The Assassin Part 2

by

Part 1

The mission was a simple find and illuminate. The subject was a psychic who had taken the mantel of Sun Speaker. It was the head position of the Church of Sol, one of the largest religions in the Galaxy. Normally the Sun Speaker would stay on Venus in the grand temple but this one was a rebel who thought he knew better than a few thousand years of tradition.

According to the briefing, he’d recently managed to blow up a part of the Venusian royal family’s mother ship, and was suspected of kidnapping the Martian infant king. There had been civil war for the past year that the infant was missing. Mars, her home planet, was in shambles. The target had just recently separated from two of his ruffian bodyguards and their intel said that he’d be alone hiding.

While on the Venusian Mother Ship, he’d been tagged with a tracer and her ship was programmed to follow. For the millionth time she thanked the creators of the automatic piloting systems. The calculations for jumping inside the solar system were so complicated only a few geniuses and the Psionic Clans could pilot them properly over long distances. If and when she needed to disable a ship she’d pull out the AI and the piloting systems.

It was odd that the information didn’t include a picture. She had no idea what he looked like, but he had to be the only one on the ship. Her instruments told her he was hiding in orbit of Ceres. It would take a little under a half hour for her to get there. Plenty of time for a power nap.

With the guidance computer taking care of the flying she lay back in the only pilot seat and dozed off.

She wasn’t sleeping long when the ship said, “You have arrived at your destination.” The ship’s voice was male with a deep rich tone and a Mercurian accent. She usually preferred a female voice in her ship; it felt more natural, but this was a nice way to wake up.

The ship hadn’t woken her up early enough and was just above the target’s ship. The Sun Speaker’s ship was an interesting mix of old and new parts. It had obviously seen more action than it had been designed for. Her sensors said that it was running cold, which meant all systems were off except life support. If she hadn’t had the exact coordinates she’d never have found it.

She snorted as she saw the name of the ship painted in bright yellow along the hull. It looked like it had been painted by a child.

She landed her ship on a nearby asteroid and attached her helmet. Another great feature of the suit was its ability to double as a space suit.

Once she left the ship she couldn’t see it anymore on the asteroid its stealth mode was impressive. She used the small navigational thrusters on her suit and made her way to his ship. She landed gently onto the airlock and took a small device and placed it on the airlock. The device hacked his ship and made it turn off all alarms and open the first airlock door.

Once inside she left her helmet next to the porthole and stealthily moved towards the crew cabins. There was only one heat signature on the ship and it had to be the Sun-Speaker.

His quarters were open and she moved towards him. He was lying shirtless on the bed with his back facing the door. He was surprisingly well toned for a clergyman. If he wasn’t asleep and had been armed he might have offered a challenge, as it was he’d be dead quickly.

As she entered the room he spoke, “Hello Helena, or  can I call you Suzie?” His voice sounded tired. She’d been in enough hospitals to recognize the sound of someone who was weak and sick.

Read Next

Sacrificing table

by

What better way to celebrate Christmas than to look at a picture of the TARDIS on an ancient Egyptian sacrificing table! I got yelled at for taking this picture. Apparently we were supposed to know that this wasn’t a replica. Honestly, who doesn’t have 4000 year old art behind some sort of case or barrier? Got the picture, though!

DSC01335small

Merry Christmas everyone!

 

Mik Murdoch: The Power Within – Book Review

by

Hello,

I haven’t done a book review in a little while and I just read Mik Murdoch: The Power Within by Michell Plested.

I read the first book in the series Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero a year and a half ago and it was one of my favorite books of 2013. Here’s my review.

Below is my review. For more information on how and why I review books read my posts Part 1 and Part 2.

Mik2

Characters

I liked

In sequels, especially YA, I find that the characters can either change unrealistically or stagnate. (I call it 90’s sitcom syndrome. It’s where the character’s personality, reactions, and likes are completely overruled by the book or episode’s storyline.)

Not only does this book avoid it, but it has one of the most authentic character development I’ve seen in a long time. Mik is both clever and kind in a way that superheroes once were. He’s a true good guy and it’s nice to see the hero in him develop.

The secondary characters, like in the first book, make you want to learn more about them. Each had their own personality and I felt could have held up their own story or book.

I didn’t like

There was only one character that didn’t seem right to me and that was the doctor. He seemed overly obsessed and unreasonable. I suppose he acted as a foil for Mik’s constant big heart but I would have liked more of a discussion on ethics between him and one of the other characters.

For characters, I give it 5 out of 5

Writing Style

I liked

Plested’s style has improved. He’s able to stretch out character interaction and mental thoughts into beautiful structure.

I envy his ability to write characters so believably. Again I applaud the fact that Mik never speaks in a lower vocabulary and the book, while not a challenge to read, doesn’t use dumbed down language.

The story also stayed grounded in the life of a young boy instead of suddenly turning him into an action hero. Something that is always tempting to do but rarely pays off if done too quickly.

I didn’t like

This was a story or episode or comic arc that a lot of comic like to use. It’s the one where the hero goes away from his life in order to learn his new powers. That’s fun, but it means the rich characters and places we meet and grow to love are now gone.

I give it 4 out of 5.

Story

I liked

The story was structured perfectly as a bridge between Mik without powers and Mik kicking butt with powers. It is a transitional story and lays hints and foreshadowing for future books.

While the first one felt like he was writing a bunch of short stories or planned comic books, this one feels like he’s written a detailed plan on where the story is going. I only hope that it’s going to keep going for a lot more books.

I didn’t like

I can’t fault the author but I would have liked more. More discussion about the ethics of capturing a creature for study, more information about the animal’s ties to the land, and maybe a little more “hypothetical” conversations where he works ideas out with his parents.

I give the story 4 out of 5

Fun

I liked

This book was fun from beginning to end.

I didn’t like

I would have liked more, but I can wait for the next one. Having to wait sucks but I would be sad if the series didn’t continue.

I give it 5 out of 5 for fun

Overall

This is a wonderful sequel and a great transition.

I would highly recommend this book, and series, to anyone who enjoys superhero, YA, or good storytelling.

I look forward to more!

Final score is 90%

Christmas Cookies

by

I have been tagged by my husband for Linda Poitevin’s virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange. Looks like the Doctor is trying to steal a cookie!

IMG_20141219_212902small

Brown Sugar Cookies

  • 1 cup Butter or margarine, softened
  • 1 cup Brown sugar, packed
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
  • 2 cups All-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp Baking soda
  • 1/8 tsp Salt

Cream butter and sugar together well. Beat in egg and vanilla.

Stir flour, baking soda, and salt together and add. Mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake in 350F oven for 6 to 8 minutes until not squishy. Makes 4 dozen.

VirtualCookie-Exchange-Blog-Hop-1