My original Exploration audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Commodore Catherine Kimbridge goes undercover to discover why spaceships of citizens are being captured and stop the culprits. Her nanobot enhancements and loyal mates accompany her through a maze of aliens and into the unknown vastness of space. It is her exceptional skills and wits that stand between death and success.

The strange race of aliens who are responsible for abducting the thousands of humans are not what they seem. They are slavers, but not all of them believe in the ancient ways. When they are faced with their own daemons, it is Catherine who must save not only her own people, but her enemies too.

Catherine rises quickly to a trusted position on the alien ship, almost too quickly. It may be hard for the listener to hold his or her disbelief at the incompetence and simplistic nature of the alien enemies. They don’t feel all that scary or threatening. The plot runs along at a fast and linear pace as Catherine continues to save the day. Any suspense that may have developed, seems to be sucked away at her inevitable successes.

There are interesting worlds and universes that they discover along the way. The moral dilemma of the slaver aliens is also interesting along with their evolutionary source. It is a generally entertaining story with several battles and explorations.

The story is performed by L. C. Kane, who does an adequate job. Her voice is easy to listen to and her character voices are fine.

Exploration is a space opera novel, the third in an ongoing series about the adventures of Catherine Kimbridge. It is a discrete novel that doesn’t appear to need its predecessor to work; nor does it leave much unresolved that you are looking to read the next for conclusion. It is a straightforward novel that is generally entertaining, without much suspense.

Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator. ( )