The Second Death of Daedalus Mole

The Second Death Of Daedalus Mole by Niall Slater Unbound Sci Fi & Fantasy Pub Date 14 Jan 2019

Review

The Second Death of Daedalus Mole shows a great deal of promise. It isn’t easy to write a non-traditional space opera in a universe populated by original races and distinctive technology where humans play only a small role. The novel gets off to a bumpy start, the characters and the writing becoming more certain as the novel gets into the story. Niall Slater has a lot of ambition, The Second Death of Daedalus Mole has a broad story arc despite being only the first novel in a series. Only the occasional hiccup mars an otherwise well imagined story.

Daedalus Mole is a ne’er do well pilot, picking up whatever credits he can. He needs money, and Erin needs a ride, so he agrees. What he doesn’t realize is that his naive passenger has a bounty on her head, and that powerful players have plans for them both. Daedalus may not have been able to prevent the death of his best friend long ago. He doesn’t see himself as any sort of hero. Despite this, he may just be the universe’s one last hope of saving them all.

The Second Death of Daedalus Mole is an imaginative, thought provoking piece of fiction, and I for one am curious where Daedalus will be taken next.

4 / 5

I received a copy of The Second Death of Daedalus Mole from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

— Crittermom

Description Daedalus Mole wants to make the best of a bad situation. The plan: fly his unwanted passenger, Erin, to her destination, squeeze her for every last penny, then immediately find refuge in the nearest pub. Unfortunately, when the galaxy is on the verge of economic collapse and your passenger has a bounty the size of a planet on her head, there’s only so much another drink can do to help. Daedalus soon finds himself playing babysitter to someone stronger, angrier and far more dangerous than he is. On top of that: the booze is running out, his ship’s AI won’t stop trying to kill him, and he’s having to pretend very hard that he hasn’t started hearing voices in his head.