The beautiful snow-capped mountains of Kanchi are places of nightmares. Paul Tarseus, a ruthless Lord of the Tuyet Voi, seeks to uncover the secrets of this unknown darkness. But when twisted into the company of young Ramona and her mother, Paulâs goals and brutal views of the galaxy are flipped on end.
Never has Paul imposed the service of underworld mercenaries, sided with arch-rivals, been swept into family dramas, and he certainly has never been told to apologize to a drone. But heâll do whatever it takes to protect those around him and to drag the evils, lurking in the shadows of the galaxy, into the light.
The beautiful snow-capped mountains of Kanchi are places of nightmares. Paul Tarseus, a ruthless Lord of the Tuyet Voi, seeks to uncover the secrets of this unknown darkness. But when twisted into the company of young Ramona and her mother, Paulâs goals and brutal views of the galaxy are flipped on end.
Never has Paul imposed the service of underworld mercenaries, sided with arch-rivals, been swept into family dramas, and he certainly has never been told to apologize to a drone. But heâll do whatever it takes to protect those around him and to drag the evils, lurking in the shadows of the galaxy, into the light.
Stars swept by like a slurry of black water and white dust. Interstellar bodies came and wentâa blink of an eye, and a hundred star systems were already light-years behind. The Indominusâ bow stretched out, cutting through space like a spear, its engines roaring beyond their safe limits as it rocketed across the galaxy. Paulâs quarry would not escape this time.Â
The bridge of the dreadnought was thick with anticipation; the gunnersâ fingers itched by their triggers and their eyes locked on the crosshairs, poised for battle the second contact was made. Deck officers sat tensely at their stations relaying a spectrum of tactical data to the engineers around the ship, and a few probe drones hovered near critical systems ready to extinguish any fires or perform spot repairs if need be.Â
Paul Tarseus stood at the helm, mind, and body aching from the long hunt, eyes still burning with a dark intensity and a sense of urgent purpose. He had a forbidding aura about him, accentuated by his dark hair, flowing black robes, and the sheathed, curved-hilt cadami blade hanging from his belt âa man of truly fearsome stature. Teeth gritted with determination, he held fast to an overhead handle as the ship lurched out of warp space.Â
In an instant they were thereâblurs and streaks settled into their regular cosmic shapes, a great, cloudy green-and-gray planet loomed straight ahead, filling most of the view from the bridge. Beyond that lay a speckled starscape, a peaceful collection of worlds, and a lone Amani cruiser covered in scorch marks, its perforated engines still smoldering from its last engagement. Red cascading lights flooded the Indominusâ bridge, and the whole ship rumbled as its cannons pelted the puny Amani cruiser with a storm of plasma bolts.Â
Paul rarely felt delight anymore when blasting another ship into oblivion, but watching that particular vessel torn to shreds was like crushing an especially annoying insect. Chasing down a cruiser with a dreadnought ten times its size was like an apex predator chasing down a mouse. Ozcarâs ship had been just agile enough to avoid the capital class cannons, most of the time.
When the smoke cleared, the ship drifted lazily in a small field of its own debris, barely recognizable from its state just moments ago. What was left of its red-and-white paint job was blackened, its armor peeled away, revealing the lattice framework underneath its shattered engines. There would be no more running. Â
Cheers rang through the bridge. Paul stood tall with hands clasped behind his back; he couldnât help but crack a smile. Finally, after a standard month of being one step behind, jumping from one system to another, catching glimpses of the Amani craft just as it warped away, they had cornered Ozcar. Paul feared it might be too good to be true; perhaps Ozcar had another trick up his sleeve.
After the celebration settled down, the tension on the bridge noticeably diminished. Most of the gunners leaned back in their chairs, and after the deck officers finished congratulating each other on their precise work, they returned to their respective stations. The enginesâ roar died down to a distant, rolling drone, soothing, signaling that the fight was over. But Paul was too accustomed to these sounds to even register them; his mind instead occupied with all possible methods of ending Ozcar's miserable life. Death by combat? The honorable method, but far too swift. A torturous interrogation to learn about other Amani operations? Simply leaving him to rot in the brig? A tantalizing prospectâit would take weeks for a healthy Progenitor to expire. Why not a combination of all three?
Something familiar itched at Paulâs mind, halting his imaginings of a bloodied Ozcar. His second in command was about to enter, and he had news to report. Moments later, the blast doors swished open, followed by hurried footsteps then a distinct tap as the footsteps stopped behind Paul.
