Cobra Outlaw

Cobra Rebellion #2

by Timothy Zahn

ORIGINAL TRADE PAPERBACK. SEQUEL TO COBRA SLAVE. New York Times #1 best-selling author Timothy Zahn continues his Cobra SF adventure series with book #2 of a new Cobra saga, Cobra Rebellion. Cobra warriors: technologically enhanced and implanted with an arsenal of covert weaponry fight against alien foes and evil humans.

Cobra warriors: technologically enhanced human warriors designed to combat an implacable alien menace. Now, and not for the first time, the Cobras are facing trouble from their own kind.

The Broom clan of Cobra warriors finds itself pressed between two star empires headed for war. On the planet Aventine, the Broom's homeworld, pater familia Paul Broom has been taken prisoner by Commodore Santeros, an implacable operative of the Dominion of Man. Paul is due to have his memories sifted through by the dreaded and often destructive Dominion MindsEye in order to root out the location of legendary Qasamaa planet where huge advances in military hardware, particularly a svelte powered armor, might give the Dominion of Man an edge in a coming war with the alien Troft. Santeros hopes to strike a deal with Qasama and, if a deal cannot be struck, then Santores and the Dominion are prepared to take what they want.

Elsewhere on Aventine and in the galaxy beyond, rebellion is brewing against Dominion atrocities and Dominion scheming, with outlaw Cobra warriors Lorne and Jody Broom in the vanguard.

Meanwhile, Cobra Jason Broom poses as an escaped slave on a secret Troft prison planet where humans are sent to gladiatorial combat to the death for Troft amusement and wagering. He is seeking information on Troft factions, for not every Troft wants war with humankind, and if he can identify moderate elements, he may save the Cobra worlds, and head off a massive interstellar war in the bargain.

The stage is set for adventure with one family of Cobra heroes once again fighting for freedom and peace in a galaxy on the edge of war.

About Timothy Zahn:
“Zahn keeps the story moving at a breakneck pace, maintaining excitement.”—Publishers Weekly

"[Y]ou can count on Timothy Zahn for three things: clean, sparse prose; good pacing; and great action scenes. The first book in the Cobra War series hits all those marks in admirable style and makes for a quick, entertaining sci-fi novel." —Blogcritics

“[Conqueror’s Heritage] is another finely wrought space adventure . . . [with] social, political and emotional complications, all of which Zahn treats with his usual skill.”—Booklist

“Zahn paints every detail [in Angelmass] with gleamy realism . . . scientific dialogue that streams with starship hardware and military trooper talk . . . immensely appealing.”—Kirkus Review

Genres: Science Fiction, Military Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera, Ebooks

ebook

First published January 15, 2015

About the author

Timothy Zahn attended Michigan State University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in physics in 1973. He then moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and achieved an M.S. degree in physics in 1975. While he was pursuing a doctorate in physics, his adviser became ill and died. Zahn never completed the doctorate. In 1975 he had begun writing science fiction as a hobby, and he became a professional writer. He and his wife Anna live in Bandon, Oregon. They have a son, Corwin Zahn.

Reviews

[Kathy Davie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second in the Cobra Rebellion military sci-fi subseries (eighth in the overall Cobra series) and revolving around the Broom family and their fellow Cobras. The focus is spread out over the four subplots.

My Take
This was an irritating read, and I see it as a bridge novel in four parts: events on Aventine which are spread out between the Cobras and Aventinians against the Dominion of Man; the mission of Merrick Broom "Hopekeeper" and his fellow "slave", Anya; Jody's race for Qasama; and, Captain Barrington's mission to reach Qasama.

It's honor versus the unscrupulous as the main theme with eruptions of betrayal and friendship. Zahn definitely goes overboard on making the antagonists villains you can't help but hate with a passion. You'd never mistake the Dominion of Man for having Star Trek-like ethics. They'll lie, cheat, steal, and destroy to get what they want. They don't care who they hurt. I gotta wonder if Santores actually believes the lies he's spouting?

Zahn has created a nasty bit of subplot within the DoM navy with their patronage system. What a way to run a command?! It's complications contribute to making the good guys in this seem very amateurish, especially in their planning. It would make me wonder how they managed so far…if I hadn't been reading the series all along.

It does help that Cobra Outlaw uses third-person omniscient for a point-of-view, as it provides you with access to everyone's thoughts.

Zahn has definitely left me wondering what's going on and where he'll take it, as this story mostly huddles everyone together on their particular path and is setting them up for whatever comes along in book 3. I think this is the first Zahn I've been disappointed in.

The Story
Paul Broom is a prisoner of the Dominion of Man who intend to force him to submit to the MindsEye. They want that location, for they see it as the only option to save themselves.

Yet more Brooms are leading rebellions of one sort or another: Lorne and Jin on Aventine; Merrick, in hand with Anya, is hunting answers on Muninn as he eludes the slavers they escaped; Jody is aboard the captured Squire racing to warn Qasama; and, Captain Barrington is battling his own people.

