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• Relic of Empire (Forbidden Borders)
W. Michael Gear

DAW, 1992 - 640 pages

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A sequel that surpasses its original! I enjoyed this even more than "Requiem for the Conquerer"...

It's been 14 years since I first read this book; the second installment in the Forbidden Borders trilogy by W. Michael Gear. Whereas the first book has dimmed somewhat with the passage of time, and the gaining of experience, I found "Relic" to be every bit as gripping and page-turning as I remembered it being when I was a teen back in the early 1990's.

A few of my gripes from the first book are still there, namely in that Gear takes certain liberties with the military world, and goes out of his way to render almost every lead female character in Playboy Playmate proportions.

But now that we've dispensed with the genesis of Sinklar Fist and the rise of his revolutionary, hybrid army from Targa, we can get down to the juicy business of politics within the Forbidden Borders.

When last we left the decrepit empires of Sassa and Rega, they were poised at eachothers' throats; having been essentially placed in that position prior to the conversion of the Lord Commander to Seddism at the hands of his former victim and current Seddi Magister, Kaylla Dawn. Staffa kar Therma must wrestle with his newfound conscience and the dilemma of the coming apocalypse, while at the same time relying on his former enemies, the Seddi, to supply Free Space with a new way of thinking, which will help break humanity out of the fascist trap which seems ready to doom them all.

The deliciously maniacal Illy Taka is using Fist, and everyone else she can get her hands on, to establish her permanent power base at the top of the Regan heirarchy, with the psychopathic clone Arta Fera as a personal attack dog for reaching out and touching Illy's enemies, including Staffa's number one soldier and lover, Skyla Lyma.

Sinklar Fist himself is like a fish out of water in Illy's political games, and old foes from the Old Guard of the Regan Imperial military threaten to derail Sink's desperate attempts to reform Rega's forces before the Sassans, or Staffa kar Therma, can seize Regan space with a concerted military strike. The question of his origins continues to plague, and an old friend surfaces amidst the confusion to both shock and enlighten Fist before he must come face to face with horrid betrayal.

In spite of this heady setup, there is not as much "military" to this military SF novel, when compared to the first installment. Far more than the first book, this one is a giant game of spying, lying, power brokering, and assassination. Much of the book centers on the machinations of the malevolent spook-turned-Empress, Illy Taka, and Gear does a good job building Illy into an enemy the reader loves to hate; as if the reader doesn't already hate her after "Requiem for the Conquerer."

Ben MacRuder also comes into his own as a major figure, now out from under Sinklar's shadow. The character depth of MacRuder is greatly expanded in this book, and he gets involved in a complicated love affair which could possibly rip apart his relationship with his best friend and commander, to say nothing of Staffa, who has taken a liking to MacRuder on account of their shared experiences on Targa at the end of the last book.

Whereas "Requiem" stocked the crock pot and turned on the heat, "Relic" brings the contents to a nice boil and sets up the whole of Free Space for the final, climactic events of "Countermeasures", the final volume in this three-volume series.

Lastly, the alien Mag Comm waits, and thinks. Mostly forgotten by the humans, who careen through this book on the knife-edge of disaster, the Mag Comm silently watches and listens, learning and growing. No longer sure of its allegience to the Others, whom the Mag Comm doesn't completely trust, the artificial intelligence is frustrated that it cannot reach out to rescue the humans from their self-created doom. If only events would transpire that might drive the humans back to the rubble of Makarta Mountain, to the gleaming gold headset which waits for a Seddi, or Staffa kar Therma, to close the mental circuit, and establish direct human/machine communication.

Hooked yet? Read the series!!


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Staffa now finds himself torn between duty and love...

A definite jewel in the deep voids of the SF world, Michael Gear has created yet another masterpiece. A coalesce of complex ideas: epistemology, mythology, philosophy. Michael Gear uses his masterful skills to create an artificial universe in which the Forbidden Borders trap Humanity, a synthetic gravity-well that has been placed by the "gods." Staffa starts to question whether or not these gods are real, and if it is possible to raze the walls that confine Humanity to only a few selected planets. However, Staffa quickly finds himself looking into the face of oblivion. Fixed between two warring empires, Staffa starts to wonder if death is the only option. A definite find, it will be enjoyed through all of the 626 pages. Bravo to Michael Gear, and his fine piece of literature. *Note: it would be best to read the first book, Requiem for the Conquer, as to the fact that many of the characters went through key and significant changes.


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 for more information click here


Staffa now finds himself torn between duty and love...

A definite jewel in the deep voids of the SF world, Michael Gear has created yet another masterpiece. A coalesce of complex ideas: epistemology, mythology, philosophy. Michael Gear uses his masterful skills to create an artificial universe in which the Forbidden Borders trap Humanity, a synthetic gravity-well that has been placed by the "gods." Staffa starts to question whether or not these gods are real, and if it is possible to raze the walls that confine Humanity to only a few selected planets. However, Staffa quickly finds himself looking into the face of oblivion. Fixed between two warring empires, Staffa starts to wonder if death is the only option. A definite find, it will be enjoyed through all of the 626 pages. Bravo to Michael Gear, and his fine piece of literature. *Note: it would be best to read the first book, Requiem for the Conquer, as to the fact that many of the characters went through key and significant changes.


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Second in the trilogy by the bestselling coauthor of People of the Masks

This stunning and complex novel continues the story of the ultimate general, the penultimate killing machine, searching for the son he's never known. But the son--now a general himself--is mobilizing forces for a preemptive strike...against his own father.

Praise for W. Michael Gear's novels:

"Galactic intrigue...highly recommended."--Library Journal

"Exhilarating high adventure." --Locus



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