Paperback, 315 pages
Published Feb. 3, 2023 by Faolan's Pen Publishing.
A failed attempt on the Mage-Queen An old friend from the gutter An enemy that should be dead…
When a kidnapping attempt on the Mage-Queen of Mars is thwarted by luck, leaving thousands dead in its wake, Prince-Chancellor Damien Montgomery returns to field operations one more time. The evidence leads to one place: Tau Ceti.
In Tau Ceti, Mage-Commander Roslyn Chambers finds herself without a posting as her teaching tour ends. Before she can take any kind of vacation, an old friend from her pre-Navy days shows up claiming to have information about the attempt on the Queen.
Montgomery is the Mage-Queen’s adoptive father and right hand man. Chambers is one of her few true friends. Neither will let the blood of innocents go unpunished.
Neither believes the traitors called Nemesis are dead – but finding them may cost more than either of them can pay!
I really had a great time with this book, and it was really a good one, very enjoyable, even after having read 12 other books in the same series back to back :) still it will be nice to explore something a bit different as well :)
Nemesis of Mars is properly the sequel of Mountain of Mars, as Damien Montgomery finally returns to star as the lead character. It picks up all the subplots that had quietly baked for four novels, mixes them up, and delivers an explosive mix of action and conspiracy that the Hand of the Mage-King is uniquely situated to solve. If you had any doubts that the success of this series was in large due to Damien's personality and attitude, this novel should put them to rest.
Despite my gushing praise, this novel also gives me grief, because after Beyond the Eyes of Mars, I resolved to stop comparing Roslyn Chambers novels to those led by Damien Montgomery. I felt it did her a disservice and the series had transitioned away from Warrior Judges to Space Ships. Sadly, this novel is about a Hand going to war, and like a …
Nemesis of Mars is properly the sequel of Mountain of Mars, as Damien Montgomery finally returns to star as the lead character. It picks up all the subplots that had quietly baked for four novels, mixes them up, and delivers an explosive mix of action and conspiracy that the Hand of the Mage-King is uniquely situated to solve. If you had any doubts that the success of this series was in large due to Damien's personality and attitude, this novel should put them to rest.
Despite my gushing praise, this novel also gives me grief, because after Beyond the Eyes of Mars, I resolved to stop comparing Roslyn Chambers novels to those led by Damien Montgomery. I felt it did her a disservice and the series had transitioned away from Warrior Judges to Space Ships. Sadly, this novel is about a Hand going to war, and like a messy breakup, this reminder will mean I'll likely miss Damien in the Roslyn-centric sequels.
Roslyn herself lampshades that she's playing second fiddle to Damien. It's not her fault, but this novel dramatically highlights how much better Starship's Mage is while Damien is around. When someone of his sheer power is around, the story rises to match. The action is fierce, our heroes are constantly reacting, the enemies are brilliant to the point that they're nearing Xanatos Gambit tropes, and the body count is sky-high. It's everything that has made Starship's Mage great.
Highly Recommended.
