This was another exciting episode in the Kris Longknife series. Kris and the company on the Wasp are out on the Rim looking for pirates and scientific opportunities. They really don't expect to find an ambassador from their former enemies the Iteeche who is looking for help from Grampa Ray.

As Kris and crew get to know Ron'sum Pin'sum qu Chap'sumWe, they learn more about the war that ended more than eighty years earlier. Unfortunately, there are still military veterans of that war on both sides including Kris's Greatgrandpa Ray who have very strong hatred for the Iteeche. Which means that she needs to sneak Ron and company back to Wardhaven so that he can meet with King Ray and lay out his needs.

They take a brief detour on the way to Wardhaven to see Kris's Aunt Tru because her computer Nelly is developing some questionable characteristics. She seems to be developing a real mind of her own which is causing Kris some problems.

Once they get to Wardhaven, things don't go very well. Ray says essentially "I'll think about it," sends Ron and his entourage back home, and sends Kris to Texarkana to solve a political problem. Texarkana happens to be the home of two of Kris's college friends. Kris finds a sticky political situation. The original settlers who are farmers and ranchers are in conflict with later settlers who were industrialists. It seems that someone from outside is trying to stir up even more trouble between the two factions than their own stubbornness is causing. Kris finds herself victim of an assassination attempt on one of her old school friends.

Kris does manage to find a solution to the discord between the two groups using Longknife charisma and Longknife money. But Ron's problem is far from being solved and Kris keeps get pulled away from it by King Ray's needs leaving Ron's problem a dangling plot thread for another book. ( )

Oh, fun - Kris runs into a friendly, or at least not hostile, Iteeche delegation. And as usual makes a best friend in the oddest of places. And then politics rears its ugly head, and Kris gets seconded off to try to keep a planet that's on the verge of civil war from going blooey. Turns out that's easier than expected...except she manages to get caught in someone else's assassination attempt, and (unlike the attempts on her) ends up seriously injured. Her team, and allies, pulls off the rest of the rescue very nicely without her, and she hobbles home to find out how the news the Iteeche brought is going to be handled - and again, politics (and King Ray's delicate sensibilities) sends her off on a different mission. There's lots of setup here; plenty of action, but it's small potatoes and (at least apparently) not part of any arc. We'll see. Next! ( )

Author: Mike Shepherd   Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars   Synopsis Princess Kris Longknife meets up with an Itechee envoy who has been sent to warn humanity of a potential threat to both their species. The second plot is a localized plot on a planet to try to split the United Sentients federation.   My Thoughts I didn't have the usual whiplash, "did I miss a book" feeling when I started this. Considering the problems between the U.S. and the Peterwalds and the internal problems of the U.S., I was kind of surprised that Shepherd decided to write about the Itechee, the big bad aliens who almost wiped out humanity 80'ish years ago.   And I was even more surprised that they were "friendly" and bringing warning of an even greater threat to us all. Ramped up the "Threat Matrix" and made sure that the series wasn't going to end in 2 books. Boo to that! I am getting sick of the "never ending" series I'm coming across lately. A long series is fine, but one that has no over arching plot, no "big" storyline, that just plods on from one plot to the next, well, it reminds me of Alan Dean Foster's Pip and Flinx series, that I gave up in disgust on.  I just hope this doesn't become something like that.   The little on planet battle was a brief, easy lull in the tension. There was no chance of it working and we the reader could see that a mile away. So we got to see Space Marines kick local redneck butt. Good stuff.   All along I thought this was going to deserve a 4star. Then Shepherd has Longknife start wondering sexually about the Itechee ambassador, to the point of spying on him while swimming. 7 foot tall aliens with no penises, well, WHY would a female be interested in that? It grossed me out and smacked of filthy fan service. Or maybe Shepherd is a sick perv and he can't admit it so it is sublimated into his stories?   Crossposted on Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com " ( )

Review 28 November 2015: whew, i had to reread the entire series (because i had forgotten just about everything) before i could read this one and the following ones.

heh heh reading them all again i notice that Kris is always getting into messes and never seems to have any down time...which i find kinda unrealistic that she and her crew would still function as well as they do with so few breaks from combat/assassination attempts.

