What Distant Deeps
David Drake
Baen, May 31 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9781439134450
As the hostilities between the Alliance of Free Stars and Republic of Cinnebar have ended due to the great victory at Cacique, RCN Captain Daniel Leary throws a party to celebrate the opening of the Jared Hogg Community Hall. Attending the gala besides the neighbors are Signal Officer Adele Mundy and the Sissies who are the crew of the Princess Cecile. Cinnabar Intelligence Chief Bernis Sand is at the celebration. She informs Adele of a new mission for her, Leary and crew. Adele is to obtain information from Posthuma “Posy” Belisande, the younger sister of the Founder of Zenobia while on escort duty.
Soon after the party, Daniel transports Commissioner Brown, whose wife and daughter accompany him, to his assignment as the Cinnabar Commissioner on Zenobia. Daniels vessel is the Princess Cecile. An easy trip turns potentially ugly especially on a yacht and not a warship when third party barbarians want the war to heat up again.
This is an intriguing Leary science fiction tale as the hero of the triumph at Cacique has a new diplomatic role until late in the plot. Although much of the first third of the well written story line is slow-paced especially for a David Drake drama as What Distant deeps is more a social-political tale rather than the military in space action of previous entries. Still fans will enjoy this discerning novel while readers (except bullet catchers and their families) accept peace lacks the excitement of combat.
Harriet Klausner
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