Scattered Suns - by Kevin J. Anderson

This is book four in Kevin J. Anderson's excellent series, The Saga Of Seven Suns, and it continues to be a masterful piece of storytelling. It's a serious epic of space adventure and has it all - mysterious alien races, killer robots, space battles, the lost technology of a dead alien race, political manoevering, kidnapping, secret genetic breeding experiments, piracy and love affairs. If you're not familiar with the story, you can read a brief introduction to the series and the story so far in my post on book three, Horizon Storms.

Here's where we were when we left the story at the end of Horizon Storms…

• the Hydrogues had attacked and badly damaged the sentient worldtrees, the Verdani, on Theroc.
• the Faeros, the mysterious aliens that live in the heart of stars, have begun their own war with the Hydrogues.
• The sinister Klikiss robots are in league with the Hydrogues and have begun their own scheme to destroy both the human and Ildiran races.
  
• the EDF has built a fleet a rammer ship crewed by Klikiss robot controlled soldier compies.
• Jess Tamblyn has returned from his wanderings, in an amazing new shop and infused with the energy of yet another alien race, the Wentals, powerful water beings.
  
• the Ildiran Hyrillka Designate Rusa'h has started a rebellion against Jora'h, his nephew and the Ildiran Mage Imperator.
• the green priest, Nira Kali, has escaped her island prison on Dobro.
• Sullivan Gold has restarted skymining for ekti in the clouds of the gas giant Qronha 3, as have the Ildirans.
  
• the EDF has openly attacked the Roamer capital, Rendezvous.

Without giving too much away, here's a brief summary of Scattered Suns…

The gas-giant dwelling Hydrogues continue their war against the Faeros and humanity, destroying planets and extinguishing suns across the galactic arm in the process. The newly crowned Ildiran Mage Imperator Jora'h struggles with the knowledge of a bargain struck 10,000 years ago that could affect his people's survival against the Hydrogues while his treacherous uncle Rusa'h has begun extending his shiing fueled rebellion outwards from Hyrillka.

The Therons are rebuilding their shattered world with the help of the Roamer clans but expect another attack by the fearsome Hydrogue Warglobes soon and have begun sending their green priest out to spread the worldtree saplings to all the planets they can. Osira'h, Jora'h's half-breed daughter by Nira Kali is ready to present the Ildiran case for peace to the Hydrogues while the EDF continue to prosecute their offensive against the Roamers and are preparing to attack the Hydrogues with their soldier compy crewed rammers.

Meawhile, Anton Colicos discovers that the Klikiss robots are more than just the enigmatic servants of a lost race and the Klikiss robots continue with their plans to destroy all biological life and to free all friendly compies from their human bondage. Jess Tamblyn and the Roamers continue to spread the Wentals to water planets while his uncles make a discovery on Plumas, one that has serious implications for all of them.

Another thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining installment in what is definitely one of the best space operas written to date. Hopefully book five, Of Fire And Night, won't take too long to be released.

Genre: Science-Fiction
ISBN: 1-4165-0290-4
My Rating: 9/10