Pathfinder: A Major Ariane Kedros Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

This is the third book in the Ariane Kedros science fiction series. The storyline takes place a couple of weeks after the conclusion of the second novel where the heroine thwarted an extremist group's attempt to separate themselves from the rest of Earth and human colonists, with a weapon of temporal destruction.

Ariane's character finally begins to evolve and develop into a heroic figure, making decisions and taking actions to resolve conflicts, rather than become a victim of circumstances. The character is not omniscient or all powerful, and is still human.

The main storyline is engaging in trying to solve a series of mysteries. The first is who are those involved in the conspiracy that allowed the extremists to operate and why. The second mystery is who are those involved in trying to assassinate the witnesses of the events. The third mystery is regarding the mysterious and long extinct race called the Builders. To continue the plot of the Builders, the main characters attempt to continue their space exploration business.

The author adds realism to this science fiction where even in the future, one needs financing and insurance to hire staff and buy equipment to explore space. The politics involved between the different Terran factions is also very interesting. The author continues to develop the universe more with every novel.

This book kept my attention more than the previous one. Really liked that Ariane is finally realizes her alcohol addiction and is taking the steps to end it. Heroic characters are those who understand their foil and will attempt to defeat it, before they are overcome. In real life, after having worked with a pair of alcoholics, there is nothing to cheer for those abusive addicts. For those who make the attempt to rid themselves from the addiction, they are worth cheering for their redemption.

This was a fun and entertaining story to read either from the library or add to the collection. Am very happy to have purchased this book the week it was released. Hope that the author's headaches go away and future novels are published.

Ariane Kedros is not her real name, but she is a partner of Aether Exploration as well as a Reserve Major in the Consortium of Autonomous Worlds. The Terran Expansion League wants her dead as a war criminal who killed everyone residing inside the Ura-Guinn solar system. Her deadly effort ended the war and led to her new identity enhanced by modern technology.

Now she is considered a hero for saving G-145 by sending a temporal distortion weapon into N-space. The Minoans, the only other known sentient race, is to humans what humans are to horses. They know of her past and the speeded up metabolism that make her the perfect candidate to go to and explore the Builder's home world; none of them can perform the mission as it would kill them. Wanting to explore the world of another sentient race even one that faded into oblivion Ariane volunteers; that is if the implant proves compatible to her body. However, even in deepest space Ariane cannot elude her enemies as one still stalks her.

In the distant future, mankind has reached the stars, but instead of fighting over a dying ice aged earth, wars are in space and on populated planets. Fans of military science fiction will enjoy the Kedros saga though Pathfinder has fewer battles than previous entries (see Peacekeeper and Vigilante). Courageous yet filled with remorse for the outcome of killing a billion people doing her duty, Kedros still seeks redemption. Pathfinder may not provide that for her, but she hopes it allows her to run from her past of what is acceptable as espionage and civilian deaths if you are with the victors and war crimes if you lose. Though she has doubts re her war time actions, she raises the fairness issue of the grunts take the blame as "rotten apples" for atrocities while those who give the orders receive medals and promotions (think Abu Ghraib).

Harriet Klausner

This is the third book in the Ariane Kedros series. I find the Ariane Kedros books a perfect blend of suspense, sci-fi, politics, and romance. Before this series and the Jax series, I was not a fan of science fiction books. Because of Laura Reeve, I have been opened to a whole new genre when searching for books to read.

Ariane Kedros has a self destructive personality that stems from a guilty conscience. She is essentially punishing herself for actions in her past by bingeing on alcohol and taking death defying risks. This has been developed throughout the series so you get used to it like it is just part of her character, however, this particular book focuses more on the drinking aspect.

She also seems to be punishing herself by not allowing a relationship to form with the man she loves, Matt Journey. I have to say that this is a point of frustration for me and is the only thing I would change about this series, or at least this latest book. I wish that Ariane and Matt were at least aware of each other's feelings even if it didn't go far beyond that point. I guess I am more of a romantic than I thought. On the positive side, the book's ending leaves room for many more books that I look forward to reading.

Thanks for another great story!