Threshold

The whole crew from Flint and Spoor’s Boundary are back. The perennially cash-strapped Ares Corporation, the only private agency in space, has teamed with the Interplanetary Research Institute, part of the United Nations, to exploit millennia-old alien technology in abandoned bases on Mars and Phobos. When they discover the existence of a third base on the asteroid Ceres, Ares seeks the help of the European Union and their ship Odin. An agreement is reached, but all is not what it seems; the EU has a hidden agenda, of which even the captain of the Odin is unaware. Tensions run high throughout the Ceres mission and finally come to a head causing things to spin out of control in ways no one could have predicted. This genial, fast-paced sci-fi espionage thriller is light in tone and hard on science and a fine choice for any collection. Despite a character list in the front, full enjoyment of this volume will depend on having already read the first. (June)