Reviews for Labyrinth of night

The average rating for Labyrinth of night based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-01-17 00:00:00 Dean Thompson The year is roughly 2030 and we return to the near space universe, but this time to Mars. Steele acknowledges in the intro that this novel is based upon the face on Mars (see and the possibilities of an alien visit to Mars. In Labyrinth of Night, the face is surrounded by several pyramids definitely not of natural origin. A small scientific base is established by a multinational group of scientists to study the phenomena and they discover an entrance to one of the pyramids that leads to a series of connected rooms, all booby-trapped and ancient. They also find some (although not much) remains of the aliens, dubbed 'cooties' by the scientists. Years of study ensue before they finally reach the end under the tunnel and have contact with robot-like creatures. If you can buy the premise (shaky as even the author admits), Steele presents us with a classic adventure story almost right out of the Golden Age of science fiction (albeit with the craft of modern, hard science fiction). The scientific base has become a point of contention among the powers that be on Earth-- the possibility of alien tech is a big draw-- and after a clash, the Americans now lead the team under military supervision. The main guy in charge, however, seems to be losing it, and Spacecorp sends a spy to find out what exactly is going on; unbeknown to the spy, a second spy is also sent by Japan. The spies arrive on Mars and head out to the science base by the face. Lots of tense action! Steele is really a master craftsman of hard science fiction, and even though the characters are a little thin, the story moves right along. This is definitely more speculative than his other Near Space novels, involving alien intelligence after all. Perhaps it could be called a novel of first contact. In any case, a fun read, although the Mars/alien trope might be a bit much to swallow for some. 3.5 stars rounding to 4.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-01-24 00:00:00 Anthony Pisaniello Recent Reads: Labyrinth of Night. Allen Steele takes his Near Space series to Mars, and a mishandled first contact under the pyramids of Cydonia. Why did the aliens come to Mars so long ago, and why are people dying to find out. Hard SF meets horror in the cold of Mars.