What do you think?
Rate this book
Jump Universe #2
The Price of Peace
In the wake of the war between the Society of Humanity and the Unity Party, military ship Captain Inez Umboto and Lieutenant Terrance "Trouble" Tordon patrol the universe. But in the no-man's-land of Rim Space, pirates roam freely. And Umboto and Tordon will soon learn that enforcing the peace can be just as expensive as fighting the war...
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
15 people are currently reading
338 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
February 2, 2013
I am quickly discovering that finding an original series that a later series is based upon leads to a strong sense of familiarity. I don't know whether I actually read this book at some point in the past and simply never made the connection when I was reading the Kris Longknife series, or whether exposure to that series, which built off of this one led to my finding the story extremely familiar. Regardless, it was an enjoyable read, and further fleshed out characters that I had grown to know as background characters, giving them a life of their own, and explaining why they act as they do in the subsequent series which I read first.
The writing style itself is definitely not as polished as I am used to seeing from this author, and I have to keep reminding myself that this is the original series when he was first cutting his teeth on the writing process. Definitely a book to seek out if you have read the Kris Longknife series and want more from the author, though equally good on its own merit. Interestingly, while it is the middle book in a trilogy you don't have to have read the first book to pick this one up and enjoy it. This isn't always the case for books that are part of a series, so finding a book that can stand on its own is a refreshing change from what is starting to become the norm in modern publishing.
The writing style itself is definitely not as polished as I am used to seeing from this author, and I have to keep reminding myself that this is the original series when he was first cutting his teeth on the writing process. Definitely a book to seek out if you have read the Kris Longknife series and want more from the author, though equally good on its own merit. Interestingly, while it is the middle book in a trilogy you don't have to have read the first book to pick this one up and enjoy it. This isn't always the case for books that are part of a series, so finding a book that can stand on its own is a refreshing change from what is starting to become the norm in modern publishing.
May 4, 2016
Sequel to The First Casualty. Serious spoilers ahead for that.
After the war, Izzy got her own ship. It's junk. But she's sent out after pirates, and does take one out. She goes on to an agricultural planet -- where some of her people vanish on shore leave, and some of the locals are vanishing too. It gets complicated from there.
It involves setting three fires, raising drugs, smuggling a message out, widows ensuring that no prisoners are taken, color-coordinated devices, refitting a ship, a planet's marriage customs, and more.
After the war, Izzy got her own ship. It's junk. But she's sent out after pirates, and does take one out. She goes on to an agricultural planet -- where some of her people vanish on shore leave, and some of the locals are vanishing too. It gets complicated from there.
It involves setting three fires, raising drugs, smuggling a message out, widows ensuring that no prisoners are taken, color-coordinated devices, refitting a ship, a planet's marriage customs, and more.
August 8, 2022
The war is over but forging a peace is not going to be easy because the hidden actors in the war haven't stopped their actions.
Izzy Umboto didn't muster out. Instead, she was given command of the Patton - a ship barely getting by and in need of a multitude of repairs and upgrades. Lieutenant Terrance "Trouble" Tordon didn't muster out either. He's a Marine with a mission and no idea of any other kind of life.
When the Patton is approached by a businessman to investigate on frontier planet Hurtford Corner, they find links to a new drug business that needs workers and is willing to kidnap people to get them. Ruth Edris-Morton and Trouble are both captured by the kidnappers, and it is up to Izzy and Trouble's fellow Marines to rescue them which they do.
Izzy is troubled to learn that one of the pirates she blew out of space was also a slaver heading to a secret planet controlled by a secretive organization who is boosting corporate profits by growing, processing, and distributing a new drug - one which happened to kill Izzy's niece. She is haunted by the idea that she killed innocent hostages along with the pirates.
Plans to check out that planet go awry when Tordon's scouting mission is discovered and Tordon and his crew are added to the forced labor pool. Things get even more dire when he learns that Ruth and several others from Hurtford Corner were also taken there when the villains fled that planet after being discovered.
Now, it is up to Izzy and her crew, aided by Wardhaven, to get to that planet, find Trouble, and stop the illicit drug operation.
