This is a disappointing book in Drake's RCN series. The words of Malcolm Jones, Jr. in an earlier book review (Newsweek, September 18, 1995, p. 79) succinctly state my reaction here: "You could put it down at any point without regret."

I am generally a fan of Drake's Hammer's Slammers and RCN series. I suppose that fans of swashbuckling space opera like these are not expecting exquisite word selection or detailed character development. Instead, they crave action, but in that regard they will find this entry fails to deliver.

Drake begins Death's Bright Day in the typical style he has adopted in the RCN series: a focus on Daniel Leary and Lady Adele Mundy in their Cinnabar milieu. Daniel has just married Miranda Dorst and all are enjoying the reception following the ceremony. During the reception Daniel is summonsed to a conference with Admiral Anston, Ret., and Minister of Defense Forbes and Mundy is summonsed to conference with spymaster Sand. Both are asked to take on an assignment as "civilians" that will take them into the middle of a civil war in the Tarbell stars.

Death's Bright Day gets off to a slow and rather muddled start. The first two chapters contain numerous references to events that occurred in earlier books. Although not critical to understanding the book, these references interfere with the reader's understanding of the characters and their motivations given the time that has lapsed since these earlier entries.

Further, events in the first two chapters are not particularly clear, as if written in too much haste. Leary and Mundy react to people and comments in ways that are puzzling or downright mystifying given the circumstances. The initial scene between Leary and Admiral Anston is one example. My guess is that we are supposed to deduce that the offer made by the Admiral signifies that a coup is being planned but that is not clear.

Another shortcoming is the emphasis on Adele's personality and on the interactions among principles; neither is inherently interesting.

The plot finally begins to move around chapter 7 only to take a detour to recount an incident in which the heir apparent to the DaSaenz estate on Jardin attempts to murder Daniel and Miranda. He leads them on a meandering journey through a cave, lit only by the flashlight he is carrying, escorts them down a to a low level accessed by ladder, and then pulls up the ladder and abandons them. Although this provides an opportunity to introduce strengths in Daniel's and Miranda's characters, the slow paced incident is rather like a "telegraphed" pass. It is apparent from the beginning that the only apparent reason to introduce this side trip is to introduce some sort of attempted murder. I assumed the purpose was not to bore the reader but the incident is not particularly interesting.

Although the book eventually gets around to the typical RCN combination of strategy and action, at no point does the story become very interesting. In short, my reaction to Death's Bright Day was frequently, "do I want to read the next chapter?" rather than a "I can't put it down." I suppose I may give Drake the benefit of the doubt and take a look at the next RCN entry, but I am wondering if the series has reached the end of the line. ( )

Another entry in Drake's long-running RCN series. With the war between Cinnabar and the Alliance at an end, Daniel Leary and Adele Mundy accept a private commission to take the Princess Cecile and interfere in a civil war in an Alliance-aligned sector. As always, things to not go entirely smoothly. This is a bit more episodic than some, with the major military action only appearing very late in the book, although there is plenty of minor excitement earlier.

A worthy continuation of the series, but not the place to start. ( )