The Characters
The Cobra Worlds are…
…five isolated worlds of humans, kicked out of the Dominion of Man and sent to the farthest reaches of the universe centuries ago.

Aventine is…
…the home of the Broom family where Chintawa is governor-general. Capitalia is a traitorous city on the planet. Archway was where the "riot" took place.

Lorne Moreau Broom is in hiding in DeVegas province on Aventine with his mother, Jasmine "Jin". His father, Paul Broom, is being held by the invading commander and threatened with a brain wash. Corwin Moreau, a former governor whose hobby is ceramics, is married to Thena. Jonny Moreau had been their great-grandfather, one of the original Cobras ( Cobra , 1). Daulo Sammon had been a friend of Jody's mother's.

Nissa Gendreves has taken power by the bit. Eion Yates is an economic and political powerhouse whose factory, Yates Fabrications, has just been taken by DoM. Jake Sedgley is a snarly fisherman. Dushan Matavuli is a big rancher in DeVegas; Nick is his adventurous oldest son.

Fred, Ambrose, Tommy, Jake, Gary, and Kath are officemates in Archway. Quill runs Jonquil's, one of their favorite restaurants. James Hobwell is an executive producer at Polestar Productions; the popular Anna Villager is one of their programs. Jennie Sider is the chief makeup artist.

Fellow Cobras include…
…Badger "Badj" Werle, Brandeis "Kicker" Pierce, and Dillon de Portola. Cobra Commandant Yoshio Ishikuma is in charge of Lorne Broom's district.

Caelian is…
…allied with the Cobra Worlds and has a deadly environment. The planet was the focus of the subseries, Cobra War. Rom Uy is the governor.

Qasama is…
…a planet whose origins were forgotten, a lost DoM colony. Moffren Omnathi is Shahni of the planet's people. First Hope Hospital is in Azras.

On board the Squire, Jody Moreau Broom is part of the "crew" under Moffren Omnathi. The others include Ifrit Ghushtre, Ghofl Khatir, and Djinni Nisti who are Qasaman Cobras; Kemp and Smitty, who are Caelians; and, Rashida Vil, a Qasaman pilot-translator who evolved into a warrior.

The Dominion of Man (DoM) is…
…home to the original Earth. I think the Dome is their central government or the military command. A fleet consisting of Algonquin and her courier ship, Squire ; Falcon ; Megalith ; Hermes ; and, Dorian are under the duplicitous Commodore Rubo Santores, who arrived at Aventine in Cobra Slave , 7. Dominion Marines have more technically advanced Cobra-type enhancements.

Santores endorses the arrogant Colonel Reivaro's moves when he choreographed the slaughter in Archway ( Cobra Slave ) Captain Lij Tulu commands the Algonquin, a warship. MindsEye is a machine that sifts through the brain, taking its memories, with the possibility of destroying it. Commander Tamu captains the Squire which was taken in Cobra Slave . Lieutenant Commander Vothra is in command of the Hermes, a courier ship.

Captain Barrington Moreau commands the war cruiser Dorian and is planning to rendezvous with Ukuthi. Commander Ling Garrett is the first officer. Kusari is the engineering officer; Filho is weapons officer; Castenello is the antagonistic tactical officer who knows better about everything; Lancaster is the chief surgeon; and, Lieutenant Cottros Meekan is Barrington's aide.

Troft are…
…aliens who are divided into demesnes — think "country". Flicker nets are a typical weapon. Some of the demesnes include Balin'ekha'spmi (Balin), Hoibe'ryi'sarai (Hoibie), Drim'hco'plai (Drim), and Kreil'laa'misar. Commander Ukuthi is the fourth demesne heir to the Balin'ekha'spmi and has sent Merrick and Anya to Muninn. He seems to be playing both ends.

Muninn is…
…a lost DoM planet taken over by the Drim where Merrick Moreau Hopekeeper has gone undercover as a Troft slave with Anya Winghunter. Then Kjoic, a Troft slave master, turns up. Leif and Katla Streamjumper and their daughter, Gina, were fellow slaves. Henson Hillclimber had been a referee in Gangari.

Svipall is…
…the village on Muninn where testing and chemical studies are being done. Alexis Tucker/Turner Woolmaster has a ranch. Helga Herbseeker and Ludolf Treetapper are Anya's parents who abandoned her to the slavers at Gangari. "Nicolai Hidetanner" will be Merrick's alias for the Games. Dyre Woodsplitter, Anya's bully of a betrothed, and Emil Grainplanter are some of the fighters. Red Patch is one of the drugs the Troft use.

Cobras are enhanced weapons of war built onto/into the human body. Isis, the Integrated Structural Implantation System created by Dr. Glas Croi, an Aventinian robotics developer, is the automated surgical machinery that can churn out a Cobra warrior. Bersarkis is a drug made from bersark, a native plant that makes you go crazy from simple contact.

