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The Icarus Saga #1
The Icarus Plot
NEW SCIENCE FICTION SERIES FROM THE CREATOR OF THE COBRA SERIES AND STAR WARS' ADMIRAL THRAWN There wasn’t much money to be made as a Trailblazer, searching out new worlds for possible development. Still, it was safer than the bounty hunter career that had cost Gregory Roarke his left arm six years ago. And thanks to his Kadolian partner Selene’s ultrasensitive sense of smell, they occasionally discovered a medically promising seed or spore they could sell under the table. It was a quiet life, uneventful and mostly legal. Until Roarke was approached by two men with a track down a mysterious woman named Tera and, through her, locate a secret project called Icarus. The challenge was intriguing. The unlimited budget was tempting. But Roarke had a more personal reason to accept the job. The chance for long-delayed payback. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). About The Icarus
“There are plenty of little things to delight the longtime Zahn reader, while also bringing new fans in a way that is perfectly accessible . . . Zahn remains one of the best writers of action I have ever had the pleasure of reading . . . The Icarus Plot is pure fun in the way that only one of the genre’s greatest yarn-weavers can do.” — Warped Factor “Anyone who has ever been interested in noir science fiction and espionage should read this. Take the espionage of John le Carre, the deduction of Sherlock Holmes, the twisty nature of The Sting , and you have The Icarus Plot .” — Upstream Reviews About Timothy
“Zahn fans will enjoy the variety of small-unit combat scenes in the action-packed third and final Cobra Rebellion military SF adventure . . . [a] gripping series.” — Publishers Weekly “Zahn keeps the story moving at a breakneck pace, maintaining excitement.” — Publishers Weekly “. . . you can count on Timothy Zahn for three clean, sparse prose; good pacing; and great action scenes. The first book in the Cobra War series hits all those marks in admirable style and makes for a quick, entertaining sci-fi novel.” — BlogCritics “[ Conqueror’s Heritage ] is another finely wrought space adventure . . . [with] social, political, and emotional complications, all of which Zahn treats with his usual skill.” — Booklist “Zahn paints every detail [in Angelmass ] with gleamy realism . . . scientific dialogue that streams with starship hardware and military trooper talk . . . immensely appealing.” — Kirkus Review Timothy Zahn is a Hugo Award winner and the author of the New York Times #1 bestseller Heir to the Empire , as well as the best-selling Star Thrawn series of novels. Born in Chicago, he earned a B.S. in physics from Michigan State University and an M.S. in physics from the University of Illinois. He sold his first story to Analog in 1978, and immediately attracted attention as a new writer of science fiction based on real, cutting-edge science. Baen published his popular Cobra trilogy in one volume. His other popular series include the Conqueror and Dragonback novels. With David Weber and Thomas Pope, he is the author of novels A Call to Duty , A Call to Arms , A Call to Vengeance , and A Call to Insurrection . Zahn has written more than 50 novels, including the recent Cobra Rebellion series entries Cobra Outlaw and Cobra Traitor .
“There are plenty of little things to delight the longtime Zahn reader, while also bringing new fans in a way that is perfectly accessible . . . Zahn remains one of the best writers of action I have ever had the pleasure of reading . . . The Icarus Plot is pure fun in the way that only one of the genre’s greatest yarn-weavers can do.” — Warped Factor “Anyone who has ever been interested in noir science fiction and espionage should read this. Take the espionage of John le Carre, the deduction of Sherlock Holmes, the twisty nature of The Sting , and you have The Icarus Plot .” — Upstream Reviews About Timothy
“Zahn fans will enjoy the variety of small-unit combat scenes in the action-packed third and final Cobra Rebellion military SF adventure . . . [a] gripping series.” — Publishers Weekly “Zahn keeps the story moving at a breakneck pace, maintaining excitement.” — Publishers Weekly “. . . you can count on Timothy Zahn for three clean, sparse prose; good pacing; and great action scenes. The first book in the Cobra War series hits all those marks in admirable style and makes for a quick, entertaining sci-fi novel.” — BlogCritics “[ Conqueror’s Heritage ] is another finely wrought space adventure . . . [with] social, political, and emotional complications, all of which Zahn treats with his usual skill.” — Booklist “Zahn paints every detail [in Angelmass ] with gleamy realism . . . scientific dialogue that streams with starship hardware and military trooper talk . . . immensely appealing.” — Kirkus Review Timothy Zahn is a Hugo Award winner and the author of the New York Times #1 bestseller Heir to the Empire , as well as the best-selling Star Thrawn series of novels. Born in Chicago, he earned a B.S. in physics from Michigan State University and an M.S. in physics from the University of Illinois. He sold his first story to Analog in 1978, and immediately attracted attention as a new writer of science fiction based on real, cutting-edge science. Baen published his popular Cobra trilogy in one volume. His other popular series include the Conqueror and Dragonback novels. With David Weber and Thomas Pope, he is the author of novels A Call to Duty , A Call to Arms , A Call to Vengeance , and A Call to Insurrection . Zahn has written more than 50 novels, including the recent Cobra Rebellion series entries Cobra Outlaw and Cobra Traitor .
422 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 5, 2022
200 people are currently reading
1047 people want to read
About the author
Timothy Zahn
482 books8,439 followersTimothy Zahn attended Michigan State University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in physics in 1973. He then moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and achieved an M.S. degree in physics in 1975. While he was pursuing a doctorate in physics, his adviser became ill and died. Zahn never completed the doctorate. In 1975 he had begun writing science fiction as a hobby, and he became a professional writer. He and his wife Anna live in Bandon, Oregon. They have a son, Corwin Zahn.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
January 16, 2023
In 1999, Timothy Zahn released "The Icarus Hunt", a standalone novel that caught his audience by suprise and would be one of if not his best known standalone novel outside of Star Wars. Fans have been clamoring him to write a sequel for decades and finally, the sequel has arrived.
The first thing that should be noted is that while this is "technically" a sequel to The Icarus Hunt, you don't actually need to have read Icarus Hunt in order to read and enjoy this book. I read Icarus Hunt 4 years ago and don't remember too much from it. Yet, as this book fills in most of the gaps and does a good job of being its own standalone story, although several characters do pop up from the original.
Part of the issue with this book is that it is published by a different publisher. "The Icarus Hunt" was published by Bantam Books, while "The Icarus Plot" was published by Baen books. For some reason, nowhere in the book does it indicate that this is a sequel or set in the same universe. Baen made the decision (which I would characterize as selfish) to only include a list of Timothy Zahn's books that he had published at Baen. They didn't even include his Star Wars books, certainly his most famous and best selling by far. On the back-flap of the dust-jacket, there is a vague reference to his Star Wars novels, but absolutely no reference to "The Icarus Hunt", a monumental marketing blunder.
