Sep 12, 2026
So good!
Wow! I loved the first volume in this series, and this second offering took it to a whole new level. For a sophomore offering it is an incredible read! I absolutely love this book and series! I picked this up book one, Phoenix, three reasons. First author Declan Finn recommended it, and having read all of his books except one series currently out of print, I needed another read. Second I have been impressed by everything I have read from Tuscany Bay Books to date. And third the John Carter of Mars books by Edgar Rice Burroughs were some of the first I read after I learned to compensate for my dual form of dyslexia. I loved the cover but did not read anything about the book specifically before beginning it. And it did not disappoint. This second volume has surpassed the first offering! And end with a perfect set up for more works in this universe. The first volume comes in at 560 pages for the eBook and 549 for the print editions. This second offering is listed as 402 and 400. But it feels even more packed with adventure and mystery. I could hardly put the book down; I devoured it over 2 sittings on back to back days! And I am already desperate for the next volume. I msaid it before and I say it again; David Carter reminds me of Heninlin’s Lazarus Long, and in others Harry Harrison’s James Bolivar diGriz aka “Slippery Jim” and “The Stainless Steel Rat”. But it also brought to mind both Serenity and Firefly, there is definitely a space western and Mal feel about Carter’s character. His now wife Veronique Carter ne de Tournay is full of surprises. The characters in this story are truly amazing. The plot is excellent and though it does not run at a breakneck pace like volume 1, it has a pace that ebbs and flows with great peaks and some valleys in the action and experiences of our team. You will find yourself cheering for David and Veronique, and those who have formed a team around them. The story is pack with great action, fantastic dialogue, tremendous suspense, and surprising plot twists. This story starts with Carter getting a case of 39 missing children. And though other teams and agents had worked the case surprisingly they start immediately getting clues and leads. And it is suspicious from the get go. The difference between this story and some of the classic sci-fi authors and books previously mentioned is world view. Janeski writes with a Christian or Catholic world view. And as such the story is much cleaner than many I read in my youth or that are available today. It is a volume I would not hesitate to give to my 13 year old daughter or my 16 year old son. It is a much better story morally, and to be honest better written than much of what I read in my youth. This story is part space opera part police procedural and part mystery novel. No matter the category you put it in, it is an excellent read. I have yet to get around to reading Janeski’s published short stories in Planetary Anthology Luna, Freedom's Light: Short Stories anthology, and Space Marines III to tide me over until the next volume in this series releases. I have also read that her husband has a story in the anthology Raconteur Press 25 What! You Again, that ties into this series! This is a book I can easily recommend and I give it my highest praise, for as soon as I finished it I put it back in my to be read pile to circle back and read it again. And with the ease of eBooks I seldom reread fiction these days. It is a great read for fans of science fiction, mysteries, crime procedurals or really anyone who just wants to sit down with a big book and enjoy a great story. C.S. Lewis once quipped that “No tea cup is big enough nor book long enough for me to be satisfied.” this one is close. Pick it up I am certain it will entertain! Another excellent offering from Janeski’s pen! p.s. if you want a great laugh check search for the twitter war an author started thinking the cover of book 1 was too similar to his works. It pushed it to a #1 Best Seller and an orange flag!
