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Much Ado About Murder (Shakespeare & Smythe Mystery), by Simon Hawke

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A Shakespeare and Smythe Mystery

Shakespeare and Smythe are at it again in their third literary mystery romp set in the world of the Elizabethan theater.

The plague is in town and the theaters are closed by royal decree, so even though fledgling playwright Will Shakespeare and would-be thespian and part-time ostler Symington Smythe are now fully ensconced members of a theater company, the two inadvertent shamuses of the stage world are once again, at least temporarily, out of work.

To make ends meet, Smythe resorts to smithing while Will becomes a poet for hire involved with the affairs of a certain dark lady . . . until entertainment-starved London is rocked by an apparent crime of passion with all of the requisite elements of a Greek tragedy.

But life is never as simple as a stage-bound construct, and soon the detective duo find themselves involved in an affair that makes. . .

Much Ado About Murder

• Sales Rank: #2828303 in Books
• Brand: Brand: Forge Books
• Published on: 2002-12-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 8.64" h x .96" w x 5.76" l,
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Features

• Simon Hawke
• mystery
• murder
• Shakespeare

From the Back Cover
Praise for Shakespeare & Smythe

"In the ebullient spirit of the hit movie Shakespeare in Love, young William Shakespeare takes center stage as an aspiring playwright and sleuth in this lighthearted historical. . . . Literary gold." --Publishers Weekly on The Slaying of the Shrew

"Hawke has a sure hand, an eye for detail and character, and he mixes historical fact and fiction in an altogether delightful manner. This has the makings of an excellent series." --Booklist

"Warring theater companies, familial chicanery, villains by the yard, and Will and Tuck as bumbling heroes--it all provides a good-natured romp for audiences who wish they'd make a sequel to Shakespeare in Love." --Kirkus Reviews on The Slaying of the Shrew


" A word to the wise: A Mystery of Errors is a historical hoot. Hawke's plot is suitably complicated, the period touches are convincing, and the wit is contagious. A worthy debut for the Bard as a detective!" --Peter J. Heck, author of Death on the Mississippi and other Mark Twain Mysteries

About the Author
Simon Hawke has been the author of two successful SF/F series (Time Wars and The Wizard of 4th Street), a New York Times bestselling Star Trek novel, and several books for TSR in the "Dark Sun" and "Birthright" settings. Much Ado About Murder is his third Shakespeare and Smythe mystery. He currently lives in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Much Ado About Murder
1 
 
IT WAS A QUIET NIGHT in the taproom of the Toad and Badger as Tuck Smythe sat down to a simple supper of dark oat bread, ale, and pottage. A quiet night at the Toad and Badger tavern, however, did not necessarily mean the night was quiet in any generally accepted meaning of the phrase. It simply meant that no crockery was being hurled, no furniture was being overturned, and no skulls were being broken. (Admittedly, broken skulls did not occur as frequently as broken furniture and crockery, largely because players, as a rule, had less of a tendency toward violence than histrionics.) Smythe knew that the occasional broken bone or two was not altogether out of the question, but then such incidents did not often involve actors, who usually knew well enough to make a timely exit to the wings whenever the action center stage became a bit unruly.Despite the general tumult over which the ursine Courtney Stackpole presided as the innkeeper, Smythe took comfort in the fact that the Toad and Badger was not really the sort of tavern where blood could flow as freely as small beer. Those sorts of places could more readily be found in Southwark or Whitechapel, where seamen from the trading ships and mercenaries from the foreign wars often brawled with the weatherbeaten rivermen and tough drovers from the Midlands. In such places, on any givennight, blades could be drawn as readily as ale. The Toad and Badger, fortunately, was not that sort of tavern. It was rowdy and boisetrous, to be sure, but for all that, it was more loud than lethal and its charm lay primarily in the eccentricities of its patrons, most of whom were simple tradesmen and entertainers.On this particular occasion, the atmosphere within the tavern was unusually subdued, in large part because the fortunes of the Queen's Men were lately in decline. The previous summer, they had gone out on tour throughout the English countryside, but their performances had not brought in nearly as much as they had hoped. The harvests had been poor for two years running, and while people in the countryside were generally starved for entertainment, many of them were also quite literally starving and could scarcely afford even the very reasonable price of admission to a play.In many villages where they had stopped, rather than set up in the courtyard of a local inn, as was their custom, the Queen's Men had erected their stage out in a village square, then played for free to gain an audience. Afterwards, they would simply pass the hat. All too often, unfortunately, they had found that the number of people in their audience had well outnumbered the few coins that they had left behind.To add insult to their injury, there were numerous bands of cozeners, vagabonds, and sharpers traveling the countryside of late, posing as legitimate companies of players. They would herald their arrival in a town with a fanfare of cornets and sackbuts, then with dramatic gestures, posturings, and declamations, the imposters would announce themselves as "the famed and legendary Queen's Men," or "the illustrious and acclaimed Lord Admiral's Men," or "the Earl of Leicester's Own Grand Company of Players," when, in fact, they had no legitimate noble patron whatsoever and thus possessed no right under the law to perform anywhere as players. Nevertheless, that did not stop scores ofenterprising scoundrels from banding together in companies, stealing some wagons and some horses, then dressing up in motley and passing themselves off as legitimate players out on tour from London.These rogues would come into a country town and stage some sorry travesty of a production they had cobbled together from bits and pieces filched from various plays that they had seen in London or, worse still, put on a play that they had stolen in its entirety by attending several performances en masse and committing different parts to memory. Much of the time, a play that was stolen in this manner resulted in a production that was a hopeless mish-mosh of misremembered lines and markedly inferior performances, which would have been bad enough, thought Smythe, if fraud were the only crime being perpetrated. Unfortunately, no sooner would these imposters leave a town that they had visited than numerous thefts and other crimes would be discovered, leaving little doubt as to the culprits.Needless to say, the victims of these roving, thieving bands were not very well disposed toward legitimate companies of players who came to visit afterward. The Queen's Men had been driven from three villages they came to on their tour and Smythe still had some bruises left from being pelted with sticks and stones hurled by the angry townspeople at their last stop.At least London's critics did not hurl anything more hazardous than a few well-turned epithets.When the company had finally come home to London, they quickly discovered that things there were not much better. The playhouses were all closed down, in part because of plague, and in part because of rioting apprentices who had taken to roaming the streets of the city in large gangs and getting into violent, bloody battles with their rivals on the slightest provocation. There had been numerous complaints of damage done to property by these roving bands of hooligans, not to mention damagedone to life and limb, as well. Smythe could not see what the players had to do with it. As he saw it, the blame lay with the guildsmen to whom these roaring boys had been apprenticed. They clearly failed to exercise the proper amount of supervision with their charges and allowed the boys too much free time. But rather than place the blame where it belonged, the authorities had apparently decided that any place where large numbers of citizens could gather was a potential breeding ground for violence, and so the playhouses had all been closed down til further notice.Smythe thought that it was terribly unfair to penalize the players by denying them the ability to make their living, even though they were entirely innocent of any wrongdoing ... however, there was nothing they could do about it. Between their unsuccessful tour and the playhouses being closed, most of the Queen's Men were now dead broke. They had lost several members who had left the company to pursue other work, and those with any money left would soon be penniless themselves from sharing the little they had with their less fortunate comrades. Even the meanest of them was not above standing a fellow to a meal or a drink. Adversity seemed to bring out the best in them, Smythe thought. The players took care of their own.He recalled the way his father had railed against them when he first found out about his son's dream of joining a company of players. "Players!" Symington Smythe the elder had exclaimed, his voice dripping with scorn as he lifted his chin and gave an elaborate sniff of disdain. "Naught but a frivolous, immoral lot of dirty scoundrels, every last man jack of them! Degenerate and drunken wastrels, all of them, a foul and pestilential pox upon society! No son of mine shall ever be a player! Mark me well, boy, I shall strip the hide right off your back afore I allow you to disgrace the family name in such a manner!"Well, Smythe thought wryly, as things turned out, his hide was still intact, which was certainly more than he could say for his father's fortune or good name. The old fool had squandered all his money in his vainglorious attempts to gain a knighthood. Now he had little left to show for all his efforts save for his precious escutcheon, which he had bribed and cozened the College of Heralds into granting him, thinking that once he was a proper gentleman, a knighthood would soon be within his grasp. Alas, Symington Smythe II's lofty ambition had overreached him and his dreams had fallen into dust. He had only narrowly avoided debtor's prison and was now living mainly on his younger brother's charity.Meanwhile, Symington Smythe III took satisfaction in the knowledge that he was realizing his own dreams. He had left home for London, where he had found and joined a company of players, and though his current state of fortune was not much better than his father's, at least he was living the life that he had chosen for himself. "Life," as his Uncle Thomas used to say, "is much too short to be lived for someone else. Go and live it as you like it."Smythe often missed his Uncle Thomas, who had always been more of a father to him than his own father had been. Thomas Smythe had never begrudged his older brother his inheritance. He was a simple, unassuming man who lived his own life and was content to make his own way as a farrier and blacksmith in their small village. He had liked nothing better than standing at his forge, his powerful arms corded with muscle, his bare chest, covered only with his well-worn leather apron, glistening with a sheen of sweat as he labored at his favorite task, the careful crafting of a blade. Though he had shod more horses and forged more iron tools than weapons, Thomas Smythe could also forge a blade that could rival the finest fighting steel fromToledo. No less a connoisseur of weapons than Sir William Worley, master of the Sea Hawks and courtier to the queen, had admired his work.And if it wasn't for his uncle's tutelage, Smythe knew all too well that he would have gone hungry on this night. He had been completely broke, but had luckily managed to make some money earlier in the day by shoeing horses and helping out a local smith named Liam Bailey, who had found himself suddenly shorthanded when his young apprentice became caught up in a street brawl and had his head busted for his trouble."Damned bloody foolishness, if ye ask me," the big old smith had sworn, running his rough and liver-spotted hand over his spare and close-cropped, grizzled hair. "Dunno what in blazes is the matter wi' young people these days. Why, in my day, a young man counted 'imself luck...