Timothy Zahn has described this book as a "Puzzle Box" book. That is certainly the case. While most of his books have mysteries, they usually are straightforward mysteries. The Conquerors Trilogy, Angelmass, and Mantas Gift are all relatively easy to read and understand Sci-Fi books. The Icarus Hunt itself was kind of a puzzle box book, and this one definitely follows suit, but to a more extreme. I enjoy mysteries, but I think Zahn missteped in how far he went with the puzzle box in this book.
The first two thirds of this book is a relatively simple concept of a cat-and-mouse storyline. Gregory Roarke and his work-partner Selene are tasked with hunting down Tera C, an old member of the missing "Icarus" project. They spend the first portion of the book planethopping looking for her. I quite enjoyed this sequence. Zahn was able to create atmosphere of sci-fi worlds while also telling an action-thriller. Several familiar faces pop up along the way. This portion of the book will have you seriously on the edge of your seat.
The last third of the book falls into the ridiculous category. I'll simply state that if you liked how ridiculous "The Icarus Hunt"'s ending was, then you will love this ending. Zahn spends roughly 140 pages making the story more and more confusing, adding layer upon layer to the mystery. As soon as you think you've figured it out, Zahn keeps twisting the story. I felt annoyed at how many twists there were, and just wanted the mystery to be done, kind of like how I felt with the Community Episode "Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design".
There is quite a lot of excellent humor in here. Roarke keeps making references to sayings that his father had, which I found delightful and hilarious. There is also a running bit in the book about some aliens who have trouble identifying humans, because "all humans look the same to us". That bit was utterly hilarious and cracked me up, and it kept on giving.
There are hints towards a relationship between Gregory and Selene, and I spent the whole book wanting more from that. Zahn gives it a little attention, but certainly not enough. I've always felt that Zahn's weakest aspect of his writing style was his romantic relationships, but I wanted more here.
Due to the lack of attention this book has gotten, I doubt we will get another installment in the "Icarus" universe. That being said, I think that Zahn can and should continue writing his original concept novels, as he really is a unique and imaginative writer. He has always been an auto-buy author, and always will be.
This book is certainly not a favorite book of mine, but Zahn still turned in an entertaining story nonetheless. I absolutely loved the first two thirds and was mildy entertained and frustrated by the ending. But I'm sure as many people will love this style ending as dislike it. I give "The Icarus Plot" a 7 out of 10! A fine novel, but not top tier Zahn.
I have a few more formatting issues with the book that aren't Zahn's fault but rather are Baen's. Baen books, please do better, you are getting trounced in the production quality department by Random House and by Tor.
The first thing that should be noted is that while this is "technically" a sequel to The Icarus Hunt, you don't actually need to have read Icarus Hunt in order to read and enjoy this book. I read Icarus Hunt 4 years ago and don't remember too much from it. Yet, as this book fills in most of the gaps and does a good job of being its own standalone story, although several characters do pop up from the original.
Part of the issue with this book is that it is published by a different publisher. "The Icarus Hunt" was published by Bantam Books, while "The Icarus Plot" was published by Baen books. For some reason, nowhere in the book does it indicate that this is a sequel or set in the same universe. Baen made the decision (which I would characterize as selfish) to only include a list of Timothy Zahn's books that he had published at Baen. They didn't even include his Star Wars books, certainly his most famous and best selling by far. On the back-flap of the dust-jacket, there is a vague reference to his Star Wars novels, but absolutely no reference to "The Icarus Hunt", a monumental marketing blunder.
Timothy Zahn has described this book as a "Puzzle Box" book. That is certainly the case. While most of his books have mysteries, they usually are straightforward mysteries. The Conquerors Trilogy, Angelmass, and Mantas Gift are all relatively easy to read and understand Sci-Fi books. The Icarus Hunt itself was kind of a puzzle box book, and this one definitely follows suit, but to a more extreme. I enjoy mysteries, but I think Zahn missteped in how far he went with the puzzle box in this book.
The first two thirds of this book is a relatively simple concept of a cat-and-mouse storyline. Gregory Roarke and his work-partner Selene are tasked with hunting down Tera C, an old member of the missing "Icarus" project. They spend the first portion of the book planethopping looking for her. I quite enjoyed this sequence. Zahn was able to create atmosphere of sci-fi worlds while also telling an action-thriller. Several familiar faces pop up along the way. This portion of the book will have you seriously on the edge of your seat.
The last third of the book falls into the ridiculous category. I'll simply state that if you liked how ridiculous "The Icarus Hunt"'s ending was, then you will love this ending. Zahn spends roughly 140 pages making the story more and more confusing, adding layer upon layer to the mystery. As soon as you think you've figured it out, Zahn keeps twisting the story. I felt annoyed at how many twists there were, and just wanted the mystery to be done, kind of like how I felt with the Community Episode "Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design".
There is quite a lot of excellent humor in here. Roarke keeps making references to sayings that his father had, which I found delightful and hilarious. There is also a running bit in the book about some aliens who have trouble identifying humans, because "all humans look the same to us". That bit was utterly hilarious and cracked me up, and it kept on giving.
There are hints towards a relationship between Gregory and Selene, and I spent the whole book wanting more from that. Zahn gives it a little attention, but certainly not enough. I've always felt that Zahn's weakest aspect of his writing style was his romantic relationships, but I wanted more here.
Due to the lack of attention this book has gotten, I doubt we will get another installment in the "Icarus" universe. That being said, I think that Zahn can and should continue writing his original concept novels, as he really is a unique and imaginative writer. He has always been an auto-buy author, and always will be.
This book is certainly not a favorite book of mine, but Zahn still turned in an entertaining story nonetheless. I absolutely loved the first two thirds and was mildy entertained and frustrated by the ending. But I'm sure as many people will love this style ending as dislike it. I give "The Icarus Plot" a 7 out of 10! A fine novel, but not top tier Zahn.
I have a few more formatting issues with the book that aren't Zahn's fault but rather are Baen's. Baen books, please do better, you are getting trounced in the production quality department by Random House and by Tor.
July 20, 2023
For many, including me, Zahn can be counted on for both a driving plot and fascinating aliens.
Roarke and Selene (human and Kandolian) are partners. They are currently running a kind of planet exploration service for private clients, but they were previously a bounty hunter team.
The plot finds these two down on their luck and ready to grab any opportunity available. So when a rich guy wants them to explore a planet system, they don’t ask too many questions. The exploration reveals a bit about their client and his real objective (which involves getting these two back into the bounty hunter game).
Those familiar with the term, McGuffin, will find a first cousin in this Icarus. “Again, I looked at Selene. She looked back, her pupils unchanged. So far, no lies that she could detect. Though as always that didn’t preclude the presence of carefully chosen weasel words that said one thing and implied something else entirely.
