess of fun . . . that manages to be scientifically accurate while refraining from excessive wonkiness. Those who value meticulous worldbuilding . . . will certainly have their needs met.” — BN Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog
About Nebula-nominated Trial by
“I seriously enjoyed Trial by Fire. This one’s a tidal wave—can’t put it down. An excellent book.” —Jack McDevitt
"Gannon's whiz-bang second Tales of the Terran Republic interstellar adventure delivers on the promise of the first ( Fire with Fire ) . . . The charm of Caine's harrowing adventure lies in Gannon's attention to detail, which keeps the layers of political intrigue and military action from getting too dense. The dozens of key characters, multiple theaters of operations, and various alien cultures all receive the appropriate amount of attention. The satisfying resolution is enhanced by the promise of more excitement to come in this fascinating far-future universe.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
“[D]efinitely one to appeal to the adventure fans. Riordan is a smart hero, up against enormous obstacles and surrounded by enemies. Author Gannon does a good job of managing action and tension to keep the story moving, and the details of the worlds Riordan visits are interesting in their own right.” — Analog
“. . . offers the type of hard science-fiction those familiar with the John Campbell era of Analog Science Fiction will remember. Gannon throws his readers into an action-packed adventure. A sequel to Fire With Fire , it is a nonstop tale filled with military science-fiction action.” — The Galveston County Daily News
About Compton Crook Award-winner for best first novel Fire with
“Chuck Gannon is one of those marvelous finds—someone as comfortable with characters as he is with technology, and equally adept at providing those characters with problems to solve. Imaginative, fun, and not afraid to step on the occasional toe or gore the occasional sacred cow, his stories do not disappoint.” —David Weber
“If we meet strong aliens out there, will we suffer the fate of the Aztecs and Incas, or find the agility to survive? Gannon fizzes with ideas about the dangerous politics of first contact.” —David Brin
“The plot is intriguing and then some. Well-developed and self-consistent; intelligent readers are going to like it.” —Jerry Pournelle
“. . . the intersecting plot threads, action and well-conceived science kept those pages turning.” — SFcrowsnest
Taken from their planet and their century, they are not just the Lost they are Murphy’s Lawless.
Major Rodger Y. Murphy should have died when his helicopter crashed off the coast of Mogadishu in 1993. Instead, he woke up in 2125, 152 light-years from home. Murphy and 100 other “Lost Soldiers” have been retrieved and awakened by two officers of the Consolidated Terran Trevor Corcoran and Richard Downing.
Promising to return, Corcoran and Downing leave the twentieth-century castaways with a daunting establish a base of operations on the main world of R’Bak using local allies they have yet to recruit and enemy equipment they have yet to seize. They haven't been back yet.
But the company of misfits and ne’er-do-wells who’ve taken the nickname Murphy’s Lawless rise to the challenge!
About the Terran Republic series featuring Caine
About Caine's
“This is military Science Fiction the way it’s supposed to be written. . . . All in all, a highly satisfying tale of the Terran Republic that moves the story forward and setting us up for the next chapter, which promises to be interesting at worst and explosive at best.” — SFcrowsnest
About Raising Caine :
“Raising Caine unveils a lot of thought-provoking ideas, but ultimately this is a space opera adventure. There are space battles, daring emergency landings, desperate quests, hand-to-hand combat, and double-and-triple crosses. It’s an engrossing read. You owe it to yourself to read the two previous books in order. Then enjoy Raising Caine . It’s an intergalactic thrill-ride.” — Fantasy and Science Fiction Book and Audiobook Reviews
“This is science-fiction adventure on a grand scale.” — Kirkus
“Gannon’s harrowing . . . military space opera (following Trial by Fire ) builds well on his established setting . . . Gannon’s signature attention to developing realistic alien worlds makes this installment satisfying.” — Publishers Weekly
“[A]n incredibly active book . . . as our protagonists are confronted by the beautiful, terrible, and sometimes lethal variety of the universe and its inhabitants. . . . A whole mess of fun . . . that manages to be scientifically accurate while refraining from excessive wonkiness. Those who value meticulous worldbuilding . . . will certainly have their needs met.” — BN Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog
About Nebula-nominated Trial by
“I seriously enjoyed Trial by Fire. This one’s a tidal wave—can’t put it down. An excellent book.” —Jack McDevitt
"Gannon's whiz-bang second Tales of the Terran Republic interstellar adventure delivers on the promise of the first ( Fire with Fire ) . . . The charm of Caine's harrowing adventure lies in Gannon's attention to detail, which keeps the layers of political intrigue and military action from getting too dense. The dozens of key characters, multiple theaters of operations, and various alien cultures all receive the appropriate amount of attention. The satisfying resolution is enhanced by the promise of more excitement to come in this fascinating far-future universe.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
“[D]efinitely one to appeal to the adventure fans. Riordan is a smart hero, up against enormous obstacles and surrounded by enemies. Author Gannon does a good job of managing action and tension to keep the story moving, and the details of the worlds Riordan visits are interesting in their own right.” — Analog
