I don’t really know if this book is supposed to be humorous or not. The main character, Major Noah Gantz, is alway wise-cracking using old Earth terms that his alien crew don’t understand or appreciate. The think his way of speaking is very strange. Part of that could come from the fact his English is being translated into other alien languages and some of it doesn’t come across very well. Still, he continues to make some outlandish statements partially for his own sanity, I guess.
We still aboard the living Kayan ship with Noah still trying to get familiar with his crew. They aren’t exactly his crew since the ship’s Captain is a Hellenger named Montow. Montow does mostly differ to Noah for operational things since Noah seems to be the only one that has and idea of what they should be doing. Right now, they are surrounded by a Tyton battle group and they aren’t going to be doing anything.
It seems as if Wozim, the resident Tyson on the Kayan was being challenged by a younger nephew. It’s not like the Tyton’s to wander around space in a living starship so the fact that Wozim was even here is very strange. He’s been a loaner even while being with the others on the Kayan. He usually stays in his room and seldom meets with the other passengers/crew unless specifically summoned.
Noah had summoned him and everybody because they had to respond to this Tyton battle group if they were ever going to be going somewhere else. Here’s where they find out that Wozim is going to have to fight his young nephew for what reason no one knows and he’s not explaining anything. He just tells Noah that he needs him as his second. Now Noah is a typical Earth human. He’s average in most physical characteristics although Kayan has done some things to him physically while she saved his life. He’s stronger than normal and in better health than while he existed on Earth. But the Tytons stand about eight feet tall and are all muscle. They are breed to fight while Noah definitely is not. Still, he and Wozim are developing a budding friendship and Noah would like it to continue, so he accepts the offer.
Unfortunately, the fight gets interrupted by none other than Tate Collins has shown up with a Gavant fleet and they are attacking the nephews ships where the fight was taking place. So, the Tytons, led by nephew Kyldan, have to fight for their lives while Noah and his ship Kayan must run. The Kayan does not have offensive weapons and can only flee when her life is in danger. So that’s what she tries to do, only she’s not very successful because there is a “ghost” Kayan following her called Azok. This thing is a rouge Kayan ship that has been taught to fight and it is deadly. But, Kayan manages to escape only to find out what Tate Collins wanted to do by attacking the Tyton battle group.
Tate Collins is now a General with the Gavant. That race controls most of the Reach with an iron fist. Collins wants to go back to Earth and conquer it so he can be an absolute ruler of the Solar System. To do so, he needs the help of the Tyton battle group although they don’t necessarily agree with what he wants to do. Collins is not to be trusted. He also wants the Kayan starship the Noah and his crew occupy. Still, during the battle with Collins and his Gavant fleet, the Tyton battle group also fled and were racing away as fast as they could from General Collins. Noah realizes that he must stop this meeting between the Tytons and Collins for if they join together they will certainly be too powerful for Earth to fight agains.
Meanwhile, Wozim is badly suffering from his wounds during the fight with his Nephew and afterwards during the battle with the Gavant storm troopers. He must get some medical help and that can only be gotten on a specific planet where a very skilled and powerful Tyton resides. It’s also a prison planet! So, off they go to get Wozim’s help and hope they get there in time.
While there Noah gets involved in something he should have stayed away from and now he again has something Collins wants. He does find out that there are more of the “artifacts” he now has, but they are on a mysterious planet which legend has that none who have gone there, ever return. So, Noah develops a plan such that if he can lure Collins to this planet, then his conquest of Earth will be stopped if Collins can’t leave the planet. But, first, of course, Noah has to find the place.
As I mentioned, the crew of the Kayan are a mix of various aliens not all of which are necessarily humanoid. There’s even one that seems to be some kind of six-legged cat? I find the book kind of interesting to read although some of the humor doesn’t come off very well for the reader. I’ll probably continue on with the series although I’m not going to rush into the next book, “[Leviathan’s Bane](https://amzn.to/44SiU0o)”, now available on Amazon.