“All right then,” I said…”Change of subject. No more evasion, no more “classified” excuses. Your life’s on the line; McKell’s life is on the line; OUR lives are on the line. I know the rumors, but I want the truth. What the hell is the Icarus project?”
No matter what type of analysis you are using (Venn diagrams, fishbones, etc.) you are going to find it hard to determine where this SF thriller will go next and what is the actual object of desires. Also, because this novel is “plot driven” don’t expect to learn anything substantive about “faster than light drives” or weaponry or other future technology.
But don’t worry, Zahn has much of the same gift that Heinlein often demonstrated of giving us a first-person story told by a character that we liked and wanted to succeed. Roarke is sort of a blend of MacGyver (with clever ad hoc technological adaptations), Maverick (with his folksy sayings from his “Pappy”), and Hannibal Smith (who always had another plan ready).
Lots to enjoy if you go with the flow and don’t think to hard about any of the “squirrels” that dart across the plot.
Roarke and Selene (human and Kandolian) are partners. They are currently running a kind of planet exploration service for private clients, but they were previously a bounty hunter team.
The plot finds these two down on their luck and ready to grab any opportunity available. So when a rich guy wants them to explore a planet system, they don’t ask too many questions. The exploration reveals a bit about their client and his real objective (which involves getting these two back into the bounty hunter game).
Those familiar with the term, McGuffin, will find a first cousin in this Icarus. “Again, I looked at Selene. She looked back, her pupils unchanged. So far, no lies that she could detect. Though as always that didn’t preclude the presence of carefully chosen weasel words that said one thing and implied something else entirely.
“All right then,” I said…”Change of subject. No more evasion, no more “classified” excuses. Your life’s on the line; McKell’s life is on the line; OUR lives are on the line. I know the rumors, but I want the truth. What the hell is the Icarus project?”
No matter what type of analysis you are using (Venn diagrams, fishbones, etc.) you are going to find it hard to determine where this SF thriller will go next and what is the actual object of desires. Also, because this novel is “plot driven” don’t expect to learn anything substantive about “faster than light drives” or weaponry or other future technology.
But don’t worry, Zahn has much of the same gift that Heinlein often demonstrated of giving us a first-person story told by a character that we liked and wanted to succeed. Roarke is sort of a blend of MacGyver (with clever ad hoc technological adaptations), Maverick (with his folksy sayings from his “Pappy”), and Hannibal Smith (who always had another plan ready).
Lots to enjoy if you go with the flow and don’t think to hard about any of the “squirrels” that dart across the plot.
October 11, 2022
I was so excited that Timothy Zahn decided to write another book set in this world. I loved The Icarus Hunt and I was looking forward to reading this. It didn't disappoint! Some of the characters from The Icarus Hunt were included in this book, and I loved it.
This is a space opera with a good mystery at its core, that includes lots of alien races. I love that about Timothy Zahn's books. This book had quite a few surprises. Every time I thought we knew what was going on, there was another surprise unveiled. Every time this happened, it put a big smile on my face. There were some very humorous lines in this book, and Roarke's little anecdotes always starting with the line "As my father used to say..." was amusing, up to a point. It did start to feel overused after a while.
This book functions as a sequel to The Icarus Hunt, but you can still read it as a standalone. I wouldn't recommend that though, because you won't have the knowledge of some of the characters that you would have by reading the other book first. This also functions as the start of a new series called Trailblazer. I'm looking forward to reading more!
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader.
This is a space opera with a good mystery at its core, that includes lots of alien races. I love that about Timothy Zahn's books. This book had quite a few surprises. Every time I thought we knew what was going on, there was another surprise unveiled. Every time this happened, it put a big smile on my face. There were some very humorous lines in this book, and Roarke's little anecdotes always starting with the line "As my father used to say..." was amusing, up to a point. It did start to feel overused after a while.
This book functions as a sequel to The Icarus Hunt, but you can still read it as a standalone. I wouldn't recommend that though, because you won't have the knowledge of some of the characters that you would have by reading the other book first. This also functions as the start of a new series called Trailblazer. I'm looking forward to reading more!
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader.
February 28, 2023
Even though this says The Icarus Plot is "Trailblazer #1", it's actually a continuation of the The Icarus Hunt. While you certainly don't have to read it first, as the cast of the main characters is completely new, and important points are reiterated, I wholeheartedly recommend that you do read it first because:
1. The Icarus Hunt is one of the best sci-fi books I ever read.
2. You're going to care a lot more about the Icarus and side characters in this book, and being invested is always a good thing when reading a book.
Now to The Icarus Plot. It's the usual Zahn at his best - fast-paced, intriguing, fun, twists and turns at every corner. I thoroughly enjoyed myself from beginning to the end. Pacing is great and I wasn't bored for a second.
The main characters have enough in common with the previous book to invoke nostalgia but are unique enough not to feel like a remake of The Icarus Hunt. Both are intriguing new characters.
It also has Zahn's weaknesses - writing female characters. First, there's only two (three if you count that extremely brief appearance) versus... every other character. I didn't even bother counting the male ones since ALL other characters are male. Even aliens who don't even have a reason to always have male/female gender. And both women, despite their skills, are constantly being protected and sacrificed for by male characters. All the bounty hunters, soldier types, thugs, so many characters and not a single one of them a woman. Not having any women in the Earth army feels outdated today, let alone in a sci-fi book set in the future.
I spent so much time talking about this because
1. I'm a woman who's a huge fan of these kind of stories and it would be really nice if there was a woman as skilled and dangerous as these men.
2. I don't really get why after the incredible popularity of Mara Jade Zahn still doesn't get how thirsty we are for such capable female characters who don't need men taking care of them at every turn.
The reason that I didn't take a star off for this, which I usually definitely would, is that the two of them were complex enough and I cared enough about them that they didn't feel like just a cardboard cut-outs and this just isn't a 4 star book for me. It's a 5 star and I recommend it to everyone. Women, men, and everyone else.
And, I mean, it has Pix and Pax.
1. The Icarus Hunt is one of the best sci-fi books I ever read.
2. You're going to care a lot more about the Icarus and side characters in this book, and being invested is always a good thing when reading a book.
Now to The Icarus Plot. It's the usual Zahn at his best - fast-paced, intriguing, fun, twists and turns at every corner. I thoroughly enjoyed myself from beginning to the end. Pacing is great and I wasn't bored for a second.
The main characters have enough in common with the previous book to invoke nostalgia but are unique enough not to feel like a remake of The Icarus Hunt. Both are intriguing new characters.
It also has Zahn's weaknesses - writing female characters. First, there's only two (three if you count that extremely brief appearance) versus... every other character. I didn't even bother counting the male ones since ALL other characters are male. Even aliens who don't even have a reason to always have male/female gender. And both women, despite their skills, are constantly being protected and sacrificed for by male characters. All the bounty hunters, soldier types, thugs, so many characters and not a single one of them a woman. Not having any women in the Earth army feels outdated today, let alone in a sci-fi book set in the future.
