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Second in the major new science fiction series from bestselling author Julian May.Two hundred years into the future, the great corporations of Earth dominate all life in our Galaxy. But their endless pursuit of wealth and power is about to open the door to a malevolent alien race, intent on engulfing the commonwealth of Human Worlds.In Perseus Spur, the disgraced Helly Frost was forced to return by his father as a last attempt to save the family’s business from hostile takeover by a rapacious rival. Not only was Galapharma AC a threat to Rampart Starcorp, but also to the entire human race, for it was selling advanced technology to the alien Haluk, who desperately need new worlds to ease their teeming population. Helly faced murder, mayhem and gun-battles in space to foil Galapharma’s first attack against Rampart.In Orion Arm, Helly and his oddly assorted companions attempt to capture a crucial witness to the Galapharma conspiracy, who has taken refuge on a hostile planet. Its insanely ambitious boss, Alistair Drummond, will stop at nothing in his quest for power, and Helly is marked for death as the two corporations continue to do battle.Meanwhile, the Haluk follow their own appalling agenda, using human science to mutate their bodies, allowing them to infiltrate human society. Helly must find a way to alert the Human Commonwealth to the Haluk peril, while also saving his family from Drummond’s increasingly desperate efforts to annhilate the Rampart Worlds.With this exciting mix of high-speed thrills, humour and intrigue, Julian May has combined an entertaining and compelling human conflict with classic SF adventure on a grand scale.
Helly Frost must navigate a lethal corporate conspiracy and an encroaching alien threat to protect his family's legacy and the survival of the Human Commonwealth. As the Rampart Starcorp faces an existential threat from the rival Galapharma AC, Helly and his eclectic crew embark on a high-stakes mission to secure a witness hidden on a hostile world. The narrative unfolds through a fast-paced, third-person perspective that balances the internal politics of interstellar corporations with the external menace of the mutating Haluk race. Helly operates under the constant pressure of assassination attempts and the logistical nightmare of navigating a galaxy where human technology is being weaponized against its creators.
This work is characterized by its blend of classic space opera tropes and modern corporate intrigue. The narrative structure relies on the tension between the protagonist's personal mission and the broader, galaxy-spanning threat posed by the Haluk. Readers likely encounter a focus on world-building that emphasizes the scale of the Human Commonwealth and the technological disparity between the warring factions. The pacing suggests a focus on kinetic action sequences interspersed with the machinations of ambitious corporate leaders.
Page Count:
368
Publication Date:
2000-01-17
Publisher:
Voyager
ISBN-10:
0002247143
ISBN-13:
9780002247146
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