The Caledonian Gambit (#0.5)
A covert operative and a washed-up pilot team up to track down a mysterious superweapon before it catapults the galaxy into open war.
The galaxy is mired in a cold war between two superpowers, the Illyrican Empire and the Commonwealth. Thrust into this struggle are Simon Kovalic, the Commonwealth’s preeminent spy, and Kyle Rankin, a lowly soldier happily scrubbing toilets on Sabea, a remote and isolated planet. However, nothing is as it seems.
Kyle Rankin is a lie. His real name is Eli Brody, and he fled his home world of Caledonia years ago. Simon Kovalic knows Caledonia is the site of a top-secret weapon project and that the past Brody so desperately tried to abandon can grant him access to people and places that are off limits even to a professional spy like Kovalic.
Kovalic needs Eli Brody to come home and face his past. With Brody suddenly cast in a play he never auditioned for, he and Kovalic will quickly realize it’s everything they don’t know that will tip the scales of galactic peace. Sounds like a desperate plan, sure, but what gambit isn’t?
Reviews
“The action scenes, both on the ground and in space, show a focus on thoughtful planning and careful pacing. The characterization delves just enough into emotionality to give the characters realism without moving the focus away from fights, intrigue, and spycraft.”
“This is a great spy story, with tidbits of science explaining the intergalactic travel and even a hint of romance to come. The reader is left wanting more background on each of the significant characters and hoping for future adventures.”Booklist
“Dan Moren is best known as a podcaster and tech blogger, but that could soon change. This debut novel is a brisk and fun adventure with spies, family drama, and space battles, carried off with a light touch and an old-school style that’s entirely welcome in the frequently grimdark world of modern genre fiction, and a main character you won’t soon forget.”
“THE CALEDONIAN GAMBIT is a throwback to the classic sci-fi adventures of spies and off-world politics, but filled to the brim with modern sensibilities.”
“A wisecracking caper that nevertheless doesn’t skimp on the details and human cost of interstellar war, like John Le Carre meets The Stainless Steel Rat. Moren is one to watch.”Antony Johnston, creator of Atomic Blonde and The Exphoria Code
“Immersive, intergalactic spy-fi. Moren gives us a Cold War thriller with wormholes and anti-grav fields.”John August, screenwriter of Titan A.E. and Big Fish
“Hypercool. It’s like the Golden Age of sci-fi got an upgrade, with all the big honking space cannons and some desert planet dry humour thrown in for the bargain.”John Birmingham, author of the Axis of Time trilogy
“Highly recommended, snarky sci-fi adventure.”Joe Zieja, author of Mechanical Failure
Awards & Accolades
Editor's Pick for Best Science Fiction and Fantasy (Amazon)