I spent so much time talking about this because
1. I'm a woman who's a huge fan of these kind of stories and it would be really nice if there was a woman as skilled and dangerous as these men.
2. I don't really get why after the incredible popularity of Mara Jade Zahn still doesn't get how thirsty we are for such capable female characters who don't need men taking care of them at every turn.
The reason that I didn't take a star off for this, which I usually definitely would, is that the two of them were complex enough and I cared enough about them that they didn't feel like just a cardboard cut-outs and this just isn't a 4 star book for me. It's a 5 star and I recommend it to everyone. Women, men, and everyone else.
And, I mean, it has Pix and Pax.
July 21, 2024
In June I read the eARC of the 4th book in The Icarus Saga by Timothy Zane. As I noted at the time, while the fourth book worked well as a standalone, I might feel compelled to go back and start the series from the beginning. This is the first book in the series of Gregory Rourke and Selene, former bounty hunters, but now crockets, searching out new worlds. I'm glad I did, but damn, another series I have to read.
August 30, 2022
144 pages in and bored out of my fucking mind.
I don’t think there’s a plot. The writing is cringe and taking way too long to get to the point. The action is mediocre and the characters are paper thin and about as interesting as watching paint dry.
I don’t think there’s a plot. The writing is cringe and taking way too long to get to the point. The action is mediocre and the characters are paper thin and about as interesting as watching paint dry.
February 1, 2024
Irritating someone for no reason was always a bad move, especially when that person had already asked permission to shoot you.
Even though this novel was written first, it’s not as good as Zahn’s Icarus Hunt (Saga #0) which occurs chronologically first. Characters and plot are less compelling. Don’t read this book first.
Truth is stranger than fiction because fiction has to make sense. And usually tries to leave a better aftertaste.
One liners apropos Robert Heinlein’s Lazurus Long in the 1970s and 80s add sarcasm and wit, but are only marginally relevant.
Getting your enemy to overestimate you is good. Getting him to underestimate you is better.
Even though this novel was written first, it’s not as good as Zahn’s Icarus Hunt (Saga #0) which occurs chronologically first. Characters and plot are less compelling. Don’t read this book first.
Truth is stranger than fiction because fiction has to make sense. And usually tries to leave a better aftertaste.
One liners apropos Robert Heinlein’s Lazurus Long in the 1970s and 80s add sarcasm and wit, but are only marginally relevant.
Getting your enemy to overestimate you is good. Getting him to underestimate you is better.
July 8, 2025
Look, we all knew that this wasn't going to be very good, and it's not! It's fun, though, to be back in the Icarus world (The Icarus Hunt was one of my childhood favorite books). So yeah, at least one of these stars is for nostalgia. The main character is pretty annoying here, both because of the constant "as my father used to say" moments and because of the masculinist hero complex he's got going on. It might be tough to get through 5 more books of him. But I'm gonna try!
March 23, 2024
Definitivamente bajó dos niveles el autor. En vez de mejorar en algo en relación al anterior libro, este se sintió más forzado, más sobrecargado, y mucho menos atractivo. Sin embargo, estuvo interesante en gran parte y no me aburrió del todo. Espero que la saga vaya mejorando con los nuevos libros.
July 18, 2022
The Icarus Plot by Timothy Zahn is a space opera set in the same universe as The Icarus Hunt. It can, however, be read as a standalone book and still enjoyed.
In this one, Gregory Roarke and his alien partner, Selene, are working as Trailblazers. Trailblazers search out new worlds for the possibility of future development. This unfortunately just barely pays the bills after they maintain their spaceship. Along comes an opportunity that sounds too good to be true, and most probably is. They need the money however so they take the job anyway. They will soon become embroiled in plots by the alien Patth, gangsters, and a shady element of the Earth's government. A fun read by one of the modern masters of science fiction.
In this one, Gregory Roarke and his alien partner, Selene, are working as Trailblazers. Trailblazers search out new worlds for the possibility of future development. This unfortunately just barely pays the bills after they maintain their spaceship. Along comes an opportunity that sounds too good to be true, and most probably is. They need the money however so they take the job anyway. They will soon become embroiled in plots by the alien Patth, gangsters, and a shady element of the Earth's government. A fun read by one of the modern masters of science fiction.
November 2, 2024
What a great read! I did not intend to devour it in a weekend, but... I did. Good thing I have the next one in the other room.
This book picks up a few years after The Icarus Hunt with new characters and several familiar ones. It's premise is a logical and well thought out follow on to the original book with great characters, great world-building (galaxy-building?), and a great mystery.
I rated them both five stars, but I did enjoy The Icarus Hunt a bit more than this installment; however, it easily slides right in to my 5-star category and it is an exceptional start of what looks to be an exceptional series. I look forward to reading the next book!
This book picks up a few years after The Icarus Hunt with new characters and several familiar ones. It's premise is a logical and well thought out follow on to the original book with great characters, great world-building (galaxy-building?), and a great mystery.
I rated them both five stars, but I did enjoy The Icarus Hunt a bit more than this installment; however, it easily slides right in to my 5-star category and it is an exceptional start of what looks to be an exceptional series. I look forward to reading the next book!
May 7, 2022
Not unexpectedly to those of us who know him and are fans, Zahn knocks it out of the park with the launch of another great original series that shows his talent goes far beyond anything he’s ever done for Star Wars. This is top notch with world building and character development and find plotting with a great sense of pace and tension that builds all the way to the final pages. This is a killer read and it’s also nothing huge so can be read fairly quickly. Thoroughly enjoyed this opener and I really can’t wait to see what he does with it. Most highly recommended.
October 2, 2025
Super fun, good pickup from the last installment. New characters, with different alien strengths. Plenty of differences in cultures between planets. Good storyline and just an overall good read. (Wrapped up a little neatly, but fun nonetheless). Looking forward to the next installments.
September 10, 2024
top knot h sci fi
I much prefer hard science fiction and this is it. Nicely developed plot, with an occasional flash of enlightenment, very satisfying.
I much prefer hard science fiction and this is it. Nicely developed plot, with an occasional flash of enlightenment, very satisfying.
Want to read
August 5, 2025Won the 2023 Dragon Award for Best SF novel
June 18, 2025
I’ve been a huge fan of Timothy Zahn for a long time now. And haven’t been disappointed by his work yet, and am glad that this one was truly amazing!
October 21, 2024
I don't like the protagonist as much as the first book. There are a few plot points that really didn't work for me and the charm of the sayings from his father was worn rather thin by the end.