Most helpful customer reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
A winning historical mystery told with wit & humor
By Edward Alexander Gerster
Third in the series of Shakespeare & Smythe mysteries, Simon Hawke has won me back over after my disappointment with novel number two, _The Slaying of The Shrew_. In _Much Ado About Murder_, Hawke has recaptured the sly wit and droll humor of his main characters, and writes a rather straight forward mystery that is most enjoyable. Instead of weaving a story filled with useless red herrings, he has used restraint and created a story that shows imagination and talent in it's very simplicity. A pleasant diversion told extremely well.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Much Ado About Creative License
By RCM
I discovered this book at a discount bookstore, and being the Shakespeareophile that I am, I was intrigued. I was even happier to discover that "Much Ado About Murder" is just one of Hawke's books in a series of Smythe and Shakespeare mystery novels. Hawke writes this novel from the time period of Shakespeare's life, where not much is known about the poet. His novel is most definitely speculation, but it is an enjoyable read.
We are quickly introduced to Tuck Smythe, a player in the King's Men, who rooms with Shakespeare, a down-on-his-luck player, who writes some sonnets on the side to earn some money to keep himself fed. Due to their connections, these two players come into contact with various sorts - the seemingly-wealthy would-be patrons, and the band of roving apprentices who fashion themselves to be thieves. Trouble ensues for Tuck Smythe as he befriends Ben Dickens, a returning soldier who used to be a member of the King's Men. And sure enough, Shakespeare and Tuck find themselves at the heart of a murder mystery, desperately trying to clear the name of an innocent acquaintance.
Hawke's narrative is relatively quick-paced and filled with sly quips that any reader of Shakespeare will recognize. These will, of course, later become lines in the plays that Shakespeare struggles to write. In fact, Shakespeare seems to get some of his best lines from others, asking them if he could write down what they said and credit it as his own. Anyone familiar with "Much Ado About Nothing" will recognize the parallels to this novel's plot, with some inventive differences. At times, however; the narrative seems too bogged down with characters before it hits its stride about half-way through the book. Yet I look forward to reading the others in this series.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
Adventures of Shakespear--detective
By booksforabuck
Symington (Tuck) Smythe and his friend Will Shakespear find that the theater business can be chancy. London's council has banned theater production and their company's tour of the countryside was largely a bust. Now, back in London, they rehearse, drink too much beer, and wait for something positive to happen. In the meantime, Tuck makes money using his blacksmith skills rather than his (dubious) theatrical ones and Shakespear writes sonets for the amusement of England's nobility (and for his own profit). In these hungry times, the apprentices of London frequently go wild, stealing, breaking heads, and generally causing problems.
A rich merchant from Genoa looks to be a godsend to the theater, but murder puts a definite damper on that plan. When a friend of Tuck and Shakespear is accused, the two must, once again, turn detective to uncover the true killer and free their friend.
Author Simon Hawke tells a charming tale. Fans of Shakespear will get a chuckle out of the way Hawke puts well known lines from the bard into the mouths of his characters--for Shakespear to adapt later in his famous plays. I found the early going to be interesting but slow--Hawke spends the first half of the book setting up the mystery, then swings into action in the second half of the book.
Hawke's London feels authentic, with dirt, wild apprentices, disease, and a sense of hope that the future may be brighter. Tuck is an interesting and sympathetic character--his love for the theater matched only by his lack of talent. MUCH ADO ABOUT MURDER is certain to generate some smiles.

See all 9 customer reviews...

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^ Ebook Download Pet Peeve (Xanth), by Piers Anthony

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An abominable army of automatons has plunged Xanth into dire peril in Pet Peeve, the 29th hilarious adventure in Piers Anthony's beloved fantasy series. All that stands between the enchanted land and destruction is a most unlikely hero, a forlorn, mild-mannered Goblin named Goody, whose courteous ways have earned him the scorn of his ill-tempered goblin fellows.

Assigned by the Good Magician Humfrey to find a appropriate abode for the Pet Peeve--a foul-mouthed fowl who insults anyone it encounters, Goody reluctantly sets out on this daunting quest, armed only with a bag of half-spent spells, and guarded by a brawny woman warrior called Hannah Barbarian.

But when Goody's mission unknowingly triggers an invasion of Xanth by a horde of mechanical marauders from a faraway Robot World, he must enlist the aid of Xanth's many denizens--dragons, zombies, centaurs, demons, elves, and even goblins like himself. And, in the heart of Goblin Mountain, Goody finds an unexpected ally - Gwenny Goblin, a beautiful, strong-willed goblin chief who can help him rally Xanth to repel the robot army, and perhaps mend his broken heart as well.

Brimming with heart-stopping adventure and heart-warming delight, overflowing with wicked wit and wanton wordplay, Pet Peeve is Piers Anthony in rare form, an exceptional new chapter in the continuing chronicles of Xanth.

• Sales Rank: #1400601 in Books
• Brand: Brand: Tor Books
• Published on: 2005-10-01
• Released on: 2005-09-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 9.50" h x 1.18" w x 6.32" l,
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

Features

• Great product!

