Smashwords Smashwords Category:  Science Fiction Publisher: Cooper's Press Type: Fiction Pages: 444 Copyright: Oct 2, 2010 ISBN-13: 9781877557026 Minerva's Soul is the last book in a science fiction trilogy detailing the adventures of Harry Irons and his intrepid team of galactic explorers. Harry Irons has been infected by the kitzloc, an enigmatic alien species. As a result, he's losing his mind. It's a race against time as Harry and his team attempt to locate one of the creatures in the sands of the Great Wahabi, a desert on the newly colonized world of Mirabel. A difficult task becomes impossible as they encounter disgruntled colonists, a security force from Earth, off-world aliens, and the mind-bending powers of the kitzloc.   MINERVA’S SOUL takes readers on a roller-coaster ride while offering a thought-provoking adventure which speculates on the nature of advanced species and the possibility of quantum manipulation.   MINERVA'S SOUL is the last book in a science fiction trilogy referred to as the Harry Irons Saga. The first two books are TO THE STARS and STOLEN WORLDS, both offered by Cooper's Press, a New Zealand publisher of speculative fiction. Excerpt Isolated and rarely viewed, the kitzloc carried itself with effortless grace over an arid track. Clouds of red-yellow dust rose behind its enormous strides. The thoughts compelling its motion were inhuman, impossible to adequately express, but suffice to say it was happy, and what sustained the emotion was the simple expression of freedom found in unrestrained motion. Slits along the upper sides of its torso expanded as the creature sampled the air. Identifying an unusual odor, it changed course. Two kilometers ahead, flickering light shined from atop a sandy dune. A crude fire with three humans gathered round. Nearby was their vehicle; an unlikely, cumbersome machine with large synthetic wheels. The kitzloc adjusted its body temperature until it matched that of the surrounding air. Simultaneously, its skin rippled with color as it took on the same hue as the surrounding desert. Thus prepared, it moved closer to the unwary group.

Review of Minerva's Soul
MINERVA'S SOUL is the long-awaited sequel to STOLEN WORLDS and TO THE STARS, comprising the Harry Irons Trilogy. Thomas Stone's final book in the ground-breaking science fiction trilogy is a tour de force as well as a thrilling and thought-provoking conclusion to an action-packed space opera. It's not often a science fiction writer completes a trilogy with such a strong story. MINERVA'S SOUL not only rounds out the Harry Irons Saga in Stone's typically engaging fashion but also offers readers alternative views of cosmic evolution that are assured to fascinate and entertain.

Stone has bridged the gap between hard sci-fi and space opera by offering a tale full of passionate, believable characters coming to grips with a startling new vision of quantum manipulation.

The story has a number of intertwining sub plots, but the chief motivating plot concerns the return of Harry Irons and his companions to the planet Mirabel for the purpose of curing Harry of a deadly infection. Harry's companions believe the key to Harry's cure is within the genetic code of a substance secreted by a mysterious alien creature, the kitzloc. The kitzloc is a strange breed that keeps to the sands of the Great Wahabi desert. Many have attempted to hunt the kitzloc but have always met with tragedy. The search for the creature rapidly deteriorates into a struggle for survival as Harry and his team confront the elements of a dangerous environment that includes rebellious colonists, a military force sent to arrest the team, and an alien contingent equally interested in solving the mystery of the kitzloc.

MINERVA'S SOUL twists and turns like a carnival ride, leading the reader to a thrilling conclusion only the imaginative mind of author Stone could invent. This book, and for that matter, the entire Harry Irons Trilogy, will satisfy sci-fi fans who've been waiting for a sci-fi tale that not only stretches the imagination but also delivers a fast-paced, human adventure.