The Science Fiction Review Books Cobra Bargain by Timothy Zahn

Cobra Bargain by Timothy Zahn

Book Cover

The main character in the third and final book of the Cobra Trilogy by Timothy Zahn is Jasmine (Jin) Moreau. Her father is Justin Moreau, the twin son of Johnny Moreau that became a Cobra. Jin hopes to continue this legacy, but there is one major roadblock. She’s a woman. Somewhere around this time the government discovers something odd happening back on Qasama, the world that they invaded back in Cobra Strike. Several blind spots in their satellite surveillance have developed. They are worried that the Qasamans might be trying to develop space flight or some type of weapon to use against the Cobra worlds. When a covert operation is planned, her family pushes for her to be trained as a Cobra. All Cobras that the Qasamans have seen have been men, so she should have an advantage.

The Trofts provide a transport that should allow the Cobra force to land on Qasama undetected. The recon mission almost becomes a total failure when for some reason the transport is detected and shot down. Jin is the only survivor with very serious injuries and no way to contact her superiors. She manages to find a survival pack with Qasaman clothing and eventually finds her way to a Qasaman road where she collapses and is picked up by some locals.

She is slowly nursed back to health by the Sammon family, on of the more powerful ones in a rural town named Milika. The rest of the novel is essentially a Sci-Fi mystery. Jin learns of a town inside the satellite blind spot that is hiring seasonal workers for what seems to be some type of secret manufacturing. Jin’s main goal is to investigate this while maintaining her cover. The eldest son of the Sammon family, Daulo, is very suspicious of Jin, but does not have any evidence to back it up. Jin in turn is amazed at the hospitality that the Sammon family gives a complete stranger. Jin decides to do what she can to protect her hosts while still accomplishing her mission. This turns out to be a good idea, because the Sammon family ends up being vital to Jin’s success.

This book turned out to be my favorite in the Cobra Trilogy. The action is spread out rather evenly from the perspective of the main character, Jin. Zahn also lays out the details of an alien society in a way that he does so well. With that said, I was somewhat disappointed with the trilogy as a whole. Zahn’s writing has definitely improved over time. I think my expectations were set too high after reading Manta’s Gift, The Icarus Hunt, and the Conquerors’ Trilogy. I also thoroughly enjoyed his books in the Star Wars universe as well. I would recommend reading some of Zahn’s later works. You will not be disappointed.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Please prove you are a human * Time limit is exhausted. Please reload the CAPTCHA.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Post

Humans to become immortal cyborgs within 20 years?Humans to become immortal cyborgs within 20 years?

About a year an a half ago, I reviewed The Age of Spiritual Machines by Ray Kurzweil. I never did get around to reading his slightly newer book, The Singularity is Near. I just ran across an article that quotes him as saying

I and many other scientists now believe that in around 20 years we will have the means to reprogram our bodies’ stone-age software so we can halt, then reverse, aging. Then nanotechnology will let us live for ever.

He goes on to describe a number of medical advancements that seem unbelievable.  He doesn’t really expand on how many people, or rather WHO will have access to this technology.  We can’t very well have billions of immortal cyborgs running around for eternity, now can we? I think that those denied immortality, or at least extended life-spans, would wage war against those that would keep the technology for themselves.

Credit: Telegraph via Geekologie

Note: For those of you not familiar with Geekolgie, be sure to check that blog out.  I added it to my newsreader about 2 months ago and it keeps me entertained every day!

The Diamond Age, or A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer by Neal StephensonThe Diamond Age, or A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson

The Diamond Age Book Cover

If one word could describe The Diamond Age, or A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer, it would be “surreal.” I think that this is one of the main reasons that it won the Hugo Award in 1996. The main setting for this novel by Neal Stephenson is in the middle 21st century Shangai, shifting briefly to other places such as Vancouver and London later on. Nanotechnology is heavily used at this time, especially in Matter Compilers, usually referred to as an M.C. Matter flows from the “Feed”, which comes from the “Source” of the raw materials used to create everything from food to household items. A Source is much like a power station, except that it transmits matter rather than energy. (more…)

Starship Troopers by Robert A. HeinleinStarship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein

Starship Troopers book cover

The 1959 novel Starship Troopers is a military-based science fiction novel which won the Hugo Award for best novel in 1960. Robert A. Heinlein clearly draws from his previous military experience to describe the career of Juan “Johnny” Rico as he works his way up from a fresh recruit to 2nd Lieutenant in the Terran Federation military during the “Bug War”.

The story is told through a series of flashbacks narrated by Rico, intertwined between these are obvious commentaries on discipline, politics, and human behavior. Heinlein’s concepts, specifically mechanical armor, influenced science fiction in various realms ranging from other novels to games, and even spawned a Hollywood motion picture. I’ve seen the movie Starship Troopers (1997) before, and will watch it again soon, so keep an eye out for that review. (more…)