Yes, I did read all three books in a row. That’s what you do with an Omnibus Edition. Books 1-3 were included, but I’ve chosen to review each book individually since that’s the way I buy most of my books. There books are pretty much standard length so don’t think you’re getting condensed version because it’s an omnibus edition. All three books have fantastic stories that will or will not tie back to what’s been previously done.
No matter what, you still get to read about the Omega Force, Captain Jason Burke; Twingo, Chief Engineer; Crusher, Security; Lucky, Security; Doc, Medical; and Kage, the co-pilot. This is a motley bunch of various characters which have become a fantastic group to read about; Omega Force. Captain Burke, as you’ll remember, is the only human on the ship and probably the only human in this part of the galaxy. Earth is considered primitive and not any where close to the technology level that it needs to be to become part of the rest of the galactic community. Earth is also quite a ways out of the normal travels lanes so most spacefarers wouldn’t bother burning the fuel required to reach Earth, since there would be nothing on the planet they might want; well, except for some of our more exotic minerals.
In this book, we also read about Deetz, again. If you recall, Deetz is the synthetic human who Jason initially surprised by boarding his ship as it was conducting self-repairs in the mountains near Jason’s cabin. Deetz talked Jason into coming along for a mission that required a humanoid or non-synth life-form to sign for some cargo Deetz was acquiring. Jason wasn’t sure this trip was all that legit, but he couldn’t turn down the opportunity to do something different than just sit in his isolated cabin.
Anyway, it turns out that Deetz was indeed a conniving, self-serving criminal, that cared only for himself. His intent was to use Jason as needed and the sell him to some slave traders. Jason got wind of this plot and turned the tables on Deetz. He kicked him off the ship, brought the current crew together and started helping people that couldn’t help themselves. They had done a pretty good job of it and now had a good working relationship with the Corran military who were backing their exploits with supplies and repairs along with a base in the fright-class warship, Diligence.
Everything was going pretty nicely when Deetz shows up, again. This time he’s over Earth making demands that the humans cannot meet. He wants Jason Burke and his ship, the DL7, which Jason has renamed to the Phoenix. Of course the humans of Earth have no idea what Deetz is talking about, but with the pictures Deetz spreads all over the planet of Jason Burke, they know who he is. And, now he’s a very wanted man.
Jason learns of Deetz’s attack of Earth and speeds back to see what he can do. Unfortunately, Deetz has some how collected a fleet of ships to do his bidding and the Phoenix might not stand a chance against a fleet. Jason is determined to end Deetz this time. He now knows it was a mistake to have let Deetz live and his crew are of the same opinion, Deetz must die.
Once again, the writing is superb. The story really flows from one event to another. There are some space battles and some ground action, but it’s certainly not about blood and guts. There is also a lot of humor in the book which I like very much. The crew of the Phoenix have come to know each other pretty well and are forming very strong bonds. Even thought they are all aliens, the still have the same feelings and enjoy belonging to something now bigger than themselves.
Oh, yeah, this book also introduces the love angle. Jason returns to Earth and picks up his former girl and her parents who have been linked to Jason and now fear for their lives. How Jason interacts with Taryn on-board the Phoenix brings a lot of amusement and down-right confusion for the crew. But, at least, the now have someone that can kind of calm Jason down when he’s near or past his boiling point; sometimes.
I’ve already bought book four, “Omega Force: The Enemy Within”, but I think I’ll be reading something else for a while before I get back to this series. I don’t want to read all eight books too fast!