I read the book ---- but not sure if I will read it again ---- Just not my type of book but a good book ( )

I have tried to read this book numerous times but I just cannot seem to get into it. I will keep trying. ( )

Zeresthina Dasmuller changed her name to Dace trying to leave behind the horrors of Tivor behind her. Commander Grant Lowell wants Dace for one mission to Tivor no matter the cost to her physically and emotionally. It's up to Marshall Tayvis to recruit her for Commander Lowell. Dace wants to be free to have her own ship and little peace of mind is that too much to ask for. Jerimon Pai, a pilot, searching for a crew that won't ask too many questions about his past. When both Dace's and Jerimon's past both bite them in the butt truth is needed more than lies. Jerimon admits stealing fist size black shiny rock for his own gain. An alien race searches for The Eggstone pursuing Jerimon and Dace wherever they go. Will Tayvis find Dace? Will Dace work for Lowell? Why is The Eggstone important? Your answers await you in Priestess of the Eggstone. ( )

ER review.
Light space opera romance. Unfortunately a sort of love triangle runs through this for a long time. The Firefly-esque fun (losing ships/ being chased by aliens) is good clean running around dodging the aliens fun. The female lead, as far as her skills/ strengths go is well described, has bad luck but isn't incompetent to be in charge of her ship. Amusing things happen although it isn't a straight-out comedy. The straight guy/ bad guy love interests were slightly weak but not poor. From scanning the other reviews this is almost certainly because it's a second book in a series - I gave this another star as I expect that fills out the romance side- for this as a stand-alone book I would give it 3 stars. ( )

I was a little worried when I first picked up PRIESTESS OF THE EGGSTONE because it is technically the second book in the “Fall of the Altairan Empire” series (the first is titled NEXUS POINT). This was an unfounded fear, as PRIESTESS OF THE EGGSTONE functions just fine as a stand-alone science fiction novel.

Mild plot spoilers follow.

PRIESTESS OF THE EGGSTONE begins as a classic example of the science fiction sub-genre I might term “commerce SF,” mostly about protagonists in space opera settings who work as, or want to be, freelance merchants and traders in the space lanes. Examples include many of C. J. Cherryh’s novels (the Merchanter and Chanur series in particular); Andre Norton’s Solar Queen series; and Poul Anderson's Van Rijn series (there are many more I could mention, but those are some of the better known examples of this sub-genre). I hasten to add that – despite the emphasis on commerce rather than exploration or combat – these aren’t “mundane SF” novels. They aren’t about accounting in space, or paying all the required landing fees and dutifully obeying space regulations. They often involve encounters with pirates; misadventures in ports with thieves, customs officials, and thieving customs officers; and narrow escapes from a variety of dangers. In short, I have found that these kinds of novels typically involve exciting conflict without emphasizing the military derring-do that is all too typical of science fiction.

PRIESTESS OF THE EGGSTONE is in good company. Here, a young female pilot with a troubled past, Dace, wants nothing more than to own her own trading vessel and become an independent merchant. The universe conspires against Dace’s attempts to achieve that dream. She’s a pilot not a navigator (dammit, Jim!) and so she hires a navigator who soon gets her into a world of trouble. He has stolen the eponymous Eggstone, an object of unknown but great significance to an alien race that is willing to do whatever it takes to get the Eggstone back. They can’t simply return the Eggstone because it was already sold, so now the pair and their comrades have to locate it while dodging inimical aliens. Oh and the company that Dace works for is actually a front for a smuggling operation, so that causes further problems, plus the Star Patrol is still trying to pressure Dace to join them as an undercover agent (this was apparently the major plot of the first novel).