July 16, 2022
The Icarus Hunt is my favourite stand-alone novel from Timothy Zahn, and it's a stand-alone no more! The Icarus Plot takes place six years later with mostly new characters and a few familiar ones as well. You don't have to have read the first book to enjoy this one but I highly recommend it just for the enjoyment. I guess I'd call The Icarus Plot an interstellar thriller. Definitely a satisfying, fast-paced read with a complex plot and interesting characters. And potential for more books...
February 10, 2024
Entertaining but forgettable: a fair airport read.
Breezy plot. Fun-enough character types. A little light on world-building. A bit too-convenient plot arcs.
Notable choices:
Zahn's cross-platform interest in gravity embedded in alien technology. We're familiar with this from Thrawn's tactical deployment of Interdictor cruisers in Star Wars novels. Here gravity-tech gets used in some ways significant for the story.
The viewpoint character's inspirational father quotes interspersed through the first-person narrative of bounty hunter Gregory Roarke: something between Sun Tzu and Chesterfield with good humor and levity showing Zahn's own developed character sensibilities even for a more swashbuckling type character as Roarke.
The concept of planetary "crocketting" for surveying new worlds.
The significance of smell to alien comrade Selene whose ultra-olfactory abilities offer their team a strategic and tactical advantage.
Even with these strands of mature, confident, and entertaining writing in genre sci-fi, I came away feeling that the overall plot and story were too asymmetrical and too loose compared to what I hoped for from the setup. And though our villains aren't stock-evil, and there is some economic/imperial motivation implied for the various antagonists, I just found the reasons that drew Roarke and other characters from one scene to another to be less than believable. Most of it gets justified in Roarke's own voice thinking through what's just happened, and why it might have happened, and what might happen next, and then that happens next. I feel Zahn kind of sped his way through writing this book and if so that may explain the asymmetry I feel.
Kudos though for his creation/extension into his own sci-fi universe that isn't Star Wars but still retains various genre tropes without any time wasted on explaining backstory or even alien cultures or politics.
This is an adequate airport read and fun enough to read, just not a piece of excellence.
Breezy plot. Fun-enough character types. A little light on world-building. A bit too-convenient plot arcs.
Notable choices:
Zahn's cross-platform interest in gravity embedded in alien technology. We're familiar with this from Thrawn's tactical deployment of Interdictor cruisers in Star Wars novels. Here gravity-tech gets used in some ways significant for the story.
The viewpoint character's inspirational father quotes interspersed through the first-person narrative of bounty hunter Gregory Roarke: something between Sun Tzu and Chesterfield with good humor and levity showing Zahn's own developed character sensibilities even for a more swashbuckling type character as Roarke.
The concept of planetary "crocketting" for surveying new worlds.
The significance of smell to alien comrade Selene whose ultra-olfactory abilities offer their team a strategic and tactical advantage.
Even with these strands of mature, confident, and entertaining writing in genre sci-fi, I came away feeling that the overall plot and story were too asymmetrical and too loose compared to what I hoped for from the setup. And though our villains aren't stock-evil, and there is some economic/imperial motivation implied for the various antagonists, I just found the reasons that drew Roarke and other characters from one scene to another to be less than believable. Most of it gets justified in Roarke's own voice thinking through what's just happened, and why it might have happened, and what might happen next, and then that happens next. I feel Zahn kind of sped his way through writing this book and if so that may explain the asymmetry I feel.
Kudos though for his creation/extension into his own sci-fi universe that isn't Star Wars but still retains various genre tropes without any time wasted on explaining backstory or even alien cultures or politics.
This is an adequate airport read and fun enough to read, just not a piece of excellence.
January 30, 2025
This was a fun, sci-fun novel that was a true page turner—our protagonists get stuck in the middle of a mysterious plot involving an alien artifact and secret project, where they have to be clever and cunning as they sort though a layered puzzle of a plot. It was a very enjoyable read—the pacing was fast, the plot was captivating, and the tone had some nice light hearted moments.
Unlike some other sci-if novels I’ve read, there wasn’t any heavy-handed political or social commentary for the reader to ponder. While there was some light character development and moral decisions, it was fairly uncomplicated and mostly focused on the plot / figuring out what was going on. It was a straightforward novel in that sense, which can be refreshing (if perhaps a little escapist).
It is the sequel to the Icarus Hunt, which I strongly recommend reading first to appreciate some familiar faces that reappear. The audiobook didn’t have any sound effects or music but was nicely voiced. I’ll note a few instances of some minor language if listening around young ears. All in all, very enjoyable!
Unlike some other sci-if novels I’ve read, there wasn’t any heavy-handed political or social commentary for the reader to ponder. While there was some light character development and moral decisions, it was fairly uncomplicated and mostly focused on the plot / figuring out what was going on. It was a straightforward novel in that sense, which can be refreshing (if perhaps a little escapist).
It is the sequel to the Icarus Hunt, which I strongly recommend reading first to appreciate some familiar faces that reappear. The audiobook didn’t have any sound effects or music but was nicely voiced. I’ll note a few instances of some minor language if listening around young ears. All in all, very enjoyable!
October 11, 2022
It has been FAR too long since I have read a book that left such a smile on my face when I got to the end!
I had heard a LOT of hype for this book. I'm here to tell you that THIS book lived up to every bit of it!
So, if you are up for a thumping good read with plenty of twists and turns along the way, you are in for a treat!
Highly recommended for the Mission Impossible crowd and all space opera fans!
I had heard a LOT of hype for this book. I'm here to tell you that THIS book lived up to every bit of it!
So, if you are up for a thumping good read with plenty of twists and turns along the way, you are in for a treat!
Highly recommended for the Mission Impossible crowd and all space opera fans!
July 18, 2024
As my father used to to say, “this was just ok.”
February 20, 2025
If you asked me to break down the main components of writing a science fiction story, I would list three: plot, characters, and worldbuilding. This book hit one out of three. The plot is fantastic. Timothy Zahn is a fantastic plotter, and his books are always full of twists that are satisfyingly pulled off. The other two, not so much.
The worldbuilding in this book was functional at best. We were only given enough to understand the Patth's relevance to the plot, and no more. It's a generic sci-fi world, and not much work is put into distinguishing it. The most glaring example I can think of is when we're told that Haversham City is the opposite of "civilised", but when we get there it seems no different to any other sci-fi city, either in the book or elsewhere. Similarly, most alien species are only described once, or not at all, then referred to by name for the rest of the story. I'm not sure what Iykams look like, and I only have a solid picture of Selene because she's on the front cover.
But the main issue in my opinion is the characters. Everyone feels cookie cutter; even the main character Gregory is bland. We're told he's on a revenge quest against Jordan McKell, but don't feel much of his anger. We're told he cares deeply for Selene, but the way they interact you couldn't tell until the very end, when his primary motivation switches just to protecting her. And poor Selene turns into functionally a walking nose for all her contributions. Good characters can carry a bad plot, but a good plot can't carry bad characters, and I think this book is an excellent example of that - ish.
