The Verdant String SeriesThe seven planets of the Verdant String, the green, fecund sources of life spanning five solar systems, comprise the Verdant String Coalition. This is the setting for a new science fiction romance series from award-winning science fiction romance novelist Michelle Diener. While the people of the Verdant String know they have a common ancestor, a group of explorers who … group of explorers who colonised the planets at the same time a thousand or more years ago, the mysteries of who they were, and where they came from, persist.
Interference (A 25,000 word novella introducing the world of the Verdant String)
Interference can go either way . . .
The tiny moon of Cepi is on a countdown to destruction, and while Nyha Bartali has been persuaded to take her four wards for a final look at the archaeological wonder, now she’s eager to leave. The only problem is, someone has other plans–plans to exploit Nyha and her girls’ status as the betrayed orphans of the Verdant String in order to give them time to steal Cepi’s secrets.
Nyha and her wards’ value as survivors of the destruction of Halatia means it would be political suicide for any leader of the Verdant String to endanger them again–something the hostage-takers know very well. What the hostage-takers don’t know is that Nyha and her girls have more help than they realize.
Mak Carep knows his team’s presence on Cepi is the last flex of Arkhor’s muscle before the moon is blown to bits. Arkhor has interfered on Cepi since it discovered the ruins four hundred years ago, but sometimes, interference can have unexpected consequences. When Nyha and her girls are taken hostage, Mak and the rest of his special forces team are the only ones who have any hope of rescuing them, and they’re ready and willing to do what Arkhor does best . . . Interfere.
Interference was first published in the Orphans in the Black Anthology in July 2017.
Insurgency (Insurgency is a 45,000 word short novel set in the Verdant String series)
The Parnian city of Var is under siege. Buildings are being targeted by insurgents whose only aim seems to be destruction. Nick Bartega is part of the Protection Unit team investigating the explosions, but with no discernible pattern, and no one taking responsibility, he and his colleagues have hit a blank wall.
That is until his neighbor, Tila, is caught up in the first real mistake the insurgents have made. Cornered, forced to take Tila’s whole office hostage, the insurgents are surrounded and out of options, until they use Tila as their shield.
Tila sees herself as Parnian first, Halatian second, but her dark blue hair, and the strong emotions her very existence provokes in others means the insurgents see her as the perfect hostage. No one on Par wants to give the order that might catch her in the crossfire. They’d rather let the insurgents get away.
But Nick, and his commander, Drake, see the first glimpse of a pattern in the insurgents behavior. Not that long ago, Halatians were used as hostages in another incident on the tiny moon of Cepi, and the parallels are hard to ignore. So is this attack on Var an isolated incident, or is there a bigger conspiracy at play?
Whatever the truth, Nick isn’t prepared to leave Tila in the insurgents hands. And he’s prepared to break any rule, and disregard any order to do it.
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Diener has crafted two really interesting novellas to introduce readers to the Verdant String, a group of planets colonized by a related genetic group. These novellas focus on the impact a recent tragedy has had on their current events. The focus of both these novellas is on a Halatian heroine. The planet Halatia was destroyed, and the dithering inaction of the other planets meant that the Halatian survivors went through harrowing experiences, and many of them did not survive. So there’s a huge amount of cultural guilt in throughout the Verdant String surrounding any Halatians, and that fact drives the action of both Interference and Insurgency.
Both these novellas are well titled. The first focuses on interference in multiple ways; practically every major element in it is some type of interference. The second, more complex novella deals with a growing insurgency not only against the Verdant String but also involving what are called the Breakaway planets (those not part of the Verdant String). Life is very different in these places, and again, cultural norms and customs come into play in a very big way throughout this story.
I love how Diener doesn’t write reams of expository explanation about these worlds, their customs, and their influences. Instead, these elements are embedded in the story, and it’s up to the reader to start extrapolating what happened in these worlds in the past. Frankly, I’m not sure I got everything Diener wanted to get across, but I really loved how she respects the reader’s ability to understand what’s needed to fully invest in these novellas.
The romances here are subtle and underplayed; they help motivate some of the actions of the stories but are never the primary drivers. Instead of an intense romance, there’s some delightful interplay and fun with how things are interpreted, particularly in Insurgency.
Through both Interference and Insurgency, Diener immerses you in these new civilizations and lets you examine the impact cultural regret has not only on our understanding of the past but also its ability to influence the future.
Interference: A lovely novella with a young woman and her four wards who are survivors of a destroyed planet, visiting a historical moon that is going to be destroyed to prevent it from colliding with another world. Hijackers have a plan to steal the gravity generator that is providing the atmosphere for the moon. They are no match for the special forces team, led by Mak Carep, that will stop them and protect Nyha and her wards. I loved the resourceful Nyha and the heroic Mak, and their strong connection formed during the ordeal.
Insurgency: A short novel set in the Verdant String series, Tila Dor Rio is one of the Halatians who were captured by smugglers after the annihilation of their world, and then rescued by Special Forces, lead by Captain Drake. When she meets her new neighbor, Nick Bartega, a member of the Protection Unit, there is definitely interest on both sides. Nick’s team is investigating a series of explosions in various buildings around the city of Var, and then the building Tila works in is targeted. When the bombers see Tila’s distinctive dark blue hair that marks her as Halatian, they take her as a hostage and leave the planet with her. Nick and his commander, Drake, join with Special Forces to try to stop the insurgents and get Tila back, and they’ll go to any lengths to accomplish her rescue. I thought the relationship between Nick and Tila was lovely. Since she had kept to herself a lot since she was rescued as a child, letting him into her life was a big step for her. I’m enjoying the setting of the worlds of the Verdant String Coalition and look forward to reading the first full length story in the series, which comes out later this year.
This looks like it will be a good series. The first full length book in this series is Breakaway. I plan on reading it. I hope that we get more information on the Halatians.
Two similar summaries for two very different stories! While both stories are about women taken hostage, and meant to be pawns in bigger political games, they play out very differently and are not rehashings at all. These stories are about powerful women from a racial minority who are not going to sit back and wait to be rescued.
I am looking forward to this new series because I really enjoyed these novellas. I believe this series will be as good as this author’s other series. These two stories are very engrossing and well-written.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book has a strange starting place, it’s as if we are starting half way through the event and as we continue to read the past is filled in for us! Do not let this deter you from continuing to read the book though otherwise you shall be missing a real treat. This book contains 2 novels, both of which are fairly short. They are a great read but as already mentioned it is a strange writing technique. I’m not overly familiar with this author so I am not sure if this is her preferred way of writing or not. The plot is a good one and the characters are well thought out and described. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.