Alpha Centauri: The Return

T-Space: Alpha Centauri #3

by Alastair Mayer

In this sequel to Alpha First Landing and Sawyer's World , The USS Heinlein returns to Earth, hoping to refit, refuel, and return to the Alpha Centauri system within weeks to pick up the stranded crew of the USS Poul Anderson . Things don't work out that way. Commodore Drake faces a court-martial for the apparent loss of not justthe Anderson , but also the Krechet and the Chinese ship, Xing Hua . The Chinese, meanwhile, have secretly reverse-engineered the Xing Hua and sent their own expedition to Epsilon Eridani, little realizing what awaits them. But the real surprise is in the biological samples the Heinlein brought back, then smuggled out of the Lunar Quarantine Facility by a biopharmaceutical company looking for any advantage it could get. Ironically, that may be the lever Drake needs to go and rescue the rest of his crew. That is, if they're still alive, and if they want to be rescued.

240 pages, Paperback

Published August 15, 2017

Reviews

[Leanna M Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Series Gets Better and Better

Steve Cole using wife Leanna's account.

Excellent story, science and engineering get stronger every book. Cannot wait for book four.

Very good writing shows this is not the starship Enterprise with huge power reserves and the ability to swoop up to a planet and instantly park in a stable orbit right over the key spot. Speed, energy, angles, and orbits all take time to plan and sometimes days to maneuver.

Interesting political and monetary back story on how the ships got built.

[James Brunton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised to find that books two and three were every bit as entertaining as book number one. So many series books start out well and by book three are written like they were "just phoned in" Not the Alpha Centauri series. An interesting and well thought out series with good characters and character development. Enough detail to be interesting but not so deep that you get lost - easy to keep track of all the players involved. I've got a vacation coming up next month and am saving the next set of Mayer's books to make some 14 hour flights an enjoyable experience.

[Becky Rosas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great finish for the trilogy. It parallels what happened during the four years of the settlers on Sawyer world. It also alludes to a potential discovery that has benefit for mankind. There are still many questions about how these planets came to be terra formed. Characters are well developed and the science is interesting. This ends a good trilogy that has bases for a number of spinoffs.

[Kevin Stafford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rare series about space exploration.

While I enjoy books about starship battles and space marines, I miss the tales of space exploration I read when I was younger. This series has more than fulfilled that longing. An excellent story with well defined characters, new worlds, and lots of exploring.

[David B. Gibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly good

I say "fairly" because of excess discussion of evolution. Not everyone believes in that religion and to push it so hard is a little much. Everyone should know by now that the preponderance of real scientific evidence points to a young creation. See www.icr.org .

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice read

Well thought out and written. Not over the top, but not simple minded either. This would be good for a teen who's just getting interested in Science Fiction. I've read the first two books also, and I enjoyed them. Looking forward to the next one.

[Rick Riccobono · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alpha Centauri the series

What a wonderful series of books. From the First Landing to the Return was great reading. The crew that first arrived, the tribulations of surviving an alien planet and after four years being saved, kept me reading the whole series.
Great work Mr. Mayer

[Pierrette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very satisfying conclusion!

Enjoyed the fast paced conclusion to the story. The characters are interesting and relatable. Will explore more of Mr. Mayer's books.

[Harley Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read.

Fantastic story. I am so glad to hear that more regarding this story line, are already out there. This kept you interest ed. I did not want to put the book down.

[Gary Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

He got back to writing with all the science that I enjoy reading. The story is exciting and realistic and I've already purchased the next book.

[Mike Haxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alphacent

All we need to do is develop warp. The terraforming species are worth their own series. I stayed up late reading the series.

[MomandDad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice closure to the story. Reading the first 2 encouraged me to finish the 3 story arc.

[Barry E Menefee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Series

I found this story to be refreshing and intriguing. Not your typical space opera, thank you. Looking forward to following the story further.