Because I couldn't stand the book for the first half. With little reason to care about the characters, I really struggled to, and the worldbuilding didn't grip me either. But when the mystery plot started to unravel in the second half, shit hit the fan, and we got hints of Gregory's character, I really started to enjoy it. The plot is fantastic. I cannot emphasise that enough. I loved the ending, but that more or less evens out the whole book to be "alright". I've given it three stars for the plot, but it probably should be two.
I did appreciate the running gag of "As my father always said..." but I think it was done far too often. It became grating before it became relevant. That said, I really enjoyed how certain details were used, like the mechanics of the . I think it's a decent sci-fi book to read for fun, not take too seriously, and to breeze through. I just wish we got more characterisation so I could get more invested than that.
The worldbuilding in this book was functional at best. We were only given enough to understand the Patth's relevance to the plot, and no more. It's a generic sci-fi world, and not much work is put into distinguishing it. The most glaring example I can think of is when we're told that Haversham City is the opposite of "civilised", but when we get there it seems no different to any other sci-fi city, either in the book or elsewhere. Similarly, most alien species are only described once, or not at all, then referred to by name for the rest of the story. I'm not sure what Iykams look like, and I only have a solid picture of Selene because she's on the front cover.
But the main issue in my opinion is the characters. Everyone feels cookie cutter; even the main character Gregory is bland. We're told he's on a revenge quest against Jordan McKell, but don't feel much of his anger. We're told he cares deeply for Selene, but the way they interact you couldn't tell until the very end, when his primary motivation switches just to protecting her. And poor Selene turns into functionally a walking nose for all her contributions. Good characters can carry a bad plot, but a good plot can't carry bad characters, and I think this book is an excellent example of that - ish.
Because I couldn't stand the book for the first half. With little reason to care about the characters, I really struggled to, and the worldbuilding didn't grip me either. But when the mystery plot started to unravel in the second half, shit hit the fan, and we got hints of Gregory's character, I really started to enjoy it. The plot is fantastic. I cannot emphasise that enough. I loved the ending, but that more or less evens out the whole book to be "alright". I've given it three stars for the plot, but it probably should be two.
I did appreciate the running gag of "As my father always said..." but I think it was done far too often. It became grating before it became relevant. That said, I really enjoyed how certain details were used, like the mechanics of the . I think it's a decent sci-fi book to read for fun, not take too seriously, and to breeze through. I just wish we got more characterisation so I could get more invested than that.
June 17, 2024
In the majority of his novels, Timothy Zahn is writing exactly the same protagonist: the highly competent, somewhat jaded ex-military loner with a deep familiarity with multiple alien cultures and an almost supernatural ability to come up with tactical solutions to seemingly impossible situations. Han Solo, Frank Compton, Jordan McKell, or Damian Lathe -- they're all interchangeable. Add in the necessary side-kick for the hero to explain his plans to (Leia, Bayta, Tara, Alain), and that's the Zahn formula. I keep reading his books because I really enjoy this formula, and Zahn writes it well, with engaging plots, meaningful stakes, and dramatic twists.
With The Icarus Plot, Zahn adds a new pairing (protagonist Gregory Roarke and sidekick Selene) to this same formula. Set in the same world as The Icarus Hunt, The Icarus Plot follows a new protagonist who more-or-less tangentially encounters some members of the original cast.
The original Icarus Hunt was one of my favorite Timothy Zahn novels. The Icarus Plot was definitely a step or two down. While still interesting, it had a few flaws [spoilers]:
* The final twist was obvious. Gregory wants revenge on Jordan McKell, because he believes McKell nearly murdered him and his partner several years ago. Any reader of the Icarus Hunt would know that's completely inconsistent with McKell's character, so the only dramatic question is how Gregory will learn about the mistaken identity. The final revelation comes across flat - essentially just taking McKell's word that he wasn't the guy.
* The plot doesn't move along as well as the Icarus Hunt. In the Icarus Hunt, there is an obvious and continuing threat which the heroes are racing against. In The Icarus Plot, the issues keep shifting (capture Tara for bounty! No, get her away from other bounty hunters! No, investigate the Icarus copy! No, destroy the Icarus copy!).
* More than other Zahn stories, events happen simply because the plot demands it rather than as a natural working out of the character's actions and reactions. The whole first part of the novel is a weird digression for sampling alien worlds which becomes irrelevant for 90% of the story and then necessary at the end, but the in-story justification for it was flimsy.
Still, the book was an interesting read, and I'll keep going in the series.
Violence: PG
Sexuality: G
Language: PG
With The Icarus Plot, Zahn adds a new pairing (protagonist Gregory Roarke and sidekick Selene) to this same formula. Set in the same world as The Icarus Hunt, The Icarus Plot follows a new protagonist who more-or-less tangentially encounters some members of the original cast.
The original Icarus Hunt was one of my favorite Timothy Zahn novels. The Icarus Plot was definitely a step or two down. While still interesting, it had a few flaws [spoilers]:
* The final twist was obvious. Gregory wants revenge on Jordan McKell, because he believes McKell nearly murdered him and his partner several years ago. Any reader of the Icarus Hunt would know that's completely inconsistent with McKell's character, so the only dramatic question is how Gregory will learn about the mistaken identity. The final revelation comes across flat - essentially just taking McKell's word that he wasn't the guy.
* The plot doesn't move along as well as the Icarus Hunt. In the Icarus Hunt, there is an obvious and continuing threat which the heroes are racing against. In The Icarus Plot, the issues keep shifting (capture Tara for bounty! No, get her away from other bounty hunters! No, investigate the Icarus copy! No, destroy the Icarus copy!).
* More than other Zahn stories, events happen simply because the plot demands it rather than as a natural working out of the character's actions and reactions. The whole first part of the novel is a weird digression for sampling alien worlds which becomes irrelevant for 90% of the story and then necessary at the end, but the in-story justification for it was flimsy.
Still, the book was an interesting read, and I'll keep going in the series.
Violence: PG
Sexuality: G
Language: PG
November 3, 2022
I have to be honest, I tried very hard to enjoy this novel. I tried to make sense of it, but the plot did not pick up past the first 100 pages, and it was nothing like The Icarus Hunt, all those years ago, which I remembered distinctively, as being a mystery/thriller with quite a few plot twists, that kept me guessing who the murderers was until the end of the novel. This one paled in comparison with the first and perhaps, should never have been written as a sequel.
The first half of the novel was a seek-and-recover story, whereby Roarke and Selene were tasked to hunt down Tera, an old member from the missing Icarus project. They spent a lot of time planet-hopping, trying to track her down but searching for her week-old scent, yes, Selene was something of a “blood-hound”. I somewhat enjoyed this section, which you usually think would lead you to some rewards, but it did not lead to anything at all.
