The MechMen of Canis-9
A Three Against The Stars Adventure
Joe Bonadonna
Cover Art Designed by Erika M. Szabo
Canis-9: a vast, oceanic planet in a far distant galaxy . . . called Devoora by its two indigenous populations. The Tulavi are a maritime culture inhabiting the islands west of the Great Aetherian Reef, living in harmony with their environment and the great oceans where the leviathans known as the kaizsu dwell. The Malvarians are an industrial nation running out of resources, living on the mainland east of the Reef.
In this rousing sequel to Three Against The Stars, Sergeants Seamus O’Hara, Claudia Akira, Fernando Cortez and a platoon of Marines are deployed to Canis-9 — Devoora, the Ocean Planet. Their mission: find seven indestructible robot warriors hidden there for seventy years. Most of the platoon survives a crash-landing but are left stranded in a hostile environment of deadly sea predators. Rescued by native Tulavi islanders, the Marines get caught up in a war between this mysterious, maritime civilization and another indigenous race, the Malvarians, who hunt and harvest the eggs of the giant kaizsu — the Sea Dragons sacred to the Tulavi. As the Marines set out to complete their mission they discover a secret known only by the Tulavi: the endangered kaizsu are the key to Devoora’s ecosystem and the future of all life on the planet.
An adventure unlike anything the Marines of Company E have ever experienced, Sergeant Cortez finds romance and Sergeant Akira faces decisions that can save or ruin her troubled marriage. But at the heart of this story is a little Tulavi girl named Zherisa, who tends to a wounded Sergeant O’Hara and helps him overcome the grief he’s carried in his heart for the past eighteen years. And then there’s the stranger, Solis Lachus -- the Man from Outside, who holds the key to what the Marines have come searching for . . . The MechMen of Canis-9.
“What sets Bonadonna’s work apart from so many others who share similar influences is that he is able to authentically capture the fun and innocence without sacrificing intelligent commentary on war and imperialism. . . . The diversity among Bonadonna’s characters will resonate with modern readers more than if he had stuck with traditional Caucasian male protagonists. . . . One distinguishing feature I’ve enjoyed in Bonadonna’s previous work that is also present here is the fact that his characters are scarred by turmoil. . . . While all sorts of influences are present in his story and the worlds within, a surprising number seem drawn from outside the genre. This cross-pollination of ideas serves the book well and makes Bonadonna an author that is worthy of closer scrutiny.” — William Patrick Maynard, author The Terror of Fu Manchu and The Destiny of Fu Manchu.
Rousing action, a wondrous and dangerous planet, and memorable characters, this Sword and Planet science fiction is in the tradition of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Leigh Brackett, with a touch of Frank Herbert, Rudyard Kipling and Herman Melville. Available now in paperback and Kindle editions.
The Mechmen of Canis-9 in Paperback
The MechMen of Canis-9 in Kindle
Please check out Three Against The Stars.
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