Hathor Legacy: Outcast

On the planet, Hathor, a powerful group called the Guardians serves as the security force for Novacorp, the corporation that runs Hathor with its ruthless monopoly. Nadira, as one of the most powerful Guardians, is expected to use her intuition and telekinetic powers to keep the capital city safe from thieves and intruders.

Jonathan Keel, son of a mine CEO on the nearby planet, Astarte, is wealthy, privileged and used to getting what he wants. When his father goes missing after a robbery and explosion at the mine, he defies the authorities and heads to Hathor to search for him and for the robbers.

Security is on high alert and Nadira is charged with protecting Jon. She rescues him from a vicious attack and discovers that the Guardians have another agenda that has nothing to do with solving the crime.

Jonathan finds evidence of his father's possible involvement, while his attraction to Nadira forces her to confront all she has known about being a Guardian, especially the rule to put duty before her personal feelings.

Struggling with their growing desires, and chased by company security, Jon and Nadira flee the city. But solving the crime leads them to endure betrayals from the people closest to them, as secrets are revealed that not only link their pasts but also threaten to destroy Jon's family and separate him from Nadira forever.

Hathor Legacy: Outcast (SF/Romance/Mystery)

By Deborah Bailey

Bright Street Books www.brightstbooks.com

ISBN #978-0984292653

Price $11.97

272 Pages

Rating 5-Stars

“A Fast-Paced Thrill Ride.”

Earth’s astronomers discovered Hathor in 2224, and soon after families settled on the new planet. Now, on Hathor, the Guardians are responsible for security of the planet. They are the descendants of the original settlers: the original seven families who were selected from the different lands on Earth. The descendants of the first settlers were discovered to have extra sensory perception and other abilities. When children with special powers are discovered they are taken and trained to be Guardians. They can kinetically throw powerful blasts of energy, as well as “read” people’s emotions – this perhaps through a form of telepathy.

Nadira was taken from her mother at age 8, to be trained by her mentor, Zina, her mother’s cousin. Now Nadira’s power is stronger than most of the others. Only Zina may be more powerful. A robbery at the Demeter Mines on Astarte occurs, and Brandon Keel, the CEO, disappears. His son Jonathan Keel comes to Hathor searching for him. Nadira is ordered to follow Jon in case he contacts another suspect, Ilana Travac. A simple case, perhaps, of just a robbery in a mine, with the usual suspects, but things quickly turn deadly for both Jonathan and Nadira. She is honor-bound to protect Jon, but that doesn’t mean falling in love with him. After all, Guardians are only supposed to connect with other Guardians, not other-worlders.

With Zina on their trail, Nadira searches for Ilana Travic, hoping to clear Jonathan of involvement in the robbery. And now she must even question the involvement of Zina. Does her mentor have something to hide?

This is advertised as a science fiction and interracial romance novel. However, the romance is light, and difference in race is hardly detectable – as it should be. It is pure science fiction, with lots of action and adventure. Although the plot at first seems simple, it eventually becomes more complicated. Yet, it is the characters that drive the plot. Nadira and Jonathan lead us on a fast-paced thrill ride from page one. The author’s voice is clear, and the prose is descriptive. As the below interchange between two main characters show:

He strolled over to take in the Nova City skyline, where silver, gold and jewel-tone spires glistened against the darkened sky.

“Overwhelming, isn’t it?”

The whole novel is overwhelming, to be precise. I fell in love with the characters immediately, and they never let me down. Oh, Jonathan does appear to be a spoiled brat at first, and women swoon over him, but Nadira brings out the best in him before the story concludes. If you like science fiction, action, and adventure, you will love HATHOR LEGACY. Highly recommended.

Tom Johnson

Author of WORLDS OF TOMORROW