Cerberus Series, Books 1-6, Andy Peloquin, 2022 28 April
Peloquin is a fairly well-known name in the indie-/self-published world, and this shows why. This is another series produced at an industrial scale and on an ambitious timeline. (I am pretty sure the dates do not reflect when the books were actually written, but it’s still an interesting comparison to say, Scalzi or Martha Wells’ timelines…just sayin’.) Fortunately, Peloquin is up to the challenge of keeping this interesting.
The series mines a deep vein of high-grade over-the-topium, but the frenetic – actually, frequently ridiculous – action sits coexists happily with an above-average plot (ok, above-average relative to its genre, but I’m not complaining.) Oh, and brace yourselves – it features characters who are actually identifiable and somewhat relatable to as people. The hero, for instance has a very stereo-typically male meltdown at one point when it turns out Bex is withholding information and making unilateral decisions exactly the way he does. This is probably the right level of emotional intelligence and self-awareness for an off-the-books assassin with few/no visible friendships, though, so fair.
The series does not break much new ground and with a few exceptions, the plot is fairly straightforward. But it’s executed well, and it doesn’t try to pretend to be something it’s not.
He doesn’t need no stinkin’ shoulder stock.
Assassination Protocol, April 2020 (312pgs)
Nolan Garrett is a man with (many) secrets. Under the nom de guerre “Cerberus” he’s an assassin and dealer of retribution in the service of a shadowy and ruthless official agency. He dwells in a hard world: carrying his own wounds, and surrounded by cast-offs and the vulnerable, he finds a former member of the same elite unit that left him a cripple, lying on his doorstep in a stupor. Rescuing Bex puts him on a collision course with ruthless criminals and upend his carefully-balanced existence.
Cerberus totally respects her for her intellect. And the cannon.
Terminal Secrets, May 2020 (425pgs)
Pursuing two criminals who robbed an arsenal of deadly weapons, Garrett leaves New Avalon for a much more dangerous place: his home world and an ex. Helped by his AI, he keeps one eye on his mission and the other on the still-ill Bex, who’s just gone through Heavy Detox (no, those are Peloquin’s capitals) and whose relationship with Garrett is hanging in the balance.
“The density of the rain clouds made digital communication with orbiting satellites unpredictable. Storms didn’t interfere with radio waves, however, a fact that gave the Moabites a genuine excuse to cling to their old, familiar ways...”
The hero would be the one with the fire-resistant product in his hair.
Cyber Strike, June 2020 (373pgs)
Garrett, aka “Cerberus” has a problem – his armor and helpful AI are hacked, and the angry hacker behind it is threatening to disclose his identity to the world. Facing ruin, Garrett has to figure out how to survive using only his wits. A good lesson in over-relaying on technology, courtesy of SF!
The cyborg traffic signals finally find Cerberus’ lair.
Paragon Slayer, July 2020 (399pgs)
Cerberus’ mission is simple: kill a starship captain who’s in cahoots with a deadly terrorist group. But nothing’s simple, and Garrett finds himself face to face with a friend who should be dead, and who’s insisting on upending Garrett’s understanding of who’s good and who’s bad. Another fast-moving installment in this excellent series.
“But it was more than that. He had to be cold, calculating, and ruthless in his job as Cerberus. Not with her, though. Not with the one person in the world who might actually know the man beneath the façade. More than anything else, he truly wanted Callie to trust him. That didn’t mean he could tell her the truth. Not all of it, at least.”
“It was a solid plan, but one she’d concocted without reading him in. She’d thrown him into the deep end. That wasn’t how teammates operated. He couldn’t watch her back if he didn’t know what shit they were walking into.”
When she tells you she can take care of her self, believe her.
Vicious Justice, August 2020 (416pgs)
The new hit is in, and it’s unpalatable: Cerberus is to kill possibly the only honest detective in New Avalon. His conscience rebels, but it’s not like he has a lot of choice – shadowy forces will be lethally angry if he fails to come through. Fortunately, Garrett has his AI and Bex is well enough to join the mayhem.
So, the bright red thing pointing in the enemy’s direction…new stealth technology or what?
Ghost Nemesis, September 2020 (352pg)
Garrett heads to a funeral for Master Sergeant Kane of the ridiculously-named “Warbeast Team” – his former unit. Once again, he finds that not all is as it seems, and the reappearance of a dead man plunges him, his AI and Bex deeper into what was already a swirling and opaque conspiracy of impressive reach. He’ll need his wits, deep expertise in investigation, world-class Rolodex and…who am I kidding? He’ll need to kill a bunch (more) people, most of whom will completely deserve it.
“These were people he’d spent hundreds of thousands of hours with.”
Bottom line: I was totally happy zipping through this series. It was fantastic escapist entertainment, and was written well enough that I could immerse in the escapism and not start to get all cranky about whoever did or didn’t edit it. Heavily dependent on pricing, but this is a good set up for the (you knew this was coming) next six volumes in the series.
Smirk factor: All clear: 2 pts (3—three—smirks in 2000ish pages. Bravo.)
Immersion factor: Chest-high: 1.5pts
Writing quality: Above-average: 1.5pts
Character/plot development: Average: 1 pt
Innovative/interesting: Average: 1 pt
Total: 7/10 (3.5 stars, rounded to 4)