The tone of the novel wavers a bit; at times, it seems fairly light-hearted, yet it never fully becomes a comedy. The stakes are real (and occasionally deadly). It’s a mix of commerce SF, first contact, and space opera-ish schemes and adventures. While having read the first novel was certainly not necessary, it would have provided some additional insights about Dace’s past. Her troubled origins are occasionally referenced, but the details are not entirely clear to me. I should also make clear that the protagonist is a young, emotionally immature woman, and one of her two love interests is an equally immature young man. This naturally leads to some frustrating behavior on both parts. The both behave childishly at times, so for a grumpy middle-aged reader like myself, this characterization occasionally annoyed me, but it never became intolerable.

This wasn’t the greatest science fiction novel I’ve ever read, but it certainly wasn’t the worst either (by far). It was perfectly enjoyable. Recommended for readers interested in science fiction that’s a bit out of the mainstream, and not oriented toward military actions – I might even term PRIESTESS OF THE EGGSTONE as “space opera lite.”

Review copyright © 2013 J. Andrew Byers ( )

Enjoyable adventure with some interesting characters. The romance aspect is sometimes handled awkwardly, with several chapters in a row covering basically the same redundant dialog, but despite this the characters are likable and the story keeps moving. I found a coincidence or two unbelievable (it is possible that there's something else going on that make it not coincidental at all, but the characters should at least have noticed how amazingly against-the-odds it was). The best indication of how I felt upon finishing the book: I immediately bought the first in the series. I wasn't even aware until halfway through this one that it was the second in a series, so it wasn't necessary to read the first to enjoy this one, but I'll definitely read the one before and at least the next one out. I'm hoping this continues to develop well, it certainly has potential. ( )

I recieved this book through Librarything's Early Reviewers Program.

THe story of Dace and her intergalactic adventures continues. Along with Tayvis,Lowell, and some new faces.
Dace hires a new co-pilot, who then causes them to be hunted by 8 ft. tall aliens with poisonous claws. Leaving a trail of destruction in their wake as they try to avoid the creatures and the Patrol, who are after Dace in hope of recruiting her.
The plot was easy to follow. The characters were likable. I felt that the story got repetitive, as if the author didn't trust her readers to remember what trouble Dace and Jerimon were in or why. We are told over and over again what Jerimon did to get the attention of the Sessimoniss.
All in all, I liked the book. And I'm looking forward to the next installment in the series. ( )

Jaleta Clegg’s ‘Priestess of the Eggstone’ is the second book in ‘The Fall of the Altairan Empire’ sci-fi series. Though Clegg’s novel does fall into the sub-genre of Space Opera, I must admit that I found Dace’s, the diminutive yet tenacious, female protagonist, misadventures both entertaining and amusing. The story has a lot of good dialogue and I couldn’t help being willingly lured into her convoluted world. I look forward to reading more from this series. ( )

I enjoyed this book and didn't have a hard time following the plot despite it being the second in a series. There were a few holes including Dace's previous relationship with Tayvis, but overall I was able to connect the dots. Dace is an intergalactic Calamity Jane given to accepting responsibility for disasters not necessarily of her own making. She is being chased across worlds by alien beings who believe she has their sacred Eggstone. By the time they catch her she has bonded to the Eggstone and is now their unwelcome priestess. Overall I enjoyed her adventures and the characters she came in contact with. I felt the love triangle could have been developed a little more as could some of the plot points but it was an easy, enjoyable read. ( )

Very enjoyable straightforward space opera. Dace's second adventure commences with her hiring Jerimon a second piot for her spaceship who it turns out more-or-less accidentally stole the sacred Eggstone of the Serimoniss, a race of tall,mean lizards who are poisonous literally (as Dace learns painfully) as well as metaphorically. After assorted complications (Dace finds her current employer, the Beliff Corporation, is a criminal front) and a wild chase across several systems, Dace retrieves the Eggstone (which had been sold to a collector) but is then collected herself along with the stone by the Serimoniss. She has bonded with the Eggstone (which issentient and also stores the memories of all its former priestesses), and become its priestess. This does not please most of the Srimnoniss, who want to choose a new priestess and skin her alive (as the usually do to alien visitors).Eventually she and her party (jeerimon, his much nicer sister and the POsatrol officer Dace fell in love with in her first adventure) escape both the Serimoniss and a later human encounter and sort out all the charges frrom their previous adventures. The Seriumoniss are really alien aliens, much ore distinctive than the pseudo-medievals in the first book, and all inall this is a definite improvement. ( )

