The Second Death of Daedalus Mole shows a great deal of promise. It isn’t easy to write a non-traditional space opera in a universe populated by original races and distinctive technology where humans play only a small role. The novel gets off to a bumpy start, the characters and the writing becoming more certain as the novel gets into the story. Niall Slater has a lot of ambition, The Second Death of Daedalus Mole has a broad story arc despite being only the first novel in a series. Only the occasional hiccup mars an otherwise well imagined story.

Daedalus Mole is a ne’er do well pilot, picking up whatever credits he can. He needs money, and Erin needs a ride, so he agrees. What he doesn’t realize is that his naive passenger has a bounty on her head, and that powerful players have plans for them both. Daedalus may not have been able to prevent the death of his best friend long ago. He doesn’t see himself as any sort of hero. Despite this, he may just be the universe’s one last hope of saving them all.

The Second Death of Daedalus Mole is an imaginative, thought provoking piece of fiction, and I for one am curious where Daedalus will be taken next.

4 / 5

I received a copy of The Second Death of Daedalus Mole from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

— Crittermom

The Second Death of Daedalus Mole was a cracking good sci-fi read. Because the events in the book took such sharp turns, it would be hard to describe it without giving big parts of the plot away. I can say this though: there was no shortage of action, political intrigue, mystery, or strong character development. I’m actually a little floored thinking about how much was crammed into this relatively short 340 page book.

The strongest elements were its characters, especially the unlikely quartet of Mole, Erin, Ram, and Hilton. Plus all the women throughout this story were really strong and badass, something we definitely need more of in sci-fi. Ram was hands down the best character in this one. Despite being a very non-human alien, I really identified with her and cared the most about what happened to her. I would happily read a book about her life before she got tangled up in Erin and Mole’s hijinks. Same with Juno.

I wish we could have had more of all of them exploring space together, though. Not that everywhere our characters got taken in this story wasn’t interesting to read, but I would have been really pleased if this had ended up being a space pirate adventure with these guys as our motley crew. That would have been a blast.

Full disclosure before I go on- throughout most of this book I had no real grasp on what it was about or where it was going. Every couple of chapters everything completely shifted course, taking the reader on endless twists and turns. As soon as I would start to get a handle on what was going on, everything went topsy turvy again. By the end it all made a bit more sense, but it took awhile to get there.

However the author wrote everything so incredibly well that I ended up enjoying every confusing second. The only drawback to this is that from the start you feel like you’ve been dumped in halfway through a series without any context. The universe Daedalus Mole lives in is described from the get-go as if it’s established canon somewhere I’ve never come across. At one point I double checked to make sure I hadn’t missed a prequel because I felt like I was seriously missing something. Most books would lose me because of this, but for some reason I just couldn’t put it down. I really wanted to know what happened next even if I didn’t understand it. I have no hesitation in saying that Niall Slater is a very talented writer to be able to pull that off.

I rarely re-read books, but I may go back over this one again after I’ve given it more time to settle. Maybe knowing what I know now, I might feel less lost. Either way, it was an enjoyable story filled with awesome characters. In my opinion, The Second Death of Daedalus Mole is a solidly entertaining read.

I liked this book! Amazing settings, compelling characters, a convoluted but easy to follow storyline, this book has them all! Although I would have liked for it to have a more fleshed out worldbuilding: I want to know about the human race, what happened to our Earth, and to discover more about the other very interesting alien species, what are their stories, where do they come from, how they managed to contact the human race...

The Second Death of Daedalus Mole by Niall Slater was a refreshing diversion from the usual detiective/mystery books I usually read. Slater creates an enormous universe of possibilities with this (hopefully) first installment of the Daedalus Mole series. He enriched his story with a dynamic universe of humans and non-humans alike that you immediately bond to and become invested in. The familiar story arcs of friendship, forgiveness, and loyalty find a wonderful home within Slater’s first novel. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy of this sci-fi adventure!

I enjoyed it, but felt that it could've been much better. The synopsis initially dragged me in but fell flat just half-way. I was confused with where the book was going since I felt like there was something I should read before it?
A lot of other readers I believe have the same thoughts as me, so...

Anyway, it was enjoyable!

The title caught my attention first. Unfortunately, the story lost my attention. It seemed well enough and entertaining then it fizzled. Just not for me.