From Publishers Weekly
Anthony's entertaining, if somewhat uneven, 29th Xanth book (after 2004's Currant Events) follows the polite, generous and even-tempered Goody Goblin-an anomaly among males of his race, who are usually crass, unkind and violent-as Goody tours Xanth on a quest to dispose of a foul-mouthed bird known as the "Pet Peeve," which can mimic anyone's speech. Accompanied by the tough Hannah Barbarian, one of Anthony's most completely realized female characters, Goody passes through many parts and meets many people of Xanth, none of whom is willing to take the dangerously annoying bird off his hands. The journey is rife with the kind of oddball humor typical of the Xanth series, such as the early episode in which Goody is given "the Finger," a detached human middle finger that comes in a box and pokes and prods anyone who possesses it. By the usual happy ending, Goody may have found a new love-or maybe not. Even more jumbled than the average Xanth novel, this one is strictly for the faithful.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
The most recent Xanth novel follows the formula: lots of low jokes, simple puns, and a miniscule plot. This time the most ungoblinlike (he's nice) Goody Goblin has to find a home for the Pet Peeve, a talking bird that speaks only insults. While on this quest, Goody unwittingly triggers an invasion of robots from another world and must enlist the aid of Xanth's peoples to fight them off. The result is a conducted tour of Xanth, which may be of great interest to seasoned Xanthophiles but may not be overly intelligible to relative newcomers, who may feel themselves in the presence of a stand-up comic addressing his veteran audience only. Or not. Xanthophiles will enjoy the novel. Judging from the amount of help Anthony seems to receive from his readers to meet a tight deadline, those enthusiasts remain quite numerous. Determine their prevalence among your patrons and acquire accordingly. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"The Xanth books constitute Anthony's longest and most successful series . . . . Anthony writes them for younger readers, not adult entertainment. They are intended to be kind-spirited, fun reading, a series of wondrous beasts and beings, and most of all, an endless succession of outrageous puns . . . . No need for a warning label on these books, except one stating that your children may find them habit-forming and develop a life-time passion for reading and books."--Lee Killough, Wichita Eagle

"A brassy 15 year old, Breanna, stars in this cheeky new installment in Anthony's popular series about Xanth . . . Anthony combines Breanna's tale with a sweeter one, that of Jenny Elf's love for handsome werewolf Prince Jeremy. He also revives several engaging characters from earlier novels to spice up the girls' adventures . . . . Xanth devotees should be delighted."--Publishers Weekly on Zombie Lover

"Harpy Thyme is another of Piers Anthony's frothy and delightfully frivolous fantasy novels about the land of Xanth, where puns and playfulness reign supreme."--The Toronto Star

Most helpful customer reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful.
Pet Peeve.... kinda torn on this one
By Daniel Thomas Colpi
I am kinda torn on what I think of Piers Anthony's newest Xanth book.

On the one hand I am pleased that this book has more of the spirit of the earlier books in the Xanth series. Maybe I am alone in my viewpoint, but I have felt that the last two or three books have seemed somewhat forced (sort of like Mr. Anthony is running out of ideas after so many Xanth books but is continuing to churn out a book a year). This one, I am happy to say, did not seem that way. The plot was great, the characters were funny and fresh, and the puns were.... the same as usual *grin*.

On the other hand, this book seems to have taking more of an "adult" feel to it. This seems to be becoming more and more prevelent in the later Xanth books (however the "Adult Conspiracy" has always been part of Xanth), and Pet Peeve pushes it a bit further than any of the earlier Xanth books have. I guess Mr. Anthony can do whatever he wishes to with his series, but it isn't the reason I have been a fan of the series since the tale of Bink in "A Spell for Chameleon".

I very much enjoyed the book (more so than the recient Xanth books, but not as much as the origional 10 or so) and read it almost straight through, but found myself skimming over the sections about all the kissing, feeling, etc.

Bottom line is I guess it is hard to argue with a book series that has seen 29 installments, with many of those being on Best Seller lists. If you are a fan of Xanth, you will most probably like Pet Peeve. If you are new to Xanth, Pet Peeve is a good one to start on (as you don't need much, if any, knowledge of earlier books in the series) but I would recomend reading the first three Xanth books before Pet Peeve (as I just think those three are hands down better).

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
Xanthtastic
By Happily_Reading
I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but beyond the puns in the Xanth books lie really good stories. The puns are, of course, outrageous. You either love them or think they're hopelessly stupid.

If you think bad puns are just juvenile, don't even bother with this (or any) Xanth novel. If you love the puns, don't forget that there's a story too.

Goody Goblin is on a mission with his bodyguard Hannah Barbarian (see what I meant about the puns?) to find a home for the Pet Peeve. In Mundania, this would be considered an foul-mouthed parrot. The Peeve certainly lives up to it's name, insulting everyone in sight, and making it almost impossible to find a home for it. Along the way, Goody and Hannah get to understand and like each other. Of course, they both find love along the way too, not to mention saving Xanth in the process.

As another reviewer said, this novel isn't quite the innocent book like previous ones. Lots of groping and kissing. Nothing explicit, of course, but it's not handled as subtly as usual. It seemed more...grown up? I liked the change.

If you've never read a Xanth novel before, pick this one up. You'll either love it or think it's totally inane. It's one of those things in life that you have to at least try once.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
a pleasant read
By Tuckerby
Pet Peeve gives us something we haven't seen in a while: an invasion and battle, all brought on through an oversight during a simple errand. Beautiful! And if that is not enough for you, a villain is after our heroes. The personal danger and broader threats to Xanth make for a compelling story and offer a pleasant change from the "travel motif" of the last few books. The plot would have cohered better had the villain been connected to the invasion. Having them separate renders the villain more like an afterthought to the story than an integral plot device. Still, the menace was quite real and kept me glued to the pages.

A number of characters who haven't been around for several novels finally show up in this one. Among them, Dawn and Eve had been eclipsed to the point of nonexistence by Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm, so it was nice to see the Xanth versions at long last. Magician Trent makes a brief appearance, too, although he is simply wheeled out for the crisis, does his bit, then disappears. It does make you wonder why he was rejuvenated all those books ago if he wasn't going to play a recurring role in the series. We also learn some intriguing background on the Night Stallion.

Of the new characters, the peeve stands out. How could it not with that beak? I thought I would quickly tire of its obnoxious remarks, but the author does a good job of providing variety to the context of its retorts, such as when the peeve attracts the wrong kind of attention at the wrong time, or insults enemies to the benefit of the party. Hannah the Barbarian was a caustic feminist in Geis of the Gargoyle, but she is much less abrasive here and her handling of Princess Eve was superb. She ends up enamored of the unlikeliest of prospects, not that that is unusual in Xanth, but she fell so quickly and completely for this person--without the benefit of a love spring, I might add, --that the romance seemed rushed. As for Goody, he's decent, evokes our sympathy as a widower, and has a useful talent.

Be forewarned, there isn't just attempted seduction, but outright sex in this book as well. Descriptions of physical encounters are getting more detailed, including tongues and groping male fronts. The peeve loves ribaldry and fourteen year-olds are practicing their sex appeal.

Metria is appearing quite frequently in these later books and often behaving more seductively than we would expect of a married demoness with a partial soul. At one time, she loved her husband, Veleno, and serviced him herself twice a day. Now, she appears to have no time for him and lets Mentia take her place. Metria has always been mischief with a capital M, but at what point do her actions constitute cheating? Much as I love her character, if the author is going to keep her married, then she needs to act married. Otherwise, it's adultery.

All in all, this was a pleasant read with some great story ideas and humor sprinkled throughout.

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Grand new Beast Master adventure

Death-which-Comes-in-the-Night

More than thirty years ago in Beast Master and Lord of Thunder, Andre Norton created a memorable character, Hosteen Storm. A Native American soldier for Earth, he barely escaped his doomed home world when the Xic destroyed it. Armed with his soldier's skills, his ancestors' insights, and an uncanny ability to communicate mind-to-mind with animals, Storm is a hero unlike any other in science fiction.

Now, science fiction Grand Master Andre Norton has teamed up with Lyn McConchie to pit Storm against his most dangerous enemy yet: Death-which-Comes-in-the-Night.

