Mission Critical

SOLDIERS LOST IN TIME, 152 LIGHT-YEARS FROM HOME, WITH A DAUNTING TASK FOR SURVIVAL

Taken from their planet and their century, they are not just the Lost Soldiers: they are Murphy's Lawless.

Major Rodger Y. Murphy should have died when his helicopter crashed off the coast of Mogadishu in 1993. Instead, he woke up in 2125, 152 light-years from home. Murphy and 100 other "Lost Soldiers" have been retrieved and awakened by two officers of the Consolidated Terran Republic: Trevor Corcoran and Richard Downing.

Promising to return, Corcoran and Downing leave the twentieth-century castaways with a daunting objective: establish a base of operations on the main world of R'Bak using local allies they have yet to recruit and enemy equipment they have yet to seize. They haven't been back yet.

But the company of misfits and ne'er-do-wells who've taken the nickname Murphy's Lawless rise to the challenge!

About the Terran Republic series featuring Caine Riordan:

About Caine's Mutiny:
"This is military Science Fiction the way it's supposed to be written. . . . All in all, a highly satisfying tale of the Terran Republic that moves the story forward and setting us up for the next chapter, which promises to be interesting at worst and explosive at best." --SFcrowsnest

About Raising Caine:
"Raising Caine unveils a lot of thought-provoking ideas, but ultimately this is a space opera adventure. There are space battles, daring emergency landings, desperate quests, hand-to-hand combat, and double-and-triple crosses. It's an engrossing read. You owe it to yourself to read the two previous books in order. Then enjoy Raising Caine. It's an intergalactic thrill-ride." --Fantasy and Science Ficton Book and Audiobook Reviews

"This is science-fiction adventure on a grand scale."--Kirkus

"Gannon's harrowing . . . military space opera (following Trial by Fire) builds well on his established setting . . . Gannon's signature attention to developing realistic alien worlds makes this installment satisfying."--Publishers Weekly

"[A]n incredibly active book . . . as our protagonists are confronted by the beautiful, terrible, and sometimes lethal variety of the universe and its inhabitants. . . . A whole mess of fun . . . that manages to be scientifically accurate while refraining from excessive wonkiness. Those who value meticulous worldbuilding . . . will certainly have their needs met."--BN Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog

About Nebula-nominated Trial by Fire:
"I seriously enjoyed Trial by Fire. This one's a tidal wave--can't put it down. An excellent book." --Jack McDevitt

"Gannon's whiz-bang second Tales of the Terran Republic interstellar adventure delivers on the promise of the first (Fire with Fire) . . . The charm of Caine's harrowing adventure lies in Gannon's attention to detail, which keeps the layers of political intrigue and military action from getting too dense. The dozens of key characters, multiple theaters of operations, and various alien cultures all receive the appropriate amount of attention. The satisfying resolution is enhanced by the promise of more excitement to come in this fascinating far-future universe."--Publishers Weekly starred review

"[D]efinitely one to appeal to the adventure fans. Riordan is a smart hero, up against enormous obstacles and surrounded by enemies. Author Gannon does a good job of managing action and tension to keep the story moving, and the details of the worlds Riordan visits are interesting in their own right."--Analog

". . . offers the type of hard science-fiction those familiar with the John Campbell era of Analog Science Fiction will remember. Gannon throws his readers into an action-packed adventure. A sequel to Fire With Fire, it is a nonstop tale filled with military science-fiction action." --The Galveston County Daily News

About Compton Crook Award-winner for best first novel Fire with Fire:
"Chuck Gannon is one of those marvelous finds--someone as comfortable with characters as he is with technology, and equally adept at providing those characters with problems to solve. Imaginative, fun, and not afraid to step on the occasional toe or gore the occasional sacred cow, his stories do not disappoint."--David Weber

"If we meet strong aliens out there, will we suffer the fate of the Aztecs and Incas, or find the agility to survive? Gannon fizzes with ideas about the dangerous politics of first contact."--David Brin

"The plot is intriguing and then some. Well-developed and self-consistent; intelligent readers are going to like it."--Jerry Pournelle

". . . the intersecting plot threads, action and well-conceived science kept those pages turning."--SFcrowsnest

Author: Charles E. Gannon, Griffin Barber, Mike Massa
Publisher: Baen
Published: 01/03/2023
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.91lbs
Size: 9.19h x 6.13w x 1.03d
ISBN: 9781982192600