I really enjoyed this fast-paced space opera. I liked that some of the characters from the first book (The First Casualty) have larger roles in this one while others have supporting roles. The worldbuilding is intriguing and the characters are interesting people.
Izzy Umboto didn't muster out. Instead, she was given command of the Patton - a ship barely getting by and in need of a multitude of repairs and upgrades. Lieutenant Terrance "Trouble" Tordon didn't muster out either. He's a Marine with a mission and no idea of any other kind of life.
When the Patton is approached by a businessman to investigate on frontier planet Hurtford Corner, they find links to a new drug business that needs workers and is willing to kidnap people to get them. Ruth Edris-Morton and Trouble are both captured by the kidnappers, and it is up to Izzy and Trouble's fellow Marines to rescue them which they do.
Izzy is troubled to learn that one of the pirates she blew out of space was also a slaver heading to a secret planet controlled by a secretive organization who is boosting corporate profits by growing, processing, and distributing a new drug - one which happened to kill Izzy's niece. She is haunted by the idea that she killed innocent hostages along with the pirates.
Plans to check out that planet go awry when Tordon's scouting mission is discovered and Tordon and his crew are added to the forced labor pool. Things get even more dire when he learns that Ruth and several others from Hurtford Corner were also taken there when the villains fled that planet after being discovered.
Now, it is up to Izzy and her crew, aided by Wardhaven, to get to that planet, find Trouble, and stop the illicit drug operation.
I really enjoyed this fast-paced space opera. I liked that some of the characters from the first book (The First Casualty) have larger roles in this one while others have supporting roles. The worldbuilding is intriguing and the characters are interesting people.
November 1, 2017
Good look at how we got the Longknife Universe
December 12, 2017
This book didn't jump as often between points of view, so I felt less whipsawed. There is plenty of ground and space action, and we learn how Trouble and Mrs. Trouble met. Difficult to put down, but the Longknife books are harder still.
June 3, 2018
Average military scifi. Kind of formulaic. Reminds me of the Lone Ranger tv show with regular cliff hangers and the hero overcoming all obstacles at the end.
July 12, 2016
This is the 2nd book in the Jump Universe series by Mike Moscoe/Mike Shepherd. For those of you who have read the Kris Longknife books, events in these books take place before Kris was ever born. This one tells how Lieutenant "Trouble" Tordon (Kris Longknife's other great grandfather) meets and marries Ruth Edris (Kris Longknife's other great grandmother) and with Commander Izzy Umboto stop a bunch of pirates and slavers who have taken over the planet Riddle and are using the slaves to raise a new drug that is killing it's users. This one as in the first is action packed with many plot twists and is an excellent read. I recommend this book to fans of Space Opera/Military Science Fiction and Fans of the Kris Longknife series by Mike Shepherd/Mike Moscoe.
September 4, 2012
This was a vast improvement over the first book in the series. The narrative is much more coherent and less "machine-gunned", with no jarring jumps between points of view. It's a more personal story than the first one, with less galaxy-moving consequences, but the suspence and action are still riveting and there is actual depth to the main characters. The secondary characters still suffer from being two-dimensional cutouts for the most part, and some of the conflicts get resolved somewhat unconvincingly, but overall a much better and more engaging story than the first book.
It kind of makes me wonder why he seemed to backslide so much with the early Kris L. novels.
It kind of makes me wonder why he seemed to backslide so much with the early Kris L. novels.
June 29, 2013
Another great iteration in the series. It is book two but it really seems more a prequel and continuation to the Longknife series and I am enjoying the characters he has developed. Portions of this book seemed really familiar as a Longknife book had a similar plot. I was not bothered because I do think that people will stoop to a low and traffic people and slaves if they can get away with it. I like the interactions between Marine and Navy and even though I am not military, it feels authentic like the author knows these soldiers and how they would think and act - even if it was in a space age future.
August 20, 2011
After the war, Izzy Umboto (a minor character from the first book) is given independent command and a mandate to keep the peace on the rim. She and her crew uncover a slavery plot.
