New Dawn Rising-Scott Gamboe

New Dawn Rising
Scott Gamboe
Medallion, Apr 2009, $15.95
ISBN: 9781933836959

In the distant future, the United Systems Coalition with its numerous species and the Bromidian Empire were at war (see THE KILLING FROST). However the USC triumphed overthrowing the authoritarian rule of their enemy leading to a democratically elected government. One year later, both sides of the conflict celebrate the peace until assassins kill the visiting USC leaders and a coup d’etat takes down the Bromidian government.

The son of the late deposed former ruler, has prepared for the past year to retake the government with the help of people from the old regime. They are allied with pirates who are led by a new species assisting the new ruler consolidate his rule. The Avengers including Captain Arano Lakeland, his wife and some Bromidians are trapped behind enemy lines. They employ guerilla tactics to weaken the new government. A battle is space between the two forces occurs while the new species observes and waits for a chance to defeat the weakened both sides.

This is an old fashion space opera though much of the plot occurs on planet-side. The USC forces try to overturn a government that came into power through force, terror and assassination although that coup especially the murders seems too easy even arguing that the USC became complacent. There are plenty of fights between the two sides and Arano and his comrades especially the Bromidians are heroic as they risk their lives to bring back the fledgling democracy. NEW DAWN RISING is a fun outer space military political science fiction novel. Readers will wonder what the new species’ will do next.

Harriet Klausner