Phantoms – C.R. Daems

‘Phoenix Wars’ is an enjoyably wish-fulfillment fantasy. The Anixians - an alien species which has high technology but is clueless about war - have taken to secretly recruiting fatally-ill humans to help them fight invaders. They are still barely holding their own.

They hit the jackpot when they recruit Kayla. She is not only an adept pilot and commander, but she develops revolutionary improvements that turn the war/s around. This is actually one weaker plot elements, because her revolutionary ideas tend to be the equivalent of “why don’t we let the computer help with the piloting?”

In book II - ‘Phantoms’ - Kayla’s scope continues to expand. She commands ever more and ever better fleets. She takes them ever further. Her political power continues to increase. She routs larger fleets from larger polities. Here too, the main plot weakness is that she succeeds because her opponents insist on the tactical equivalent bringing a knife to a gunfight. (Commanders of enemy space fleets are enamored of death-or-glory charges.)

I had fun reading these books. The protagonist is engaging and there is nothing wrong with wish-fulfillment fantasy.