Darkside (#4)
In this thrilling, action-packed fourth installment in the Planetside series from acclaimed science fiction author Michael Mammay, retired Colonel Carl Butler gears up for another military investigation, full of danger, corporate intrigue, and tech people would kill for—perfect for fans of John Scalzi and Craig Alanson.
Colonel Butler has paid his dues and just wants to enjoy his retirement on a remote planet. But the galaxy has had other plans. He has been roped into searching for a politician’s missing son and an industry magnate’s missing daughter. He has been kidnapped, violated numerous laws, and caused the destruction of colonial facilities. He’s famous—or infamous, depending on who you ask—praised and reviled in equal measure across the galaxy for his exploits.
And he is determined to never let the government drag him into another investigation.
But when a runaway twelve-year-old girl whose father has gone missing asks him for help, well…it’s a lot harder to say no.
The girl’s father, Jorge Ramiro, was supposed to have been on Taug, a moon orbiting the gas giant Ridia 5, working on a dig with a famous archaeologist. But now there’s no sign of him and no record of him being there. Mining operations on the moon are run by two different consortiums, Caliber and Omicron—both of which have tried to kill Butler in the past. Butler doesn’t believe in coincidence.
Landing on Taug with his right-hand man Mac, computer genius Ganos, and an elite security squad, Butler soon finds that they’ve charged back into the crosshairs—because Ramiro is not the only who has disappeared, and the perpetual darkside of this moon is hiding more than the truth about a missing archeologist…
Reviews
"The book combines a deadly mystery with an edge-of-one’s-seat caper plot and tells it in Butler’s wry, self-aware, self-deprecating voice. ... Readers who can’t resist that world-weary voice, enjoy SF/mystery capers such as Suzanne Palmer’s “Finder Chronicles” and the soldier stories of John Scalzi’s “Old Man’s War” series, or simply like their military SF with multiple twists will be thrilled by Butler’s latest misbegotten adventure."
"If you're in for witty dialogue, smart characters, fun writing, engaging plot, this is an excellent sci-fi. ... Give this series a try, I love it so much."
"Darkside is another excellent military sci-fi mystery novel from Michael Mammay, and a rock solid return for the Planetside series."
"What makes this book, and this whole series, work, is that it rides or dies – and does it ever ride – on the universe-weary voice of its protagonist, Colonel Carl Butler... Wherever those stories take Butler and his team, I’ll be along for the ride."