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Starship’s Mage #3
Voice of Mars
YOU CAN NEVER GO HOMEWhen accusations of piracy and mass murder are laid against his homeworld, Damien Montgomery is sent to resolve the crisis.As counter-accusations fly and an old flame re-enters his life, the newest Hand of the Mage-King of Mars finds himself in the midst of a bloody interstellar shadow war. With the death toll mounting, Damien must decide whether he should trust the world he came from – or the world that asked for his help.The wrong choice will trigger a civil war that could shatter human civilization.No pressure.Voice of Mars is book 3 of the Starship's Mage series.
344 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 4, 2016
1486 people are currently reading
1137 people want to read
About the author
Glynn Stewart
115 books1,747 followersGlynn Stewart is the author of over 60 books, including Starship’s Mage, a bestselling science fiction and fantasy series where faster-than-light travel is possible–but only because of magic.
Writing managed to liberate Glynn from a bleak future as an accountant. With his personality and hope for a high-tech future intact, he lives in Southern Ontario with his partner, their cats, and an unstoppable writing habit.
Writing managed to liberate Glynn from a bleak future as an accountant. With his personality and hope for a high-tech future intact, he lives in Southern Ontario with his partner, their cats, and an unstoppable writing habit.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 169 reviews
February 18, 2016
To start, I received an ARC through the author, got the email late one night...
And then I was up until 4am.
I love this series, it hits all my inner sci fi/fantasy buttons. We got magic, ship battles in space, battles on the ground with marines, political scheming within a galactic empire, great characters, solid writing and finally...no cliffhangers. Not one book in the series has ended on a cliff hanger, each one can be read as a stand alone, but I recommend reading from the first book.
Damiens story continues in the third book of the Starships Mage series and he's come a long way since book 1. Now a Hand of the Mage-King of Mars, he has to uphold order in what can be a chaotic galaxy that has constant scheming between its people. One thing I do love about this series, among many other things, is that this book is now several years removed from book 1. It's rare that you will find a series like that, where the story doesn't continue right after the previous book. And I love it.
An aspect of this book I really liked was the re-introduction of a character from the first book. Seeing how someone who knew Damien before his journey started and where he has come now, and reading it from their perspective is great. He's still the short shy kid who couldn't find a job, but he's also the Hand of the Mage-King with power that must be feared. And he won't hesitate to crush his enemies if they force him to act.
Great writing and a solid story make for another great entry in the Starships Mage series, can't wait for more.
And then I was up until 4am.
I love this series, it hits all my inner sci fi/fantasy buttons. We got magic, ship battles in space, battles on the ground with marines, political scheming within a galactic empire, great characters, solid writing and finally...no cliffhangers. Not one book in the series has ended on a cliff hanger, each one can be read as a stand alone, but I recommend reading from the first book.
Damiens story continues in the third book of the Starships Mage series and he's come a long way since book 1. Now a Hand of the Mage-King of Mars, he has to uphold order in what can be a chaotic galaxy that has constant scheming between its people. One thing I do love about this series, among many other things, is that this book is now several years removed from book 1. It's rare that you will find a series like that, where the story doesn't continue right after the previous book. And I love it.
An aspect of this book I really liked was the re-introduction of a character from the first book. Seeing how someone who knew Damien before his journey started and where he has come now, and reading it from their perspective is great. He's still the short shy kid who couldn't find a job, but he's also the Hand of the Mage-King with power that must be feared. And he won't hesitate to crush his enemies if they force him to act.
Great writing and a solid story make for another great entry in the Starships Mage series, can't wait for more.
May 2, 2018
That was good. Better towards the end, though. The end made me want to reread book one.
This series deserves better copy editing.
This series deserves better copy editing.
October 1, 2017
WOW! I find that I enjoy this series more with each book!
After the dramatic events in book two, I didn't think the author could possibly write a better book, but he proved me wrong.
In Voice of Mars we finally get a good look at Damien's interaction with the Mage King. Since Damien proved his capabilities on his last mission under the most stressful of circumstances, he has been promoted to Hand of the King and is being sent out on his first solo task. When I heard that the King was sending him to his homeworld of Sherwood, I immediately thought of his ex-girlfriend / almost fiancé, Grace. We haven't heard a peep from her since Part 1 of the Starship's Mage Omnibus!
With a deadly incident to investigate and tensions rising between Sherwood and their neighboring planet, Damien gathers his new security team ... ... acquires a starship and jumps to Sherwood. Damien and Grace have both changed significantly and it's fun to watch him anticipate their reunion. They didn't part on easy terms or talked to one another in four years. When Damien and Grace meet after all that time, the tension is so thick you could cut the air with a knife! I loved it and the humorous dialogue Damien maintains with his security guard is hilarious! The author leaves nothing out of his visual cues, either, making this scene and the rest of the book a true delight to read!
