Advertisement

Lieutenant Commander Kris Longknife, Princess of Wardhaven and "one of those damned Longknifes" is up to her eyeballs in trouble once again. She's been patrolling the Rim of human space, her ship of soldiers and scientists disguised as a merchant vessel, acting as bait in order to shut down the pirates and raiders plaguing humanity's far-flung outposts. Mostly, it's been routine. Unfortunately, one such successful operation brings Kris to Kaskatos, a planet suffering from a large case of famine, and a worse case of renegade soldiers stealing what little food there is. Before Kris can help the starving inhabitants, she'll need to deal with the human predators.

Never mind the fact that technically, the planet is in Greenfeld territory, and nowhere near Kris' jurisdiction. She and her merry band of allies are ready, willing, and able to take care of business with all due haste and some judicious use of high explosives. One well-executed military action later, she's the savior of a planet. And the fun's just beginning. Kris Longknife has pirates and slavers to battle, delicate political matters to negotiate, a kidnapped friend to rescue, and trouble to squash. Might as well start feeling bad for whoever gets in her way.

The Kris Longknife books have become something of a comfort series for me. When I want a quick, fun, fast-paced injection of military SF, I know just where to turn. There's never any doubt that when I open the newest installment, I'll get a healthy dose of action, adventure, snappy dialogue and sharp characterization. Mike Shepherd's oft-staccato writing style conveys a sense of momentum and things happening at breakneck pace, and he's a deft hand at conjuring up the battle scenes. Kris Longknife is an über-competent, unstoppable, always-impressive legend in the making, and it's easy for readers to buy into her legend just like the characters do. This may not be Great Art or genre-changing, but it's reliably entertaining. Redoubtable proves that even after eight books, the series is still going strong, offering up the same satisfying experience as its predecessors.

Michael M Jones enjoys an addiction to books, for which he's glad there is no cure. He lives with his very patient wife (who doesn't complain about books taking over the house... much), eight cats, and a large plaster penguin that once tasted blood and enjoyed it. A prophecy states that when Michael finishes reading everything on his list, he'll finally die. He aims to be immortal.