Summer reading to me is Big Fat Books (500+ pages) and series that have been on my bookshelf for far too long. I’m going to start with a series called The Icarus Saga by prolific SF writer, Timothy Zahn (60 published novels and still going strong). It’s an odd series because Zahn wrote The Icarus Hunt in 1999 and then 20 years later, wrote six more novels in the series.
The Icarus Hunt is basically a chase novel. Starship pilot Jordon McKell is hired to deliver an unconventional craft to Earth. A crew of random hires join McKell in his travels, but at least one of them is a murderer. As the novel progresses, McKell learns what the secret of Icarus is and why so many groups and governments in the Galaxy want the ship he’s piloting.
I’m one of those guys that likes to read blurbs. Here’s one from The Icarus Plot (2022): “Take the espionage of John le Carre, the deduction of Sherlock Holmes, the twisty nature of The Sting, and you have The Icarus Plot.” (Upstream Reviews)
And the writer who wrote that blurb is right! Former bounty hunter Gregory Roarke and his partner Selene are hired by two men who claim they are searching for valuable planets. That turns out to be a ruse. What they are really seeking is a member of the Icarus crew from The Icarus Hunt. The Bad Guys are working for the Patth, aliens who monopolize The Talariac Drive which is fastest in the galaxy. But the Patth fear Icarus and its advanced technology threatens their hold on the interstellar trade. The Patth and their deadly minions are hunting for Icarus crew members so they can take control of Icarus and keep their power.
Roarke and Selene (who has super Olfactory powers) track down Tera, an Icarus crew member, but then double-cross the Patth. Little by little, Roarke and Selene learn the secrets of Icarus while being chased from planet to planet by the Patth who will stop at nothing to seize Icarus.
If you’re in the mood for fast-paced Summer Reading, I recommend The Icarus Saga. I’ll be reading the rest of the books in the series over the next few weeks. GRADE: B+ (for both)
THE ICARUS SAGA:
- 1 The Icarus Plot (2022)
- 2 The Icarus Twin (2023)
- 3 The Icarus Job (2024)
- 4 The Icarus Changeling (2024)
- 5 The Icarus Needle (2024)
- 6 The Icarus Coda (2025)
- The Icarus Hunt (1999)