Whereas the first book dealt with First Contact, this novel revolves around First Conflict. FIRE WITH FIRE set up a combustible scenario and with TRIAL BY FIRE Gannon doesn’t dally long before igniting the fuse to a potentially galaxy spanning conflagration. Wentworth.Īll this talk of science and diplomacy and a reader might suspect this book to be devoid of action and conflict. And then one most consider the multifaceted ways in which such races would communicate and interact with each other… it’s a daunting prospect, but I haven’t had this much fun reading about alien diplomacy since THE COURSE OF EMPIRE by Eric Flint and K.D.

Where a lesser author might consider writing one truly unique alien race a challenge Gannon tackles five simultaneously.

That is not the case with the Arat Kur, Hkh’Rkh, Dornani, Ktor, or Slaasriithi. Too often in science fiction you encounter aliens that act like simply reskinned humans. Gannon has created a variety of exosapient life that is alien, not just in appearance, but in psychology as well. Much as human/exosapient diplomacy was irresistible hook at the finale of FIRE WITH FIRE, diplomacy and realpolitik makes for some of the most exciting scenes of TRIAL BY FIRE. Science isn’t the only draw of this thoughtful thriller. In this way he is able to please the hard science crowd without alienating the more casual reader. Science was never one of my strengths but Gannon is one of those people smart enough to break it down into digestible pieces for the less inclined. This is a military science fiction novel that doesn’t shy away from science. As a follow-up, TRIAL BY FIRE ( Amazon) is no disappointment. FIRE WITH FIRE is a cerebral thriller – Caine makes his fair share of thrilling escapes – but the real draw to the story is the depth and intellectual complexity that Gannon brings to a First Contact scenario.

The first book in the Tales of the Terran Republic series would be right at home on a shelf amongst the hallowed Golden Age classics. Chuck Gannon’s FIRE WITH FIRE ( EBR Review) was easily the best science fiction novel I read in 2013.

Fire with fire charles gannon