It was an excellent book highly recomend waiting for sequeal. ( )

I really enjoyed reading this book. Dace was a very sympathetic character and I found myself cheering for her the whole book through. Her relationships with the other characters were very interesting as well. My only complaint about the story is, that there were quite a lot of plot elements that didn't quite reach their conclusion in this book. I hear it's a part of a series though and I can't wait to read more of Dace's adventures.

Very well written, recommended. ( )

This is the second book in the series, something I didn't realize when I requested it, but most definitely realized when I started reading it.

Even missing some background info, this was a pretty fun little piece of sci-fi. I warmed up to Dace and the folk she acquired along her journey, and I'm curious as to what adventure they're going to get into next.

My complaint, actually, is that this book deserves better: the title for me gave away a point that would have been more interesting if it had been a surprise and the cover made it look like Dace was some sort of cheesy anime heroine in a short skirt, when in fact she'd have griped for half a chapter if someone made her wear a knee-baring silver minidress while she was trying to Get Stuff Done.

Still, ignore the cover and you've got a strong female heroine that doesn't give up even if it seems like trouble is following her through the galaxy, and her story is one worth enjoying!

Book Info: Genre: Space Opera
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of Space Opera, those who enjoyed Nexus Point, those who enjoy romance

Disclosure: I received a free ebook ARC through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer’s Program in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: It isn’t Dace’s fault she leaves chaos everywhere she goes.

She didn’t know Belliff, the company who hired her to courier sensitive materials, is a front for the Targon Crime Syndicate. She finds out when she steps into the middle of a Patrol raid on Belliff’s offices. The Patrol and Targon both want her. But that’s nothing. Her copilot has an entire sentient species chasing him for stealing their god. The two of them set off on a desperate chase to get the Eggstone god back to avert war with the Sessimoniss while evading the Patrol and the Targon Syndicate.

But the Eggstone isn’t just any rock. The Patrol isn’t chasing her for the reasons she thinks. And Targon’s days are numbered.

My Thoughts: A fast-paced and entertaining space opera; this book opened with action that continued throughout the book. It was also very funny – the way Dace and Jerimon interacted, while somewhat cliched, was absolutely hilarious. In a more traditional romance novel it would have left me headdesking, but in a space opera it somehow works for me.

I also realized I’ve been using “space opera” wrong by saying the Honor Harrington series is space opera – it is not; it is military science fiction. This is space opera. And a very good example of the sub-genre.

The book read like a sequel and I ended up actually checking to see if there was a previous book to be found. And what do you know, I was right – this book is the 2nd book in a series! The first book is called Nexus Point and I picked it up, because I badly need to know what happened to Dace in it – there are so many tantalizing little hints thrown out in this book that it’s driving me crazy! So, I’ll be reading them out of order, because I was more than a third of the way through before I realized this.

The characterization was wonderful – I really loved Lady Rina, especially. Dace is such a constant source of chaos that I had to laugh – it might be terribly stressful to live her life, that’s for sure! The plot was fast but fun, and it was actually a fairly quick read for an almost-400 page book. Recommended! ( )

I have to admit that I found this book very confusing at first. The story began with a character that I felt I should already have known, in a universe (because it takes place in space) I should have already known. Once I got several chapters into the story I was more inclined to feel for the characters. Towards the end I was actually rooting for them, and the emotional attachment was finally there. I would recommend this book and author, but I would highly recommend starting at the beginning. Which was not this book. ( )