This book is a decided break from my usual genres of choice and one of the few sci-fi novels in which I’ve engaged. I’m grateful to NetGalley and Unbound for the opportunity.

<i>The Second Death of Daedalus Mole </i> is a winding read, full of literary wordsmithing that ebbs and flows with figurative language and inventive vocabulary. The author dives right in, creating a world of alien creatures that cohabitate in an uneasy peace that is warily embraced and easily disturbed.

From the onset, the nod to the mythological Daedalus is apparent, as the protagonist escapes the villainous Aggro, reflective of the Greek character and his clever run from King Minos. There is also a satirical bent, for Homer refers to daidala as stunning, well-crafted objects—the antithesis of the physically and mentally disheveled Daedalus Mole.

In relating this space-travel tale, the author develops a rich and foreign vocabulary that is revealed to the reader through context and inference. Whilst the lexicon is skillful, it is at times difficult to focus on the narrative, as so much attention is necessary to unravel the unfamiliar tongue. This may be in part my own weakness, but I did find it to be a rough go. In addition to the unique language, however, the author fully embraces and beautifully utilizes plain old English.

<i>”A sea of bright yellow grass-stalks blew to and fro in the gentle Pyrian wind. Wide swaths of temperate grassland stretched for miles and miles around, punctuated by small sandstone boulders and twisted brown trees. Furry, crab-like creatures clung with tiny claws to the underside of their branches and their fluffy nests dangled from the tips on short lengths of yarn, swinging slowly in the breeze. Long ferrety marsupials crouched in burrows beneath orange rocks. Pairs of bushy yellow tails poked partway out of their burrows, and little noses sniffed nervously at the air.”</i>

It is in this talent to create a detailed and lush setting that the author excels.

Beyond the superb craftsmanship of the writing, things fell apart. The book just took too long to get where it was going and even then didn’t reveal any intent. In many novels, the plot is the star often dimmed by the author’s lack of ability to convey it. Here I found just the opposite—a talented writer with nowhere to go. The less-than-stellar closing just reinforced for me the fact that writer had either run out of steam and just stopped or that he is planning a sequel. Either way, it felt like a betrayal after the time invested in reading.

For hard-core sci-fi fans who engage in serial reads, this piece may well provide a foundation upon which the author will be able to build future episodes. As a stand alone, though, and beyond the incredible use of language, this just doesn’t pass muster.

The description sounded promising based on the mix of elements but the execution just didn't do it for me. Same basic reaction as most of the other readers. Thanks anyway.

The premise seemed interesting enough, the part about the ship’s AI caught my attention. But the lead characters conversations with the ship was the most interesting. I read halfway through the book and a lot of things happened but I just coulnd’t figure out what was the point. I fel like I missed a prequel or something.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book but it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Unbound Digital for an eGalley of this novel, but at 43% I finally just gave up. I had no interest in the characters or the plot and even at that length of reading still had no idea of where the story was actually supposed to be heading. It's all well and good for an author to want to keep their main plot idea under wraps while they establish the characters in the book but I need some hints just to keep my mind actively involved. This book was not the right choice for me.

I really got into this space adventure. Started off a bit slow for me but then picked up speed rather fast. Greatly enjoyed the mix of characters as well as how their stories entwined with each other.

It'd be fantastic to get a book just detailing Hilton's backstory as well as a possible sequel to this.

The story was original and entertaining, what more can you ask for in a book?

I may give it another go in the future. For instance I couldn't get into it and DNF-ed the book around 23%.. Observations: well written, neat prose but neither characters nor plot captured my attention. There was no strong conflict that would hook me and made me voraciously turn the pages. If I feel like giving it another go in January, I'll do it and update the review.

It begins with a ragtag band of star-crossed travelers on the run from some nasty interstellar hoods. Daedalus Mole may command a ship, but he's far off the grid, steadily jumping from bar to bar, and in far too many arguments with his ship's computer. Beginning with Erin, a multi-limbed midget Entari escaped slave, Daedalus somehow puts together a squadron of space misfits and, on the run from half the galaxy, ends up co- starring in a revolution against the ruling Entari. Wild, wacky, wondrous, but sometimes doing so with an unwieldy plot that branches off to many different directions leaving the reader bewildered.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

The Second Death of Daedalus Mole by Niall Slater. From the beginning the whole book felt disjointed, and in need of more of an introduction. This book was just hard to read. Disappointed because it had a great premise and could have gone somewhere.