also just noticed that abby was black. why i never pictured her as black before but now that she is it makes me mad. esp when he is so obvious when he puts other non white USA cultures in the book. like he really tries to include them and respect their cultures and only show the positive sides, yet he still does stereotypes. some of the stereotypes are positive and some are negative but stereotypes all the same. apparently we don't mix that much even with over 600 planets. (yeah, um ok. i can sorta see that since humans do tend to gather in groups were we all look the same and kinda act the same and like the same stuff.)

the stereotypes i noticed are the black gals are the ones from the bad part of town and speak the most slang, the muslims that help her out are taxi drivers and restaurant owners, the russias /germanic folks(greenfields)are prejudice and act like nazis or communists. so far he hasn't done the negative stereotypes with the oriental, native american, or the hispanic folks...at least not yet. or i didn't catch it since i am not that familiar with their cultures.

and reading them all in a row you can see the formula... it's a formula i like but his books are becoming a tad predictable. basically whenever Kris has some down time and things are a lil peaceful in about a minuter shit is gonna hit the fan. it will be a David vs Goliath space battle or it will be a hidden political/corporate agenda guerrilla warfare type fight. Kris will have to make really tough decisions that will get her in hot water and folks killed but is the right thing to do. civilians and close friends from her crew will die and get injured but Kris will defeat the evildoers and reveal the evil politicians/corporations. there will be lots of planning sessions. there will be lots of smart alckey remarks. nelly will do some magic. kris will be blamed for something or another. kris will have girly moments where she flirts with guys, dreams about jck, and wishes she was curvier.

seriously it's a formula but i like this formula. so i am still reading and looking forward to more. although the formula has caused me to look ahead in the books. he does have a few surprises. like some surprising deaths and some surprising tech and some surprising alien stuff. bad ass females in scifi military with humor and alil but of romance. a formula i love. ( )

Review 28 November 2015: whew, i had to reread the entire series (because i had forgotten just about everything) before i could read this one and the following ones.

heh heh reading them all again i notice that Kris is always getting into messes and never seems to have any down time...which i find kinda unrealistic that she and her crew would still function as well as they do with so few breaks from combat/assassination attempts.

also just noticed that abby was black. why i never pictured her as black before but now that she is it makes me mad. esp when he is so obvious when he puts other non white USA cultures in the book. like he really tries to include them and respect their cultures and only show the positive sides, yet he still does stereotypes. some of the stereotypes are positive and some are negative but stereotypes all the same. apparently we don't mix that much even with over 600 planets. (yeah, um ok. i can sorta see that since humans do tend to gather in groups were we all look the same and kinda act the same and like the same stuff.)

the stereotypes i noticed are the black gals are the ones from the bad part of town and speak the most slang, the muslims that help her out are taxi drivers and restaurant owners, the russias /germanic folks(greenfields)are prejudice and act like nazis or communists. so far he hasn't done the negative stereotypes with the oriental, native american, or the hispanic folks...at least not yet. or i didn't catch it since i am not that familiar with their cultures.

and reading them all in a row you can see the formula... it's a formula i like but his books are becoming a tad predictable. basically whenever Kris has some down time and things are a lil peaceful in about a minuter shit is gonna hit the fan. it will be a David vs Goliath space battle or it will be a hidden political/corporate agenda guerrilla warfare type fight. Kris will have to make really tough decisions that will get her in hot water and folks killed but is the right thing to do. civilians and close friends from her crew will die and get injured but Kris will defeat the evildoers and reveal the evil politicians/corporations. there will be lots of planning sessions. there will be lots of smart alckey remarks. nelly will do some magic. kris will be blamed for something or another. kris will have girly moments where she flirts with guys, dreams about jck, and wishes she was curvier.

seriously it's a formula but i like this formula. so i am still reading and looking forward to more. although the formula has caused me to look ahead in the books. he does have a few surprises. like some surprising deaths and some surprising tech and some surprising alien stuff. bad ass females in scifi military with humor and alil but of romance. a formula i love. ( )