The Main character Dace is a woman who can't seem to stay out of trouble. My trouble with her is she just accepts the things that happen far too easily. If I were attacked by an alien race of lizards because of what my copilot, who I barely know did to them I would try to tear him apart every chance I got, but she just accepts it and goes on. Even when that pilot says to forget it and run away from it Dace is the one who says they need to go fine the eggstone. I would have agreed and then thrown him of my shop. She does things without enough reason to do them and then refuses to do the things that would benefit her without a good reason for the reader to get behind her. She was far to quick to decide that someone she knew for all of a half an hour was suddenly like the sister she never had and was going to buy a ship with. Lowell, who dogged her the entire book to get her to sign up with him suddenly doesn't need her at the end to things just tie up so nicely is ridiculous.
The title of the book had very little to do with the overall story so I think it was a bad choice. The story itself did not have a central theme or purpose so there was not a lot of reasons the keep reading.
There were too many setups that were not paid off. To mush history from an evidently previous story that was not told here that may have made things make more sense.
Now all this does not mean the writer can't write. On the contrary, he is a very good writer. He kept the story going in a relatively straight line keeping things and people strait. His action scenes are great.
When I was learning to write one of my teacher told me that the story is only as good and the antagonist is bad and the protagonist is true. There just wasn't any real bad guy in the story. The bad guy creates the theme. I hope the next story has a great bad guy because I would really like to read it. ( )

This is the second book in a collection of space opera novels by Jaleta Clegg, following the adventures of Dace. Dace is a woman who grew up under harsh circumstances and who by effort and will made it to a space academy, where she worked hard to qualify as a spaceship pilot. She takes jobs running cargo on small ships to try and make a living.

She also has the worst luck in the entire galaxy. Murphy's Law has nothing on her. Aliens, engine trouble, politics, police patrol, corrupt corporations, and more get thrown at her in this book. Clegg piles on one problem after another, similar in style to the first book.

It's OK light reading, and a fair romp through planets and ships and space stations without a lot of technobabble, but seems a little silly in places. The romantic parts seemed a bit heavy-handed, and Dace's impulsive reactions don't help matters. ( )

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers

I received this ebook free in exchange for a review. This is an interesting science fiction tale set in an empire that spans space and worlds. Dace desperately wants to own her own ship and earn a living as an independent trader, but there are just a few problems in her way: she has no ship, no money, and has just discovered that the company she is working for is a front for a galactic mob. Now the patrol is after her. If that was the worst of her news she might be able to deal with that. But her new co-pilot has stolen a religious artifact from a reclusive race of lizard like warriors who are intent or retrieving it, and since he is on her ship, they are also holding her responsible. But that still isn't the worst of it...

Clegg spins an interesting tale that takes several very unexpected turns as Dace tries to solve an ever growing list of problems. Her characters are interesting, but I would have like to have seen a bit more development on some of them. Some fairly important characters need a little more to make them as full as they need to be. In addition, I think this would have been a better read if she had streamlined some of the struggles - at times the plot seems almost too convoluted, though I admit that Clegg does do a good job of resolving it. The book is a fairly easy read and is well written with an engaging story and good character interaction. If you enjoy science fiction that is heavy on space flight and alien interaction, this is a very readable book. ( )

I should start this review by saying I hadn't read the first novel in the series, Nexus Point, as I received this book through the early reviewers programme. The book was clearly meant to be stand alone, despite the fact that the main protagonist, Dace, featured in both books. For the most part I felt this worked well, in spite of a few mentions to the previous novel. However at points, especially when featuring Dace's harsh upbringing in an orphanage, I did find myself wondering how much of the references given were covered prior and how much were clues to be read between the lines until we get the full story, presumably in a later novel if not already covered. However this didn't detract from the overall story and if anything the references to her previous adventure on a primitive planet made me want to read the first story, which I will be purchasing at some point in the near future. Sometimes I feel like novels that come later on in a series give away the whole story of books which came before, not so in this case, I know that she met Tayvis in the previous novel, and that they both survived, but very little else.

