I have become a fan of author Michael Mammay. I enjoy how he develops his plot lines, and , like Agatha Christie, he allows you to get to know the major characters but does not overly develop them. With the exception of his protagonist, retired army colonel Carl Butler, the other main characters help drive the narrative without bogging us down in their innermost thoughts. I also enjoy that the science fiction underpinnings of his stories don’t overwhelm his plots. Yes, I wanted to read his stories because they are set in a future with space flight and strange planets; but, like the best Star Trek stories, Mammay’s stories stay “grounded” on human interactions, mysteries, squabbles, and internicene challenges.
The bones of the plot: Butler is hired to investigate the disappearance of a rich fellows’ daughter on a newly-colonized planet. The daughter is presumed dead via interactions with the large native animals and the nasty atmosphere that are in need of some good terraforming. You will have military folks that want a good fight, mysterious folks trying to undermine Colonel Butler, and some nasty politics along with ...sudden violence. So enjoy the ride as I did thanks to NetGalley.

If you have read the previous two book, then you know that Mivhael Mammay knows how to write a great story! Colonyside continues the story of ex-Lieutenant Carl Butler, as he is called in from retirement...again to solve a mystery that no one else can. Carl teams up with familiar faces and new to go to the Colony world where they must work with and against corrupt politicians, ambitious Business Executives, and the most powerful business man in the galaxy to find out what happened to a researcher...did she die of a tragic accident, or was there something more sinister involved. The story goes at a brisk clip, catching your attentions and it will not let you go! Pick up this fantastic novel and prepare to be amazed!

This is a great book. I really enjoyed it. The characters are well developed and the story is packed with action and adventure. The author does a great job delivering a story with a solid plot and interesting subplots. Loved the idea of detective story.

When Michael Mammay publishes a new book, I am so there. His writing, characters, and plots have drawn me in like few others, and Colonyside was no exception. I’m thrilled to have another Planetside novel to add to my collection.

Butler’s character profile is one of my favorites. His no-bullshit attitude is incredibly appealing (for the same reasons I love Corey’s Avasarala from the Expanse series) and I appreciate that his character seems to have grown and adapted a bit since the first book. I LOVE how analytical he his. His perceptions of the world and how other people tick is a constant through-line of the series. Psychoanalyzing people’s motives is something that always fascinated me, and he takes it one step further by using that analysis to influence and manipulate to get the outcomes he wants. It’s extremely satisfying. Because I’m so enamored with it, I eat up every page, but I could see how that constant evaluation might get a bit repetitive for other readers. It certainly worked for me though.

Of the three Planetside novels, this one was the most relaxed, probably because the stakes weren’t as high. But I didn’t mind that because the plot was fast-moving and the mystery interesting. The first two books had a fantastic payoff at the end (shocking me out of my seat), but this one lacked a bit of that for me, mostly because I predicted where it was going. I missed that element of surprise, but other than that really got into the characters, the setting, and the politics.

Recommendations: Planetside is one of my all-time favorite scifi novels and a very high recommend for any fan of the genre. The audio version is superb – R.C. Bray’s performance really elevating the character (my full audio production review is available on AudioFile.com). I enjoyed it so much I endorsed it for an Earphones Award. The series continues to delight and entertain me with each installment and I’m hoping it’s not the last we’ll see of Carl Butler.

I’d like to thank Avon and Harper Voyager, Netgalley, and Michael Mammay for the chance to read an early copy of Colonyside!

Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller

From the author who brought us Planetside and Spaceside, comes the third installment of Carl Butler’s story in the universe. For fans of military science fiction, this book has a little of everything. Some action/adventure, some noir/mystery and some humor which helps round the characters out. I definitely recommend this series to all readers and this third installment is just as good as the previous two novels. This author has some serious talent and excited to see what he does next. All libraries should purchase this series!

Colonyside: A Novel by Michael Mammay | 29 Dec 2020|Harper Voyager

There’s a trope in fiction where you give a job you don’t really want done to some washed-up cop, private investigator or a Colonel passed over for flag rank. Think Miller in the Expanse. Well, Colonel Carl Butler (retired) might look like that guy from a distance, having committed planetcide twice and been thrown under the bus for it, but he’s the exact opposite.

If you give Carl Butler a job, you’d better really want it done, because getting it done is his thing, no matter the cost.

When a powerful CEO’s daughter goes missing at a research facility, Butler’s old friend and former commander, General Serata, taps Carl to look into it, and even gives him a small team of military personnel, including Carl’s old friend Mac for muscle and the very efficient Captain Fader, who is pretty much the opposite of the rule-breaking Colonel. No team is complete without a hacker, so Carl reaches out to Ganos. Ganos has even less regard for rules than Carl does, and a pretty big chip on her shoulder because of that thing that happened, but they’ll all work it out.

When they reach the colony planet they find its governor under a corporate stooge’s thumb, a military tied up in local red tape, and an environmental movement that hasn’t forgotten Butler’s role in killing planets and alien species. It’s complicated. Fortunately, Carl has two cases of 12-year-old Ferra Three whiskey, and a cargo crate full of ammunition provided by some old friends to smooth over the rough spots.

It’s a good setup, and if it’s reminiscent of the first two books, that’s just Carl’s past coming back to haunt him. The team gels nicely, and it could have been the launching point for a series of books, but it might be time for Carl to really retire. Either way, it’s a fine read clearly informed by the author’s own military background.