It is silent. It leaves no tracks. The only evidence that remains is the perfectly cleaned bones of its victims. And it has developed a taste for humans.

No one has survived an attack yet, and the natives of Storm's adopted planet, Arzor, are moving in on human territory as they try to escape the silent scourge. The already high tensions between Humans and Natives soar, sparking a race against time as Storm attempts to solve the mystery of Death-which-comes-in-the-Night before Humans and Natives clash.

But he can't do it without help from Tani, a genetic engineer from the Ark, a ship traveling space with genetic material from across the galaxy, including the destroyed Earth. But Tani has been poisoned against Beast Masters by her mother. She must conquer her own unreasoning hatred, and awaken the powerful Beast Master in herself, before she and Storm can conquer Death-which-Comes-in-the-Night and uncover the great conspiracy that threatens not only Arzor, but all human-occupied planets.

• Sales Rank: #1562497 in Books
• Brand: Brand: Tor Books
• Published on: 2002-06-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 8.66" h x 1.15" w x 5.50" l,
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

Features

• Used Book in Good Condition

From Publishers Weekly
On the planet Arzor, Terrans must not only win over the indigenous Nitri but face a common enemy, the mysterious Death by Night, which leaves only skeletons behind, in this long-awaited addition to the Beast Master series from SF Grand Master Norton and New Zealander McConchie. Earth itself is now only a memory, a charred cinder in space destroyed by the ruthless Xik invaders. The human survivors have populated other planets, and their travels on the Ark have the dull regularity of a daily commute. The Nitri accept 19-year-old Tani, the book's naive, winsome heroine, because she's of Cheyenne Indian stock on her father's side. Despite physical differences, the Cheyenne and the Nitri share much in terms of custom, speech and tradition. The Xik killed Tani's father, who as a Beast Master had an affinity with animals. Her Irish mother, however, had mistrusted such people and taught Tani to loathe them. Since Tani will one day become a Beast Master, she must overcome the prejudice instilled by her mother. Through her special understanding of animals, Tani gains the affections of a fierce, horse-like Duocorn, among other wondrous creatures. The plot proceeds at a leisurely pace as the authors dwell on tribal ways, but Tani and her animal companions take on the Death by Night in an exciting climax that should leave fans eager for the next installment.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
A mysterious killer, referred to as "Death-which-comes-in-the-night" by the planet Arzor's indigenous inhabitants, threatens to eradicate sentient life on the desertlike world. Beast Master Storm Hosteen discovers that the only chance of saving his adopted home lies with a young woman name Tani, who has learned to deny her own Beast Master heritage. Sf Grandmaster Norton and collaborator McConchie (Key to the Keplian) continue the story begun with the original Beast Master in 1959 with a saga of romance and self-discovery that should appeal to both adult and YA fans of sf adventure.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
This sequel to one of the all-time favorite Norton novels, Beast Master (1959), picks up its story about two years later. The alien Xik have made Earth uninhabitable, but the Ark is on its way out to Storm's home planet, Arzor. Storm hopes to secure mates for three of his beast team, but will he or they last long enough, in the face of a mysterious killer that threatens ecological, economic, and social catastrophe on Arzor? To complicate matters, arriving on the Ark is Tami, a beast-empath with personal demons to exorcise. Storm is up to his tush in another sort of beast--alligators--before he and Tami solve the mystery and pair off. Fitting well into the framework of Beast Master while incorporating the last 40 years' advances in genetics and biology, the yarn can be read with enjoyment without prior knowledge of its predecessor. Veteran Norton fans will notice that its style doesn't quite match that of a Norton solo performance but will enjoy it, anyway. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Most helpful customer reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
Problems with Creepy-crawlies
By Arthur W Jordin
Beast Master's Ark (2002) is the third SF novel in the Beast Master series, following Lord of Thunder. In this novel, the Arkship is trying to collect genes from every available Terran species. This collection started with unauthorized samples of species used by the Beast Master Command and expanded to include all Terran species. After the flaming of Terra by the Xiks, the Ark became an official instrument of the High Command.

Tani is the niece of Brion and Kady Carraldo, the couple running the Ark. She is the daughter of a Beast Master who died with his whole team on Trastor. Tani's mother went a little crazy after his death and she has told Tani that the High Command deliberately sent her father on a suicide mission. She also tells Tani that most Beast Masters send their beasts into combat without regard for their safety. Then her mother is killed by Xiks on Terra.

Tani has been working on the Ark for her aunt and uncle as a biogenetic technician, collecting gene samples and splicing gene sequences for various species. She is a good worker, but she still has an attitude toward Beast Masters. When an effort to obtain samples from one team on Fremlyn was mishandled and a beast died, Tani blamed the Beast Master rather than her uncle.

With this attitude of disdain and distrust for beast masters, Tani comes to Arzor to collect samples from the team of Hosteen Storm. While Hosteen had been scheduled to greet the Ark crew, a local rancher reports that something is killing his frawn and asks for help from the Beast Master and his team. Hosteen finds evidence of something eating both animals and men down to the skeleton. The natives are also suffering from its hunger and are totally mystified.

When he is not present at their arrival, Tani decides that Storm is being rude toward her aunt and uncle. However, she learns to like Brad Quade, Hosteen's stepfather. After Storm arrives and encounters Mandy, the paraowl, Tani reacts defensively and abruptly asks his business. Then she foists him off to Jarro, an unimaginative prig, who snubs the Beast Master and sends him on his way.

Although Tani continues to see Storm as an arrogant and self-centered man, Hosteen learns more about her and begins to treat her as a victim of war trauma. When the mobile lab vehicle arrives at the Quade ranch, Tani relaxes her defenses and spends much time with Logan Quade, Hosteen's half-brother. They go for long rides and Logan tells her about the Norbies and other aspects of Arzor.

Then Tani starts to have trouble sleeping. When her aunt gives her something to help her sleep, she has a full-blown nightmare. From her description, Hosteen suspects that she is picking up the feelings of both the victim and its killer.

Tani grows tired of being confined to bed and decides to go for a ride. She sees a young duocorn-bred filly in the corral and makes friends with the animal. The filly is entranced by the young women who displays no trace of fear. Tani presents the riding tack to the filly and then saddles her. Although the filly is slightly startled as Tani leaps into the saddle, Tani is a good rider and the filly is soon satisfied. They walk out of the corral and they speed up a little. Finally, Tani lets out a war whoop and they take off into the brush.

Tani, the filly, her coyotes and Mandy enjoy the ride and the subsequent meal. However, Tani drops off to sleep and wakes up too late to ride back; she doesn't want to chance riding the filly at night for fear of hidden holes and obstacles. They settle down for the night. The next day four Nitra warriors appear and Tani welcomes them to her camp.

No one has told Tani about the Nitras. Since she has been told that the natives are friendly, she treats them as such. They are impressed with her lack of fear and her respect for tradition; the leader tells the others to treat her with full courtesy. One young warrior, however, tries to ride the filly without permission and the filly kills him for his arrogance. The Nitra leader accepts the death as justified for the defiance of his orders and he invites Tani to accompany them back to his camp.

This novel is an action adventure, but is also a romance. Despite the poor start, Tani and Hosteen gradually develop a deep affection for each other. Of course, both doubt that the other reciprocates such feelings, but the intimate mental linkages soon resolve such doubts.

Highly recommended for Norton fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of high adventure, alien cultures and romance.

-Arthur W. Jordin

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful.
I Love It!
By Robert Thorbury
One of the very first Andre Norton titles I ever read, more than 25 years ago as a 7th grader, was a science fiction story titled "Lord of Thunder", featuring Beast Master Hosteen Storm and his furred or feathered companions Baku the eagle, Surra the dune cat and Hing the meerkat. It was set on a desert planet called Arzor peopled with a fascinating mixture of humans and horned natives called Norbies, along with their wilder, more formidable cousins the Nitra. I became hooked on Ms. Norton's writings, and have been a major fan of hers ever since. In fact, I just did an inventory of her books on my shelves, and counted exactly 100 of them. This includes "The Beast Master", the first of the Hosteen Storm series.

