The Measure of Humanity

The Cassidy Chronicles, Volume 3

By: Adam Gaffen

Narrated by: Jane Weatherstone

Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Six months have passed since The Road to the Stars.

An uneasy peace has settled between the Solarian Union and the Terran Federation. Negotiations continue, but seem to be going nowhere.

But that doesn't mean Cass and Ken haven't been busy.

Their second starship is about to commission. A new habitat is nearly complete. A new class of fighters is entering service.

And they still have stars to explore.

But within the Union, new plots are arising. New challenges are being prepared. Soon, they will be ready to strike.

Will Cass and Ken be able to handle the latest attack? Or will the dream of a Terran Federation die?

©2020 Adam Gaffen (P)2022 Adam Gaffen

Creativity and Pacing

Adam Gaffen creates superb characters, strong plot, makes you laugh at times, and brings great creativity even though he builds upon a dream many of us had, or still have!

I don’t want to give away anything, but this is a must read, even if you skipped ahead. It stand alone, but builds nicely on the overall storyline.

Jane Wheatherstone is a gifted narrator that brings the story to life!

LGBTQ+ Star Trek Fanfic - yay!

Note: While this is book 3 in the series, it works mostly OK as a stand alone.

This is just straight up Star Trek fanfiction at this point. While it lacks originality, it is still fun. It’s like an alternate universe Star Trek where two ladies have created the Federation and the first starship, Enterprise. I love that the LGBTQ+ community is so well represented in this series.

This space opera has epic space stuff going on (setting up a new mining colony!), espionage (Artemis conglomerate is still being a pill), and some courtroom drama (are genetically enhanced humans allowed full legal rights?). This series has been consistently upbeat where universal rights, fairness, honesty, and for-the-greater-good mentality always win out. It makes this series uplifting even as it makes it predictable. Of course people will be loyal if you offer them free childcare, free healthcare, decent salaries, and career mobility. Perhaps those on the other side of the fence would be willing to jump ship and join the Federation as well. And how can the courts possibly deny basic legal rights to enhanced humans when one of those humans (Kendra) is a major force in creating the Federation, our best chance yet of seeding the galaxy with humans? So, yeah, uplifting but I never really worried about our main heroes (which means there’s not much tension or drama).

There’s plenty of other pop culture references in this book like from Battlestar Galactica, Game of Thrones, Hitchhiker’s Guide, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, and more. Because of all the pop culture and the heavy Star Trek influence, there were moments where I could predict word-for-word where things were going. While it was pretty predictable, this scifi nerd still really enjoyed the ride. 4/5 stars.

The Narration: Jane Weatherstone is still a good pick for Cass and Ken. I’ve really grown to love her voice for Cass in particular. The pacing is good tho she often mispronounced the words vague and vaguely. Her masculine voices are better but could still benefit from a touch more masculinity. I liked her gentle Texan accent for one character and still loving her Australian accent for Stone (best babysitter ever!). There were no tech issues with this recording. 4/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book. My opinions are 100% my own.