Cobra Traitor

Zahn fans will enjoy the variety of small-unit combat scenes in the action-packed third and final Cobra Rebellion military SF adventure (after Cobra Outlaw), but newcomers may have difficulty picking up the story. Cobras are elite human warriors with various implants that give them advantages in combat against the alien Troft. At the outset, the members of the Broom family of Cobras are scattered across several worlds and vessels, in conflict with both Troft forces and those from the neighboring interstellar empire known as the Dominion of Man. Lorne Broom and his mother, Jin, are on the Cobra planet of Aventine, under Dominion martial law; his father, Paul, has already been captured by Dominion forces. His sister, Jody, is travelling in interstellar space on a stolen Dominion vessel while his brother, Merrick, is on the planet Muninn, avoiding Troft from one demesne while working with Kjoic, a Troft from another. Zahn follows each Broom as they learn that the Cobras are mere pawns in plots by both the Dominion and the Trofts. Many questions are left unanswered at the conclusion, which will no doubt lead directly to further novels in this gripping series. (Jan.)