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Book Review: Series – Central Galactic Concordance (1-3)
Book Cover from Amazon
Overload Flux (Central Galactic Concordance #1) by Carol Van Natta
Minder Rising (Central Galactic Concordance #2) by Carol Van Natta
Zero Flux (Central Galactic Concordance #2.5) by Carol Van Natta
Pico’s Crush (Central Galactic Concordance #3) by Carol Van Natta
SERIES REVIEW
A rousing combination of science fiction space opera and romance, Central Galactic Concordance has a bit of everything without burying the flavors. In addition, many of the characters have diverse racial and ethnic traits, something Ms. Van Natta strives for. This series is a hidden gem, and should especially appeal to fans of Sharon Lee and Steve Millers Liaden Universe. Each of the books within the series works well as a stand-alone.
Book Cover from Amazon
Overload Flux (Central Galactic Concordance #1) by Carol Van Natta
BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON
Two loners fighting to stay alive discover they must now save the galaxy.
The only vaccine for a deadly galaxy-wide pandemic is missing … and the only ones who may be able to find it are a powerful talent on the verge of a meltdown, and a security specialist hiding her extraordinary skills in a menial job.
Brilliant investigator Luka Foxe must act fast if he’s going to save the civilized planets of the Central Galactic Concordance. For as a pandemic sweeps across the galaxy, someone is stealing the vaccine. To make matters worse, Luka’s hidden mental talents are out of control, leaving him barely able to function in the midst of violence and a rising body count. The convoluted trail leads to a corrupt pharma industry and the possibility of an illegal, planet-sized laboratory. In the face of increasing threats, he must rely on an enigmatic, lethal woman who has secrets of her own.
Mairwen Morganthur hides extraordinary skills under the guise of a dull night-shift guard. The last thing she wants is to provide personal security for a nova-hot investigator, or to be plunged into a murky case involving sabotage, treachery, and the military covert operations division that would love to discover she’s still alive. Worse, she knows that two more deaths won’t bother their enemies one bit. Their only hope for survival is to share their darkest secrets. With everything in their universe at stake, can they learn to trust one another?
MY REVIEW
A Science Fiction Romance combined with Police Procedural, and the first book of the ongoing Central Galactic Concordance series made up of stand-alone stories, some concentrating on romance and some concentrating on the police procedural. The series is at four manuscripts at this time of this review and growing – three novels and one novella.
The books has a solid mix of the typical well-loved tropes of Sci-Fi and Romance. Two damaged people not looking for love but finding love which may heal them. Bonus – The love interest couple never had a moment of “should I share my feelings” angst or a moment of staged arguing to keep them apart – the circumstances of the book provide enough barriers the author does not go with the very annoying brainless high-school angst in full grown adults. This is not an instant love romance but a slow discovery with the investigation into a murder taking the primary stage. In addition, both of the adults are intelligent but have different forms of intelligence to support each other in the Police Procedural part of the story.
Other tropes include one of the romantic leads having military background, an interstellar conspiracy which will continue to unfold as the series continues, and one of my favorite tropes of psychic powers (with unique worldbuilding in how this universe deals with and uses those blessed/cursed with the powers). About halfway through the book, another beautiful sci-fi trope is added with a trip in a space ship – both the combination of the long boring travel between the stars where the romance has a chance to grow further and then the flaming reentry to the next portion of the dangerous investigation into murders on the new planet.
Ms. Van Natta has taken a lot of the typical stuff we all love about science fiction, romance, and murder mysteries, and blended it well to create a new universe for what is a promising series based on the debut novel.
Book Cover from Amazon
Minder Rising (Central Galactic Concordance #2) by Carol Van Natta
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A covert agent asked to train a prodigy telepath discovers he must first keep the boy and his mother alive in a gleaming city full of danger.
An injured agent on the galactic capital planet must evade whoever is killing off his covert interrogations unit and make an impossible choice–save his own skin, or save an innocent woman and her prodigy son. Can he discover who is subverting the mission of the Citizen Protection Service, before they fulfill their dark plans?
A millennium into the future, the Citizen Protection Service tests all children for minder talents, and recruits the best. Injured agent Lièrén Sòng is recovering from a near-fatal crash in Spires, the gleaming capital city of the galaxy. He should be preparing to return to interrogating criminals for the Citizen Protection Service, but he’s made unexpected friends with a woman and her son. The boy has strong telepathic talents similar to Lièrén’s, and his attractive mother makes Lièrén long for the stability of family.
