What terrible secrets will Tyler Matthews and his Star Lawyers discover within the Forbidden Sanctuary on the mysterious, sacred planet Adao-2?Can the legal team from Matthews Interstellar Industries learn the truth in time to save M-double-I’s century-long quest to open Jump Gate Omega, bridge the 2.5 million light years to the Andromeda galaxy, and prevent economic ruin and war in the Milky Way? economic ruin and war in the Milky Way?
While Tyler, J.B., Rosalie and Lucy (her shapeshifter cat) battle pirates and religious fanatics, Suzie and her holographic A.I. colleagues—former ladies of the night, re-purposed as legal assistants and starship crew– face an even deadlier foe. This unknown enemy threatens to delete all the starship Patrick Henry’s programs and terminate their existence forever.
To make matters worse, Cousin Esteban languishes in prison on Suryadivan Prime, where the former Catholic monk faces a death sentence for crimes he did not commit.
The Star Lawyers adventure continues in Book 2, Forbidden Sanctuary.
What terrible secrets will Tyler Matthews and his Star Lawyers discover within the Forbidden Sanctuary on the mysterious, sacred planet Adao-2?
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Another thrilling installment of The Star Lawyers series, a fascinating ride through courts, politics and religious confrontations. Wonderful engaging characters, aliens and humans alike, with both in-depth and backgrounds structure and humour, sarcasm. Action filled with pirates and the likes. A veritable and exciting plot which keeps you on the hook from the beginning, lots of unexpected twists and unique scenes. I can assure I loved this book more, if possible!
Couldn’t get enough of it and I already want book 3, please! Tom Shepherd is really outstanding and outdoing himself! If you haven’t read the series yet, I very very much recommend it!
I am voluntarily giving a review of an advance copy I received from the author.
Title:
They say history doesn’t repeat, but it rhymes
The good guys: Zyn-Vorkans, Father of Life — Yajik Kabor, Suryadivan Resistance, Greeter Lox Aspi, Lucy-Lulu, Demarcus Platte, Yumiko Matsuda, Attorney Blue, Paco Leon, Dorla Leon, Solorio Family: Esteban Xavier
Solorio, Tia Camilla, Tio Xavier; Matthews Family: Noah, Bianca, J.B., Tyler, Naca Jen/Night Storm: Julieta, Rosalie; Suzanne “Suzie” London, Myong Li, Arabella, and the other holographic entities {Zalika, Ulrika, Parvati,}; Abuela, Adelaide LeBlanc
The bad guys: Suryadivan Prime priests, the government of Suryadivan Prime, Pirates including , Capitão Flávio Tavares, the Segerian privateer (one of Noah s friends); Rek Kett — Zalaar-17; Pontiffs, Supreme Council of Pontiffs, Tsuchiya Galactic, Segerian Syndicate, Dengathi, [], Tanis Zervos (Her name is Segerian),
Series of bookmarks, highlights, and notes to be downloaded from the book and analyzed:
We get a chance to see Night Storm is still in action and doing it her way. She even sends the Star Lawyers a private message over a very open service. We even learn Night Storm s name. Then that there s more than one, which can be aggravating to lawyers. It seems that there s a group of “Night Storms” (Justicia Para Todos). Wisely they have a standard/code that they follow: We don’t just go out and whack bystanders. Never kill for revenge. Never kill with anger. Never strike to wound. Never harm an innocent. If justice is not your goal, do not engage. {If you re going to follow that type of path, it s not a bad code to follow}.
Periodically throughout the book there are unique tidbits of information from famous -and not so famous- people. Such as: Thomas Jefferson said, ‘If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so.’”
Or: Not the length of a life, but the mindfulness by which it is lived, makes a person foolish or wise.”
Or: Your sin is an attempt to contradict the Highest Good. Harming another sentient being, allowing hate to fester. These I would call poor choices, not sins.”
Or: “Only lack of light. You cannot turn on the dark. The same with heat and cold. Refrigeration does not produce cold, it removes heat. Evil is the lack of good.”
Back to the review:
Tyler even manages to get the means to actually be with his perfect mate via a device from the Zyn-Vorkans. Get that coin within five meters of the hardware housing her program, rotate the outer ring and squeeze. Instead of a hologram, she will appear as a fully biological lifeform. When she wants to return to energetic form, she slides a finger along the double helix tattooed on her arm.”
On to the trial:
Seems crooks are the same everywhere. All evidence presented by the prosecution is proven wrong when Greeter Lox Aspi speaks: He tells of finding out the truth of what goes on during the “Sacred Hunts” and why he tried to commit suicide (which is a sin on his world).
No person of honor can live with the shame of such treachery.”
After proving that the spiritual leaders had sold out their world, and freeing their cousin. The judge starts a mini revolution to oust the corrupt leaders -both religious and political- to bring the populace back to proper theocracy.
Meanwhile while checking things out for the family, they find that the secondary gate (that next to no one knew about was destroyed, Abuela was found and helped Suzanne London and the other holographic women escape.
Abuela was sent from the Andromeda galaxy as a welcoming gesture to our galaxy.
“I was programmed to invite your races to visit us, to offer point-to-point transit to whatever peaceful vessels your people wished to send among us. We sought an exchange of ideas, art, music, and religions”. {Sort of a reverse Voyager invitation}.
More snippets:
Divine Power causes all things to exist. My originators assumed all intelligent organisms celebrate the mystery of life with appreciation of its diversity and tolerance for disagreement.
Love holds the Cosmos together. Trust love.
Why does your species scorn compassion as weakness?”
After Tyler and Suzanne disable both gates to protect the people of the Andromeda galaxy (all are peaceful, evolved beyond the need of fighting). They sacrificed The Sioux City who proved that not every unarmed vessel is totally weapon less.
One of the Andromeda galaxy s residents states that even though the pirates who came through the gate prior to it s being destroyed weren t wanted, even though their vessel was destroyed, they didn t want the pirates. So they backed time up, extracted the biologicals from the ship and placed them in a cube and arranged for Tyler and Suzanne to return home.
“Someday your people will learn how to extract the troubled souls and heal their penchant for violent conquest. Meanwhile, they cannot harm the innocent, or themselves”.
They even promised to tear down the gate to keep the Andromeda citizens safe.
And on into the setup for the cliffhanger of book 2.
This series has got me thinking that my notion that if all lawyers were dead, it would be a good start. I m starting to think that if more were like the Star Lawyers firm it would be a better galaxy.
I haven t said the following in a long time: “I can t hardly wait for the next book in this series to come out. Next book?!?! Better make that “All The Books In The Series “!!!!