Antares Victory

This was an excellent wrap-up to the Antares series from this author. If you are familiar with the first couple books you need to read this one.

I hope this author continues to write great books like this one. I completely enjoyed this series, and his other one.

Michael McCollum wrote the first volume in this trilogy - "Antares Dawn" back in 1986. The second volume "Antares Passage" came out in 1987. Fans had to hold out until 2002 when the third and final volume "Antares Victory" completed the series. I'm happy to say it was worth the wait. Michael McCollum has finished the tale on a high note (sky high anyone ;-). Bringing back our favorite charactors (Richard Drake & his wife Bethany) from the first two novels, for one last adventure - this one combining a facinating look into the complexities of a totally alien civiliazation with his usual flair for military science fiction. The trilogy involves a great war between the far flung human worlds and a race of xenophobic aliens - the Ryall. The whim of fate disrupted our heroes sole means of faster-then-light travel (a "fold link") to the rest of the galaxy, isolating their third generation colony world of Alta, for 125 years. Their star Valaria, being 125 light years from Antares; the wavefront from the explosion at Antares finally swept past and their fold link was re-established (without anyone noticing it). The mysterious appearance of a badly damaged giant battle ship of the Earth Navy signals both an end to their isolation and the first clue that things may not be going so well "out there" One of this writers best strenghs is his crafting of a highly believable tale. The careful preparations, the cautious explorations that unfold in the first book, set the tone for the rest of the series. Fans of military science fiction will enjoy the very realistic battle scenes (given the technological assumptions - no gravity control for example). For hard science fiction fans - this is The Real Thing, without the dark cyberpunk overlay that some people assume the future must hold. I recomend it to all the fans of those types of Sci-Fi. I also highly recomend his Life Probe / Procyons Promise series for those that enjoy a good Artificial Intellegence story. Finally check out my favorite of his works : "the Clouds of Saturn" - a taunt, swahbuckler of a Sci Fi novel.