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WesternSFA


Alien Safari: Genesis
Alien Safari #5
by Robert Appleton
Mercury Seven Books, $5.99 e-book, $16.99 HB, 217pp
Published: November 2023

Excitement and danger collide on the galaxy's wildest ride.

With Alien Safari’s reputation in tatters after the tenax disaster, Jan invites a select group of influential journalists to experience Hesperidia for themselves, hoping their reports will sway public opinion back in her favor. In partnership with Detective Vaughn, now the operation’s permanent Security Chief, she launches an all-or-nothing intercontinental tour, incorporating the thrilling highlights of all the previous tours. It’s the most important week of her career. Either Alien Safari fires on all cylinders or mankind’s future on Hesperidia is in jeopardy.

But while the VIPs are dazzled by the spectacular array of creatures and locations, Vaughn starts to suspect a link between several unusual incidents. It points to someone on the tour not being who they claim to be. And with the safari about to cross a region fraught with warning signs, he has a hunch that something catastrophic may be brewing.

Nothing could have prepared them for what they discover deep in the oldest ecosystem of the galaxy’s wildest planet.

A select group of journalists and influencers are coming to Hesperidia for a week-long tour that Head Ranger Jan Hopper hopes will set Alien Safari on a path of independence from government interference.  Newly appointed Security Chief Vaughn is in the process of setting up his own crew with the ultimate goal of having local control over who can and cannot come to the planet. Something odd has been noticed - there have been repeated information requests that, in and of themselves are legal and harmless, but taken as a whole are disquieting in the amount of detailed information being requested about a particular area of the planet. With nothing to really point to a problem the tour goes on and, in typical Hesperidia fashion, the tour goes sideways and the tourists get more excitement than they bargained for.

Each entry in this series is action-packed and fast-moving, as well as being a fast read. Jan and Vaughn are interesting characters who continue to grow. The dog Stopper is delightful as well as protective.  The auxiliary characters are not as fully fleshed out as our two primary characters are but we get enough detail that we want to know more about them. There is no real decision on the future of Alien Safari or Jan and Vaughn’s future on Hesperidia and the end of the books almost reads like an end to the series though I hope I am wrong. I want to have more adventures with Jan, Vaughn and Stopper. Recommended ~~ Stephanie L Bannon

For more titles by Robert Appleton click here

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