This Virtual Night

Outworlds, Book 2

By: C. S. Friedman

Narrated by: Kathleen McInerney

Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Returning to the universe of New York Times Notable book This Alien Shore comes a new space opera from an acknowledged master of science fiction.

When deep-space travel altered the genes of the first interstellar colonists, Earth abandoned them. But some of the colonies survived, and a new civilization of mental and physical “Variants” has been established, centered around clusters of space stations known as the outworlds.

Now the unthinkable has happened: a suicide assault has destroyed the life support system of a major waystation. All that is known about the young men responsible is that in their last living moments they were receiving messages from an uninhabited sector of space and were playing a virtual reality game.

Two unlikely allies have joined forces to investigate the incident: Ru Gaya, a mercenary explorer with a taste for high risk ventures, and game designer Micah Bello, who must find the parties responsible for the attack in order to clear his name. From the corridors of a derelict station lost to madness to an outlaw stronghold in the depths of uncharted space, the two now follow the trail of an enemy who can twist human minds to his purpose and whose plans could bring about the collapse of outworld civilization.

©2020 C. S. Friedman (P)2020 Audible, Inc.

Good Story Great Character Development

Thi Alien Shore is one of my favorite books so when I saw This Virtual Night was a continuation of that world I was excited to read it. I love the exploration of outriders with their need to return to more physical interaction with the world since they can spend so many years in space without the use of the extranet

Space opera at its best

Seamlessly takes up where This Alien World left off, then a bit slowly at first, gathers speed into an exciting pre-climax and a gripping climax just prior to the ending. This book is an artful blend of a fast moving plot (after the stage was set) and several fast action scenes where the main characters are challenged. Thanks to Audible for resurrecting the two books in the Outworld series which began in 1990 with This Alien World. After reading Friedman's two masterful trilogies Coldfire and Majester I am happy to have found several earlier works which have proven to be apertifs.

Sequel Overwhelms Expectations

This Alien Shore is my favorite book, hands down. I was so surprised to find this book lived up to it. Set in the same universe, but with different players but *so* masterfully done! The scenario is my exact question after reading the original: "Why aren't people's brainware being successfully hacked more often?" This book explores that scenario without pulling punches, including the nightmare of corporate moral vacuum, the unforgiving vacuum of space and the fragility of any civilization, no matter how large and complete.