Deadly Enterprise (Paperback)

~ Christopher Hoare (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Gisel Matah is the Iskanders' top agent, but often her commanders' chief pain in the neck. Sometimes passionate, sometimes tough, sometimes acerbic, she's clever and always ready to twist their intentions to meet circumstances as she sees them.

Escorting young Yohan Felger across a haunt of outlaws to an enemy city was already a daunting task, but when her commanders changed her mission to include sounding out the leaders to switch sides it became a Deadly Enterprise.

On Gaia, an alternate Earth, the crew of the lost starship Iskander find themselves working for and against the inhabitants of a different 17th Century Europe. Building themselves a place in this world by promoting social change and an Industrial Revolution, they become enemies of the Trigons - also marooned star travelers, who now rule the Empire. But an enemy can be defeated with humanity when the person in charge is a rebel at heart.

Product Details

• Paperback: 372 pages
• Publisher: Double Dragon Publishing (September 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1554044901
• ISBN-13: 978-1554044900
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,412,017 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars From J. Kaye's Book Blog, July 13, 2008

By	J. Kaye Oldner (http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Deadly Enterprise, by Christopher Hoare, is his first in the series of Gaia, an alternative 17th century Earth. The starship Iskander was to use a worm-hole to travel to a distant colony in this universe but ended up at Gaia instead. Trying to build themselves a place in Gaia by promoting social change and starting the Industrial Revolution, they became enemies of the Empire, which were also star travelers marooned over 200 years ago.

Deadly Enterprise introduces us the Gaia, and to Gisel Matah. The 20ish Gisel is a combination of James Bond and Red Sonja and is the top field agent for the Iskanders.

The story is a light, action-packed adventure full of fighting and espionage with light romance thrown in. The story rings true with the politics of European countries, City-States and the banking families of that time period.

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast-Moving, Entertaining Read, April 18, 2008

By	S. Jensen "Confirmed Bookworm" (Arizona) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you enjoy fast-moving, sci-fi type books, you will like Christopher Hoare's Deadly Enterprise. It's about Gisel Matah, a lieutenant from another galaxy, who is trapped on an alternate Earth in the 17th Century. Her mission is to play bodyguard to banker Yohan Felger, while escorting him across a country poised for war. The journey will require patience, skill and plenty of subterfuge - Gisel's specialties (except for the patience part).

This book moves quickly, with plenty of action to carry the plot forward. The characters are not all that original, but the main cast members are sympathetic and likeable. All in all, it's a good, engrossing read that will appeal to fans of both adventure and sci fi/technological thrillers.

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid and well-written, January 7, 2008

By	Lisa Haselton "womanryter" (Nashua, NH) - See all my reviews

Lieutenant Gisel Matah is resourceful, daring, and from a future earth. She's also beautiful and rebellious-a wild cat. At 20, she's the Iskander's top operative. She thrives on the adrenaline rush of each assignment. Able to stay focused, in character, observant and determined, Gisel may not always follow orders to the letter, but she always gets the mission accomplished.

Iskander technology is well-advanced of Gaia, the older earth which the Iskander's find they must adapt to. With battles raging between the Emperor and other factions, the Iskanders are interested in finding peace and making allies. To that end, they choose to approach the Felgers, a successful merchant and banker family, to assist them with their trading and production plans. Gisel must convince Yohan Felger of the benefits to him and his family business if they join forces. It's not an easy task. She has to share enough information about their technology to convince him of their worth, but not too much information which he could use against them.

In a world where women are required to be under the care and supervision of men, Gisel must remain disguised as a man in order to accomplish her mission. Complicating matters are rumors on Gaia about a female agent named `Wildcat' who is nothing but trouble, and who is being sought by Zargdorf, his troopers, and hired local forces.

The story is intriguing and entertaining. Deadly Enterprise is a page-turner. The reader is naturally curious to see how Gisel will manage to keep her identity and heart disguised while escorting and protecting Yohan through the warring territories in order to make alliances for a peaceful and prosperous future for everyone. Logic can sometimes be overruled by emotions and plans don't always go as expected, especially when innocent people are put in harm's way. Gisel must make a lot of tough decisions.

Christopher Hoare's strong female protagonist in Deadly Enterprise is well-crafted. The descriptive scenes and tight writing keep the reader engaged and turning the pages. Deadly Enterprise contains elements of time travel, past worlds, future worlds, politics, battles, strategy, survival, and a small dash of romance. After all, Gisel may be a soldier, but she also has a heart.

I solidly recommend reading Deadly Enterprise for the pure enjoyment of a well-written novel containing strong and clearly defined characters, clear, crisp details that propel the story forward, and an enticing glimpse into a new world. I look forward to more novels from this writer, especially if they include Gisel Matah.