Just before K.B. Wagers’ latest military sci-fi novel, And the Mighty Will Fall, takes off at warp speed, we’re met with a short but important epigraph. “It is the mission of the Near-Earth Orbital Guard to ensure the safety and security of the Sol system and the space around any additional planets that human beings call home.” And with that, we’re launched into a tense struggle that’s about to play out at an electric pace above a colonized Mars. Hang on tight—we’re in for some chop.
Commander Maxine Carmichael, a highly decorated NeoG officer, lands aboard the Mars Orbital Station (MOS). Today, her commanding officer, Admiral Ford, will transfer the MOS from NeoG control to Mars Civilian Command. The people of Mars deserve to maintain the highly strategic station, which controls all traffic to and from the cities of the planet. But just as Max makes her way to the observation deck, everything goes to hell. Klaxons blare, lights flash and there’s gunfire coming from the docking bay. Someone is seizing control of the station in its most vulnerable moment. But who? And why?
In the fourth entry to their NeoG series, Wagers absolutely hits the gas. The pace is fast and sharp, perspectives whipping from Max and her attempt to evade capture on the MOS to various NeoG commanders and other groups coordinating a response in real time. It’s a hostage situation in space, with various muddled motivations slowly uncovered as the crisis continues. Like Bruce Willis sneaking through the air ducts in Nakatomi Plaza, Max serves as a stalwart heroine, focused and capable. But fear not: Jenks, Sapphi, D’Arcy, Nika and more names familiar to series regulars all play a part in the rescue operation.
For those like me who have not read a NeoG novel before, the book includes a helpful list of characters, which was a necessary reference early on. But even while I was still getting up to speed with the world and its players, the sheer force of the story drove me to ignore any momentary confusion. This is a razor’s-edge action caper, satisfying throughout. Get ready for a heck of a ride.
