Each and every player adding yet another element of drama to a story which is filled with intrigue, double-crosses, and grand conspiracies. In other words, this guy is the perfect space opera hero for the early 21st Century (which doesn’t seem to believe in heroes anymore.) And surrounding him are a host of interesting people - from the calculating Captain Claire to the femme fatale Clarice to the scarred yet hopeful Isla. His present motives ambiguous at best, filled with selfish desires and serious flaws. And it all starts with our jaded yet somewhat noble hero Cassius, whose past might appear to be glorious but is soon revealed to have more than its share of secrets, sorrows, and missteps. Phipps and Suttkus do, however, for several reasons.įirst, they have a good cast of characters. Yet few success in capturing the wonder of great space opera. All of these elements gently folded into a galaxy of familiarity and wonder, where galaxy building, violence, and good versus evil is the overall theme.

Many science fiction adventures attempt to capture the glory of great space opera: the masterful mixing of adventure and comedy, deceit and devotion, battle and exploration, hope and failure. Each event pushing Cassius deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole he wanted so desperately to escape people from his past reappearing and new threats looming over everything! The future shifting before his eyes as the people he has lived among are shown to have their own secrets and motives. His true identity thrusting him into the spotlight and returning him to a role he wished to leave behind. His only desire to slip away from that past, forget what he has lost, and fade into obscurity among the other rift raft aboard Captain Ida Claire’s starship.īut anonymity isn’t to be, as more of Cassius’ past is revealed. His mind still plagued by nightmares of the war he somehow survived years before. Too quickly, it is revealed that the battle is merely the dreams of one Cassius, a loner aboard the star frigate Melampus. A young man struggling against the inevitable, desperately trying to find a way to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and save not only his society but, more importantly, his family. The fate of one section of the galaxy about to be decided once and for all. The epic last battle between the Crius Archduchy and the Interstellar Commonwealth is taking place! Battleships and starfighters dancing among the heavens and between the fiery energy bolts of destruction.

Phipps and Michael Suttkus having crafted a rousing, pulse-pounding adventure story that fans of Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, or other sci-fi series should not miss out on. Lucifer’s Star is damn fine space opera! That was my initial reaction after closing the book, and now, several weeks later, I still feel the same way: C.T. Publisher: Mystique Press (April 27, 2017)

Lucifer's Star by C.T. Phipps