The Phoenix Rebellion, Book II: Outcasts by Gail R. Delaney is the second book in the series. The first book starts out giving you the background information about how the Areth, an alien race, came to the Earth stating that they came to help the human race. Many people believed them, except for a few who believed that the Areth were too good to be true. Those people also believed that things were not always what they seem. Little did they know that they were not far from what was actually happening. We learned that the Areth were using humans for some type of experimentation. The freedom fighters from the Phoenix group were able to liberate a group of these captives from the Areth with the help of an Areth named Victor. Victor gave them some information to help them fight the Areth before he fell victim to some strange illness. The book ended with the main character, Nick Tanner, heading light years away on a desperate mission to find another race that had been at war with the Areth too.

Ms. Delaney’s new book Outcast picks up where Book I left off. We find Victor in a battle for his life, but the doctors have no idea what is happening to him. The only person who has some notion is Beverly, a psychic. Even Beverly does not know exactly what is going on, but she doesn’t think that Victor is by himself evil. One of the people who Victor helped free was Michael, Nick Tanner’s son. He looks at Victor as a friend and refuses to give up on him.

While all of this is going on, Nick Tanner is in a space ship taking wormhole after wormhole to try and find the other alien race might help them with their fight with the Areth. He spends his waking time talking to his family, Michael and his soon-to-be wife CJ, to keep him sane.

Back on Earth, things are not going well for the Phoenix freedom fighters. Some of the freed captives are not happy with the way things are going and they decide to take things into their own hands. As you might think, this could endanger everyone’s lives. At this point, the plot continues to unravel in ways that the no one could ever imagine.

Ms. Delaney takes a very simple plot idea and expands it in ways that the reader cannot foresee. The interaction between the characters is unforgettable. The division in the plot between the individuals on Earth and Nick Tanner somewhere in outer space is very interesting. The characters may be separated by space, but not in their hearts. The characters of Nick, Michael and CJ are forever thinking and talking to each other. The old phrase “Absence make the heart grow fonder” comes to mind.

Many questions raised in the first book are answered, but many more are left up in the air. Will Nick stay alive long enough to find help for Earth? Will Nick ever find the race that Victor sent him to? Will Nick arrive back in time? Will the people of Phoenix be OK? Will Victor and Beverly stay together(or, can they be together?). Will Victor overcome the being inside of him? This reader has these and more questions waiting to be answered.

Ms. Delaney has written a series that is reminiscent of one that was written by E. E. “Doc” Smith’s “The Lensman Series.” This is the highest praise that I can give. I will be waiting impatiently for the next installment of The Phoenix Rebellion.


Reviewed by: Teresa