The rest of the novel fell into a category I can only describe as muddled and unreadable, which is very rare for Timothy Zahn. The story went on a tangent and diverged into layers upon layers confusing territory. Even for one who had read Icarus Hunt, this simply made no sense at all.
There are times when a great writer has written a novel or two, that are cringe-worthy, for example, Matthew Reilly’s novels are action-packed thrillers, but when it came to The Secret Runners of New York, it was worse than 1 star. Similarly, Timothy Zahn’s Star Wars novels, and his other classics like the Conqueror’s Trilogy, and the original Icarus Hunt were fantastically written and imaginative mystery thrillers. Unfortunately, The Icarus Plot was just one of those cringe-worthy novels that I did not enjoy.
I would not recommend this novel to anyone, unless you’re a fan of The Icarus Hunt, then perhaps you might want to give it a go, or perhaps a miss. I was thoroughly disappointed. 2 out of 10 stars.
The first half of the novel was a seek-and-recover story, whereby Roarke and Selene were tasked to hunt down Tera, an old member from the missing Icarus project. They spent a lot of time planet-hopping, trying to track her down but searching for her week-old scent, yes, Selene was something of a “blood-hound”. I somewhat enjoyed this section, which you usually think would lead you to some rewards, but it did not lead to anything at all.
The rest of the novel fell into a category I can only describe as muddled and unreadable, which is very rare for Timothy Zahn. The story went on a tangent and diverged into layers upon layers confusing territory. Even for one who had read Icarus Hunt, this simply made no sense at all.
There are times when a great writer has written a novel or two, that are cringe-worthy, for example, Matthew Reilly’s novels are action-packed thrillers, but when it came to The Secret Runners of New York, it was worse than 1 star. Similarly, Timothy Zahn’s Star Wars novels, and his other classics like the Conqueror’s Trilogy, and the original Icarus Hunt were fantastically written and imaginative mystery thrillers. Unfortunately, The Icarus Plot was just one of those cringe-worthy novels that I did not enjoy.
I would not recommend this novel to anyone, unless you’re a fan of The Icarus Hunt, then perhaps you might want to give it a go, or perhaps a miss. I was thoroughly disappointed. 2 out of 10 stars.
November 12, 2024
Another 3 star rating for the Icarus series. For whatever reason I just can’t get into them like most people. I found this book to be extremely boring. It didn’t have the same hook as the first novel. The Icarus Hunt was basically a murder mystery story, but in space. This one was more of a generic sci-fi adventure story with some new characters.
Speaking of new characters, we are introduced to two protagonists. Gregory Roarke and his green alien partner named Selene. I didn’t find either of them that interesting. Don’t get me wrong I really liked Gregory’s metal arm and Selene’s sensitive sense of smell. But besides that they were pretty weak. I was intrigued with the mystery with how Gregory he lost his real arm. The main hook for me was the fact that we find out our midway through that he lost the arm because of Jordan Mckell.
It was nice to read about the older characters from the previous book. Tera, Xixil, and his two ferrets have large roles in the book. I really enjoyed reading about them again.
The only thing that really engaged me with the story was the fued between Gregory and Mckell. I was hoping they would have some kind of big battle at the end. A one-on-one fight. Unfortunately, that never happens. The big twist is that Mckell didn’t hurt either of the main characters and he explains why. After that the book just ends, literally. The main protagonists are hired to search other planets for other Icarus portals. They both agree and the story ends.
The villain, Nask, was a pretty forgettable antagonist.
Overall, it wasn’t a bad book. Just wasn’t very entertaining to me. Not sure if I’ll read the rest of the series. But knowing me I’ll probably read them because I’m such a big Zahn fan.
3/3 stars for me.
Speaking of new characters, we are introduced to two protagonists. Gregory Roarke and his green alien partner named Selene. I didn’t find either of them that interesting. Don’t get me wrong I really liked Gregory’s metal arm and Selene’s sensitive sense of smell. But besides that they were pretty weak. I was intrigued with the mystery with how Gregory he lost his real arm. The main hook for me was the fact that we find out our midway through that he lost the arm because of Jordan Mckell.
It was nice to read about the older characters from the previous book. Tera, Xixil, and his two ferrets have large roles in the book. I really enjoyed reading about them again.
The only thing that really engaged me with the story was the fued between Gregory and Mckell. I was hoping they would have some kind of big battle at the end. A one-on-one fight. Unfortunately, that never happens. The big twist is that Mckell didn’t hurt either of the main characters and he explains why. After that the book just ends, literally. The main protagonists are hired to search other planets for other Icarus portals. They both agree and the story ends.
The villain, Nask, was a pretty forgettable antagonist.
Overall, it wasn’t a bad book. Just wasn’t very entertaining to me. Not sure if I’ll read the rest of the series. But knowing me I’ll probably read them because I’m such a big Zahn fan.
3/3 stars for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2022
Actual score 3.5 stars.
I read The Icarus Hunt many years ago and loved it, so when I found out Timothy Zahn was writing a sequel (sidequel?) I was excited to read it. In the end it was... okay?
I'm not sure if I would have found it more enjoyable had I better remembered the events of Icarus Hunt, but I do know Zahn says he wrote this in such a way that it doesn't require knowledge of that story. After having read a lot of Zahn over the years (and to be sure, I love most of his work), I'm also now realizing there's a couple of things he does that can pull me out of the story: (1) he sometimes goes into great detail about the physical components of a scene (environments and action, namely, though never what characters actually look like for some reason), but often using wording that I can't quite follow for whatever reason; and (2) the lead characters in all of his books tend to talk very similarly to each other (highly analytical, to the point of listing off their points like I'm doing here, and using a lot of the same word choices). He excels at plotting and science fiction concepts, but when those elements are weaker (like they are in this book) those two issues can make it a lot more difficult for me to stay engaged.
In the end I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with this book. It's well written, and involves a remarkably complex "puzzle box" that gets unraveled in a satisfying way at the end. And Selene, the main character's partner with an extraordinarily powerful sense of smell, was a cool idea. But moment to moment I just didn't love this like I wanted to.
I read The Icarus Hunt many years ago and loved it, so when I found out Timothy Zahn was writing a sequel (sidequel?) I was excited to read it. In the end it was... okay?
I'm not sure if I would have found it more enjoyable had I better remembered the events of Icarus Hunt, but I do know Zahn says he wrote this in such a way that it doesn't require knowledge of that story. After having read a lot of Zahn over the years (and to be sure, I love most of his work), I'm also now realizing there's a couple of things he does that can pull me out of the story: (1) he sometimes goes into great detail about the physical components of a scene (environments and action, namely, though never what characters actually look like for some reason), but often using wording that I can't quite follow for whatever reason; and (2) the lead characters in all of his books tend to talk very similarly to each other (highly analytical, to the point of listing off their points like I'm doing here, and using a lot of the same word choices). He excels at plotting and science fiction concepts, but when those elements are weaker (like they are in this book) those two issues can make it a lot more difficult for me to stay engaged.