For those who do not know her work, Ms. Norton is positively legendary in the sci-fi/fantasy field. Born in 1912 as Alice Mary Norton, her first published work was (I think) in 1939. In those days, it was not considered proper for women to write science fiction, so she took on the pseudonym Andrew North and, later on, Andre Norton. Here we are now, some 64 years later, and she is still writing, at the age of 91. This in itself is most remarkable. True, her recent works tend to have co-authors, but this is true of younger writers as well. Anne McCaffrey, another of my favorites, comes immediately to mind.

Unlike some other reviewers on this page, I do not in any way believe Ms. Norton's mental abilities have declined one whit with age. With my brand-new paperback copy of "Beast Master's Ark" in hand, I began a marathon session, rereading the first two books of the series, then plunging directly into the new one. One thing that struck me at once was the stylistic continuity. I know Ms. Norton's voice very well, and it rang true. Co-author Lyn McConchie may have helped out, but I don't see how she could have done the bulk of the work. Not unless she's an excellent mimic.

Granted, given the forty years since "Lord of Thunder" came out, there have been some changes in the terminology used. None of the writers of the '50's and '60's, it seems, could have dreamed of the tremendous advances in computer technology and genetics which have developed in recent years. These, extrapolated into the future, play an important role in this new story. And "lasers" have replaced "slicers", but what of it?

One thing which has always struck me about Ms. Norton's work has been her emphasis on tolerance and harmony, both between the races of humanity and between humans and the other intelligent beings in the galaxy. She has to have been one of the very first writers in her field to delve into the (still very relevant today) themes of overcoming prejudices. Hosteen Storm is a full-blooded Navajo, and other major characters are also of Navajo or Cheyenne extraction. This plays an important role in all three of the "Beast Master" novels, as in how Native American spiritual values mesh with those of the Norbies. I cannot say for certain how accurate Ms. Norton's portrayal of these beliefs are; I can, however, say that she has always treated them with the utmost respect.

And what of Tani, the new female character introduced in "Beast Master's Ark"? I have no objections to her at all. She was completely believable and sympathetic. Both Storm and Tani have similar issues: they are in a sense incomplete. Both have their animal companions, but Storm has a problem: what to do about mates for Baku, Surra and Hing? Terra (Earth), their homeworld, has been fried to a cinder by the evil Xiks. Beast Masters have very close bonds with their companions. What will happen when these grow old and die, or meet with an untimely accident? This has happened already with Hing's mate, Ho. And Storm himself is a bit of a loner. Where will he find his counterpart?

Tani, on the other hand, is an orphan. Her father was a Cheyenne Beast Master, killed in the war against the Xiks, while her mother, of Irish extraction, driven past the bounds of sanity in her grief, has filled Tani with a hatred of all other Beast Masters, believing that they treat life callously, all too willing to throw it away for all the wrong reasons. Tani's aunt and uncle, master geneticists, have given her a home on the spaceship known as Beast Master's Ark, a vast, traveling repository of genetic material rescued from Earth just before its destruction. But they are absorbed in their work, and do not give her all the attention she needs.

Naturally, a crisis erupts on Arzor which will throw Storm and Tani together. Somehow they will have to overcome their differences, identify the nature of the inimical Death-Which-Comes-in-the-Night, and neutralize it. The idea for this ruthless killer, and the driving force behind it, is quite clever. But, as any veteran of 100 Andre Norton novels can testify, the ending in many ways is quite predictable. Still, it left me feeling good, and looking forward to the next installment in the series, "Beast Master's Circus".

In fact, I'm so taken by these characters that I may very well buy "Circus" in hardback, something I very seldom do.

My only regret is that the publishers haven't yet reissued the first two books of the series. For those who can't wait, there are always the used book stores.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
Teamwork, both with Animals and Co-Authors, Sometimes Works
By Patrick Shepherd
The first two volumes in this set, The Beast Master and Lord of Thunder, are some of the best of Norton's science fictional work. So it was with some trepidation that I picked up this sequel, written with a co-author and many years after the original two, as my experience with this type of thing has not been good. I was pleasantly surprised.
The story picks up almost immediately after the events of Lord of Thunder, with Hosteen, Brad, Logan, and Dumaroy still much in evidence. A new major character, Tani, is introduced, child of another Beast Master, but mainly raised by her gene-scientist aunt and uncle. Her father was killed during the Xik war, and her mother, believing his death was a product of high command malfeasance and most beast master's attitude of treating their teams merely as tools, inculcated in Tani a belief that beast masters were not good people and that animals should never be used for war purposes.
The Ark, a gene bank of just about every Terran species, was put together during the war as a fail safe to ensure that life forms were not permanently lost. Tani and her aunt and uncle bring the Ark to Azor, both to collect new gene specimens and to possibly create mates for Hosteen's animal team. But on Azor, a strange set of killings, both of animal life and Norbie/humans, has started to occur, seemingly originating out of the Deep Blue, causing some Nitra tribes to move into the area around Hosteen's ranch. This sets the stage for Tani to become deeply involved in the Norbie tribal culture, and for her to find and use her own beast master talents to combat the threat.
Tani is a well realized character, with enough background to allow understanding of her feelings and positions, who changes during the course of the action in a believable manner. Hosteen also shows some development, to a mature man who knows at least some of what he wants out of life. The plot is comparatively simple, but there are certainly enough thrill points and dramatic moments to hold your attention, and it is not just another re-hash of plot lines Norton has used many times in the past.
Thematically this work does not tread much new or deep ground. Those familiar with Norton's work will certainly recognize her themes of the sacredness of life balanced by practical necessity, of the need for honesty and the room to be distinct individuals, of the value of cultural heritage, of respecting the beliefs of others, and the sometime power of belief in the unseen. This is not necessarily bad, as profoundness of philosophical thought in this work would have worked against its basic nature of being an adventure tale, and the level provided still gives enough food for thought to be useful.
The ending was perhaps a little too pat, with certain relationships easily predictable, and the primary mystery's resolution too easy given the earlier books in this series background. Also, I found myself missing any real involvement of the ancient vanished alien race that created the Sealed Caves that was so prominent in the first two books.
Not as strong as the first two books in the set, but a very nice addition, and has helped restore my faith in sequels written with co-authors.
--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

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Ambrose Bierce didn't just write about the Civil War, he lived through it--on the battlefields and over the graves--and in doing so gave birth to a literary chronicle of men at war previously unseen in the American literary canon. The fact that some of these stories verged on the supernatural, others on factual reporting, and others on the fine line between humor and morbidity in no way detracts from their resonance to both the history of the war between the states and the imaginative historical literature in the tradition of Washington Irving.

Shadows of Blue & Gray collects all of Bierce's Civil War stories (twenty-seven in total) with six of his memoir pieces on his own experiences on the front lines.

This collection includes such classics as "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," "A Horseman in the Sky," "Parker Addison, Philosopher", and "A Bivouac of the Dead"; as well as lesser known stories and sketches such as "The Mockingbird" and "Two Military Executions" and memoirs of his experiences at Shiloh, Chickamauga, and Franklin.