Right away Damien gets to work on the investigation. As usual, things go sideways pretty much from the start. With an unknown person pushing the two planets towards civil war, Damien is in a race against time to save the lives of two planets and prevent a war that could spread to the entire galaxy.
These books have an excellent balance of action, mystery, magic, and science. The stories are always well organized, easy to follow, and complex enough to keep me interested. The space battles are phenomenal! I'm amazed that this author hasn't skyrocketed to the top of the SFF charts! I suspect that will change or certainly hope it does. He's exceptionally talented and has written a very unique series. Now that I'm almost caught up with the books, it's going to be a hard wait for the next one!
I highly recommend this book and the Starship's Mage series to Science Fiction Fantasy and/or Space Opera fans!
After the dramatic events in book two, I didn't think the author could possibly write a better book, but he proved me wrong.
In Voice of Mars we finally get a good look at Damien's interaction with the Mage King. Since Damien proved his capabilities on his last mission under the most stressful of circumstances, he has been promoted to Hand of the King and is being sent out on his first solo task. When I heard that the King was sending him to his homeworld of Sherwood, I immediately thought of his ex-girlfriend / almost fiancé, Grace. We haven't heard a peep from her since Part 1 of the Starship's Mage Omnibus!
With a deadly incident to investigate and tensions rising between Sherwood and their neighboring planet, Damien gathers his new security team ... ... acquires a starship and jumps to Sherwood. Damien and Grace have both changed significantly and it's fun to watch him anticipate their reunion. They didn't part on easy terms or talked to one another in four years. When Damien and Grace meet after all that time, the tension is so thick you could cut the air with a knife! I loved it and the humorous dialogue Damien maintains with his security guard is hilarious! The author leaves nothing out of his visual cues, either, making this scene and the rest of the book a true delight to read!
Right away Damien gets to work on the investigation. As usual, things go sideways pretty much from the start. With an unknown person pushing the two planets towards civil war, Damien is in a race against time to save the lives of two planets and prevent a war that could spread to the entire galaxy.
These books have an excellent balance of action, mystery, magic, and science. The stories are always well organized, easy to follow, and complex enough to keep me interested. The space battles are phenomenal! I'm amazed that this author hasn't skyrocketed to the top of the SFF charts! I suspect that will change or certainly hope it does. He's exceptionally talented and has written a very unique series. Now that I'm almost caught up with the books, it's going to be a hard wait for the next one!
I highly recommend this book and the Starship's Mage series to Science Fiction Fantasy and/or Space Opera fans!
September 9, 2020
This was an OK read, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as the previous books.
The majority of this book is a convoluted mystery that Damien struggles to even understand never mind solve. After a couple of hundred pages the lack of progress becomes frustrating, especially as very little else is happening
The plot basically depends on Damien always being in the wrong place at the wrong time and everybody else always grabbing hold of the wrong end of the stick.
When one of bad guys is finally identified the resultant mess when they try to detain him is beyond belief. At times it was a bit more a Space Farce than a Space Opera.
I struggled to decide what rating to give this book, if possible I would have given 2.5 stars.
The majority of this book is a convoluted mystery that Damien struggles to even understand never mind solve. After a couple of hundred pages the lack of progress becomes frustrating, especially as very little else is happening
The plot basically depends on Damien always being in the wrong place at the wrong time and everybody else always grabbing hold of the wrong end of the stick.
When one of bad guys is finally identified the resultant mess when they try to detain him is beyond belief. At times it was a bit more a Space Farce than a Space Opera.
I struggled to decide what rating to give this book, if possible I would have given 2.5 stars.
June 18, 2022
I really like the ideas and world building in this series. This one though was drier and kept repeating information for newcomers to the series. That seemed unnecessary, who starts a series on book 3 and expects intro info dumps? The book spread action far apart with overly long tedious sections in between. I got badly bogged down walked away for a few years and retried it recently. I got stuck for weeks but managed to finish at last. Still want to know what happens next, just hope the next one is better.
December 24, 2016
Good story. Worth to read . Recently I read two good books with Mars word in title & both are amazing book. Very beautifully written
1. Voice of Mars by Glynn Sterwart
2. 2024 Man on Mars by Pran
Both are great books. Awesome, keep it up.
1. Voice of Mars by Glynn Sterwart
2. 2024 Man on Mars by Pran
Both are great books. Awesome, keep it up.
April 9, 2022
This one is as good as book 1. Start there.
October 22, 2021
STARSHIP'S MAGE is a series that I have found to be surprisingly enjoyable. It's a bit Star Wars and a bit Vorkosigan Saga. THE VOICE OF MARS is a great edition where protagonist, Damien Montgomery, is assigned to his home planet in order to investigate claims that its government (as well as his ex-girlfriend) have been engaged in mass piracy as well as murder.
