The enemy of an enemy … tried to kill them.
Hoping to uncover information about the destruction of the second Coalition colony, they make a risky deal with Captain Jetaar for use of one of his stealth ships.
Unfortunately, when they arrive at the Tamilis system in a pirate cruiser, they must evade two FleetCom Multicruisers and the ominous Tahrat Shan Che to find their answers.
Only after they return to Jetaar’s base, does Ethan realize the actual cost of discovering the truth. His arrangement with the Pirate Lord has only has one way out, and Walker and his crew must risk everything to keep from giving him what may be the ultimate weapon.
Access to the technologies of an ancient Tacra Un Archive.
You should really check out the fifth book in the Wings of Earth Series now!
Don’t forget to grab the prequel series of the Shan Takhu Legacy because it’s always good to understand what got us here!
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We conclude season one of Wings of Earth with the Stranger Bedfellows finale (book five). If that sounds more like a television premise, then you are not far off. Eric Michael Craig constructed this series within an episodic framework. He treats each book as a contained event while using character arcs to push the core plot forward.
Granted, this is what a sequential series is supposed to do, but the manner by which Craig executes it gives Wings of Earth a distinct Star Trek vibe. Admittedly, every time I start a new book, I hear a 50s-era radio announcer saying, “When we last saw our intrepid heroes …” It creates a giddy anticipation, as if sinking into the couch with a bowl of popcorn. Should the series ever be adapted, the screenwriters won’t have much to do.
The space pirates return for Stranger Bedfellows, which give Ethan Walker and the crew a fresh round of ulcers. We learned a lot of interesting new details about said crew during Beyond the Edge (book four), which makes the reader think, “How is this going to play out?” Given the title, one can surmise that Ethan has entered a wary alliance. Coupled with the latest revelations, the reader is primed for interpersonal conflict. However, the initial ponders are much more specific: who is going to break first, and which is going to be the most devastating?
Being the end of a five-book season, I will avoid spoilers like the plague. But I can say that the ultimate reveal at the end of Stranger Bedfellows makes the entire series worth the investment. It’s a jaw-dropping moment that beautifully sets the stage for season two. In fact, I could not help but (affectionately) curse the author when I finished the book, as continuing to the next season was no longer a choice.
Wings of Earth is easy to recommend for several reasons. First, the books are perfectly paced, easy to read, and offer a comfortable introduction to hard science fiction. They are not bogged down by technobabble and pay appropriate homage to the science. And second, they are just darn good fun. The characters are infinitely relatable, and thus, infinitely likeable (Quintan and Ammo being my personal favorites). You root for them, you chide them, and it’s all in service of a great story that never disappoints. Onward to season two!
A good television series season will usually end on a high note, leaving you feeling good about what you watched. A great television series will end their season on some sort of a cliffhanger or major (shocking) reveal that will keep you talking about what happened until the next season comes along to provide you with the answers (and also more questions). Eric Michael Craig has captured the emotional rollercoaster of a great television series in book 5 of his Wings of Earth series. Stranger Bedfellows is billed as the end of “Season 1” of his series, and Eric hits all the right feels with this season finale.
Captain Ethan Walker and crew are enjoying some well-earned R&R on the paradise world of Escabosa. Relaxing on sandy beaches, underwater excursions, and HALO jumps from the edge of space. Everything a hard-working freighter crew needs to relax, especially after the things the crew of the Olympus Dawn have been through lately. But in a strange encounter with mysterious businessman Ethan learns that another colony has gone missing. Soon enough the vacation is over, and Ethan and crew are thrust back into the fray and into a tenuous alliance with a pirate captain that had previously had the Olympus Dawn in his sights. Captain Walker wants to learn about the missing colony, and working with Captain Jetaar seems to be the only way to get answers, but Ethan isn’t sure if the price Jetaar is demanding – access to an ancient Tacra Un archive – is worth learning the truth.
The simplest thing I can say about Stranger Bedfellows is “wow”. My more involved response to this season finale is that Stranger Bedfellows turned the world of Ethan Walker and his crew upside down, shook them like they were in a martini mixer, then poured them out into a totally new reality. I’m trying to avoid spoilers here, but lets just say that by the end of this season so many things have changed for Ethan and the crew of the Olympus Dawn that they are just as stunned as the reader is by the events that have happened. And I love it! Eric has done a masterful job of drawing a larger story arc out across this five-book season and ends it with a shocking conclusion that makes me immediately want to pick up book 6 and see what happens next. This is great storytelling. Throughout the series we have watched Captain Walker be changed and affected by the events around him, often times feeling like he’s been swept along by a great river and seems to be drawn along, unable (or rarely) able to control what has been happening. In Stranger Bedfellows Walker gets that control, though at a cost that might have been too great. There are still many unanswered questions, and a looming threat that Walker and crew barely understand, but it is so gratifying to see Walker begin to exert his own control on the situation he has found himself in. This is excellent character development and I have enjoyed watching it happen.
Eric Michael Craig is a master storyteller, and Stranger Bedfellows provides a wonderful conclusion to this first season in the Wings of Earth series. Filled with action, shocking reveals, and an ending that will leave you shocked, stunned, and also laughing just a bit, this is a fantastic read for any fan of hard sci-fi and space opera.