Onto this novel then. It's quite enjoyable sci-fi, some good characters, with interesting relationships to each other. Throughout the novel I felt that there was a lot of set up for future novels, e.g. Commander Lowell attempting to hire her to work for him, references to a situation on Tivor, two unresolved love interests in the form of Jerimon and Tayvis, this is a series which clearly has a plans for the future. All in all it makes me look forward to reading the next book. The ending of the book left it very open, and not wanting to give away any spoilers it was a feel good ending with Dace getting what she wanted, for the most part, the only notable exception being the fore mentioned love interests still being unresolved.

It wasn't the longest novel I've ever read, although this is sometimes hard to judge since I read it on my kindle, but I felt that the pacing of the novel was good and it was neither over too quickly or too long a novel. The novel was fairly fun for the most part, I enjoyed watching Dace get herself caught up in more and more complex situations and always finding her way out again, even when sometimes getting help from unexpected, indeed unwanted, quarters.

I only had two main gripes with this novel. Firstly the title. This might seem like a petty gripe, but with a title like 'Priestess of the Eggstone' it just doesn't make me want to go out and buy it. And secondly I sometimes felt like this book was maybe aimed at young adults, as oppose to being an adult book. A perfect example of this is the lack of swearing, at various points a reference is made to bad words being used. Personally if I'm reading a novel and a character swears then I want to know what they said. I don't want it to be censored. And if the author isn't comfortable swearing in their novel then being sci-fi there is nothing stopping them coming up with their own swear words, or swearing in a different language. It's not original, in fact it's been done to death on TV, but it works. That might keep people looking for a slightly more adult novel amused, without taking it away from a young adult audience. Although to be fair I don't see any reason why a young adult couldn't have swearing in their novel, they will have been exposed to it at some point in their lives already. Anyway they are only minor gripes.

Overall I would recommend this to people who like Sci-fi novels. It's not going to break new ground or revolutionise sci-fi literature, but then neither does it set out to do either. It is as it was intended, a fun romp through space. ( )

Opening Teaser

"Captain Dace?"
I glanced up from the stack of papers piled on the table. I'd been sitting in a tiny room of the local branch of the Independent Traders' Guild for the last three days looking for a co-pilot. Out of the thirteen applicants so far, none of them were qualified to tie their shoes much less fly a spaceship. I'd been stuck on Rucal for almost two months, long enough to work out a contract with Belliff, Inc., but their contract didn't include a copilot and regulations required one, so I was looking on my own.

Review

Dace is starting over after loosing her last ship is destroyed she signs up as a courier for the Belliff company with the deal that after seven years she will own her ship to start her own business. However they don't provide her with a copilot so she sets out to hire her own but none of the candidates have what it takes to do the job until the last Jerimon. He has the credentials plus Dace also finds him attractive, he doesn't even bat a eye at the name of the ship she was given Twinkle.

The pair set off for their first mission only to be attacked by a reptilian species hunting down Jerimon who stole the eggstone and sold it. As we learn in the story the that eggstone is like a god. As if dealing with the reptile guys isn't enough their ship that was supposed to be carrying tools, and parts is actually loaded with illegal weapons. So they are stuck running from the reptilian race that wants their God back as well as running from the patrol.

I received this book in return for a honest review in a giveaway on Librarything. I didn't until I was over half way done that it was the second book, so I didn't read the first one. I didn't have a hard time getting into the story even though I missed the first one. The characters are mainly Dace and her co-pilot Jerimon they seem to have a knack for getting each other into trouble.I found this the type of story since it's a easy read anyone who likes a sci fi space adventure would enjoy it. I picked this up over the weekend and didn't stop till I was finished because I wanted to know if they would happen to Dace. She has issues everyone does, she's not a perfect heroine which I think is why I liked her even more.Even though I read this one out of order I may pick up the first one to learn more about Dace. ( )

I received this novel from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.