Damien doesn't want to believe it but the evidence is damning. What follows is a fairly complicated and surprisingly believable military mystery. I think it's my favorite of the Starship's Mages books so far. I still regret that it moved away from merchantmen in space but I am now very much enjoying the palace intrigue going around the King's Hand.
Definitely will be checking out the next.
Damien doesn't want to believe it but the evidence is damning. What follows is a fairly complicated and surprisingly believable military mystery. I think it's my favorite of the Starship's Mages books so far. I still regret that it moved away from merchantmen in space but I am now very much enjoying the palace intrigue going around the King's Hand.
Definitely will be checking out the next.
March 31, 2018
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
I continue to be pleasantly surprised by this series. In Voice of Mars, Damien takes on a task as a Hand on his original home world. Two planets share a resource and are unhappy and one has sent a complaint about the other. The complaint is against his home world. It will be a tricky assignment; Damien must be fair and unbiased. The actual situation is not what anyone expected and only Damien's relentless search for the evidence uncovers the truth.
I love the focus on Damien, where the Hand of Mars felt like it had a few main characters. I appreciate the connection to Damien's history and his growth in his role. I enjoyed this very much. There are also some characters on his team which continue to be developed which is also good.
The suspense and mystery and action were great. For the quotes, you will see I found some humor as well. I couldn't wait to continue with Alien Arcana.
I continue to be pleasantly surprised by this series. In Voice of Mars, Damien takes on a task as a Hand on his original home world. Two planets share a resource and are unhappy and one has sent a complaint about the other. The complaint is against his home world. It will be a tricky assignment; Damien must be fair and unbiased. The actual situation is not what anyone expected and only Damien's relentless search for the evidence uncovers the truth.
I love the focus on Damien, where the Hand of Mars felt like it had a few main characters. I appreciate the connection to Damien's history and his growth in his role. I enjoyed this very much. There are also some characters on his team which continue to be developed which is also good.
The suspense and mystery and action were great. For the quotes, you will see I found some humor as well. I couldn't wait to continue with Alien Arcana.
“And if I refuse to be dictated to?”
“Then I will relieve you,” Damien said flatly. “And if your Vice-Governor is determined to start a war as well, I will relieve him. I believe Sherwood’s line of succession is what, forty-five people long? I’m sure one of them is, if nothing else, completely lacking in spine.”
For a long moment, the Hand met the Governor’s gaze and he could feel the tension cracking in the room. Then Grace laughed, and the tension snapped like a broken wire. “I don’t think you would need to go far down that list, my lord Hand,” she told the two men. “Governor – Grandfather – let’s at least hear what Damien has to say.”
“I’m Commander Ishbel McTaggart off the Maid Marian. For my sin of being Sergeant Gibbons’ high school girlfriend, I ended up being the senior officer he trusted and in charge of this clusterfuck.”
March 1, 2020
10/10: There is no comparison...This is the Mona Lisa of the fictional world!
“I speak for Mars,” he repeated. “Will you listen?”
The third 10/10 NBRS score in a row, and all in one series!
There is just something about these characters, this world, and the unravelling story that has drawn me in completely. I. Am. Hooked.
Onto the next...
“I speak for Mars,” he repeated. “Will you listen?”
The third 10/10 NBRS score in a row, and all in one series!
There is just something about these characters, this world, and the unravelling story that has drawn me in completely. I. Am. Hooked.
Onto the next...
August 1, 2022
Boken tittar på ett internationellt krig, som möjlighet för destabilisering. Så långt gott och väl. Den gör att helt ok jobb med detta, under de första 200 sidorna. Sedan går det utför. Upplösningen är under all kritik, i så motto att den avslutar med ett perspektivskifte avsett att vara något slags cliff-hanger, för en faktion som inte är etablerad. Jag tror inte att jag läser vidare.
March 2, 2017
Great series!
May 19, 2017
I haven't seen a lot of buzz about Glynn Stewart but his bizarre blend of military sci-fi and fantasy is damned entertaining. The audio adaptations of his works are top notch.
February 18, 2018
for the Audiobook. Continues a great series. Space opera, political intrigue, SciFi and magic rolled into one series. Damien is a now a Hand of Mars. a Judge, troubleshooter, one man army with the backing of the Mage King of Mars to maintain justice in the protectorate. Excellent plot, action, descriptive battles in person and in space. Well crafted characters and plot.
April 9, 2016
This is a solid continuation of one of the more promising space Operas I've read recently.
What I liked...
- Montgomery and his new ship.
- Well written political drama.
- Broader conspiracy seems to start taking shape.
