#end game

Fallen Empire, Bk 8

by Lindsay Buroker

Alisa is finally reunited with her young Starseer daughter, Jelena, but is at a loss how to explain her hulking cyborg lover, whom Jelena finds ‘scary’.  Kitten stickers on his combat armor are the proposed solution.  I thought the idea was a bit overdone.

Leonidas is tip-toeing around Alisa’s daughter, who has the uncanny ability to read people’s thoughts.  Unfortunately, his mind is often filled with lurid thoughts of Alisa.

The Alliance wants their admiral back, unaware that Admiral Tiang has decided to spend his leave doing research aboard the Nomad.  Since his leave is long over, he is now AWOL, and they think he’s being drugged and held against his will.

At one point, Jelena observes, 'This ship is dented, and burned, and ugly…  It’s like living in a dented metal box.’  That’s exactly how I’ve pictured the Nomad.

Of course, despite being warned to stay away, Marchenko involves herself and her crew in a plot to locate Tymoteusz, the insane Starseer who is wielding the Staff of Lore.  She and Leonidas manage to board the huge mining ship he has appropriated, but will they be allowed to leave?

The story has devolved from a space opera to an action-packed shoot-'em-up sci-fi.  The epilogue was especially disappointing. Rather than offer a heartwarming glimpse into the future, it contained only stiff, dry dialogue among various members of the crew who were discussing whether they planned to remain aboard the Nomad, discussions that surely must have taken place en route to the riding stable, where they were waiting for their horses to be brought out.

This series started out great but could have ended better.