Tuesday, May 31, 2022

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Veiled Masters by Tim Pratt

 



Full Disclosure:  This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on June 14, 2022 in exchange for a potential review.  I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.


The Veiled Masters is the third book in Tim Pratt's trilogy of stand alone tie-in books with the space opera board game "Twilight Imperium".  I've still never played - and had honestly never even heard of - Twilight Imperium, but I've enjoyed Pratt's other space opera work, and did enjoy both of his prior Twilight Imperium tie-in novels, especially the first one, The Fractured Void (see my review here).  That first book featured a bunch of really fun characters and humorous situations, particularly with its two antagonists - a fun loving secret agent from one faction and a serious but sarcastic security officer from another who got entangled (both platonically and romantically) - and the second book was also enjoyable, even if it lacked a lot of the humor.  So I was happy to get a copy of the third book for breezy enjoyable fun.  

And boy did I get that here, with a book that's probably my favorite of the trilogy.  And while this book remains stand alone, it's also in large part a reunion of the main characters from book 1, particularly those antagonists, who return in glorious fashion.  The result is a space opera novel that's a ton of fun - especially if you've read The Fractured Void and know the returning characters (although such foreknowledge isn't necessary) - and is exactly what I wanted.  

--------------------------------------------------Plot Summary--------------------------------------------------------
Terrak is technically a Hacan trade ambassador - but really in name only.  He's a being that loves his pleasures, enjoys socializing with others, and making money in various deals and holding power or playing political games isn't really his thing.  But when he decides to look into an associate of his - another ambassador - who is acting strangely, he finds himself attacked and then framed for that ambassador's murder....and then rescued by human secret agent Amina Azad.  

Azad, employed by an unknown faction, informs him that he's stumbled upon a deadly conspiracy, one with designs on manipulating all the factions in the galaxy....factions that usually squabble but instead are suddenly merging into two grand alliances.  Together Terrak and Azad go on the run for answers, pursued by forces from every faction working together....as well as the conspiracy behind it all.  

To survive, and to possibly save the day - something Terrak never really cared for - they'll have to work together, and with others, to reveal the conspiracy and stop it before it gets what it wants....but can they manage to do that when they have no way of knowing whom to trust in the entire galaxy?  
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The Veiled Masters features Terrak as its first person protagonist, but like other books in this series, frequently switches to third person point of view chapters focusing upon one of several other characters: Azad, Felix, and Severyne.  Azad is the most prominent as she's always alongside Terrak from the beginning, but Terrak remains the main character, and he's a fun new character to center this story: he's sociable, good hearted - unlike some of the other protagonists, he has a conscience - while being a bit self-centered in trying to cater to his tastes....without actually being narcissistic.  He also has some really fun hidden depths in him, in how he's managed to forge connections through socializing and illicit backdoor trade de

He's a bit out of sorts for much of the book as he has to deal with Azad's fun-loving nutty secret agent act, but he's a very nice addition to Pratt's cast of characters as the story here deals with a fun typical space opera conspiracy: a bunch of peoples in various factions being mind controlled by a mysterious entity, with the book keeping you guessing about who might be leaking intelligence to the enemy (although it's fairly guessable).  The various things and people Terrak and Azad have to deal with are nicely done and the prose moves at a very enjoyable pace as they unravel the conspiracy, travel to numerous planets and locations, and save the galaxy....however unwittingly.  So the main plot here and main character work well enough to make this an enjoyable space opera novel, which shows off the Twilight Imperium world for readers who are coming in cold here.

But really what made me love this book so much was the return of The Fractured Void's major characters - Felix, Azad, and Severyne: well mainly the latter two, as Felix plays kind of a straightlaced ship captain this time instead of greedy pirate.  But Azad's hilariously upbeat fun-loving secret agent act remains tremendously fun (and funny) and Severyne's cynical serious take (albeit now a bit lightened up by her past two books' worth of experiences) remains excellent as she speaks her mind and adapts to the new circumstances.  And the way the two clearly still share feelings for each other is just so much fun - I would absolutely read a book that was just a Rom-Com space opera plot between the two of them, and I enjoyed every moment of their chapters here, which end with a really delightful moment.  

So yeah, there's really not much more to say here - there's nothing serious in this book, and it's space opera fun that's not too long and without much impact, but it's executed oh so well and is just so much fun, that well....sometimes you need that, and it's exactly what I want when I do.  

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