What I didn't like...
- Supporting cast still needs some work.
- The romantic subplots for Montgomery in these books continue to be bland.
Similar to the last book, the Hand of Mars, Voice of Mars maintains very much of a epic space opera bend to the story. With our hero on a mission to prevent an impeding galactic war and root out the conspiracy behind it. Good stuff...mostly.
The actual political and conspiracy stuff is pretty good and seeing Montgomery fully immersed in his new role as Hand on his very own spaceship is great too. What's not as great is the supporting cast. There are a lot of them but none are very memorable or interesting. It's basically Montgomery and his bodyguard Amiri and that's more or less it on the interesting characters front. Hopefully as this series continues the hero can pick up some interesting allies or maybe develop some from the crew of his ship. Either way, this book is a little thin in that regard.
Montgomery also can't seem to find an interesting/appealing love interest if his life depended on it. A space opera cannot really be complete without at least one of those, in my opinion. The first time it was Miss Misc Engineer and this time it was Commander Ex-Girlfriend. Get him a cyborg assassin or a rogue mage or something.
What I liked...
- Montgomery and his new ship.
- Well written political drama.
- Broader conspiracy seems to start taking shape.
What I didn't like...
- Supporting cast still needs some work.
- The romantic subplots for Montgomery in these books continue to be bland.
Similar to the last book, the Hand of Mars, Voice of Mars maintains very much of a epic space opera bend to the story. With our hero on a mission to prevent an impeding galactic war and root out the conspiracy behind it. Good stuff...mostly.
The actual political and conspiracy stuff is pretty good and seeing Montgomery fully immersed in his new role as Hand on his very own spaceship is great too. What's not as great is the supporting cast. There are a lot of them but none are very memorable or interesting. It's basically Montgomery and his bodyguard Amiri and that's more or less it on the interesting characters front. Hopefully as this series continues the hero can pick up some interesting allies or maybe develop some from the crew of his ship. Either way, this book is a little thin in that regard.
Montgomery also can't seem to find an interesting/appealing love interest if his life depended on it. A space opera cannot really be complete without at least one of those, in my opinion. The first time it was Miss Misc Engineer and this time it was Commander Ex-Girlfriend. Get him a cyborg assassin or a rogue mage or something.
April 6, 2016
The author has really hit his stride with this book - both with the story and the mechanics of writing / editing. This was a great read. (But if you're starting the series don't start here.)
Damien Montgomery is in his role as Hand of the Mage-King and it's obvious he is more settled and confident in performing that role. But the current adventure tests him as the conflict he needs to settle involves his home planet. I like that he now has a support team to shore up his edges, as it were and I think that was a realistic development given his age and experience and the situations that a Hand is called on to solve.
The tension in the story stems from not being a 100% sure who is going to be trustworthy, who really is causing the issues and if Damien can trust his instincts. I liked that the situation is fully resolved but there is still an over-arching storyline that undoubtedly leads to the next tale.
I'm looking forward to the next book.
Damien Montgomery is in his role as Hand of the Mage-King and it's obvious he is more settled and confident in performing that role. But the current adventure tests him as the conflict he needs to settle involves his home planet. I like that he now has a support team to shore up his edges, as it were and I think that was a realistic development given his age and experience and the situations that a Hand is called on to solve.
The tension in the story stems from not being a 100% sure who is going to be trustworthy, who really is causing the issues and if Damien can trust his instincts. I liked that the situation is fully resolved but there is still an over-arching storyline that undoubtedly leads to the next tale.
I'm looking forward to the next book.
March 22, 2021
So I'm done with this series.
While the writing has improved, the overall story has steadily declined. The characters are making amateur mistakes, the idea behind the Hands lacks credulity. The situations are overblown and the responses are lackluster. Nothing about these characters in this world compel me to read any more.
While the writing has improved, the overall story has steadily declined. The characters are making amateur mistakes, the idea behind the Hands lacks credulity. The situations are overblown and the responses are lackluster. Nothing about these characters in this world compel me to read any more.
November 20, 2017
The Starship Mage series is a mix between science fiction and fantasy the way that Star Wars or Frank Herbert‘s Dune is. All the novels thus far have been stand-alone, so you could theoretically read them out of order.
The third novel in the series is an indirect continuation of the first book. We return to Damien‘s home world of Sheridan that build an anti-piracy flotilla in the aftermath of the events with the Blue Jay (Damien‘s first assignment). However, a neighboring world, Mingliang, claims that Sheridan is using that flotilla for piracy. As they all belong to the Mars protectorate, Damien is send to investigate and settle that dispute.
