Review: Kris Longknife

Kris Longknife: Intrepid by Mike Shepherd
Published October 2008 by Ace
Source: gift from Lemonitsa

At long last, Kris Longknife's dream of commanding a space warship has come true...in a way. The Wasp is the best warship beyond the rim of human space—actually, it's the only one—and the contract crew has its own captain. But Kris knows he'll do what she tells him when they run into trouble.

Sure enough, while hunting fo pirates beyond the Rim, Kris stumbles upon a plan to kill one of the members of the aristocratic Peterwald family. There is not love lost between the Peterwalds and the Longknives, but Kris cannot look the other way—especially when the would-be killers are setting her up as the assassin. Now Kris must lead her crew deep into Peterwald space to save a life and prevent a war between the influential families that could devastate what's left of humanity...

Kris Longknife: Undaunted by Mike Shepherd
Published October 2009 by Ace
Source: gift from Shaunesay

Kris Longknife encounters some peaceful aliens who have come to warn humanity of an unidentifiable force that is roaming the galaxy, obliterating everything in its path—a path now leading directly toward the human worlds.

 

My Thoughts

The Kris Longknife series is one that I started reading when the first books came out in 2004, but it's been 8 years since I read any of these military SF books. Having received two volumes as gifts in 2014, I was determined to resume reading and targeted this series as one that I intend to finish in 2015.

In Kris Longknife: Intrepid, Kris is in charge of a scientific and exploration mission—looking for pirates along the way. And she finds them. Arriving at the planet Pandemonium, she finds two ships in orbit and an invasion force on the ground. Kris and her Marines join forces with the residents of the planet to drive the invaders away.

Continuing the scientific and exploration mission from the previous episode, Kris comes face to face with an Iteeche envoy in Kris Longknife: Undaunted. This is the first contact between humans and Iteeche in the 80 years since a peace treaty—negotiated by her grandfather, now King Raymond I—was adopted. Demanding to speak with her grandfather, the ambassador boards Kris's ship for a trip to Wardhaven, the capital planet of the United Sentients Federation. A side trip to the planet Texarkana uncovers a band of dissidents determined to use force to bring about political change. Kris winds up in the middle.

I'm really enjoying this series. In fact, I've already purchased #9, Kris Longknife: Redoubtable and am about ½ way through it. Once I finish it, I'll probably take a short break from Kris Longknife for a week or so, but not too long as I'm simply having too much fun with Kris, computer Nelly, guard Jack, and rival Vicky Peterwald.

★★★★☆