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Library | Material Type | Item Barcode | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Anderson - Anderson Main Library | Book | 22960002381035 | SF VALDES VALERIE | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
From the author of the critically acclaimed Prime Deceptions and Chilling Effect, the hilarious new novel about the adventures of Captain Eva Innocente and the crew of La Sirena Negra.
Nothing wrecks Captain Eva Innocente's vacation plans quite like an anonymous threat to vaporize billions of people. Hundreds of monoliths have suddenly materialized in space, broadcasting the same looped message: surrender or be exterminated. Is the universe being epically spammed
Surrender to whom Exterminated when And how is Eva, commander of a beat-up cargo ship, supposed to prevent it As panic spreads, a mystery message sends Eva to find answers, in a system that hasn't been explored in all of recorded history.
With the crew of La Sirena Negra, a score of psychic cats, a feline-phobic robot, and a superweapon she has no clue how to use, Eva prepares to battle the unknown. But first, she has to defeat the known: mercenary Tito Santiago, whose idea of a clean fight is a shower before kill time. His mission is to ensure Eva doesn't succeed at hers.
If anything goes wrong, the universe is doomed. But if everything goes according to Eva's plans--wait, when does that ever happen
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Capt. Eva Innocente returns in Valdes's quirky, high-stakes third Chilling Effect space opera (after Prime Deceptions). Eva and her crew were hoping for a holiday, but they're thrown right back into the thick of things when mysterious monoliths appear across the universe demanding the surrender of all occupied systems. Skillful characterization of humans and aliens alike and offbeat worldbuilding details paint a vivid picture of this near-future society as its bureaucrats scramble to make sense of the monoliths' threat. Eva receives a strange message offering to meet and exchange information and a weapon that could defeat whatever's behind the monoliths. On arriving, Eva is reunited with a onetime ally and finds herself facing off against her former boss, mercenary Tito Santiago, in a race to secure a trio of ancient mechs that should be able to stop the coming invasion. Valdes seamlessly incorporates backstory throughout, making this installment friendly to newcomers looking for an adventure reminiscent of Transformers and Voltron. Returning readers will be delighted to reunite with the crew as Eva, her psychic cats, and her found family are pushed to confront ever-greater dangers in the lead-up to a thrilling climax. It's as unconventional, tongue-in-cheek, and rip-roaring as fans expect. Agent: Quressa Robinson, Folio Literary Management. (Aug.)
Kirkus Review
Capt. Eva Innocente and her ragtag crew of misfits aboard La Sirena Negra are back to save the universe. Eva and her crew need a vacation. When the opportunity arises for Eva to compete in a goofy "competitive combat" reality show, she enters hoping to win the grand prize: a luxury vacation at a high-end resort. But during the middle of the show, suddenly everything shuts down. Enormous monoliths have appeared spontaneously throughout the galaxy. The monoliths are transmitting one simple message: "Surrender or be exterminated." But surrender to whom? And be exterminated when? When Eva gets back aboard her ship, she receives a message from old friend Antimatter, a member of an ancient alien race called the Proarkhe. Antimatter explains to Eva that the monoliths came from her species' powerful enemies, the Artificers. The only hope of stopping them is to collect three "mechs," huge robotic weapons that can be piloted by a single human. According to Antimatter, if Eva and her team can find the three mechs and connect them together, they'll form a weapon powerful enough to send the Artificers packing and save the universe. But Eva better hurry, because the Artificer's ominous message is still ringing around the galaxy, and she's not the only one after the mechs. So begins the third of Valdes' novels starring Eva and company (following Prime Deceptions, 2020), in which there are big, exciting alien battles but also delightful psychic cats who prowl around La Sirena Negra. Valdes hits the perfect comedic tone, giving Eva equal parts snark and heart and filling the ship with fun supporting characters. The quest for the mechs provides lots of great action sequences with SF weaponry on strange planets. A comedic SF adventure that delivers on all three fronts. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Valdes' latest picks up from where Prime Deceptions (2020) left off, with Eva Innocente and her crew attempting to find some rest after helping secretive security agency The Forge destroy a threat to the known galaxy. Before they can even catch a breath, the Artificers, a genocidal race of ancient aliens, project a message of "surrender or be exterminated" throughout the Gate network. Almost simultaneously Eva receives a painful psychic message leading her to the location of a powerful ancient mech, and is tasked by the Artificers' enemies, the Gate-building Proarkhe, with repelling the oncoming invasion. While trying to manage this galactic-level crisis, Eva also has to deal with crew dynamics, old mercenary foes, her lover Vakar's unknown status, the ship's collective of psychic cats, and the temptations of untold power. This third novel might be difficult for new readers to jump in to the series with, but continues the energetic, pop-culture reference laden tone that should please established fans of the series. Recommended for fans of Mass Effect or similar character-driven space operas.
Library Journal Review
The third book in Valdes's Clarke Award--shortlisted, LJ Best--Booked "Captain Eva Innocente" series (following Prime Deceptions) finds Eva entering the Grand Melee in order to earn money to keep her ship going and her crew safe. It's during this fight that an intergalactic phenomenon occurs, changing everything: monoliths have appeared at each of the space gates and are transmitting a message, surrender or die. An alien named Antimatter informs Eva that the Artificers sent the monoliths. Antimatter is a member of a species called the Proarkhe, a group with whom the Artificers have been warring with for eons. Antimatter's story is enough to send Eva, her psychic cats, and the crew of La Sirena Negra on a thrilling treasure hunt to find three hidden mechs that can be used to save not only her crew but the universe as well. VERDICT An unusual combination of National Treasure and Star Trek in which a space crew races across a universe filled with an array of different beings.--Victoria Kollar