Another really fun Butler investigation, but with a twist. A solid, satisfying to the end of a very enjoyable trilogy.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

After reading "Planetside" and "Spaceside" and thoroughly enjoying both, I couldn't pass up the chance to get the ARC for COLONYSIDE, the third book in the series. The title alone intrigued me. With this author's spare prose and just-enough-worldbuilding-to-pull-me-in-but-not-overwhelm, the novel did not disappoint.

Col. Carl Butler is now retired, but we all know that situation won't remain static for long. Who shows up and how Butler gets pulled into another mission starts the story off with the first of many, many questions.

The mission not only consists of a good, old who-done-it or is-she-even-dead, but the ramifications go far beyond that. Complex, moral questions constantly enter the mix as Col. Butler strives to delve into exactly what happened. We're constantly left to wonder who is really ally or foe, which plunges the reader onward. Col. Butler's humanity deepens as he changes from book one in the series and truly begins to review his actions and their consequences. I enjoyed seeing a more humble side to him, a more caring side. And the interactions with his team and the antagonists were a pure delight.

There were times all the balls in the air he juggled became a bit much as he sorted through next steps and directed his team, but that was just me and my non-military mind. I marveled at this erudite talent.

Two minor complaints:
(1) [ The lack of danger felt when Col. Butler was exposed to the toxic environment after his suit was compromised. They spoke several times of the pain and painful treatments after such an exposure, yet I got no sense of that after it happened to him, which felt very glossed over for the situation. I mean, main character goes through deep shit, reader wants to feel he's really been through the shit, not, Well, yeah, that happened and here we go on to the next thing, like, no big deal. Maybe a wasted opportunity? (hide spoiler)]
(2) The ending. I flipped the page and that was it. Huh? I mean, I could understand that was the end, ready for the next book. All the loose ends taken care of. But the ending was so abrupt. Probably by design to lead us into the next book. Now I'm the dense one. Only one reader's opinions, and of course I still loved the book and can't wait for the next one.

Ending on a positive note: Carl Butler's dry wit is the spice sprinkled throughout that tickles me every single time. Short. Punchy. Oh so delicious.

This is my third Michael Mammay book. I really liked the first of the series. The second was good as well. That made me worried about the third. My fears were quickly unfounded. Really good book here!

Plot: Each of this books takes place in the setting that the name implies, and this one is no different. Colonyside is set on a colony planet where an extremely rich man's daughter is missing and presumed dead. Carl Butler, a retired army colonel, is sent to investigate, but we get a hint early on that it might be for nefarious reasons. This leads Butler and his team (more below) on a wild goose chase toward the truth. Really good plot line that seems to wonder a bit at places, but never gets lost. I didn't personally note any plot holes, which is always nice.

Characters: Carl takes his team of Mac and Ganos, which we first met in the first book. Love those two. As in the previous books, they go a long way to making the characterization work. Carl Butler himself is just himself. I like his character a lot. I think he's a lot like me if I were a retired colonel in a much future world. But I don't know that other people are going to think he's special. Added to the old characters are two new ones, Captain Fader and General Oxendine (nicknamed Ox). Ox is a person who made general by following procedures and not doing anything stupid, so she's not like Butler at all. Fader is assigned to Butler by higher authority. Ostensibly to help him, but Carl's assumption early in the book is that she's really a spy. That sets the stage for a growing relationship and an opportunity for mutual respect.

Bad note: It's not really bad, but it is the reason I gave the book four stars. I felt that I was getting just a little too much of what Butler thought. I know this isn't quite true, but it seemed like all the dialog tags from Butler included what he was thinking at that moment. It got a little redundant for me. That's literally the only thing I found wrong in the book.

Final note: This is a good book. The plot is on point, the characters are near perfect. Dialog flows really well for the most part. The action scenes are really well done. I will be recommending this book to everyone.

Good stuff. The characters are the stars here, and they seem quite realistically written with plenty of imperfections and realistic emotions. Tech and many old school tropes mostly take a back seat here. The story is quite engaging, and there is some occasional humor. Scifi and even mystery fans will probably enjoy this.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

This the third book of a series (Planetside and Spaceside). I got the first as an audiobook and the second as an ebook from my local library. I recommend reading these in order. I really enjoyed the performance of the audiobook, so go that route if you can.

The book is really more a mystery/noir-detective story, with most of the Sci-Fi taking a back seat (supporting role) to what is primarily a character driven plot. The world building is interesting and solid ... and so natural it is easy to miss; I think anyone with military experience would feel right at home with most of it (I was). There is a fair amount of grit in these stories, and any humor you can find trends dark (as would be expected); but the humor is there ... and it will grudgingly pull out a chuckle now and again for any who appreciates such.

It has been said that no plan survives first contact with the enemy ... and that really is the key to all of these stories. In this case, Col. Bulter (aka Detective Columbo in my head) is the agent of chaos that plays all kinds of Holy He!! on the careful plans of [politically] powerful bad guys. It takes real skill to create such unique POVs that are still relatable to the reader. Equally amazing is the fact that nearly everybody is reasonably competent and stays in their lane during the entire story. Everybody is hiding something and nobody is pure good/bad. What is even more interesting is that you get a glimpse at how the fall out negatively impacts the good guys (and to me was totally realistic). Bottomline ... this series made it to my favorites shelf.

"The last time you knew what I was going to tell you before I told you, we were in deep $#!+. Please tell me this is different." -- Ganos

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#Colonyside #NetGalley