FIRST CONTACT SCI-FI
The Terrans
The First Salik War Series
By Jean Johnson
Sci-Fi
Military
Paranormal
Kickin' Female Lead
Jacaranda MacKenzie has done her dash in Earth's Space Force protecting Earth against the advanced alien race called the Greys on boarder control, then she spent years as a local councillor for her government, and now works a nice quiet cushy job as a highly sought after language translator and plans to keep it that way – nice and quiet. What more could a strong psychic female need, right?
Well it was all working out for her until she is called back into active duty as commander of the new space ship Aloha 9 on a mission for interstellar exploration. Only there is a catch – Earth's top psychic seers all had visions of this trip being a major step in first contact, not only with a new enemy that likes to eat sentient flesh for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but also with another race who look exactly like Earth's humans.
And sure enough, on their first trip out, Jacaranda's ship gets attacked by air breathing squid-like aliens and in the process of trying to find out how to get free, Jacaranda discovers five human minds being held in cages in the bowels of the enemy ship. Using her kick arse psychic skills she frees the very naked prisoners, gets everyone free of the Salik enemy ship and discovers just how gruesome Alien Octopus minds can be.
The Terrans is a first contact science fiction story that is based 300 years before Ia's story in 'A Soldier's Duty' where the second Salik war starts and ends. It tells of how Earth connects again with an off shoot of humans who have spent 10000 years living and developing on a separate planet. The V'Dan's and The Alliance have technology and experience that Earth doesn't and Earth has technology and almost instant communications that the Alliance needs. This becomes the deciding factor in a joint effort to get these two cousin races together with Jacaranda and her team right smack bang in the middle.
It also happens that Li’eth Ma’an-uq’en, the handsome V'Dan captain rescued from the Salik ship is a major hottie and an emerging psychic himself. He needs Jacaranda's help developing his skills and training his mind to strengthen his control. He also happens to be very important to the visions that not only Earth's seers have seen, but also V'Dan's Prophetic scriptures write of.
The First Salik War Series isn't like Theirs Not to Reason Why Series. Yes it is based in the same science fiction universe but, as the author indicates at the beginning of the first book, The Terrans isn't so heavy on the Military and Space Battles as it is on the relationship between two races and their alliances, and two humans from the opposite sides of space. There is more politics in this than the first series and the quarantine section gets a little boring at times. I also feel like this series bases its understanding of politics and history and alien encounters on Theirs Not to Reason Why series as there is a lacking in the mind sets and descriptions of the Salik etc.
I enjoyed both this book and the second in the series 'The V'Dan' and am looking forward to the third in the series. Actually I'm desperate to find out what happens to these two star crossed lovers in the third book as I'd like to get to sleep again without worrying about the predicaments they find themselves in at the end of The V'Dan.
4.5 stars out of 5 for The Terrans and 5 stars for The V'Dan. I enjoyed the second book better.
