Starbase Human: Anniversary Day Saga - Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Starbase Human: Anniversary Day Saga

Kristine Kathryn Rusch

WMG Publishing, May 12 2015, $18.99

ISBN: 9781561466221

Over thirty-five years before the first Anniversary Day terrorist massacre, Takara Hamasaki’s heart pounds in fear with a need to leave immediately Starbase Human in the Earth Alliance’s Frontier.  As bombs explode, she observes eerily identical looking hordes of twenty or more marching in unison like a military parade.  As the sole survivor of what apparently was a suicide mission, Takara escapes with a dreaded sense that she just witnessed a live deadly rehearsal. 

Seven and half years before the first Anniversary Day terrorist massacre, in the moon’s largest city Armstrong, Police Detective Noelle DeRicci investigates a corpse found in a cargo container.  The victim is Sonya Mycenae, nanny to notorious criminal kingpin Luc Deshin.  Coroner Bradley stuns DeRicci when he informs her that the deceased is a clone as the original is alive on earth.  DeRicci shocks Deshin with the revelation that his recently-fired nanny was a clone.

Months after the second Anniversary Day terrorist massacre, everything points to more mass murders to follow and that the Mastermind(s) are Earth Alliance higher-up(s).  At the same time Military Division Intelligence Agent Iniko Zagrando flees since his superiors placed a death warrant on his head.

The tremendous seventh Anniversary Day Saga science fiction showcases Ms. Rusch’s talent as this next to last entry sets up the anticipated climax; yet also contains three electrifying subplots that tie together while enhancing the readers’ understanding of the overarching theme.  Starting with the Starbase Human devastation, fans will enjoy this month’s thrilling drama while it behooves newbies to start at the beginning (see Vigilantes, The Peyti Crisis, Search & Recovery, Anniversary Day, Blowback and A Murder of Clones).

Harriet Klausner