Empire

Connolly and Ridyard provide a strong but somewhat disjointed second volume for the Chronicles of the Invaders epic SF trilogy, picking up where Conquest left off. Human Paul Kerr and Illyri Syl Hellais are separated after their illicit cross-species love affair is discovered; he’s assigned to the military Brigades far from Earth, while she’s sent to study as a novice in the ancient stronghold of the enigmatic Nairene Sisterhood. While Paul and his comrades try to stay alive, Syl digs deep into the corrupt Sisterhood’s secrets. As their parallel stories progress, they both discover that the Illyri is an empire on the verge of civil war. Now Paul and Syl must somehow reunite in order to save everything they know and love. The romance between the protagonists is downplayed in favor of their individual plot lines, which focus more on military action, political intrigue, and futuristic exploration. This slow-moving middle installment does push the larger story forward significantly, setting things up nicely for the final book. Agent: Clare Wallace, Darley Anderson Agency. (Mar.)