• Sales Rank: #1967598 in Books
• Brand: Brand: Forge Books
• Published on: 2003-02-22
• Released on: 2003-02-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 8.50" h x .65" w x 5.50" l, .80 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 284 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780765302458
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

From Publishers Weekly
Thomsen is also the editor of Shadows of Blue & Gray: The Civil War Writings of Ambrose Bierce, which collects 27 stories along with some memoirs and reportage by the journalist, writer, literary critic and former Union Army soldier. Famous for their unflinching look at the brutality of the war, the pieces include "Two Military Executions," about the execution and revenge of a young soldier sentenced to death for striking an officer; "Bivouac of the Dead," the classic plea for the recognition of unknown Confederate soldiers in a West Virginia hillside; and "Four Days in Dixie," Bierce's account of his own imprisonment and escape from Confederates in Alabama.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
In calling Stephen Crane and Walt Whitman our poets of the American Civil War, we unfairly neglect the Ohio-born Bierce, who, unlike the first two authors, actually fought for the Union army, at Chicamauga, Missionary Ridge, Bloody Shiloh, and elsewhere. If the average reader is at all aware of Bierce, it is probably from a few choice definitions from The Devil's Dictionary, the phantasmagoric story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," and the author's mysterious disappearance in Mexico in 1913. However, Bierce, whose nastiness toward contemporary writers and critics came home to roost when his own reputation had to be decided, deserves to be better known. His war experience gives the 27 brief war stories in Shadows of Blue & Gray the ring of authenticity. In a sometimes turgid writing style (slaves are once described, for example, as "sons and daughters of Ham"), Bierce depicts a war that is at once horrifying, pointless, and supernatural the stuff of The Twilight Zone. The nine pieces in "Memoirs and Chronicles" and "Reminiscence and Memoria," with which editor Thomsen fittingly rounds out this volume, are as artful as the fictions. Recommended for all libraries. Despite the strengths of Thomsen's collection, Phantoms of a Blood-Stained Period is a superior work, for it includes not only all of Bierce's short fiction and nonfiction about the Civil War but a detailed 25-page introduction that is invaluable in placing Bierce in historical context and thus helping to explain his stance as a realist about the war and a satirist about post-Civil War American self-congratulation and heroic myth-making. Duncan (American history, Univ. of Copenhagen) and Klooster (English, Hope Coll.) wisely organize Bierce's myriad stories, memoirs, letters, newspaper columns, and even war poems around the war's five-year duration. Instead of a curmudgeon who happened to write war stories, this volume portrays a man who joined the Union army at age 20, fought in the bloodiest battles until a Confederate bullet in the head took him out of combat, and revisited the battlefields and retrieved the experience in memory until his disappearance. Highly recommended for all libraries. Charles C. Nash, Cottey Coll., Nevada, MO
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“Twenty-seven stories, along with some memoirs and reportage ... famous for their unflinching look at the brutality of war” ―Publishers Weekly

“The most important American writer who served as a combat soldier in the Civil War” ―Booklist

Most helpful customer reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful.
LEST WE FORGET, OR BE SWAYED BY THE HISTORY BOOKS�
By Larry L. Looney
It's easy to look back and view wars as things of glory - the history books tend to lead us in that direction by viewing the action from lofty heights, speaking in terms of armies and strategies and generals. The reality - as those who have `been there' know too well (and no, I'm not claiming to be a veteran) - is that the old adage is all too true: war is definitely hell, and we should never, ever forget that fact.
Ambrose Bierce is known today mainly through his fiction - many fine examples of which appear in this collection - and through THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY. He `might or might not' be the subject and/or inspiration for Carlos Fuentes' novel THE OLD GRINGO, also made into a film. His stories have a decidedly `creepy' feel to them - he was no Edgar Allan Poe, perhaps, but he was a talented writer nonetheless...and as not only the short stories, but also the non-fiction pieces collected here demonstrate, he was a careful and articulate observer. We are truly blessed that he chose to recount what he had seen, both in the form of short stories and memoirs. His disappearance in 1914 in Mexico has added to his mystique over the ensuing years.
The most famous of the short stories contained in this volume is undoubtedly `An occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge'. I remember reading it in high school (NO, I won't say how long ago that was...) - and it was filmed to great effect by director Roberto Enrico in 1962, and was subsequently aired in the US as an episode in the last season of THE TWILGHT ZONE on CBS. It won an Oscar in 1964 as Best Foreign Short Film. The story is a masterpiece of suspense - it's a great literary epitaph for Bierce.
Bierce served in the Civil War - he enlisted at its outset and saw quite a bit of action. He rose through the ranks to lieutenant and served on the staff of various high-ranking officers. It is his observations and experiences - and his empathy with the troops, the enlisted men, the common man - that lend such a value to his writings. Too much `Hollywood-izing' has been forced upon the truth - about the Civil War and almost everything the film industry touches. It's a treasure to have the pieces here to vividly remind us of what the experience was really like.
There is humor here as well - Bierce's wit was an acerbic sword, and he unsheathed it on the high and low alike, without sparing himself in the process. His characterizations of the generals under whom he served, as well as the enlisted soldiers, the post-war opportunists, and the intellectual crowd with whom he mingled both in the US and abroad, are rich indeed.
The language is understandably a bit archaic in places - but I found myself getting used to it pretty quickly. As a result, the book took me a bit longer to read than the contemporary fiction I normally favor - but it was definitely worth the time. I can recommend this collection to aficionados of fiction and history buffs alike - a great read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
About Time for this writer's orks to be published again!!
By Gregory J. Baumbach
I've read some three hundred books and reference books on the Civil War, but Ambrose Bierce's works always fascinated me for their gritty, and almost mystic qualities! The problem was, I only read about a half dozen of his works, mostly in summary books of several Civil War authors and stories. What this book presents is the complete works of Bierce, taken from his initial publication in 1909, but lost shortly afterward due to critical reviews by other writers who disdained his style. So if you haven't read this book, you've hardly touched the works of the actual Civil War Union soldier, who fought in the Western Theater of the War, and related how it looked to him, how it felt to him, and areas of supernatural thoughts that came to him over the tragedy of what he experienced!

Most of the works concern the Civil War, but some are from time periods afterward, and they all evoke the style that made his works so different than most other authors of the time! This is not a reference book by any means, but more like a diary of a highly influenced young soldier during the most trying period of his life.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
Chilling to the bone!
By Indiana Lee
Ambrose Bierce participated in many of the great Civil War battles. While I realise this book is written as fiction I would submit to the reader that it is fact. Ambrose has this gifted way of speach that brings to life the horrors he witness. You will shiver with goose bumps! You won't sleep with the lights out after reading his stories. No way!
I could not put this chilling book down. It was as if it was possess! Ambrose disappeared in 1914 a old man who walked into Mexico. Maybe he is still walking and telling these stories. I would like to think so.

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@ Download Dragon and Liberator: The Sixth Dragonback Adventure, by Timothy Zahn

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In this exciting space adventure, fourteen-year-old Jack Morgan and Draycos, a poet/warrior K'da dragon who can hide himself as a tattoo on Jack's back, have their backs to the wall. Brought together by a twist of fate, these two have been through a lot of scrapes, risking death and imprisonment on worlds far and wide, seeking justice for Jack and information that might save Draycos's people from a genocidal ambush. But now, Neverlin, the man who killed Jack's parents and destroyed the scout fleet of which Draycos was the sole survivor, is about to ambush millions of K'da refugees, and kill them with a Death weapon that kills any living being within its range. To prevent Neverlin from eradicating the K'da race, Jack and Draycos must somehow disable the Death.

But for Jack and Draycos, things never seem to go the way they should. When Jack's friend Alison is captured, Jack gives himself up to keep her from being harmed. Neverlin, with Jack and Draycos as his prisoners, holds all the cards. But desperate times call for desperate measures, as time is running out, not just for our young heroes, but also for the millions of K'da who face annihilation, and resourceful Jack and his remarkable ally will fine a way . . . or die trying.
 
A powerful, thrilling conclusion to this terrific Young Adult six-book series. Fun for readers 10 and older.

