After the zombie plague was accidentally set loose on Earth, aliens arrived and began to slowly cure its residents. Now, the remnants of humanity serve in the Earth Mercenary Corps, working on ships run by aliens to fight against the Krakau’s enemies. Mops is a janitor on board one of the EMC’s spaceships when it is infected with the plague. When the humans destroy the aliens in charge, Mops is busy cleaning up a mess in airtight clothing. Now, a lowly human janitor is the senior officer. It’s up to Mops, her fellow janitors, and an alien technitian to survive and save the rest of the crew.
Featuring well-crafted characters and interesting aliens, Terminal Alliance is an exciting story that will keep you interested as it navigates through twist after twist. The female protagonist is an incredibly resourceful leader as well as a compelling character. The author doesn’t fall into the trap of making the aliens appear too human-like, though you may have to read the descriptions multiple times to get a good idea of how the different species look. I loved how the technology used to solve and pose problems for the crew was well-described and internally consistent, with the characters engineering believable solutions by using their skills as space janitors.
I’d recommend this book by Jim C. Hines for teenagers 13+ interested in science fiction.
