It is time to talk about the follow-up to last years' Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty. Chaos Terminal is the second book in The Midsolar Murders Series, and continues the story of Mallory Viridian during her time aboard a space station, as more people continue to die around her.
The Situation: When Mallory is summoned to meet with Mrs. Brown, the woman who has a connection with the space station they both inhabit, she is not expecting to be told that the woman will be leaving and putting Mallory in charge. Given how badly Station Eternity reacted after losing its last host, Mallory is correct to be concerned, but apparently, everything will be fine, and there is no cause for alarm, even with another batch of humans scheduled to arrive. Last time that happened, someone was murdered, an event Mallory has grown used to as for her entire life, murders have occurred around her. Thankfully, she has also been able to solve those murders, though it has led to her to mostly solitary and often lonely existence.
The Problem: When Mallory enters the party to welcome the new humans, she is both surprised and horrified to see some familiar faces. First there is her childhood best friend, Amy, as well as her childhood crush, Parker, who happens to be Amy's twin brother. But there is also Detective Don Draughn, the man who made Mallory's life on Earth incredibly difficult, even making sure she would never have a career in law enforcement, despite her abilities allowing him to solve many murder cases. And if all of this was not enough, a murder predictably takes place, throwing everything into chaos, as the station itself is no longer responding, communications are down, the medbay equipment is not working, and the Sundry insects that Mallory has always had a connection with are being found dead all around the station.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a science fiction novel set in the not too distant future, somewhere closer to the middle of the 21st century, and aboard a sentient space station known as Eternity. Mallory Viridian remains the center of the action, as once again, a murder takes place when a large group of human beings is brought in close proximity to her. While the space station she inhabits is not in quite as much distress as it was in the first book, it is still not much help as its host, Mrs. Brown, is missing for the majority of the novel. Some focus is shifted to Xan, another human onboard Station Eternity, and occasionally moves to other side characters for brief moments as more of the mystery unfolds. Previously introduced alien species return, as do the awkward and tense interactions between them.
My Verdict: I remember often being confused when reading the first book in the series, and while some of that confusion returned for this book, I instantly felt more comfortable following Mallory around in this story as familiar names and places were reintroduced, and new ones took their own place in the narrative. And while the murder is a bit predictable, the mystery and task of figuring out who did it is intriguing and fun, as a dead body is not the only issue Mallory must deal with. Lafferty brings in figures from Mallory's past, and even gives the Sundry - the insect-like creatures that have a connection with Mallory - a bigger and more interesting space in the story. I am not sure how many books there will be in this series, but I plan on continuing with it should more be published.
Favorite Moment: Mallory eventually realizes she is an even better detective than she thought, but it has to come after a short but crushing period of self-doubt and fear.
Favorite Character: I want to say Mrs. Brown, but she is not in the story enough. So instead I will pick Stephanie, another sentient ship doing her best to keep her friend Tina out of trouble, and be of help to the other species aboard Eternity.
Recommended Reading: I recommend Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel.
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