ShadowTech

Before we start… Before we start… It’s the usual problem. You open a book that’s part-way through a series, and the doubts rise. Can you remember enough about the previous books? How many chapters before you’re back in the flow? Will you understand what’s going on? Is it worth re-reading the previous books, even though your to-be-read pile is already far too long and seems to be growing exponentially? I’ve got a solution‌—‌a short recap. This isn’t required reading, so if you’re happy foregoing this brief reminder, skip forward to the start of Haven’s Deep. But if you need a refresh, here goes. Haven’s DeepLet’s start with the crew‌—‌five fugitives from Kaiahive, the big, evil company that runs all kinds of dark, clandestine operations. This crew is led by Ryann, although she’d be the first to admit she’s not much of a leader, even though she cares deeply for the others. When they’re all captured (in Subtle Weapon) the crew effectively split up, and Ryann is alone with Keelin (more on her in a moment). By the start of Haven’s Deep, Ryann is working with Annys Reid, an academic who’s involved with a shadowy organisation known as the Collective. In the previous book (Hostile Alliances) Annys pulled Ryann into the Collective’s mission to rescue prisoners from Kaiahive. This involved space battles and car changes, and ended up underground, where Ryann abandoned her colleagues (once she was certain they had everything under control) when she caught signs of another old crew member. KaiahiveRyannSubtle WeaponKeelinHaven’s DeepAnnys ReidCollectiveHostile AlliancesThat person was Deva. She’s small but tough, excellent with mechanics, and her weapon of choice is her screwdriver. And she doesn’t have a functioning lattice. DevaAh, yes‌—‌the lattice. It’s Kaiahive’s greatest development. A tech layer that sits beneath the skin, it allows greater control of the body as well as access to all kinds of systems. Imagine using computers by thought alone, and having the display brought up in your eyes. Pilots use their lattices to effectively become their craft. And lattices also allow sussing, a form of tech-driven mind-to-mind communication. In these books, any text that is sussing. latticeBut Deva has none of that. She survives by her wits. And she’s fallen in with a group known as the Heralds, led by Chiron Blake. The Heralds are freedom fighters, battling the monolithic Kaiahive‌—‌although the company calls them terrorists. HeraldsChiron BlakeDeva’s close associates in the Heralds are Wrench, a tech with some mech skills who has a crush on her, and Lise, Chiron’s second-in-command. She’s not officially joined the group‌—‌she has some bad memories of them, after one of the Heralds tried to kill her in Desert Bound, but she’ll work with them if it gives her an opportunity to cause Kaiahive any kind of pain. WrenchLiseDesert BoundThen there’s Keelin. Once a pilot with a promising future in the company, Kaiahive used her as a test-subject, turning her into a NeoGen. Now she’s a monster‌—‌a head taller than average, with tough grey skin, a snout where her nose and mouth used to be, and retractable talons in her hands and feet. She’s faster and stronger than any normal person‌—‌in the first ShadowTech book she tore her way through over twenty armed Kaiahive agents with ease. KeelinNeoGenShadowTechShe doesn’t like what she’s become, though. And it doesn’t help that, while assisting the Collective with Ryann, Keelin is often paired with Tallia, Annys’ assistant. Tallia can change her skin colour at will, and she’s moody, has a way of winding Keelin up. She’s a good fighter, though. TalliaSo we have Kaiahive, the Heralds and the Collective. Their differences centre on the Ancients, a mythical race of (maybe) humans who disappeared a few thousand years ago, leaving only old relics buried in the ground. But these relics contain Ancient technology‌—‌Kaiahive’s lattice is based on tech pulled from a relic known as the Pandora. AncientsThey all believe that the Ancients will one day return. Kaiahive see them as an invading force, and are developing weapons that, they hope, will destroy the Ancients before they can wreck havoc. The Heralds see the Ancients as benevolent, potentially the saviours of humanity‌—‌and this is why they want to disrupt so much of Kaiahive’s work. And the Collective sit in the middle‌—‌the Ancients are unknown, and it would be rash to leap to any conclusions. They struggle to stop either Kaiahive or the Heralds becoming too powerful while they investigate further. In Desert Bound, the crew steal a relic known as the Cyastone, supposedly some kind of key. At the end of Subtle Weapon, Brice, the fourth member of the crew, has this Cyastone. Desert BoundCyastoneSubtle WeaponBrice Brice is moody, and prefers his own company. He’s also got a screwy lattice. A freak accident means that he can’t suss, but he can overhear others sussing. Sometimes he can even hear what they’re thinking. His lattice heals his body far faster than it used to. It connects to all kinds of systems, using any kind of connection with others as a bridge, and can also hide itself‌—‌whenever Brice feels anyone pushing into his lattice it blocks them. Brice has no idea how any of this works, but he’ll go with it while it gives him an advantage And he needs every advantage he can get of he’s to keep the Cyastone from Kaiahive. There’s one more member of the crew, and that’s Piran, the tech expert. Might even be a genius. He’s been caught by the company, and forced to work for them. Macklyn Grivas (he runs the darker side of Kaiahive) sees the potential in Piran and, through a supervisor called Casey, Macklyn has Piran looking into the Ancient tech. PiranMacklyn GrivasCaseyThing is, Piran finds the tech fascinating, even though he hates working for Kaiahive. They have him pull tech from a relic called the Caduceus, something they believe is a weapon, and Piran sees the potential for this tech to influence systems, and even to influence others (through their lattices). He tries this on Brice (whose lattice rejects Piran’s intrusion), then uses it to help Ryann escape from a g*n-wielding guard. CaduceusHe’s also been looking at a signal coming in from the edge of the system. With Casey’s encouragement (and even though she works for the company, Piran’s developing a thing for her), Piran pushes further into the Ancients’ code. It makes sense to him, in ways he can’t quite explain. But there’s an interrupt on the signal, and it attacks Piran. It knocks him out, but not before he’s caught its trail, figures out where the interrupt originated. When he comes round, he has news for Casey and Macklyn. The signal might come from outside the solar system, but the interrupt‌—‌which could only come from the Ancients‌—‌started from far closer to home. The Ancients aren’t on their way. They’re already here. Which brings us to the start of Haven’s Deep. Haven’s Deep