âLord Nefarous,â Captain Doyen began, âit would seem that Ozcar has fled his ship and is headed for the nearest planet, Movaj.â
Paul perked up in genuine surprise. âHe abandoned his crew? Even with nowhere to go, he still runs.â
âThereâs something else,â Doyen continued. âOur scan probes have picked up a massive object on Movajâs surface, though they failed to bring back any visuals.â He stood rigidly, his posture every bit as symmetrical as his crisp, black naval uniform and cap.
Paul turned, breaking his gaze from the cosmic void to appraise his captain. Although Doyenâs dull, brown eyes surrendered nothing of his inner conflict, Paul knew it was there. Doyen was anxious rather than excited, a sense of dread twisted within his mind. For it was the power and gift of Progenitors to sense othersâ emotions, and Paul was quite adept.
âYou have not been so distressed since the infiltration drone incident. Donât tell me youâre losing your nerve, Captain.â
âI donât like being deceived, My Lord, especially by drones.â Doyen said curtly, eyes cast aside as if searching through his memories and finding something distasteful. âSomethingâs not right here. Emperor Reyleonard decreed this space is restricted.â Â
âYouâd have us halt progress, Captain?â
âMy LordâŚâ Doyen hesitated. âThis place makes me uneasy. Our probes revealed no other anomalies, no space stations, ships, or settlements. The system is completely empty with this one exception.â He handed Paul a data tab with a complete list of the details brought back by the probes.Â
Curiously, the charts displayed readings that suggested the impossible. âA very sizable exception. Well, we wonât know until we check. Prepare a shore party, Captain.â
âMy Lord...â Doyenâs posture wavered, but he snapped back to attention like a spring-loaded toy. He cleared his throat and hushed to a whisper. âDo you not remember the emperor saying heâd, have your head if you broke another law?â
A flicker of annoyance passed Paul. Perhaps it was the hours on end standing at the bridge or the lack of steady meals and sleep that had shortened his fuse. He always admired Doyenâs bravery to stand up to authority, but it was the last thing Paul wanted to hear at that moment. âAfraid of the emperor, Captain?â he asked sharply. âIf Reyleonard is hiding something, I want to know about it. You yourself have expressed displeasure at being deceived. How else should truth be pursued than a stab to the heart? Prepare the shore party.â
âAt once, My Lord,â Doyen complied, snapped off a salute, and made off with his duty, though Paul could sense that his unease never wavered.Â
Cathedral of Silver by Ian Wall was a cozy and exciting sci-fi read. It was easy to read because it had limited jargon that was hard to pronounce or remember. In addition, many of the characters had short and simple names, making it ideal for newcomers to the genre. However, it also had suspense, compelling action scenes, and sprawling vista settings to engage any reader. There were a few minor line editing errors, and the character development depth could have been better. However, on the whole, Cathedral of Silver is a well-crafted story.
The reader embarks on a journey through the stars on new and original worlds along with the main character Paul and other point of view characters as the story progresses. The multiple PoV format suited the story well as the reader gets initial glimpses of different areas of politics and worldbuilding in an authentic manner. As the story progresses, the separated PoVâs slowly draw closer, creating a cohesive structure to the text. Each PoV character has their own dynamic elements in describing their appearances and characteristics and how they interact with the world in which they live. Ian Wall has great light prose that is accessible and descriptive so that the unique settings are vivid.
The various characters of Cathedral of Silver are unique from each other. Ian Wall did an excellent job of developing them as individuals rather than many sides of the same coin. There was growth and development in the characters, although, for the most part, it wasnât overly significant growth. More importantly, the characters had understandable and relatable traits, meaning that it can be easy to have one or more favorites as the story progresses.
           There was a satisfying touch of suspense to the plot as Paul goes from encountering the first obelisk to pursuing the secret meaning behind them that his rival was willing to die to show him. Each new character, from the charming Olasqy, to bright and deep thinking Martha and playfully menacing Rex, helps add layers of dramatic irony as the answers slowly unfold and come together. Ian Wall hits the major plot points a story needs while still having meaningful subplots.
Cathedral of Silver is an accessible sci-fi adventure for people beginning their foray into the genre while still having compelling elements that sci-fi veterans will enjoy. It is an easy read, perfect for a sci-fi fix while trying to relax while still being suspenseful and exciting. It is a great vacation book.