“. . . offers the type of hard science-fiction those familiar with the John Campbell era of Analog Science Fiction will remember. Gannon throws his readers into an action-packed adventure. A sequel to Fire With Fire , it is a nonstop tale filled with military science-fiction action.” — The Galveston County Daily News
About Compton Crook Award-winner for best first novel Fire with
“Chuck Gannon is one of those marvelous finds—someone as comfortable with characters as he is with technology, and equally adept at providing those characters with problems to solve. Imaginative, fun, and not afraid to step on the occasional toe or gore the occasional sacred cow, his stories do not disappoint.” —David Weber
“If we meet strong aliens out there, will we suffer the fate of the Aztecs and Incas, or find the agility to survive? Gannon fizzes with ideas about the dangerous politics of first contact.” —David Brin
“The plot is intriguing and then some. Well-developed and self-consistent; intelligent readers are going to like it.” —Jerry Pournelle
“. . . the intersecting plot threads, action and well-conceived science kept those pages turning.” — SFcrowsnest
- GenresScience Fiction
384 pages, Paperback
Published January 3, 2023
About the author
Charles E. Gannon
83 books213 followersDr. Charles E. Gannon is a Distinguished Professor of English (St. Bonaventure U.) & Fulbright Senior Specialist (American Lit & Culture). He has had novellas in Analog and the War World series. His nonfiction book "Rumors of War and Infernal Machines" won the 2006 ALA Outstanding Text Award. He also worked as author and editor for GDW, and was a routine contributor to both the scientific/technical content and story-line in the award-winning games "Traveller," and "2300 AD." He has been awarded Fulbrights to England, Scotland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Netherlands, and worked 8 years as scriptwriter/producer in NYC.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 22, 2023
Push has come to shove for Murphy's Lawless. These are the Lost Soldiers (that is, Terran soldiers retrieved from several different war zones on Earth right before they were killed AND from several different times - some are World War II era, some are Vietnam veterans, some were retrieved from Mogadishu [remember Black Hawk Down?], etc.).
Anyway, the Kulsians have returned to raid the planet R'Bak of its rich resources just before R'Bak makes its extremely close pass by its sun. This is the Sear and the planet literally boils (the indigenous people hide underground during this period).
The Lost Soldiers have to capture Kulsian ships to make their escape off the planet just ahead of the Sear. Fortunately allies of the Lost Soldiers have been living in asteroids hollowed out to make habitats and two of these people teach the Terran Vietnam-era former U.S. Navy Hornet pilot how to fly in space.
This is exciting military science fiction that is connected to Caine Riordan's Terran Republic. This is also a shared world series. Mission Critical was originally published as three separate novellas:
Infiltration (Murphy's Lawless: Mission Critical Book 1) by Griffin Barber and Charles E. Gannon
Insertion (Murphy's Lawless: Mission Critical Book 2) by Chris Kennedy and Charles E. Gannon
Assault (Murphy's Lawless: Mission Critical Book 3) by Mike Massa and Charles E. Gannon
Charles E. Gannon is the established author here. In contrast, Griffin Barber (who has also written in the 1632 alternate history series), Chris Kennedy, and Mike Massa are newer authors.
People in this Murphy's Lawless series show up in the next Caine Riordan book Endangered Species (Book 6). So you definitely need to read the Murphy's Lawless books before you read the next Caine Riordan book.
Highly recommended for all who enjoy military science fiction, series books, and especially Caine Riordan's Terran Republic series!
Anyway, the Kulsians have returned to raid the planet R'Bak of its rich resources just before R'Bak makes its extremely close pass by its sun. This is the Sear and the planet literally boils (the indigenous people hide underground during this period).
The Lost Soldiers have to capture Kulsian ships to make their escape off the planet just ahead of the Sear. Fortunately allies of the Lost Soldiers have been living in asteroids hollowed out to make habitats and two of these people teach the Terran Vietnam-era former U.S. Navy Hornet pilot how to fly in space.
This is exciting military science fiction that is connected to Caine Riordan's Terran Republic. This is also a shared world series. Mission Critical was originally published as three separate novellas:
Infiltration (Murphy's Lawless: Mission Critical Book 1) by Griffin Barber and Charles E. Gannon
Insertion (Murphy's Lawless: Mission Critical Book 2) by Chris Kennedy and Charles E. Gannon
Assault (Murphy's Lawless: Mission Critical Book 3) by Mike Massa and Charles E. Gannon
Charles E. Gannon is the established author here. In contrast, Griffin Barber (who has also written in the 1632 alternate history series), Chris Kennedy, and Mike Massa are newer authors.
People in this Murphy's Lawless series show up in the next Caine Riordan book Endangered Species (Book 6). So you definitely need to read the Murphy's Lawless books before you read the next Caine Riordan book.
Highly recommended for all who enjoy military science fiction, series books, and especially Caine Riordan's Terran Republic series!
November 18, 2023
Good military sf. It would have probably been better if if mean the ordering book
January 9, 2024
this universe kicks it into high gear
Great to follow rut lost soldiers and see what they can make of their world !!! Or is it worlds
Till the next book well … I can’t wait
Great to follow rut lost soldiers and see what they can make of their world !!! Or is it worlds
Till the next book well … I can’t wait
April 18, 2024
The Lost Soldiers/Murphy's Lawless stories have been a great collaboration among eight authors with Gannon managing/directing this branch of the Terran Republic universe. Good work.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews