The Far Side of the Stars

by David Drake

RCN (3)

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While the Republic of Cinnabar is at peace with the Alliance, warriors like Lt. Daniel Leary and Signals Officer Adele Mundy must find other work—like escorting a pair of wealthy nobles on an expedition to the back of beyond! The Princess Cecile, the corvette in which they carved their reputations in letters of fire, has been sold as a private yacht, but she still has her guns, her missiles, and her veteran crew. Daniel and Adele will need all of those things as they face winged dragons, show more an Alliance auxiliary cruiser, jealous lovers, and a mysterious oracle which really does foresee the future. That won't be enough, though, when they penetrate a secret Alliance base and find a hostile fleet ready for a war that will sweep Cinnabar out of a strategically crucial arm of the galaxy. Preventing that will involve skill, courage, and more luck than a sane man could even pray for; and it will require a space battle on a scale that a tiny corvette like the Princess Cecile has no business being involved in. But she'll be in the middle of it anyway, because Daniel, Adele, and their Cinnabar crew would never turn their backs on a fight!

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10 reviews
This space opera was another engaging entry into the Daniel Leary/Adele Mundy series. With peace breaking out, Daniel is put on half-pay by the RCN and the Princess Cecile is set to be sold.

When the ship is purchased by rich outworlders, Daniel is hired as Captain, and he hires her former crew. They are heading to the Galactic North on a search for a legendary artifact known as the Earth Diamond. Adele has been tasked by Mistress Sand to check into rumors that the Alliance is building a base which is nearly finished.

The pair have a variety of adventures along the way. They hunt flying dragons, encounter jealous lovers, flee from a riot begun with an accusation of cheating at cards, and run into a religious order with shady practices, show more before they find that the rumors of the Alliance Base are true.

Adele has a stronger than usual role in this story. She is a viewpoint character here and we get to know more about how she feels about the Three Circle Conspiracy which changed her life and murdered her family. She has found a new family in Daniel Leary and the crew of the Princess Cecile and her loyalty to them is absolute.

Despite Daniel's hobbies of drinking and consorting of vapid young women, he is a man of deep loyalties to Cinnabar and the RCN. And, though he tries to distance himself from his estranged father, he is a savvy political operator when he has to be.

The story was exciting and fast-paced. It was filled with various adventures which show the world Drake has built. The narrator did a good job with both the pacing of the story and the various characters. Fans of space opera will enjoy this tale.
show less
This space opera was another engaging entry into the Daniel Leary/Adele Mundy series. With peace breaking out, Daniel is put on half-pay by the RCN and the Princess Cecile is set to be sold.

When the ship is purchased by rich outworlders, Daniel is hired as Captain, and he hires her former crew. They are heading to the Galactic North on a search for a legendary artifact known as the Earth Diamond. Adele has been tasked by Mistress Sand to check into rumors that the Alliance is building a base which is nearly finished.

The pair have a variety of adventures along the way. They hunt flying dragons, encounter jealous lovers, flee from a riot begun with an accusation of cheating at cards, and run into a religious order with shady practices, show more before they find that the rumors of the Alliance Base are true.

Adele has a stronger than usual role in this story. She is a viewpoint character here and we get to know more about how she feels about the Three Circle Conspiracy which changed her life and murdered her family. She has found a new family in Daniel Leary and the crew of the Princess Cecile and her loyalty to them is absolute.

Despite Daniel's hobbies of drinking and consorting of vapid young women, he is a man of deep loyalties to Cinnabar and the RCN. And, though he tries to distance himself from his estranged father, he is a savvy political operator when he has to be.

The story was exciting and fast-paced. It was filled with various adventures which show the world Drake has built. The narrator did a good job with both the pacing of the story and the various characters. Fans of space opera will enjoy this tale.
show less
This is supposed to be an old time 'space opera' novel. Lt. Leary and his merry crew must travel far across space, through enemy territory, encountering good, bad and mysterious aliens, all while serving the Navy and the empire, and the ridiculous 'passengers' that have hired the ship. Of course, they really are still serving the Navy, even though they aren't officially in the navy. Its not terrible, but this isn't terribly imaginative. If you think of it as a revival of the old time space opera (Doc Smith, etc) genre, its not bad.
½
The adventures of Daniel Leary and Adele Lundy continue in this story. of interstellar intrigue. With a rare moment of peace between the warring superpowers of Cinnabar and The Alliance of Free Stars, Daniel and Adele find themselves at a bit of a loose end so they find themselves escorting a pair of Novy Sverdlovsk nobles on a quest to regain the lost crown jewels of their homeland. The quest attracts Daniel's romantic nature and Adele had her reasons to join him. The story is probably one of the more mystical as Daniel and Adele find a society using a strange device to foresee the future. And we get to learn more about Daniel's relatives.
Lt. Daniel Leary and Signals Officer Adele Mundy are still trying to be the Aubury and Maturin of the Spaceways and still falling short. This time they are hired to take some rich offworlders on a cruise into the more remote parts of the galaxy. Enjoyable enough space opera..

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269+ Works 34,928 Members
David Drake was born on September 24, 1945, in Dubuque, Iowa. He attended University of Iowa, where he graduated with a degree in History (with honors) and Latin. He then attended Duke Law School. He was drafted out of law school, served in the army for two years and then returned to school. He worked as an Assistant Town Attorney of Chapel Hill show more and then part-time as a city bus driver before he became a full-time writer. Drake is considered a master of Science Fiction and Fantasy. The Hammer's Slammers, military science fiction, was his first published series. His other titles include Northworld series, The Dragon Lord, Starliner, Ranks of Bronze, and Redliners. In recognition of his work, he won a World Fantasy award in 1976. He currently resides in North Carolina. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Some Editions

Faries, Jennie (Cover designer)
Hickman, Stephen (Cover artist)

Series

Common Knowledge

Canonical title
The Far Side of the Stars
Original publication date
2003
People/Characters
Adele Mundy (of Chatsworth); Daniel Leary

Classifications

Genres
Science Fiction, Fiction and Literature
DDC/MDS
813Literature & rhetoricAmerican literature in EnglishAmerican fiction in English
LCC
PS3554 .R196 .F37Language and LiteratureAmerican literatureAmerican literatureIndividual authors1961-
BISAC

Statistics

Members
687
Popularity
41,769
Reviews
9
Rating
½ (3.68)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
ISBNs
7
ASINs
5