Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Book Review: The Domino Pattern by Timothy Zahn

I have long enjoyed stories by Timothy Zahn. My favorite Zahn is a short story called “Pawn’s Gambit.” I have read his Cobra series and the Blackcollar series. Exercising some sefl control I have not jumped into the Star Wars novels, and so I never got into his Star Wars books.

Recently I was browsing at the library in the new books section and came across a new Zahn book, The Domino Pattern. This is the forth book in another series. I had not read the other three.

The Domino Pattern is a murder mystery set on a train between stars. Our hero and his sidekick are humans struggling to survive in a hostile galaxy. Frank Compton, the hero, tries to figure who killed an alien, and why was the alien killed. Frank is also struggling with forces from highly antagonistic aliens who want to conquer the galaxy.

The solution is not the same, but I was frequently reminded of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express.

This is a pleasant book. I had trouble putting it down. It was captivating and satisfying. The conclusion was good. (Too often the solution for a murder mystery is weak.) I’ll keep my eye out for more books in the Quadrail series.

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