Publisher: Blue Feather Books
Cybil
Reynard is a mercenary who can be hired for just about any job if the sum is
right. Her latest assignment is to track
down two agents of the Valori race and retrieve information they have stolen
from Midas Pharmaceuticals. The Valori
are humanoids that many already distrust, so Cybil has no hesitation about
killing the agents if that is necessary; however, she begins to have doubts
when she encounters Leara Sorani and her bodyguard Kitani. They defy practically everything Cybil has
been told about the Valori and their mission turns out to be noble. Midas is developing a vaccine that will
eliminate all races except those originating on Earth. Instead of being enemies, Cybil, Leara and
Kitani find themselves in an uneasy alliance to save the universe, an alliance
where neither side really trusts each other.
Things don’t get any easier when they find themselves involved with Cipher,
a type of intergalactic peace keeping group of fearsome warriors, and its mysterious
leader Enigma.
This
is an outstanding first novel for Jennifer McCormick. The story is very reminiscent of what appears
on television or in the movies, but she handles the genre of science fiction
with great ability creating races, planets and technology that seem realistic. The characters are appealing and lead the
reader to care about what happens to them, even when they don’t behave very
well. The one true villain comes with a
wicked twist to the story that is totally unexpected. It keeps the story fresh when it might have become
routine. The only “weakness” is in the
Valoir. McCormick mentions several times
that they don’t have an assigned gender.
It’s a race that can be male or female and they alter the roles during
their lifetimes. The characters she
presents come on strongly as “female” though.
A few more “male” traits needed to be included to sell the description. The story moves at a good pace though and
provides enough drama to keep the interest high.
The Midas Conspiracy begs for a
sequel. It isn’t necessary for the
story, but the reader will probably want to find out what happens to Cybil and
Leara. Even readers who don’t normally
enjoy science fiction will probably find this book very enjoyable. It’s worth giving a try.
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