To be perfectly honest, Sheridan and its leader didn’t leave that good of an impression in the first book. Damien wasn’t born into a mage family, but into a normal one. Digressing into Harry Potterish his parents were muggles and he was what Draco Malfoy once so charmingly referred to as a mudblood. Now Damien was of middling magical strength, but he was way better at using what powers he had (and of course had a special talent that later go him the assignment with the King of Mars). Unfortunately without connections it was almost impossible for him to get an assignment, his colleagues were all promoted before him through nepotism. When the Blue Jay was refused a new ship mage, a position that is vital to space travel, because their old one who gave his life to save the ship was related to the McLoughlins, who wanted to punish them for his death. Damien accepted the assignment against the McLoughlins wishes. All this gave the impression that Sheridan‘s society was prejudiced and that its governor abused his power if it served him. This time around you still perceive him as arrogant, but you also finally understand, why they elected him for 8 consecutive periods.
As to the story itself, that is quite similar to the last book. Damien is trying to prevent a war and safe lives. When Damien arrives in system he realizes that everything is not as it seems and therefore needs to investigate between rendering judgment unfortunately while the attacks continue. As usual I got hooked and read the book almost in one go. After the first set of events on Sheridan I immediately knew what was going on and who was to blame. The only thing that I couldn’t tell right from the start was how people would profit from a war between Sheridan and Mingliang. Was it about greed or a greater conspiracy.
The book was well written, some of the plot twists weren’t as big of a surprise as the author apparently wanted (the identity of the second ship was obvious from the start). And there lies my major criticism. With the exception of a few scenes with his ex-girlfriend the reader always knows what Damien knows and only has that information to draw conclusions on. As a matter of fact we have less data, because we do not read page after page of analysis data. After the main culprit was revealed, they should have reviewed all the information he provided again. Damien actually said something along those lines. Having characters who are always so smart, suddenly not drawing obvious conclusions to keep the suspense up, always annoys me greatly.
Still, I am definitely reading the next book.
The third novel in the series is an indirect continuation of the first book. We return to Damien‘s home world of Sheridan that build an anti-piracy flotilla in the aftermath of the events with the Blue Jay (Damien‘s first assignment). However, a neighboring world, Mingliang, claims that Sheridan is using that flotilla for piracy. As they all belong to the Mars protectorate, Damien is send to investigate and settle that dispute.
To be perfectly honest, Sheridan and its leader didn’t leave that good of an impression in the first book. Damien wasn’t born into a mage family, but into a normal one. Digressing into Harry Potterish his parents were muggles and he was what Draco Malfoy once so charmingly referred to as a mudblood. Now Damien was of middling magical strength, but he was way better at using what powers he had (and of course had a special talent that later go him the assignment with the King of Mars). Unfortunately without connections it was almost impossible for him to get an assignment, his colleagues were all promoted before him through nepotism. When the Blue Jay was refused a new ship mage, a position that is vital to space travel, because their old one who gave his life to save the ship was related to the McLoughlins, who wanted to punish them for his death. Damien accepted the assignment against the McLoughlins wishes. All this gave the impression that Sheridan‘s society was prejudiced and that its governor abused his power if it served him. This time around you still perceive him as arrogant, but you also finally understand, why they elected him for 8 consecutive periods.
As to the story itself, that is quite similar to the last book. Damien is trying to prevent a war and safe lives. When Damien arrives in system he realizes that everything is not as it seems and therefore needs to investigate between rendering judgment unfortunately while the attacks continue. As usual I got hooked and read the book almost in one go. After the first set of events on Sheridan I immediately knew what was going on and who was to blame. The only thing that I couldn’t tell right from the start was how people would profit from a war between Sheridan and Mingliang. Was it about greed or a greater conspiracy.
The book was well written, some of the plot twists weren’t as big of a surprise as the author apparently wanted (the identity of the second ship was obvious from the start). And there lies my major criticism. With the exception of a few scenes with his ex-girlfriend the reader always knows what Damien knows and only has that information to draw conclusions on. As a matter of fact we have less data, because we do not read page after page of analysis data. After the main culprit was revealed, they should have reviewed all the information he provided again. Damien actually said something along those lines. Having characters who are always so smart, suddenly not drawing obvious conclusions to keep the suspense up, always annoys me greatly.
Still, I am definitely reading the next book.
July 14, 2021
I really liked this book. The characters are good, the plot is well developed and fast passed, the universe building complex and well thought out and the writing is tight. Glynn Stewart has learned his craft well and is due to join the upper echelon of science fiction authors.
All that said, there are a few flaws that hurt this book for me. The story revolves around two star systems in the Protectorate that each have a share in a planetless star system between them in which they mine. Ships are being attacked and destroyed in and around this system and each of the governments is blaming the other and gearing up for war. Hand of Mars, Damien is sent in to sort the matter out, which is a great premise for a story. The stakes are high, there is intrigue and even romance as commanding one of the fleets is Damien's old girlfriend.
