Some Golden Harbor (RCN Series #5) Book

The tyrannical Alliance continues its war against the Republic of Cinnabar, and Daniel Leary, newly promoted to Commander, and his crew have a new mission: Stop Dunbar’s World from falling to an invasion by the planet Pellegrino. Nataniel Arruns, son of the dictator of Pellegrino, has landed with a large contingent, intending to set himself up as the ruling warlord, with the planet’s population becoming workers—serfs—of the Pellegrinian overlords. And Dunbar’s world has no more than their local police force to oppose him.

Leary again commands the corvette Princess Cecile, but on this mission her missile tubes are empty. Only one man is in a position to aid Leary, but the rich and powerful would rather see him fail than succeed in stopping the invasion. Leary must somehow overcome a large entrenched force on an island defended by powerful plasma cannon and shipkilling missiles and backed up by a heavily armed warship in orbit, all while commanding only a small and virtually unarmed spacecraft.

But Leary again has the help of Signals Officer Adele Mundy, who can make computer networks do the apparently impossible. Leary, Mundy and the crew of the Princess Cecile have gone up against impossible odds before . . . and their opponents in those victorious missions are still wondering just what hit them.

Publishers Weekly

In this rousing old-fashioned space opera, the latest to feature Cdr. Daniel O'Leary, Drake (Hammer's Slammers) explores how a charismatic leader can inspire a ship's crew to glorious feats beyond the call of duty. O'Leary, now on the outs with the command of the Royal Cinnabar Navy, finds himself trying to prevent the trading partner of an ally from falling under the influence of a puppet of the opposition Alliance with only a single decommissioned corvette that doesn't even carry missiles. Before he can leave orbit, O'Leary must first rescue his crew members from the bureaucratic limbo into which they have fallen. Drake, a Vietnam veteran with a gift for describing realistic combat and its aftermath, creates vivid characters you can care about. Patrick O'Brian and Bernard Cornwell fans as well as military SF readers will be well rewarded. (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.