Darkside: A Novel

by Michael Mammay Narrated by R.C. Bray

Overview

In this thrilling, action-packed fourth installment in the Planetside series from acclaimed science fiction author Michael Mammay, retired Colonel Carl Butler gears up for another military investigation, full of danger, corporate intrigue, and tech people would kill for-perfect for fans of John Scalzi and Craig Alanson.*

Colonel Butler has paid his dues and just wants to enjoy his retirement on a remote planet. But the galaxy has had other plans. *He has been roped into searching for a politician's missing son and an industry magnate's missing daughter. He has been kidnapped, violated numerous laws, and caused the destruction of colonial facilities. He's famous-or infamous, depending on who you ask-praised and reviled in equal measure across the galaxy for his exploits.

And he is determined to never let the government drag him into another investigation.

But when a runaway twelve-year-old girl whose father has gone missing asks him for help, well...it's a lot harder to say no.

The girl's father, Jorge Ramiro, was supposed to have been on Taug, a moon orbiting the gas giant Ridia 5, working on a dig with a famous archaeologist. But now there's no sign of him and no record of him being there. Mining operations on the moon are run by two different consortiums, Caliber and Omicron-both of which have tried to kill Butler in the past. Butler doesn't believe in coincidence.

Landing on Taug with his right-hand man Mac, computer genius Ganos, and an elite security squad, Butler soon finds that they've charged back into the crosshairs-because Ramiro is not the only who has disappeared, and the perpetual darkside of this moon is hiding more than the truth about a missing archeologist...

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Darkside is Mammay's best yet. Nearly nonstop action interspersed with ratcheting tension, humor, and scenes that provoke a fist-pumping YES! Highly recommended." — Craig Alanson, author of the Expeditionary Force Series

“Impressively well-balanced page-turner... propulsive and satisfying.” — New York Times Book Review on Generation Ship

“A tough, authentic-feeling story that starts out fast and accelerates from there.”   — Jack Campbell, New York Times bestselling author of Ascendant, on Planetside

“Taut, highly political SF thriller...Highly recommended.” — Library Journal (starred review) Best SF/Fantasy of 2023 on Generation Ship

“The idea of generation ships is not a new one in SF, but Mammay’s approach and style are unique. Fans of James S. A. Corey’s Expanse series (2011) will enjoy this one.”  — Booklist (starred review)

“Planetside is a smart and fast-paced blend of mystery and boots-in-the-dirt military SF that reads like a high-speed collision between Courage Under Fire and Heart of Darkness.”  — Marko Kloos, bestselling author of the Frontline series

“Generation Ship is a ferocious story of human desperation, boiling with tension and betrayal.” — Sunyi Dean, author of The Book Eaters

Library Journal

★ 08/01/2024

Retired colonel Carl Butler has the worst best luck. As his previous adventures (Planetside, Spaceside, and Colonyside) have proven, he somehow always manages to get his team out of every worst-case scenario, and his team is sure this missing-person case won't be an exception. Butler wants to give 12-year-old Eliza Ramiro good news about her missing dad, but the best he may be able to offer her is closure. That his hunt to provide it will put him in the crosshairs of two rapacious corporations (who have tried to kill him before) is par for Butler's course. The book combines a deadly mystery with an edge-of-one's-seat caper plot and tells it in Butler's wry, self-aware, self-deprecating voice. It's a story about putting himself in danger and pulling his team out of the fire that he's gotten them into—again—and dealing a bit of well-deserved punishment to whomever he can. VERDICT Readers who can't resist that world-weary voice, enjoy SF/mystery capers such as Suzanne Palmer's "Finder Chronicles" and the soldier stories of John Scalzi's "Old Man's War" series, or simply like their military SF with multiple twists will be thrilled by Butler's latest misbegotten adventure.—Marlene Harris

Product Details

BN ID:	2940160538211
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/24/2024
Series:	Planetside Series , #4
Edition description:	Unabridged