In the end I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with this book. It's well written, and involves a remarkably complex "puzzle box" that gets unraveled in a satisfying way at the end. And Selene, the main character's partner with an extraordinarily powerful sense of smell, was a cool idea. But moment to moment I just didn't love this like I wanted to.
September 9, 2024
I read the Icarus Hunt a few years ago, and I quite liked it. After I heard about the sequels, I was intrigued. Could this be as good as the original (or even better)? I quickly found out that the answer was no.
The book was bad. At first, I though that the main character Rourke was the same protagonist as in the first novel (as I said, it was some time since I read the first book). After a dozen of pages, I found out it wasn't. The protagonist from the fist book was McKell. The problem is that these two were pretty much interchangeable in the way they talked, thought and interacted with the world.
The other characters weren't fleshed out either. For example, the only thing I knew from Rourke's partner Selene is that she has white hair, peculiar pupils and incredible sense of smell. That's it.
The second problem was the repetition of the story. Rourke and Selene land on a planet, they stumble across some henchmen/aliens/thugs/whatever, Rourke incapacitate them through his wit and then they quickly escape from the planet. Rinse and repeat.
The constant snippets of wisdom from Rourke's father were also annoying. They were neither witty nor funny. After a while, I stopped reading them. Selene frowning with her pupils (?) was also a constant irritation.
The cover is also not doing any favors to the book. Stopped reading at about 50%. If you liked the first one, avoid this. If you didn't read the first one, avoid this anyway.
The book was bad. At first, I though that the main character Rourke was the same protagonist as in the first novel (as I said, it was some time since I read the first book). After a dozen of pages, I found out it wasn't. The protagonist from the fist book was McKell. The problem is that these two were pretty much interchangeable in the way they talked, thought and interacted with the world.
The other characters weren't fleshed out either. For example, the only thing I knew from Rourke's partner Selene is that she has white hair, peculiar pupils and incredible sense of smell. That's it.
The second problem was the repetition of the story. Rourke and Selene land on a planet, they stumble across some henchmen/aliens/thugs/whatever, Rourke incapacitate them through his wit and then they quickly escape from the planet. Rinse and repeat.
The constant snippets of wisdom from Rourke's father were also annoying. They were neither witty nor funny. After a while, I stopped reading them. Selene frowning with her pupils (?) was also a constant irritation.
The cover is also not doing any favors to the book. Stopped reading at about 50%. If you liked the first one, avoid this. If you didn't read the first one, avoid this anyway.
July 19, 2025
4.5 stars
Unlike the first book (book 0?), this one is from the POV of former bounty hunter Gregory Roarke rather than on Jordan McKell. Although I owned Icarus Hunt well before Plot was written, and reread it to prep for this book, it wasn’t required reading. Zahn did a great job making this a book in a series that works just as well without reading the first book as it does with reading it. Those of us who read “Hunt” just know some of the secrets.
Roarke and his Kadolian partner Selene are hired by a guy named Geri to find Tera C and McKell, particularly because there are bounties on their heads for the secret work they’ve done on the Icarus program. Everyone knows that the Icarus has an advanced hyperdrive, but don’t know the science/reasons for it. And while Roarke knows little more than that, the man DOES have some stake in this revamped bounty hunting scheme: McKell is why he lost his arm five years ago when coming across them a year after chasing after the Icarus ship the first time. Selene has memory loss of the time, but Roarke has a vendetta against the man.
Along the way, he and Selene meet a pretend Tera C and her Kalix friend, learn about the cons “Tera” and Geri are pulling, and find themselves in a Patth-based plot that puts the lives of Roarke, Selene, Tera, and all of the Icarus crew in danger.
And Roarke learns the real truth of the Icarus’ machinery.
I really, really liked the end
Unlike the first book (book 0?), this one is from the POV of former bounty hunter Gregory Roarke rather than on Jordan McKell. Although I owned Icarus Hunt well before Plot was written, and reread it to prep for this book, it wasn’t required reading. Zahn did a great job making this a book in a series that works just as well without reading the first book as it does with reading it. Those of us who read “Hunt” just know some of the secrets.
Roarke and his Kadolian partner Selene are hired by a guy named Geri to find Tera C and McKell, particularly because there are bounties on their heads for the secret work they’ve done on the Icarus program. Everyone knows that the Icarus has an advanced hyperdrive, but don’t know the science/reasons for it. And while Roarke knows little more than that, the man DOES have some stake in this revamped bounty hunting scheme: McKell is why he lost his arm five years ago when coming across them a year after chasing after the Icarus ship the first time. Selene has memory loss of the time, but Roarke has a vendetta against the man.
Along the way, he and Selene meet a pretend Tera C and her Kalix friend, learn about the cons “Tera” and Geri are pulling, and find themselves in a Patth-based plot that puts the lives of Roarke, Selene, Tera, and all of the Icarus crew in danger.
And Roarke learns the real truth of the Icarus’ machinery.
I really, really liked the end
September 17, 2022
I like a lot of the author’s non-Star Wars books. I had read _The Icarus Hunt_ many years ago, enough time for the core of the mystery to fade. The previous book isn’t required reading to enjoy this puzzle of a story. Pix and Pax do return as side characters.
The tracking down of Tera is a lot of fun to follow, as there are multiple interests that are also seeking her. As in most things, it comes down to money and power. Those with it do not like anything that could be an improvement, as power is better than advancement of the non-elites.
It does get a bit silly in the last act once we know what Icarus is all about. Then it is a lot of back and forth with Roarke. The character felt more at home in big space and not held in super secret underground bases. It does get a bit much that Roarke makes the two female characters out to be objects that need to be protected and not badass in their own ways.
Overall I liked it as an imaginative romp through the worlds of Zahn. The book seems to hint there could be more books around Roarke & Selene in the future. More puzzles, please. Just make Selene be more tiger.
The tracking down of Tera is a lot of fun to follow, as there are multiple interests that are also seeking her. As in most things, it comes down to money and power. Those with it do not like anything that could be an improvement, as power is better than advancement of the non-elites.
It does get a bit silly in the last act once we know what Icarus is all about. Then it is a lot of back and forth with Roarke. The character felt more at home in big space and not held in super secret underground bases. It does get a bit much that Roarke makes the two female characters out to be objects that need to be protected and not badass in their own ways.
Overall I liked it as an imaginative romp through the worlds of Zahn. The book seems to hint there could be more books around Roarke & Selene in the future. More puzzles, please. Just make Selene be more tiger.
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