Compared to the first book, this one is far more focused. There is a clear feeling of moving forward instead of flying about all over the place.
Note: Mike Moscoe is more well known under the pen name Mike Shepherd. The Society of Humanity series is set in the same universe as the Kris Longknife books, but several decades earlier.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=1008
Compared to the first book, this one is far more focused. There is a clear feeling of moving forward instead of flying about all over the place.
Note: Mike Moscoe is more well known under the pen name Mike Shepherd. The Society of Humanity series is set in the same universe as the Kris Longknife books, but several decades earlier.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=1008
June 28, 2013
This was another great read, I enjoyed it more so than the previous book in the series. Lots of great action! If you like military sci-fi, then this book is one you will really enjoy. Good solid characters and story that kept me turning pages. Kept me up late a couple days in a row because I had a hard time putting this book down. If you have read The First Casualty then I highly recommend you follow up with this book. If you have not read the previous book, then I suggest reading that one first and then moving on to this book.
January 1, 2014
Book 2 is a great add on to the Jump Universe Novels. It is providing wonderful background building on the characters for the Kris Longknife series. You got to know "Trouble", "Ruth" and "Izzy". Who are characters in the Kris Longknife series. Lt. Trouble has gotten himself into a situation that requires Capt Izzy Umboto to come to his rescue. Along the way he meets Ruth and fell in love. Great plot, a lots of twist in the story and wanting the "good guys" to win.
July 1, 2014
This is another in the back-story series from Kris Longknife. Here we follow Ruth and Trouble as they rescue planets and each other from slavers.
While the first book was heavy on the tactics of war, this one involved the realities of protecting everyone in the aftermath. More focus on families, politics, and criminals than guns and missiles.
Good stuff.
While the first book was heavy on the tactics of war, this one involved the realities of protecting everyone in the aftermath. More focus on families, politics, and criminals than guns and missiles.
Good stuff.
September 2, 2014
The second in the Jump Universe series and starring yet more of Kris Longknife's ancestors.
This one definitely let me see more of Shepherd's military background (as a Navy brat anyway!) and I appreciated his insights and thoughts on war and conquest and the aftermath.
An enjoyable, challenging, and fun book.
This one definitely let me see more of Shepherd's military background (as a Navy brat anyway!) and I appreciated his insights and thoughts on war and conquest and the aftermath.
An enjoyable, challenging, and fun book.
August 21, 2015
Alot better then the first book, and you get to see these supporting Kris seires characters when they are young and it makes for a interesting story and i'm glad i finally got to figure out how trouble got kidnapped twice which was worth the read in itself.
September 29, 2016
Getting better
There still are "changes in scenery" that can be a little jarring, but at least this time we aren't jumping sides in a war. Good read and good development of some of the Heroes in the Kris Longknife series.
There still are "changes in scenery" that can be a little jarring, but at least this time we aren't jumping sides in a war. Good read and good development of some of the Heroes in the Kris Longknife series.
March 14, 2010
fun space opera
May 7, 2010
Decent SF military action.
June 17, 2011
Again, decent enough but a bit predictable. Also, the ending sets up a moral dilemma for the main characters and then gets them out of it through a deus ex machina.
June 28, 2013
Fun addition to this series and additional background to the Kris Longknife series.
September 30, 2013
So that's how the bit with slavers went... Good to finally know the story behind the joke!
August 31, 2016
I would have sworn I had read this before. Very familiar plot but I don't remember when I would have read it. Still quite enjoyable.
March 1, 2014
Probably 3.5 stars. It had plusses and minuses compared to the first book in the series.
May 19, 2015
As predicted.
Read
August 22, 2015Enjoyable story but I am wondering if Mike Shepherd and Mike Moscoe reused the outline for a Kris Longknife book. VERY similar. I was a bit disappointed.
November 9, 2015
Greed can kill you. Yours or someone else's.
June 6, 2013
I enjoyed it. Nice light reading. Even though it has slavery and piracy.
June 6, 2015
Jump Universe #2
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews