Mike Shepherd (1)

Meanwhile back at the capital planet while Kris Longknife is off in space trying to put the rebels down, her children Ruth and Johnny are learning and playing with their friends both human and Iteeche. While the grownups are dealing with attempts to disrupt life at the Legation District, the kids just want to go swimming in the Emperor's lake.

They make plans using their computers Daisy and Hippo, who are some of Nelly's children, to find a way to sneak out of the Legation District and find their way to the lake. Unfortunately, they are kidnapped on their way. While the humans and their associated Iteeche are combing the planet for them, Ruth who isn't quite eight-year-old uses her intelligence and the remembered guidance of her mother to find a way to let her Gramma and Grampa know where the kids are.

This was an excellent adventure. I enjoyed getting a look at the next generation of Longknifes who are as intrepid and smart and determined as their forefathers. This story is told from both the viewpoints of Gramma Ruth and young Ruth who is her great-granddaughter.… (mehr)

Having settled business on the Iteeche capital planet, at least for a while, Kris needs to get back out into space to continue the battle against the rebels who are threatening the empire and the life of the teenager on the Imperial throne.

She'd like to add to her fleet and the clans do owe her and their emperor their support. But when she gets nothing but excuses from the major clans, she bypasses them in favor of offering the minor clans a chance at gold and glory or, actually, land and plunder.

But the rebels have not been standing still while Kris was dealing with problems on the capital planet. They have taken back one of the systems Kris had won. Kris plans to continue capturing the rebel planets that are the most able to support the rebel cause. She plans to do it her way. If the planet surrenders to Kris, she'll let the local overlords keep their places which irritates the young lordlings from the capital planet who have been promised land and jobs and opportunities for plunder of their own.

A large part of this story, told both from Kris's point of view and from the Iteeche Admiral leading the rebel fleet, is concerned with a space battle for control of one of the rebel planetary systems. It was filled with action and warfare.

This was another excellent adventure in the Kris Longknife series.… (mehr)