Imara Sesay works hard as a road crew chief in Spires and part-time bartender to provide for her son Derrit. For him, she even breaks her ironclad rule never to get close to a customer, when she trusts Lièrén to teach her son how to control his growing telepathic talents.
However, new fatalities in his covert unit make Lièrén suspect he isn’t a lucky survivor, he’s a loose end. He should pull away from Imara and Derrit to keep them safe. But when the local CPS Testing Center shows a more than usual interest in the boy, Lièrén must make an impossible choice–protect the boy, or run for his own life. Can he stay alive long enough to save Imara and her prodigy son?
MY REVIEW
A science fiction romance with political thriller mix in. The romance takes time to develop (no Instalove here) – the hero is recovering from a major injury and is staying at a hotel until he recovers enough for his next assignment, and the heroine does not do transients for love interests because of her son. It takes forever for their first kiss, but the wait of this sweet romance is worth it.
While waiting for the romance to develop, the political thriller sci-fi plot holds center stage. The second book of the Central Galactic Concordance, Minder Rising works great as a stand-alone. With very little overlap with the first book, Overload Flux, the story introduces an entirely new group of characters giving a reader a new place to stand while looking at the political issues within the Concordance universe.
I really love and identify with the hero Lieren because of his naivety and trust. He believes the best about the universe and it has bit him. I hope we see more of him as he recovers from having the blinders removed from his eyes. He is a hero worth meeting.
And the heroine is awesome as a single mother working two jobs – one at a hotel bar and the second as a construction gang leader. The description of the see-through walkways and roads for the crystal capital city (tourist attraction) which she works on as part of the road construction crew set this firmly in the sci-fi area while also grounding the fantastic with a dose of reality.
Diversification – Hero is Asian descent and Heroine is African descent (sci-fi situation).
Book Cover from Amazon
Zero Flux (Central Galactic Concordance #2.5) by Carol Van Natta
BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON
A couple investigating murder on a cold planet discovers their first challenge is staying alive. Forensic investigator Luka Foxe has begun a new life with Mairwen Morganthur (Overload Flux), and left his troubled past far behind. Only a plea from his old friend and mentor can lure him back to investigate a violent crime scene frozen in an ice cave. Unfortunately, Luka’s old friend knows far more than he’s telling, which could get them all killed, even with security specialist Mairwen on their side.
An unexpected ice fall reveals a hidden lab buried deep in a mountain and the find of a lifetime. Now someone is trying to make sure those secrets stay frozen in time, even if it means more deaths …
Hang on for a space opera murder mystery in the far reaches of deep space.
MY REVIEW
The novelette, Zero Flux, from the Central Galactic Concordance series revisits the characters introduced in Overload Flux. I think the novelette works as a stand-alone, but since I read this book the day after I finished Overload Flux I can’t really judge.
A science fiction police procedural with some action-adventure on the side and a breath of romance (our main characters are still deeply in love).
This time the murder mystery centers around a cold case – literally and figuratively – the murder happened over 20 years ago and has been frozen in-situ thanks to the ice planet. Several red herrings keep the reader guessing as the story unfolds, combine nicely with the danger of working in the ice and snow. Winter doesn’t like its frozen vignette being investigated and dumps several additional challenges on our hero and heroine; the cold is only the beginning.
Ms. Van Natta is doing a good job of slowly introducing readers to the Concordance universe; the worldbuilding is getting better each manuscript.
Book Cover from Amazon
Pico’s Crush (Central Galactic Concordance #3) by Carol Van Natta
BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON
Trouble comes to paradise when a serial killer chooses a galaxy-famous college campus for his hunting ground. A galactic security specialist expects a quiet vacation visit to his daughter’s college campus. Instead he finds himself in battling for the safety of the students, with old friends and an ex-military squad-mate fighting at his side. Can they find a cunning serial killer before he finds his next target?
When ex-military sniper and current personal security specialist Jerzi Adams visits his daughter Pico’s quiet college on the paradise-like planet of Nila Marbela, he doesn’t expect emergency evacuations and rogue robots. Nor does he expect to renew a friendship with former squad-mate.
Explosions, sabotage, and assaults used to be Andra De Luna’s daily routine, but she gave it up for a professorship at a prestigious university. Now she’s flung back into that world, with an entire floating campus of students to protect.