While it is the second book in a series, Priestess of the Eggstone works well as a stand-alone story with plenty of material inserted to explain what has happened previously for those new to the story. This is definitely meant to be an "all ages" story, but it could do with some tighter editing to make it work without inducing eye-rolling among older readers ("I said a bad word").

The main character reads rather like a female version of any of the old pulp heroes where success has as much to do with luck as actual skill. She manages to surround herself with the right mix of people to get her out of the trouble that she finds everywhere she goes.

Fans of the Bechdel Test will be happy to know that there are conversations between women that don't revolve around male characters. Granted, at times, it does seem to be all about the male-female relations. And I often found myself wanting the heroine to push her co-pilot out the nearest airlock (the eight-foot tall aliens chasing you might be worth mentioning to your potential new boss. Add in the fact that he seems to think he is the universe's gift to female-kind, and... yeah, airlock.)

I won't get into the plot itself as plenty of other reviewers have done that. Overall, Clegg has managed to pull off an interesting story in the style of a Golden Age space opera with only a few minor problems, some of which may be due to the stle she's chosen (Golden Age pulp space operas aren't exactly known for perfectly even plots or nuanced characters). ( )

It took me a while to get into this book, and even then, it never really held my attention. The writing style was difficult to follow at times and I was never really sure if this was aimed at adults or teenagers. It felt that some important protagonist back-story was rushed over. As it turns out that this is actually a sequel to another book (Nexus Point), so reading that first may fill in some of the blanks. ( )

REALLY INTERESTING READ.
The characters are believable enough to be enjoyed. Good timing, and the depiction of different worlds and cultures is really creative.
Was fun to read ( )

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in return for this review

Apparently this book is book 2 of a series; however there is no indication of this on the cover or in its promotional blurb. There are lots of references in the story to things which happened before, but very little context.

The book is a space opera with romantic elements. The story focuses on Dace a female spaceship pilot whose specialty is making rash, hasty decisions which she later regrets. This gives her a reputation for leaving a trail of chaos in her wake. In spite of this and her plain (according to her) appearance she seems to attract male interest wherever she goes. I will concede that the supporting characters are plausible and likeable.

The author takes a “let’s throw everything we can possibly think of at the protagonist” approach. This gives us a story with Space Mafia, Space Pirates, Space Gypsies, Space Patrol, Lizard Space Aliens, and 8 or 9 planetary jurisdictions. While there are reasons for all these complications to exist, the story lacks simplicity and elegance.

Overall this was a fun book, I had a few problems here and there but none serious enough to derail the book or my experience reading it. For me this book has the feel of the old style science fiction adventure books I first started out on in the 80’s and I really enjoyed that.
This is the second book in a series and I did not read the first one. Every once in a while I got the feeling I was missing something that I would have known had I read Nexus Point but the book really does work well as a stand alone. Mostly I felt I was missing some insight into Dace’s personality, especially where Jerimon was concerned.

I really enjoyed the time spent delving into the Sessimoniss culture and could easily have read more and it will be interesting to see if they show up in any future books in the series. There is a lot of potential with their species.

I actually found myself enjoying how little of the technology was explained, there was enough realism to the science that I was able to get caught up in the story without feeling bogged down by technical terms and such that would have probably have caused me to skim parts, once you convince me your world has hyper drive I don’t need to know how it works.

I did have issues with some of the language, it felt stilted at time, a bit flat and forced and then others it flowed perfectly, it felt as though the author hasn’t quite found her voice yet but once I got caught up in the story this was easily overlooked.
There were more than a few times where things felt like the fell into place a bit to neatly, her luck a little to good but that actually does seem to be something of a theme in the book so I just let it go, plus I felt it added to the overall feel of an old style adventure book.
I may or may not read the first book, but I will definitely look for the next one and check it out and I really hope the author continues to write in this vein for awhile as there just aren’t enough pure scifi adventure books out there these days. ( )