However, this is where the author starts to cheat a little. In early encounters it is stated that there can be little doubt that members of these two fleets is responsible and that it is really unlikely that a third party is involved. Any question that it is a third party is quashed again and again, and then it turns out to be a third party. Particularly annoying to me is where there is a chance encounter with a shipwreck where a hidden surveillance system is almost impossible to find. When Damien does eventually find the footage it reveals everything consistent with one of these fleets. However, this is all a ruse, meaning that the antagonists went to tremendous lengths to dress up their ships and crew as this fleet and then tried to hide all evidence. Miraculously this is found only to confirm the ruse – it strikes me as far too convenient.
As both systems argue with Damien for war, he insists that he, as Hand of Mars, is in charge. The groups sullenly back down for the most part but none throw this back at him that if he is in charge, he is doing a poor job of saving people's lives. If Damien truly believes that the buck stops with him, he should feel incredibly guilty for the literally tens of thousands of lives lost while he fumbled around, and the leaders of these two systems should be pointing this out to him. “While you sat on your grand Hands of Mars, our mining base was destroyed and 20,000 people were killed. You're doing a fantastic job of keeping the peace here aren't you!” Yet, by the end of the book, they are thanking him for his help. Were I one of the leaders, I'd be demanding that Mars send us a lot of assistance and have a good talking to Hand Damien that cost us so much.
However, as I said at the start, this is a very good novel and I will be reading more of this series. These flaws are annoying, but didn't stop me from enjoying the book a great deal.
All that said, there are a few flaws that hurt this book for me. The story revolves around two star systems in the Protectorate that each have a share in a planetless star system between them in which they mine. Ships are being attacked and destroyed in and around this system and each of the governments is blaming the other and gearing up for war. Hand of Mars, Damien is sent in to sort the matter out, which is a great premise for a story. The stakes are high, there is intrigue and even romance as commanding one of the fleets is Damien's old girlfriend.
However, this is where the author starts to cheat a little. In early encounters it is stated that there can be little doubt that members of these two fleets is responsible and that it is really unlikely that a third party is involved. Any question that it is a third party is quashed again and again, and then it turns out to be a third party. Particularly annoying to me is where there is a chance encounter with a shipwreck where a hidden surveillance system is almost impossible to find. When Damien does eventually find the footage it reveals everything consistent with one of these fleets. However, this is all a ruse, meaning that the antagonists went to tremendous lengths to dress up their ships and crew as this fleet and then tried to hide all evidence. Miraculously this is found only to confirm the ruse – it strikes me as far too convenient.
As both systems argue with Damien for war, he insists that he, as Hand of Mars, is in charge. The groups sullenly back down for the most part but none throw this back at him that if he is in charge, he is doing a poor job of saving people's lives. If Damien truly believes that the buck stops with him, he should feel incredibly guilty for the literally tens of thousands of lives lost while he fumbled around, and the leaders of these two systems should be pointing this out to him. “While you sat on your grand Hands of Mars, our mining base was destroyed and 20,000 people were killed. You're doing a fantastic job of keeping the peace here aren't you!” Yet, by the end of the book, they are thanking him for his help. Were I one of the leaders, I'd be demanding that Mars send us a lot of assistance and have a good talking to Hand Damien that cost us so much.
However, as I said at the start, this is a very good novel and I will be reading more of this series. These flaws are annoying, but didn't stop me from enjoying the book a great deal.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2019
This book picks up right after the second with hints of the plot line that has tied everything together so far. Damien is in action right away, but this seems to be used just to get us flowing in the story and acquainted with his powers. From there he is sent to stop a civil war from breaking out between two systems.
Of course not everything is what it seems, and that is the fun in the story. To add some extra fun, he finds out his old girlfriend is the military leader of one of the systems. This book is a good landscape of politics and military action. Though some of the decisions are angering, they are understandable. There isn't much worse than a book where the characters take actions the reader can't logically follow along with. I run into this problem all the time, but not in this book. They can be frustrating, but you can completely understand more.
The only question I'm always left wondering is why the ship captains don't just grab some extra jump mage's when the fit hits the shan. I'm sure there could be a reason for it, but that reason isn't ever fully explained to my satisfaction. That isn't hardly enough to take away from the story, and I really like this one.
We are left with a lot of questions unanswered involving the series plot, but the door is finally wide open now. I'm sure a lot of them are going to be brought up in the next book and I'm charging forward right into that one.
Of course not everything is what it seems, and that is the fun in the story. To add some extra fun, he finds out his old girlfriend is the military leader of one of the systems. This book is a good landscape of politics and military action. Though some of the decisions are angering, they are understandable. There isn't much worse than a book where the characters take actions the reader can't logically follow along with. I run into this problem all the time, but not in this book. They can be frustrating, but you can completely understand more.