When the hunt for a cunning serial killer leads Jerzi’s old friends Luka and Mairwen (Overload Flux) to town, there’s trouble in paradise as the body count starts to rise. Either the world of academia has gone from merely cutthroat to downright deadly, or more sinister forces are in conflict, with the campus as a battleground. Without an improvised miracle or two, no one’s going to make it out alive.
MY REVIEW
The third novel (with a side trip of a novellette as 2.5) in the Central Galactic Concordance has two romances – one older couple and one younger couple, plus both couples from the previous novels of the series. While this book could work as a standalone, I found the multiple story threads hard enough to follow knowing the complete background.
I think Ms. Van Natta bit off a little more than her present authorship skill set allowed her to work. The battle scene focuses in on each of our various characters at least once – so the battle jumps around between the seven main characters plus one of the villains. Also several minor characters are tracked, though their POV is not used. A very ambitious attempt by Ms. Natta and comes just shy of actually pulling it off seamlessly – the seam definitely shows on this one. It’s still worth buying the story even with the clunky – because she keeps the battle action constantly moving.
On the plus side, the series has had four couples and I love the fact all of the characters are different people. Even with the massive battle scene, each character’s strength and weaknesses are used. Ms. Van Natta uses each character well. Even better, some of the couples have the female be the strong, military member of the couple with the male being the thinker, and other couples have the male being the protector and the woman being the brain. And for every romance in the Concordance Universe, even with the psychic powers, we get to see the romance develop – no Instalove.
Oh and I *love* the practical engineering class and the related projects … plus the real world applications during the battle. This added bit perfectly brings the science fiction to the fantastic forefront while simultaneously grounds the story in reality.
I look forward to reading more of Ms. Van Natta’s Concordance Universe. Each book has been a different emphasis, a different romance, and another slow reveal of the worldbuilding in the Universe.
Flash: Be Ninja Part Two – First Attempt
Photo by Chris Moore on Unsplash
Stuck between brainiac money boy Able Bykowski and druggie Cooper don’t-call-me-by-my-first-name-or-I’ll-hit-you did not promise a good start to this assembly, but what are you going to do during Ms. Niederhauser’s and her OCD everything in alphabetical order English class when your name is Carnegie? At least the freshman and sophomores had finished sitting. We would be next loading into the all-purpose room bleachers; I saw the Seniors start forming ranks on the other set of doors into the large area. They would be last in and first out.
Vice Principal Hargraves managed to get the first two classes properly loaded into the seating section across where the freshman sat neatly at attention. Then chaos started as the jocks, money, brains, and all the other cliques started self-sorting. When I got in, I walked up the metal seats to the top where theatre grabbed space. We are really bad at being in audiences, especially for the bi-annual Be Swell and Tell assemblies. The announcement had only been to report to assembly, but it’s the first week back from winter holidays, and only the BSAT assemblies aren’t announced in advanced.
Once firmly ensconced at the highest spot with my techies pals, I surveyed the large room, watching as the sophomores finally got the clue that the teachers were not in charge and started shifting around. One or two tried to keep order, but for the most part they just made sure mayhem remained at low levels. I noticed Cooper slipping through the seats to the open area underneath to join his group. He really needed to be more careful, at some point he will be too noticeable not to report.
I kicked myself for like the millionth time for pulling that Ninja trick while working pizza during break. If someone noticed and reported, but it didn’t happen, but it could have. I gripped the metal seat either side of me, then relaxed my fingers before I dented something. I breathed in and out.
Romeo dropped down beside me as the Seniors came up. His real name is Liam, but he is the best actor in the school. Grabbed the Romeo role as a freshman, transferring in from homeschooling. Brains, money, jock, and theatre. He was the whole package. Actors do hang with the tech, but they are the row under us, not beside. I raise an eyebrow.
“Hey Aster, right?” His voice could paint the walls in layers when on stage.
I nodded, well past the crushing stage with him, unlike everyone else in the school. My job has been for the last two and a half years to keep him in the light, and the boy likes to chew scenery. He moved constantly. Too many nights getting mark after mark straight. He’s easy to look at, but when you have to come back to school after working delivery, the awe factor wears away.
“You know Sophia, right?”
I glanced across at the sophomore area, where the theatre group managed to tuck themselves into the ledge beside the (score light area – need word). Sophia’s black hair was wrapped into two braids around her head like a crown. “Yeah, she does sound.”
“Do you know if she is, like, dating anyone?”
