And the Mighty Will Fall - (Neog) by K B Wagers (Paperback)

About the Book

The mission of the Near-Earth Orbital Guard is to ensure the peace and security of the solar system. Commander Maxine Carmichael and Lieutenant Commander Saqib Vahid are at the Mars Orbital Station (MOS) to help facilitate the official handover from NeoG to Mars civilian control as part of the ongoing negotiations. Members of the extreme wings of the fight for Martian independence refuse to remain silent, and are willing to resort to violence to make their voices heard; Max and Saqib find themselves fighting for their lives.

Book Synopsis

With the fourth stand-alone NeoG novel, Die Hard meets A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet in this nail-biting, action-filled story that's as much about found family as it is about survival when a peaceful transition of power in the Mars Orbital Station goes terribly wrong as rebels decide this is the moment to make their move, leaving two NeoG members stranded inside a ticking time bomb.

When you're trapped in space, there's no way out.

The mission of the Near-Earth Orbital Guard is to ensure the peace and security of the solar system. Commander Maxine Carmichael and Lieutenant Commander Saqib Vahid are at the Mars Orbital Station (MOS) to help facilitate the official handover from NeoG to Mars civilian control as part of the ongoing negotiations. Members of the extreme wings of the fight for Martian independence refuse to remain silent, and are willing to resort to violence to make their voices heard; Max and Saqib find themselves fighting for their lives. The attacks both on the MOS and the ground of Mars sets off a chain reaction that could destabilize the last few years of cautious peace.

The leader of Free Mars, Sylvia Moroz, knows better than anyone how fragile harmony is, having seen for decades the Coalition of Human Nations' inability to negotiate for peace. Without any assurances--and knowing her splintered people all too well--anything less than complete liberation will only lead to more bloodshed. She's not opposed to fighting, but when there's an attempt on her life, she finds she must look for help from the NeoG and Commander D'Arcy Montaglione. The pair will have to overcome their past to figure out who they can trust and how to stop the attacks on the ground before more lives are lost.

Trapped inside the station, Carmichael and Vahid are scrambling to not only get to the bottom of the attackers' motives, but also to simply survive. Because with the rest of the Zuma's Ghost crew stuck down on Mars, it's up to them to do what they can to keep the MOS from fully falling into the wrong hands...and keep Mars from descending into all-out war.

Review Quotes

"Wagers's stellar fourth outing for their futuristic Near-Earth Orbital Guard is filled with snappy dialogue and vivid worldbuilding. With the found family of Zuma's Ghost as the foundation of the series, the internal conflicts are just as compelling as the external high-stakes action." -- Library Journal (starred review)

"Wagers refers to this newest NeoG novel...as "Die Hard in space." This is accurate, though it sells the story short. There are deep themes explored here: the brutality of long-standing conflict where everyone is harmed and the psychological cost of violence. The novel is weightier and darker than its predecessors, notably more grim while retaining innate hopefulness. As always, the heart of the story is the emotional support and vulnerability the characters grant one another. It's the only thing that can heal wounds this deep." -- Booklist (starred review)

"Unprocessed grief creates a dangerous hostage situation in Wagers's high-octane fourth Near-Earth Orbit Guard (NeoG) novel. Wagers keeps the emotional registers of the characters front and center even as they stage the counter-terror action in cinematic scale...This is pure popcorn." -- Publishers Weekly

"Wagers's inclusive worldbuilding contains an amazing range of personalities, while the fast-paced plot still gives time for meaningful character stories....[They raise] the stakes with exciting action, terrific characters, and an expansive view on life in the universe." -- Library Journal (starred review) on The Ghosts of Trappist

"As usual, K.B. Wagers delivers a rollicking space adventure, by turns serious and funny, full of witty banter, explosive tension, relatable characters, and families found and made. [...] I hope Wagers writes more in this series, or at least in one very like it: they have a wonderful knack for writing books that I find absolutely delightful entertainment." -- Locus on The Ghosts of Trappist

"Wagers lavishes a lot of attention on the internal conflicts and interpersonal frictions that accompany the more standard space battles and computer hacking intrigues. Readers who enjoy both the glitz of space opera and the conviviality of family dramas will be rewarded with as many embraces as EMP blaster pulses." -- Publishers Weekly on The Ghosts of Trappist

"Although the storyline is powered by an impressively intricate plot that features mystery, intrigue, and nonstop action, it's the deeply developed characters and the dynamic relationships among them that fuel this narrative. Wagers creates a cast of characters that are not only authentic, but endearingly flawed...Top-notch character-driven science fiction." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) on Hold Fast Through the Fire

"Wagers's second NeoG novel serves up buffet-size portions of everything their fans have come to expect: dug-in friendships, action, impossible odds, and clever dialogue that always hits home...Wagers's characterization plumbs incredible depths, particularly with street rat-turned-engineering chief Jenks, a brain with vicious fists. Wagers's fans should snap up this fun, thrilling latest." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Hold Fast Through the Fire