The only question I'm always left wondering is why the ship captains don't just grab some extra jump mage's when the fit hits the shan. I'm sure there could be a reason for it, but that reason isn't ever fully explained to my satisfaction. That isn't hardly enough to take away from the story, and I really like this one.
We are left with a lot of questions unanswered involving the series plot, but the door is finally wide open now. I'm sure a lot of them are going to be brought up in the next book and I'm charging forward right into that one.
January 31, 2024
I loved this book! I will just give a basic overview of this book's good and bad qualities.
Good
There was a governor with a husband, which I appreciated. Who doesn't like having a cute same-sex couple in their books?
The book ended on a cliffhanger. We don't know exactly who has been trying to cause a war, and there's some suspense and mystery that will come in the next book.
The secret identifies of some of the Patrol was something I appreciated. I'm a fan of secret evil identities when their done well — and this was.
I liked the action. Again, there was just the right amount: not too much, but also not too little. A few space battles and plenty of strategizing with action mixed in was perfect.
Damien is such a do-gooder. I just love that, because it means he's working for a solution that benefits every innocent person. He's very just.
Bad
There was one very powerful woman, and I wish that there were more in the front of the story. I really wanted Grace McLaughlin to be more three-dimensional. But she was pretty awesome still.
Conclusion
Very good! Read this if you like adventure, mystery, action, a touch of romance, politics, justice, sci-fi, fantasy, space, and pirates.
- Echo (they/them) ⚧️
Good
There was a governor with a husband, which I appreciated. Who doesn't like having a cute same-sex couple in their books?
The book ended on a cliffhanger. We don't know exactly who has been trying to cause a war, and there's some suspense and mystery that will come in the next book.
The secret identifies of some of the Patrol was something I appreciated. I'm a fan of secret evil identities when their done well — and this was.
I liked the action. Again, there was just the right amount: not too much, but also not too little. A few space battles and plenty of strategizing with action mixed in was perfect.
Damien is such a do-gooder. I just love that, because it means he's working for a solution that benefits every innocent person. He's very just.
Bad
There was one very powerful woman, and I wish that there were more in the front of the story. I really wanted Grace McLaughlin to be more three-dimensional. But she was pretty awesome still.
Conclusion
Very good! Read this if you like adventure, mystery, action, a touch of romance, politics, justice, sci-fi, fantasy, space, and pirates.
- Echo (they/them) ⚧️
December 10, 2024
Damien is heading home to Sherwood, to investigate a rapidly escalating series of events that look like destabilizing the relationship of two worlds, into a war, if not checked in time.
Glynn Stewart doesn’t waste any time getting his players on the board and getting shot up or totally destroyed, as Damien and his team, search for answers in this fast moving, and puzzling drama. He meets up with his former girlfriend, now Commodore of the Sherwood Patrol, could she be part of this? More questions than answers. The body count rises on both sides, how are targets chosen, but more to the point, how do the attackers know where they will be, to spring their ambushes.
I really enjoyed this 10th Anniversary version of Voice of Mars, and as always, have the highest regards for Glynn’s writing talent, in the way he gives his characters their own personality as they go about their diverse duties, regardless of what is going on around them. Not for the first time Damien’s ship goes to Battle stations as they emerge back into reality to face………..something’s not right..
Glynn Stewart doesn’t waste any time getting his players on the board and getting shot up or totally destroyed, as Damien and his team, search for answers in this fast moving, and puzzling drama. He meets up with his former girlfriend, now Commodore of the Sherwood Patrol, could she be part of this? More questions than answers. The body count rises on both sides, how are targets chosen, but more to the point, how do the attackers know where they will be, to spring their ambushes.
I really enjoyed this 10th Anniversary version of Voice of Mars, and as always, have the highest regards for Glynn’s writing talent, in the way he gives his characters their own personality as they go about their diverse duties, regardless of what is going on around them. Not for the first time Damien’s ship goes to Battle stations as they emerge back into reality to face………..something’s not right..
May 1, 2018
A solid 3.5
Had to put it aside for a bit because I started to parallel read it with Leviathan and that's not a fair comparison as they aren't in the same league.
Then I picked it up again while I was reading "The woman in cabin 10" and it's probably not as brilliant as it seemed compared to that. One of the advantages of being a big parallel reader is being able to draw direct comparison as to how interesting a book really is.
The plot is good, the world invented for the series is contained and thought out enough that it works. Sometimes it's actually a bit of a wrench in the storyline to be constantly reminded of the delay effects of being 16 light seconds apart when trying to communicate.
The writing is quite clumsy at times. And the dialogue can be grating at times. Especially when the supposedly official bit starts and it gets pompous and stilted.
