Alien Safari

Alien Safari Series, Book 1

Warning! Wildlife may be dangerous. Proceed beyond this point at your own risk.

When celebrated Omicron detective Ferrix Vaughn is called in to investigate a deadly breach on Hesperidia, a protected planet full of indigenous wildlife, he doesn't know what to expect. The place used to be a tourist attraction, but the safari tours were discontinued long ago due to rampant poaching. Only a handful of researchers live there now, including Jan Corbija, the young woman who reported the breach.

The deeper Vaughn digs, the more the evidence seems to point to a recent raid on a biotech facility in a nearby system. Whatever was stolen from there, it's attracted the attention of major political players in a time of war across the colonies. Vaughn suspects the secret is on Hesperidia, in the hands of the two fugitives who fled the murder scene. If he wants to get to them first, he's going to need Jan's help. Her Alien Safari tour will have to reopen for this final excursion. But to survive it, they'll both need to face their demons, for a predator far deadlier than man roams the wilds of Hesperidia. And this is its killing season.

This way for the ride of your life.

©2013 Robert Appleton (P)2025 Robert Appleton

Like AI trying to write Timothy Zahn

This book had some good elements, but they were badly developed. The character development was abrupt and hard to believe. Example: the two main characters are socially cut off loners. They pretty much fall in love instantly. Literally they have known each other for one day and decide to trust each other implicitly. There are some really interesting alien technologies and otherworldly monsters mentioned, but none of it is expounded upon. If the author had taken time to establish relationships and concepts and avoided a few predictable cliches, this could have been really good.