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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An unexpected sequel, February 24, 2008
This review is from: The Third Lynx (Hardcover)
Here we are treated to a Zahn sequel which, amazingly enough, has nothing to do with Star Wars. I was a bit surprised to find that Zahn chose to write a sequel for the book Night train to Rigel. Surprised simply because when compared to other amazing works (Icarus Hunt for one) I can imagine much more deserving stories which need another book. The first book of this series worked well in the same way that Icarus Hunt did. It dropped you in the middle of a story and left you curious, interested and confused for the rest of the book. Sadly, this book lacks a large amount of the mystery which made Rigel so interesting. Knowing the enemy, the setting and all of the background before the book started actually destroyed the fun. It is told in the same quirky, fast paced, first person view that many of Zahn's stories are told. Although, I have to admit, the constant self-assured and cocky attitude of the main character did get old after a while. It did keep me interested through the whole book and it comes off as a short read since most of the scenes blend so seamlessly into each other. If you have actually read Night Train to Rigel and liked it, then pick up this book and you will still find some enjoyment out of it. If you are new to the works of Timothy Zahn, well then I would recommend you pick up Icarus Hunt or the Conquer's Trilogy long before you set sites on this.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Hodge podge of mystery and sci-fi., December 9, 2007
This review is from: The Third Lynx (Hardcover)
Zahn is generally an excellent author, but I feel that The Third Lynx is a bit sub-par compared to his Star Wars novels. I didn't get the impression that Morse was British until the 2nd half of the book, where he began to use "bloody" in almost every other dialogue. The use of the Quad-rail space trains and the ports started to get boring after the first quarter of the book, and it resembled an old-fashioned "whodunnit" on the Orient express. The description of the characters is rather dry, and all of the different aliens did not quite add to the story as much as a Sci-Fi enthusiast would have wanted. Overall it was not a bad story, but it would have flowed better with less talk about first class seating in the quad-rail and if the entire war between the Chahwyn and Mohdrids was compressed into one larger story rather than split the novels into multiple parts. Compton makes way too many assumptions and the author writes this off as Compton's "Westali" training and military experience.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable 2nd book in great series., July 30, 2010
It's not perfect, but it is a very good read. The first book in this series, Night Train to Rigel, is better, but I really enjoyed this sequel too. This book follows the continued battle of wits between the main character, Frank Compton, former intelligence agent, and the Modhri, the alien group mind that is trying to take over the universe. Compton has been hired by the Chahwyn, an alien race that few know exist, to battle the Modhri and prevent its secret takeover of every race linked by the Quadrail, the only known means of intergalactic travel available. The Modhri infects humans and aliens alike and can telepathically take control of them at any time. Therefore, the protagonists never know who might be an enemy until the Modhri reveals itself. This book starts off with a murder on the intergalactic train and continues with the search for a stolen sculpture. The Modhri will stop at nothing to obtain the sculpture for reasons that you will discover later in the novel. I've been reading and enjoying Mr. Zahn's novels since I started high school over 2o years ago. I think his Blackcollar and Cobra series were the first SF books I ever read. This is not hard SF (insofar as I understand the different SF distinctions). Rather, Mr. Zahn writes accessible and briskly-paced SF stories filled with action, interesting characters, alien technology, and fun plots with surprising twists. I highly recommend this book, but definitely start with Night Train to Rigel.
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