But overall it works and it's entertaining.
I'll read the next book but I'm also not rushing off because I can't wait.
Had to put it aside for a bit because I started to parallel read it with Leviathan and that's not a fair comparison as they aren't in the same league.
Then I picked it up again while I was reading "The woman in cabin 10" and it's probably not as brilliant as it seemed compared to that. One of the advantages of being a big parallel reader is being able to draw direct comparison as to how interesting a book really is.
The plot is good, the world invented for the series is contained and thought out enough that it works. Sometimes it's actually a bit of a wrench in the storyline to be constantly reminded of the delay effects of being 16 light seconds apart when trying to communicate.
The writing is quite clumsy at times. And the dialogue can be grating at times. Especially when the supposedly official bit starts and it gets pompous and stilted.
But overall it works and it's entertaining.
I'll read the next book but I'm also not rushing off because I can't wait.
August 1, 2023
Probably the strongest book in the series currently. Damian feels more settled into his role than the last book and he delivers some killer lines as a result. You see much of the goods stuff from previous books so if you enjoyed the previous volumes your probably safe with 3.
I will say that as readers we are more aware of the overall scenario than the characters and so much of the mystery was for-shadowed early and can be quite obvious. Thats fine but can be frustrating to see some characters make schemes and take actions around Damien that we Know will undo a lot of hard work he's put in to resolve things. This while frustrating ultimately might not be a bad thing as I imagine its good for putting the reader in Damien's mindset as events outside his control force him to put out another fire he's just gotten control of.
I will say that as readers we are more aware of the overall scenario than the characters and so much of the mystery was for-shadowed early and can be quite obvious. Thats fine but can be frustrating to see some characters make schemes and take actions around Damien that we Know will undo a lot of hard work he's put in to resolve things. This while frustrating ultimately might not be a bad thing as I imagine its good for putting the reader in Damien's mindset as events outside his control force him to put out another fire he's just gotten control of.
April 2, 2020
Still having a problem gripping onto any character besides Montgomery, which is odd as I'm pushing through anyway and just figure that someone else will become memorable to me. I find I like stories to tell me the story, plot .. Yeah.. But I like characters to be deep and I guess.. I'm just not getting that here.. It's just more like a television series.. Or better yet a movie series where the characters are just there as the plot runs them by … rather than the characters dealing with and being driven by the plot.. Maybe.. It's probably not the best example, but I'm just not getting into this as deeply as I usually do scifi and fantasy.
Warning - Language
Warning - Language
October 25, 2017
Despite some of the worst and cheesiest cover art I've seen (it looks like a high school art project) the book and the story and characters so far are entertaining. The stories are not terribly complex but they are satisfying and a nice easy read with only a few spelling, grammatical, or typographical errors. I'll read them all. I'd have liked it better if Damien had some emotional vulnerabilities and if there were some other characters with some depth but for a romantic space opera with an interesting universe it's a good read.
May 30, 2018
This wasn't really about magic at all, just a classic space battle/political thriller. And while our main character's special abilities showed up a couple of times, they were in minor plot points, not central to the plot at all. Plus the world building seems to have quit--no new ideas or people or tech. Even the two new planets in the story seem to have the same culture and society--what little is described. So I've taken off two stars for that.
But the space thriller was a good one. So it's still an enjoyable read.
But the space thriller was a good one. So it's still an enjoyable read.
January 27, 2019
Was nowhere near as good as the previous two in the series. I think it was the plot. Not compelling enough, too much meandering about and not enough character development. It started off really good with Damien in the thick of a hostage stand off, but kind of lost its way. Also, too much sighing, shrugging and said softly. No one is expecting (or wants) Booker Prize-type prose, but the author needs to do a search and replace on these terms. Characters need to sigh only a couple of times in a novel!
January 26, 2023
The basic storyline of this novel bears a startling similarity to that of Lois McMaster Bujold's "A Civil Campaign", combining romance and courtship with political intrigue. factional warfare and lots of explosions except there is a lot less laughter. There has got to be a better way of letting the object of one's affection know of that affection other than punctuating the declaration with exploding starships and bloody boarding actions. Still, Damien communicated effectively. What happens next with the star-crossed couple?
March 14, 2023
Our short and slight yet powerful Hand of the Mage (again, why all the descriptions of his lack of height? It’s not at all relevant to the story.) is sent back to Sherwood, his home planet, to prevent an all-out war between two neighboring planetary systems. When he arrives, he finds that his former girlfriend from Mage school is now the Commander of the military…but can he trust her? And will she trust him? I started this thinking it was the final book in a good trilogy, but now realize there are, as of this writing, 10 books in the series. What a nice surprise for my TBR list!
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