Pandora's Razor

Hope's War Book 2

In Ray Strong’s space opera Pandora’s Razor, a young woman pays for exposing a corrupt government when her loved ones are targeted.

In the twenty-second century, human civilization has expanded beyond the bounds of Earth. There are colonies on other worlds and aboard family cargo ships. But in a previous volume, Meriel, one of the few survivors of a horrific attack on one such ship, exposed the corruption of leaders across the galaxy.

When life quiets down, Meriel begins to rebuild her life. She lives with a loving partner and his adorable daughters in a desert colony. Still, violence finds her: a cult attacks the planet and dumps mutilated corpses on it. The cult, known as the Archers, targets Meriel personally, framing her for an explosive attack on a distant, peaceful world.

Back in the spotlight, Meriel learns that those responsible for the attack on her family’s ship entered a political end game. Meriel and her allies, including her partner, band together to stop The Archtrope, a religious dictator who hopes to establish a new thousand-year dynasty. In a painful twist of fate, Meriel’s trial for the attack presents a fraught way out: she can declare that she’s responsible, and her allies will be safe; if she refuses, everyone will be executed. Meriel, who is the definition of selfless, is tempted.

With a heroine who wants nothing more than to keep her loved ones safe, but who contends with severe PTSD, this is a book about risking it all for what one believes in. Pandora’s Razor is compelling science fiction, centered on an admirable woman who fights for her family in a chaotic galaxy.

Reviewed by John M. Murray

Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

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