Review of Fata Morgana

Fata Morgana by Thomas J. Radford

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In Book Three of the Free Lanes, skipper Nel Vaughn drinks herself nearly to oblivion on Vice. It’s the only way she can forget, to keep from dealing with the past. With each passing day, her former crewmate and navigator, Loveland Quill, loses respect for Nel, yet no matter how disgusted he becomes, he keeps intruding into her self-imposed oblivion. One day Tantamount’s deed and title appears on the notice board and all she has tried to forget comes crashing back over her: the loss of the ship, her friends, the captain, and living on the edge, skirting the law. Compounding these memories is the appearance of Castor Sharpe, the infuriating bane of her existence. He’s supposed to be dead, just like the others; then again, he never has been good at doing what he’s supposed to do.

When she awakens aboard the Fata Morgana, Violet recognizes Niko Kaspar and Brandon Gravel, whom she met once in a bar, but her fuzzy memory provides few clues as to how she came to be aboard an Alliance ship. All she knows is that her friends are dead and Tantamount was destroyed. Unlike her own vessel (a true sailing ship), Fata Morgana is a vessel of two halves that sails through the universe via steam. It is the creation of Captain Arlin Raines, who happens to be a Kitsune like herself. The elder fox – who has seven tails – is something of a legend for refusing to return to their world as custom demands. Having taken a liking to Violet, he provides her with a pair of special glasses that allows her to see color; seeing the world in black and white is a side effect from exposure following Tantamount’s destruction.

Sharpe is being hunted. He also knows that Violet is still alive, contrary to what Nel thinks. Having vowed never to forsake Violet, Nel is determined to find her. To do that she needs a ship and a crew. With help from Loveland and Sharpe, as well as some Draugrs and a man who actually prefers his prison cell to freedom, they steal a ship and set sail to retrieve Violet.

In the meantime, Violet is determined to escape from the Fata Morgana. No easy feat when she’s never sure whether she’s going up or down on the ship and she’s constantly watched. As she gets to know Gravel, she finds someone willing to help her. He, in turn, shows her three items he’s found in the bowels of the ship. One is a prisoner, locked in a cell without a door. The second is a friend from Tantamount. And the third is, unfortunately, the obsidian golem – a creature she helped throw overboard into the abyss of space. Like a magnet, the golem latches on to Violet and she’s unsure whether or if she can escape its clutches.

At times, especially during the first half of the story, readers may find themselves as confused as Violet is at times. This is understandable, given that Nel avoids thinking as much as possible and Violet has more questions than answers following their ship’s destruction at the end of the previous book in the series. What isn’t obvious to readers, at least initially, is that the events and perspectives unfold in two different timelines. Radford does provide hints of this, but they are not blatant and may be missed by readers. Even so, as the story progresses and the difference in time narrows, Radford spins a complex, serpentine adventure of domination, invasion, ingenuity, jealousy, and true friendship. A mesmerizing tale where secrets are revealed, surprises elucidate, and not everyone lives happily ever after.




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