• Sales Rank: #1525943 in Books
• Brand: Starscape
• Published on: 2008-05-27
• Released on: 2008-05-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 7.48" h x 1.27" w x 5.86" l, .84 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 368 pages

Review
“Tim Zahn is a master of tactics and puts his own edge on complex hard-SF thrillers.” —Kevin J. Anderson
 
“Zahn has always managed to tell an enthralling story in the past, and this one is no exception.” —Science Fiction Chronicle on Dragon and Slave
 
“This is a great read whatever your age.” — Science Fiction Chronicle on Dragon and Soldier
 
“These are good, old-fashioned, SF thrillers aimed at teenagers but recommended to readers of all ages looking for a fast, suspenseful romp.” —Vector on the Dragonback Series

About the Author

Timothy Zahn is the Hugo Award–winning author of more than thirty SF novels, including the first five Dragonback novels, as well as Night Train to Rigel, The Third Lynx, and Blackcollar: The Judas Solution. He has also written the all-time bestselling Star Wars spinoff novel, Heir to the Empire, and other Star Wars novels, including the recent Allegiance. He lives in Oregon.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter One
One month.
The words echoed through Draycos’s mind as he lay in his two-dimensional form against Jack Morgan’s back, arms, and  legs. One month.
One month left until the refugee fleet carrying the remainder of his K’da people and their Shontine symbionts arrived here in the Orion Arm of the Milky Way galaxy. One month until their long,wearying journey would be over.
One month until they flew into the ambush that Arthur Neverlin and the Valahgua were preparing for them.
Or perhaps even less than that. After two years in hyperspace, they could easily be a week or two early for their rendezvous.
Draycos raised his head a little from Jack’s shoulder, his eyebrow ridges and spiny crest pressing up against the boy’s shirt. Through the windshield of the car Jack had borrowed from a used-vehicle lot, he could see the Brummgan town of Ponocce City laid out in front of them. Its ugly color scheme, thankfully, was shrouded by the darkness of night and the city’s mediocre streetlight system. Three miles straight ahead, its lights reflected against the low clouds, was the spaceport where some of the enemy forces were even now being gathered together.
Draycos swiveled his head around, lifting his eyes over the back of Jack’s shirt. Directly behind the car, rising over the low houses around it like a breaking ocean wave, was the tall ceramic wall that surrounded the Chookoock family estate.
There were some very unpleasant memories tied up with that wall and the evil people who hid behind it. Draycos could imagine how Jack must be feeling right now as the memories of his brief time as a Chookoock slave were forced back upon him.
Draycos? Jack’s thought flowed into the K’da’s mind along the strange telepathic link the two of them had somehow developed. You okay?
Yes, Draycos replied. Why do you ask?
You’re twitching your tail against the back of my knee, Jack told him. I thought maybe you were nervous.
Draycos hadn’t even realized he’d been doing that. My apologies, he said, bringing his tail to a halt.
No problem, Jack assured him. It tickled, that’s all.
In the distance behind them, Draycos caught a flicker of reflected streetlight from the gate set into the white wall. “The gate’s opening again,” he said aloud.
“Got it,” Jack said, picking up the portable sensor he’d brought from the Essenay and pressing it against the side window. “Geez, how many soldiers have they got in there, anyway?”
“Well, we’ve had around three hundred come through here, if that helps any,” Alison Kayna’s voice came from the comm clip attached to Jack’s left shirt collar.
“Yes, thank you, I can do basic math,” Jack growled. “You want to keep it down?”
“Relax—they can’t possibly hear me,” Alison said. Her tone managed somehow to be reassuring and sarcastic at the same time. “We’re all the way up at the top of the hangar on one of the loading-crane supports.”
“Good,” Jack said tartly. “Keep it down anyway.”
They’ll be all right, Draycos assured him.
I know, Jack said.
But the boy’s words couldn’t hide his tension. Especially since it was the same tension Draycos himself was feeling.
Because it should be him and Jack skulking around the Chookoock family’s main shuttle hangar. It should be him and Jack watching the Brummgan mercenaries gathering for transport to the ambush point. It shouldn’t be Alison and Taneem.
Especially not Taneem. The young female K’da was intelligent and likable, and she’d certainly shown herself willing to put herself at risk for Draycos and his people.
But she’d spent most of her life as little more than an animal. Her transformation to full, sentient being was less than two months old. She still needed more learning and experience before she would be ready for even a normal K’da life.
And the circumstances she and Alison were in right now were anything but normal.
Restlessly, Draycos lashed his tail. He should have put all four feet down right from the start and insisted that he and Jack take this part of the plan.
The problem was that Alison was just as stubborn as Draycos was. And, unfortunately, she’d also had logic on her side. She and Taneem had already successfully opened one of the K’da/Shontine safes, and that experience was worth more than any coaching that Alison could give Jack. Even Jack had admitted that. And to be fair, she had proved she was capable of handling herself.
But all the logic in the universe didn’t help. Draycos’s emotional core was still tied up in knots of frustration and concern.
“Here they come,” Jack said. “Looks like just three vans in this convoy. Uncle Virge?”
“Ready, Jack lad,” the voice of the Essenay’s computerized personality came from the comm clip.
The first van reached their position. Jack held the sensor steady against the window as it rolled past, followed closely by its two companions. “Okay,” he reported as the vehicles’ taillights continued down the dimly lit street. “Uncle Virge?”
“First one seems to be all personnel,” Uncle Virge said slowly as the computer sifted through the data Jack’s sensor had sent it. “Looks like our standard fifteen armed Brummgas.”
Draycos grimaced. Alison’s theory was that the Patri Chookoock’s role in this conspiracy was to supply Brummgan soldiers to crew the ships that would be attacking the K’da and Shontine refugees. Apparently, she’d been correct.
The Patri Chookoock was donating the soldiers and crews. Arthur Neverlin, once chairman of the board of the megacorporation Braxton Universis, was supplying the planning. Later,when the K’da and Shontine were all dead, he would probably also provide the marketing system they would use to sell the technology from the looted refugee ships. The Valahgua, deadly enemies from the K’da and Shontine’s own far distant part of the galaxy, were providing their horrible and unstoppable Death weapon.
That left only the attack ships themselves. Presumably, Colonel Maximus Frost of the Malison Ring mercenaries would be supplying those.
And all that the unsuspecting refugees had standing between them and genocide were Jack, Draycos,Alison, and Taneem. Two young humans, and two K’da.
And a single month of time.
“Bingo,” Uncle Virge’s voice cut into Draycos’s thoughts. “Second van has five armed Brummgas, plus one very big chunk of metal.”
Draycos felt Jack’s muscles tighten beneath him. “How big?” the boy asked.
“A little shorter than you and quite a bit wider,” Uncle Virge said. “And I’m getting an unknown on the particular alloy.”
“That’s it,” Alison said positively. “That’s the safe.”
Draycos lifted his head again to look at the vans’ retreating taillights. Each of his advance team’s four ships had had one of those safes aboard, a safe that had contained the location of their planned rendezvous with the incoming refugee fleet.
But Neverlin’s ambush of the team had killed all the K’da and Shontine except Draycos, leaving all four safes in his hands. Two had been wrecked when Neverlin’s men attempted to open hem. Alison, under threat to her life, had opened the third for them.
Three safes down. One still left.
And the final safe had at last been brought out from behind the protection of the white wall and was heading toward the hangar where Alison and Taneem were waiting.
“Don’t sound too eager,” Uncle Virge warned. “The third van has another fifteen Brummgas.”
“Not a problem,” Alison said. “I’ve got enough sopor mist canisters planted to blanket the whole hangar. I just need to make sure all three vans are inside before I trigger them.”
“Just make sure they don’t have gas masks on before you do it,” Jack warned.
“You want to walk me through it, just to make sure I do it right?” Alison asked tartly. “Relax, will you? I know what I’m doing.”
“I hope so,” Jack muttered as he set the sensor on the seat beside him and started the car.
They’ll be all right, Draycos reassured him as the boy pulled out into the Ponocce City traffic.We’ll be only a few minutes behind this last group. If there’s trouble, we’ll be in position to help.
Sure, Jack said. Help me watch for cops, will you? I’m going to see if I can get a little more speed out of this crate. There was a distant, muted thunk. Across the hangar from where Taneem and Alison crouched on the wide crane supports, the large doors on the north wall began to roll up. “This should be them,” Alison murmured.
Taneem didn’t answer. Her heart was beating rapidly, a cold sense of dread twisting like morning chill through her. Very soon now, the waiting would be over.
And she was terrified.
She’d been in dangerous situations before, certainly. Several of them, in fact. But never had she found herself facing the sheer numbers of Brummgas wandering restlessly around the hangar floor below them. There were twenty-three of the aliens—Taneem had counted them five times—all of them carrying guns and wearing thick body armor. If Uncle Virge was right, the vans outside those opening doors carried another thirty-five of the aliens.
“You all right?” Alison’s soft voice asked into her thoughts.
With an effort, Taneem lifted her silver eyes from all those guns and focused on Alison’s calm face. An odd thought ran through Taneem’s mind: a girl of Alison’s mere fourteen years had no business being so calm in the middle of this much danger. “Yes, I’m fine,” she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking.
“The waiting’s always the hardest part,” Alison told her. “But try to relax. If this goes down like it’s supposed to, neither of us will have to do any fighting.”
And if it doesn’t go down like it’s supposed to? Taneem wondered. But there was no point in bringing that up.
The doors below finished opening, and three vans pulled inside. They rolled past the milling Brummgas and pulled up behind the two shuttles waiting by the much larger doors at the south end of the hangar. There had been ten such shuttles when Taneem and Alison had first arrived, which had left the hangar in pairs as each group of new passengers arrived and was loaded aboard.
At first Taneem had hoped the shuttles might provide the answer to their problem. Alison had brought along the transmitting device that Colonel Frost had used to track the Essenay to Rho Scorvi, and Taneem had hoped she and Alison could plant it aboard one of the shuttles and find the refugee rendezvous point that way.
But Alison had explained that the shuttles would simply be taking the Brummgas to another ship or group of ships waiting out in deep space. Those ships would then continue on, while the shuttles returned to Brum-a-dum.
Across the hangar, the doors closed again with another thunk. On the floor below, the van doors opened and the Brummgan soldiers began filing out. “Okay,” Alison said, getting a grip on her remote trigger. “Here we go.” Flipping up the protective cover, she pressed the button.
Nothing happened.
“Alison?” Taneem asked anxiously, looking down at the Brummgas still filing out of their vans.
“It’s okay,” Alison assured her. “This is a Type Four sopor. Takes longer to start working, but also keeps them asleep longer after the mist dissipates.”
Taneem flicked her tail. Certainly Alison ought to know how her own weapons worked.
And then, all across the hangar, the Brummgas went limp and collapsed onto the floor.
“See?” Alison said as she pulled on her full-helmet gas mask and tossed a coil of rope over the edge of the track. “Here we go. Stay here until I call you.” Getting a grip on the rope, she rolled off the support and started sliding down.
Taneem watched her go, scratching her claws nervously against the metal of the track support. If the Brummgas down there were faking . . .
But no one moved or opened fire, and a few seconds later Alison was safely down. Drawing her small Corvine pistol from its holster, the girl dropped the backpack off her shoulder and pulled it open. “Clear,” her muffled voice came from the comm. clip fastened to Taneem’s ear. “I’ll get the MixStar started.”
Alison headed toward the middle van. Taneem watched her go, thinking about her MixStar safecracking computer. She’d seen the device in action, and it still amazed her that such a powerful device could be concealed inside a belt and a pair of shoes. Alison reached the van, peered into the open door, and disappeared inside.
“Taneem?” Draycos’s voice came softly. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Taneem assured him. “The sopor mist seems to have worked properly.”
“Keep an eye on the Brummgas anyway,” Draycos said. “Watch for twitching or movements like someone might make in their sleep. If you see anything like that, let us know immediately.” “They’ll be fine,” Alison said before Taneem could answer. “Okay, the MixStar’s running. I’ll go find a spot for the tracer.” She reappeared from the van and jogged over to the rear of the nearest shuttle, ducking beneath its engine section.
This was the part that Taneem still didn’t quite understand. The tracer would do them no good attached to the shuttle. Jack, Alison, and Draycos all knew that. So, presumably, would Colonel Frost.
Yet Alison seemed to think Frost might not think Jack and Alison knew that. She had tried to explain that Frost might therefore believe that was the reason why she and Taneem had invaded the hangar this way.
It would be simpler if they never knew Alison and Taneem had been here at all. But Taneem had to admit that was probably impossible. Not with the Brummgas having been put to sleep this way.
There was so much she still had to learn.
“Alison!” Jack’s voice snapped with sudden urgency in Taneem’s ear. “More traffic heading your way.”
“I thought Uncle Virge said there were only twenty-five vans on the Chookoock grounds,” Alison said.
“These aren’t vans, they’re cars,” Jack gritted out. “Four of them, loaded to the gills with humans.”
“And,” Draycos put in tautly, “Frost and Neverlin are among them.”
Excerpted from DRAGON AND LIBERATOR by Timothy Zahn.
Copyright © 2008 by Timothy Zahn.
Published in June 2008 by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
All rights reserved. This work is protected under copyright laws and reproduction is strictly prohibited. Permission to reproduce the material in any manner or medium must be secured from the Publisher.

