The Risks of Dead Reckoning

by Felicia Watson

Overview

Sequel to the award-winning We Have Met the Enemy and Spooky Action at a Distance.

Naiche Decker is engaged! And no one is more surprised by it than her. But first, she has one more mission. The Lovelace is ordered to respond to a distress call from unexplored space, and from a crew who all died 200 years ago. What they find is not only amazing, but potentially lethal. If Lt. Decker is going to make it down the aisle, she will have to survive the dangers of planet Tolu first.

Reviews:
“...this all has a strong Trek vibe, somewhere between TNG and Voyager, with a likable cast (and a dog) in the mix. The Apache influence in the main character adds an interesting layer and all in all it’s a fun read.” — Ernest Lilley, Amazing Stories

“Readers who like their sci-fi romances embedded in action and intrigue will find The Risks of Dead Reckoning cultivates a different brand of attraction that will keep women readers, especially, engrossed and involved.” — D. Donovan, Midwest Book Review

“It’s a wild, fun ride and I’m very glad to have had a seat” — Leila Taylor, Buried under Books

About the Author
Felicia Watson started writing stories as soon as they handed her a pencil in first grade. When not writing, Felicia spends her time with her darling dogs, her beloved husband, being an amateur pastry chef, and still finds time for her day job as a scientist.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940164759575
Publisher:	DX Varos Publishing
Publication date:	03/16/2021
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	410 KB

Editorial Reviews

"...this all has a strong Trek vibe, somewhere between TNG and Voyager, with a likable cast (and a dog) in the mix. The Apache influence in the main character adds an interesting layer and all in all it's a fun read." - Ernest Lilley, Amazing Stories

"Readers who like their sci-fi romances embedded in action and intrigue will find The Risks of Dead Reckoning cultivates a different brand of attraction that will keep women readers, especially, engrossed and involved." - D. Donovan, Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher

2021-04-16
A starship’s crew responds to a curious distress signal coming from unknown space in this third installment of an SF series.

Lt. Naiche Decker of the Lovelace is used to serving on the same starship as her father, but now her boyfriend, Lt. Cmdr. Talako Jacoway, is aboard as well. There are plenty of upsides to having Tal around, but it’s also led Decker to think seriously about the sort of future she wants after her service in the Uniterrae Defense Corps ends. Before she has time to come to any decisions, the Lovelacereceives a very peculiar distress call from the generational starship Valiant. What’s so strange? The entire crew of the Valiantis known to have perished in an accident 200 years earlier, for one. For another, the technology transmitting the call is far beyond anything humans are aware of. For a third, the call doesn’t appear to have been meant for human ears. “Well, that does pose a question, Captain,” voices one of the ship’s officers. “Do we make the prudent move of heading directly home…or go chasing after this…ghost?” Wary of a trap but excited by the opportunity to make contact with a new alien species, the captain and crew of the Lovelaceproceed to the source of the transmission. They head to the previously unknown moon of Tolu, where they find, among other things, the survivors and descendants of the Valiant crew—very out of touch with the situation in the rest of the galaxy—and a species of ship-sized, acid-spewing birds. The stranded humans share the moon with several groups of unfriendly aliens, but the real mystery is the so-called Lignatians: an advanced species that has provided the survivors of the Valiant with its technology. The fate of those survivors—and now the Lovelacecrew—may rest in Lignatian hands.Watson’s prose is filled with vivid worldbuilding details while still managing to feel urgent and punchy: “Decker nearly started to laugh, on the edge of hysteria, when at that moment, Lindstrom attempted to hail them. She ignored her comm-link and put a protective hand on Con’s unconscious body. Naiche used her most menacing tone to warn, ‘I am taking my friend to our ship. If you try to stop me—I will kill you all. I swear I will.’ ” Though the book is preceded by two others, the story is self-contained enough for those new to the series to hit the ground running. Decker is a matter-of-fact protagonist: an adrenaline junky, she’s easily bored, quick to jump into action, and loyal to her friends. The crew of the Lovelaceis large and filled with colorful, complementary personalities, including a dog, Corpsman Kayatennae, whose barks sometimes scare away alien beasts. The tale is thoroughly in the tradition of Star Trek, both in its tone and its value, and fans of that franchise will enjoy Watson’s Roddenberrian world. Despite the premise, the novel never gets too dark or too mysterious—to the disappointment, perhaps, of some readers—but the plot is propulsive and well paced. The result is pure space opera, nothing more or less.

A richly imagined and immersive starship tale.

Kirkus Reviews