I did a double-take. Romeo didn’t date, not with his schedule. On top of being in the top five students, and lettering in three different sports, and being in theatre, he also had at least two service gigs to look good on his college forms. “Um, I think her parents are very religious and not letting her date yet. I think I remember her complaining about that.”
His shoulders fell.
“You interested? I mean, tech finds a way.” It’s a saying we have, props, sets, lights, sound, costume. If the play or musical needs it, we will find it.
“Well, maybe, not really.” He looked to where the principal and vice principals were gathering by one door. The assembly would be starting soon. “Mom said I need to go to the prom and I should go with someone I won’t be embarrassed to be in a picture with. Someone that has a future.”
Someone not a cheerleader, which would be the first option, or an actress, the second option, of Senior girls he would be rubbing elbows with. His parents were pieces of work.
Sophia’s father was Representative Ricci, and her mother was the chair of the City Council. Her grandparents had a park and a downtown building named after them. Her future was wrapped and bow-tied. Thing is she is also a nice girl and a hard worker. I wanted to hate her a little, my future including questions like if the parents will make rent this month, but I couldn’t. Luck of the draw, you know?
(words 796 – first published 9/18/2022)
Other Cool Blogs: Magical Words 1/16/2012 and 3/26/2012
Ambition and Tenacity
Half of the year gone and not having half the goals met. Is that because the goals were too ambitious or my inner drive not tenacious enough?
What ambitions did you start the year with and what have you reached? Do you need a new set or to retool the old? Or just turbo charge that old tenacity?
When thinking about your goals, you might want to read the Magical Words – “On Writing: The Value of Ambition” by David B. Coe. It can be found here:
He mentions three ambitions:
- Material Ambitions – For me, this would be publication credits and sales numbers. Things I have no control over other than production.
- Output Ambitions – Which leads to Word Count, Complete Stories, and Anthology Submissions. To get #1, I have to meet #2.
- Creative Ambitions – How do I want to push myself as a writer?
In 2019, I started my patreon page at the beginning of the year (https://www.patreon.com/ErinPenn) and an Editing Rant Vlog (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4qqZ3dYm_OlXfecgzWRi1g) at the end of the year. One related to my material ambitions and the other related to my creative ambitions of exploring the video and sound field. In 2020, my goals include completing a novel and 500 words per day every day – both output ambitions.
I think I am ambitious enough, but am I tenacious enough for my ambitions?
Mr Coe covered that in “The Writing Life: The Value of Tenacity”:
The tenancies covered include:
- Day-to-Day Tenacity – That 500 words per day, or one hour, or every weekend or whatever it takes.
- Project Tenacity – Finishing that thing.
- Market Tenacity – Selling that finished thing somewhere.
- Career Tenacity – Finishing the next thing, and the next, and sell, and sell. Repeat.
For me, I think Project Tenacity is my major downfall. Between fighting the Oo-shiny syndrome and my mixed-up schedule forcing me to take a break a week at a time sometimes (or four months during tax season), once the “right now” issue settles and I reach to pick up an ongoing project, I rarely reach for exactly what I was working on before.
The dreaded “meeting week” being the worst offender. The second week of the each month I have a meeting Monday night, Tuesday night, Wednesday night, and Thursday night. I get NOTHING done this week other than meeting prep and meeting cleanup. I collapse over the weekend (if it isn’t filled with a convention or other obligation) and try to restart the fires of ambition as soon as I can. I need to work faster so everything is completed in three weeks or figure out how to integrate the Meeting Week into an ebb-and-flow.
WRITING EXERCISE: Review this year’s goals. What have you been able to do and why? What has been a barrier? Should the goals be changed?
Medieval Blue Ink and Shipping Costs
Photo by Max Tcvetkov on Unsplash
Modern paint and ink, made from synthetic dyes, fades and chips. How did medieval manuscript illuminations last centuries?
Scientists are working on that and think they have solved one of the mysteries.
“The Mystery of a Medieval Blue Ink Has Been Solved.” by Isaac Schultz. Atlas Obscura. 2020 April 17. (last viewed)
Another little tidbit dropped in here is how medieval times SHIPPED ink. They super-dyed some cloth and shipped the ink and dye that way. I always thought they shipped the plants/materials and people in various parts of the world would make the inks there, but this way makes so much more sense. Concentrated, so shipping is more cost effective. The importers don’t need any special technology, just a bucket of water. Of course they shipped it by dyed linen.