Most helpful customer reviews

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Four Stars
By MoparCzy
Good conclusion to the series.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
exhilarating young adult science fiction saga
By A Customer
Fourteen-year-old space pilot Jack Morgan and poet-warrior Draycos continue their symbiotic quest to bring the human closure following the murders of his family and a way to save the K'da dragon's race from genocide. They have survived much, but neither feels they have made any meaningful progress towards achieving either stretch goal and time is running out at least for the K'da Dragons. Still they work together as Draycos hides as a tattoo on Jack's back.

Neverlin, the human killer of Jack's parents and the fleet in which Draycos was the only survivor, has obtained a Death machine. He plans to use it in conjunction with his allies to eradicate millions of K'da refugees. Only Jack and Draycos stand in his way, but what can a teen and a tattoo do to prevent the holocaust.

Although obviously similar in tone to the previous five books in this exhilarating young adult saga, the final Dragonback adventure is a great finish as the suspense grows to extraordinary levels with the heroes literally having their backs against the wall. The story line is faster than a K'da scout ship never slowing down with the readers wondering if the heroes are going to lose. Although targeting middle school, science fiction fans of all ages will appreciate this strong series as the dragon and human have battled against impossible odds in search of justice for themselves and others.

Harriet Klausner

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
Dragon and Liberator
By Tim Lasiuta
Dragon and liberator
The conclusion of any book series is to be celebrated. With Timothy Zahn, and the Dragonback saga, it is bittersweet. "Dragon and Liberator" not only concludes the saga satisfactorally, but also makes you realize how amazingly good an author he is.
"Dragon and Liberator" takes readers into the lives of Jack Morgan and his poet/warrior dragon, K'da directly into the cross hairs of Neverlin,the man who killed Jack's parents so many years before. Jack and Draycos weave and bob as their lives are endangered time and time again by a death weapon at the hands of a madman with a personal vendetta. Fans of the series previous 5 books, familiar with the plot lines, will experience `a ha' as threads are explained and concluded. The rapid pulse staccato style of Zahn keeps readers guessing and page turning right up to page 384.
If this is your first exposure to the Dragonback series, pick up the first 5, and sit by your favorite fireplace. Start at book one. By the time you reach "Dragon and Liberator", you will be appreciate an epic struggle for survival, revenge, and closure, and the work of a master author-craftsman.
[...]
Tim Lasiuta

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