Shadow of Empire

Readers who seek the visceral, swashbuckling adventures of muscular, troubled heroes and gorgeous, headstrong heroines will enjoy this series launch about the wild backwater planets of the Far Stars, but the story lacks wit or charm. After smuggler captain Arkarin Blackhawk rescues the kidnapped daughter of his oldest friend from a dissipated pirate king, Blackhawk and his motley band of highly skilled misfits face danger from a multitude of enemies, including vengeful space pirates, an imperial governor who wants to impose authority on the Far Stars, and rival armies on a planet torn apart by revolution and civil war. Allan (the Crimson Worlds series) deals exclusively in familiar tropes and character types: a charismatic captain and his loyal crew, a gifted pilot, a genius engineer, and a revolutionary leader gone to seed. He repeatedly reminds the reader of these characters’ key traits; no one will forget, for example, that Blackhawk enjoys genetically engineered physical superiority. This old-fashioned tale is a paean to the simple pleasures of exceedingly masculine adventures. Agent: Evan Gregory, Ethan Ellenberg Literary. (Nov.)