Cobra Guardian: Cobra War: Book Two [Mass Market Paperback]

Second in the Cobra Wars and fifth in the combined The Cobra Trilogy (Books 1-3 of the first Cobra series military science-fiction series focused on an enhanced group of warriors known as the Cobras. The focus here is on the Moreau-Broom family of Cobra warriors.

My Take
Whew, Zahn has done it again! Cobra Guardian drops you into a desperate situation only to battle its way back to a scrap of hope. All the while, your heart is hammering and you are on the edge of your seat.

If you enjoy lots of action and battle tactics with the underdog battling it out...the entire Cobra series is for you. Zahn is an amazing, never boring writer!

It's that American-style can-do attitude with all the cynicism and distrust of politicians that somehow merges to an alliance with former enemies.

I still don't understand how Nissa and Lorne got a message to pick up Treakness when they were heading to the central government buildings and only happened upon Treakness' building when they were cut off in the Troft attack.

Zahn leaves us with controversies that could result in charges of treason. Of course, that doesn't hold back our intrepid Cobras as they blast off to an alien, possibly enemy-held planet to take it back, explore Isis, and teach the Tlossies not to mess with humans...!

The Story
Called back to Capitalia, Cobra Lorne Broom is ordered by Governor-General Chintawa to locate his mother, Cobra Jin Moreau Broom, for an important event in the city. A move that is beyond difficult as his mother is involved in a highly clandestine mission on Qasama. An enemy planet.

Besides why should any Broom help the government after their betrayal of the Cobras and the Broom family? Unfortunately, the question of how to deal with this problem becomes moot when the Troft invade all the Cobra Worlds. It's a planet-wide lockdown on each of the five worlds. But as the Ts discover, it's hard to keep a good Cobra down...as Lorne escapes Aventine with the doctor and his new invention. As Paul Broom and his fellow Cobras take down their local invaders thanks to unexpected allies and the peeks Lorne and Jin managed inside Troft craft.

The Characters
Lorne Moreau Broom is one of Jin Moreau-Broom's sons and a Cobra. Corwin and Thena Moreau are Lorne's great-uncle and aunt

The Qasaman ship includes:
Jasmine "Jim" Moreau Broom is the first woman Cobra. Djinnis Ghofl Khatir who turns out to be an ambassador; Carsh Zoshak; and, Siraj Akim--the Troft counter to the Cobra warrior. Rashida Vil is the pilot.

Caelian is a truly challenging planet for humanity. Anything with a trace of organic, carbon-bearing material is attacked by microscopic spores which in turn attract bigger and bigger beasties. Both flora and fauna. Nothing is safe. One of the first things any visitor or homesteader must do is shave their heads.

Her husband Paul Broom is also a Cobra; he and their daughter Jody are currently at Stronghold on Caelian trying to survive the planet's flora and fauna. Geoff Boulton and Freylan Sonderby are part of Jody's science team investigating the plant and animal life of the planet. Governor Rom Uy is based at Stronghold with his wife Elssa; their son Harli is also a Cobra. Other Cobras on Caelian include Kemp, Matigo, Olwen, Fourdalay, Tracker, and others.

The Aventine group includes:
Senior Governor Tomo Treakness, an Aventine politician, is anti-Cobra and behind the move to reduce Cobra budgeting. Governor Ellen Hoffman, another Aventine politician, is pro-Cobra. Nissa Gendreves is the secondary assistant to Governor-General Chintawa on Aventine. Poole is Treakness' assistant. Koshevski extorts aid from Lorne to move his family from an unprotected area of Capitalia into one that is safe in return for his guiding Lorne and his small party to the spaceport where a Tlossie ship is waiting.

The Tlossie ship party consists of:
Ingidi-inhiliziyo, a.k.a., Warrior, is the second heir of the Tlos'khin'fahi and leading the expedition coming to Aventine to seek Cobra allies. Dr. Glas Croi, in conjunction with Warrior, has created a revolutionary new machine--Isis. And Lorne and Nissa.
Troft is a rather generic term for a number of different demesnes--think of it as Troft equaling Earthling and a demesne equaling a country. The Tlossies are Troft on the side of the Cobra Worlds. The Drim'hco'plai are the invaders.

The Cover
Yup, it's a Baen cover all right. Mostly oranges and greens as one space ship hovers over another that's on fire as three Cobra warriors look on .

The title could refer to Jin Moreau Broom as the Cobra Guardian as it's her efforts amongst the Qasama that may well save the Cobra Worlds.

Governor-General Chintawa seeks the only female Cobra Jin Moreau Broom. Her second son Lorne pretends ignorance though he knows his mom and older brother Merrick illegally fought on the side of the Qasamans against the Troft invaders (see Cobra Alliance). Merrick remains on Qasama receiving treatment for severe injuries while Jin travels with Siraj Akim the Qasaman Djinn to Aventine. Chintawa assigns Lorne to find his mother; he also directs his new assistant Nissa Gendreves to help him.

Troft ships arrive at Aventine where they release deadly spine leopards. Meanwhile a family reunion on Caelian occurs as the Cobra and the Qasaman become tentative allies in the hostilities against the Troft who are not entirely monolithic combative as the Cobra World Council previously thought.

The Cobra War Book 2 (see Cobra Alliance) is a terrific military science fiction tale as the conflict with the Qasaman has somewhat abated due to the heroism of the mother-son team. The Troft show a schism as not all their houses are behind a second war. Although the characterizations are very thin, the Jin-Siraj relationship is fascinating. Still with plenty of personal courage, fans of the saga will enjoy the latest escapades of those deployed in space military soldiers.

Harrier Klausner

› Go to Amazon.com to see both reviews  4.5 out of 5 stars