The Cover and Title
The background of the cover is dark with a deadly looking Dorian firing at smaller, attacking Troft ships. The author's name is in white at the bottom while the series information is in a deep orange at the top with the much bigger title just below it: the first part of the title is in a radiating gradient of yellow to orange while the second part is in a deep yellow and tucked under the "cobr".

The title is a natural progression after Cobra Slave , for the whole Broom family is the Cobra Outlaw.

[SciFiOne · Rating 5 out of 5]

2018 Grade B+/A-

Not quite as good as the first book in this series in that it was not as engaging and was easier to put down when necessary. At the same time it was not as frustrating because it spent more time developing the protagonist's stories. The protagonists are much broader characters than the antagonists. Once again it was easy to pick up the story line with each POV change. The end was not quite as satisfying as book one but it did end the local story arcs while setting up the series for the next novel, which I hope is the conclusion. I have book three, but decided to read another author first just to clear my mind.

[Max Rohde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cobra Outlaw is solid and action packed but not a thought provoking masterpiece. However, as with many works by Zahn, there are interesting characters and political machinations to follow. What I like best is the relationship between the lost human colonies (the Cobra Worlds) and the rest of humanity (the Dominion) and how they deal with alien threat. The aliens, however, are not introduced as a uniform evil, but instead as a complex society with diverging interest and alliances.

[Diana Par-due · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoying this book even more than the first one. The story thickens and weaves throughout the stories of many different characters and makes it a rich plot. It is sometimes a bit disconcerting how every single chapter or sometimes within a chapter the story switches to another characters voice. I understand why, but it does give a bit of whiplash.

[Michael Rutkowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still find the style of five different storylines going on simultaneously a bit distracting ! This is a passable book and series to fill up the summertime doldrums !

[Daniel Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part 2 much better but not complete story yet. Got clues to overall plot. Not sure how all angles relate. Characters consistent hope best for Brooms.

[Janet Sketchley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good series, with multiple plot threads. I found this book slow starting, because it needed to re-orient readers to each of the threads and the overall situation.

Once it got up to speed, it was a typical (as in, satisfying and fast-paced) Cobra novel and I enjoyed it.

However, I wish I'd waited for this Cobra series to be complete before I started reading the previous one (Cobra War) because Cobra War #3 ended by starting the whole slave thing dealt with in this new series, and Cobra Rebellion #1 and #2 have more paused than ended. I don't read serials, because I want closure at the end of a story. Ongoing plot threads are fine, but the novel's main plot needs to wrap up for me. Especially when I have to wait a year to read the next installment. I forget details over that time, which diminishes my understanding and appreciation of the series.

Looking forward to Cobra Rebellion #3, whenever it appears. Amazon doesn't even have it listed, but Wikipedia says it'll be Cobra Traitor. I'm hoping I can clear my reading schedule and start over with the original Cobra novel (free in ebook format!) and follow the series from the beginning again to see what I've forgotten.

[Edit on a second read: Cobra Traitor released in 2018, so it was a long wait, but I've re-read the series and am enjoying watching it play out, now that I know I can go right through to the end.]

[Beau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished this e-arc. I liked it. I bounced between 3 and 4 stars, and decided to round down instead of up.

First off, I like Cobras. They are just cool. And in the fight with the Dominion of Man, or with the alien Trofts, they are clearly the good guys.

Plus, I like space battles with lasers and missiles and stuff blowing up.

This book has both. As a space opera fan, that would do it for me. But then I feel like things are crawling. There are six story-lines, spinning out independently. It seems like I got involved in one of them and they switched to a different one. Hey, weaving a tapestry of six story lines is ambitious, and I think it's a fine effort.

One thing that surprised me. It's apparently easier to sneak up on a Cobra than I suspected. Twice in this book, groups of soldiers got the drop on one. Fortunately, the good guys have been on a run of good luck so far, and they always manage to wiggle free.

I don't know how many books it will take to finish this story. However many it is, I'm gonna read them all.

[Ralph Blackburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent space opera, the second in the new trilogy started with COBRA SLAVE. The Moreau/Broom family is still at odds with the Dominion of Man. Action and intrigue move the plot along nicely. Recommend you read the trilogy that came before this one, COBRA WARS, as it makes for a more satisfied understanding of what is going on and all recent books in this series are contiguous- that is one continuous story with character arcs and revelations.

[Derelict Space Sheep · Rating 3 out of 5]

42 WORD REVIEW:

Zahn’s mix of military action and political intrigue remains engaging, but his latest Cobra trilogy would (back in the day) have been one long book; the wait between instalments makes for a certain disorientation, especially given the multiple plotlines running in parallel.

[Stephen Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been reading through the Cobra books at a much faster pace than expected. Now that I've finished Cobra Outlaw disappointed to find that I have to wait a bit before the next book comes out. The story and the character arcs have made this book, and the series enjoyable reads.

[Phyllis Griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and look forward to the third of the series.

[Mark Baller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book by Zahn in the vein of "Last train to Rigel" great series