The Icarus Changeling: Volume 4
By (Author) Timothy Zahn
Baen Books
Baen Books
16th July 2025
United States
General
Fiction
Adventure / action fiction
Science fiction: space opera
Crime and mystery fiction
Paperback
432
Width 105mm, Height 171mm
219g
Gregory Roarke agent for the ultra-secret Icarus Group has received a new assignment: locate a teleportation portal on a backwater colony world. But what should be a an easy assignment leads to a string of murders, and a race against an alien enemy.
Gregory Roarkeformer bounty hunter, former Trailblazer, current agent for the ultra-secret Icarus Grouphas received a new assignment: locate a suspected but as-yet undiscovered teleportation portal on the backwater colony world of Alainn.
The rival Patth are also searching for the device, and have considerably more resources at their disposal. Fortunately, Roarke has Selene and her incredibly sensitive Kadolian sense of smell. On paper, it should be a straightforward enough job.
But that was before there was a murder in the small town of Bilswift . . . and another one . . . and the discovery that the Patth are already on the scene and have narrowed the search to a heavily forested area in the hills and mountains east of town.
Most disturbing of all is the discovery that one of Selenes people, a Kadolian teenaged boy named Tirano, is working at one of Bilswifts fish markets. A boy who may have lost his parents before his proper socialization was completed. A boy who may be connected to both the murders and the Patth.
A boy who may be the potentially dangerous wild card that the Kadolians call changelings.
Praise forThe Icarus Twin:
The Icarus Twinoffers a fast-paced adventure that is every bit as exciting and entertaining asThe Icarus Plot. If you are looking for a mix of action and mystery, read it. Ricochet
Timothy ZahnsThe Icarus Twintells of Gregory and his partner Selene, who have a new job undercover, working with the Icarus Group to locate teleportation portals that have been left behind by an alien race eons ago. When the(y) realize they are being stalked, they manage to locate and confront their spook; but when he turns up murdered, Roarke becomes a major suspect. Intrigue, aliens, and locating lost portals fuel a story replete in adventure and action. Midwest Book Review
PraiseforThe IcarusPlot:
There are plenty of little things to delight the longtime Zahn reader, while also bringing new fans in a way that is perfectly accessible . . .Zahn remains one of the best writers of action I have ever had the pleasure of reading . . .The Icarus Plotis pure fun in the way that only one of the genres greatest yarn-weavers can do.Warped Factor
Timothy Zahn is a mainstay in the field of science fiction. Seattle Book Review
Anyone who has ever been interested in noir science fiction and espionage should read this. Take the espionage of John le Carre, the deduction of Sherlock Holmes, the twisty nature of The Sting, and you have The Icarus Plot.Upstream Reviews
Praisefor Timothy Zahn:
Zahn fans will enjoy the variety of small-unit combat scenes in the action-packed third and final Cobra Rebellion military SF adventure . . . [a] gripping series. Publishers Weekly
Zahn keeps the story moving at a breakneck pace, maintaining excitement. Publishers Weekly
. . . you can count on Timothy Zahn for three things: clean, sparse prose; good pacing; and great action scenes. The first book in the Cobra War series hits all those marks in admirable style and makes for a quick, entertaining sci-fi novel. BlogCritics
[Conquerors Heritage] is another finely wrought space adventure . . . [with] social, political, and emotional complications, all of which Zahn treats with his usual skill. Booklist
Zahn paints every detail [inAngelmass] with gleamy realism . . . scientific dialogue that streams with starship hardware and military trooper talk . . . immensely appealing. Kirkus Review
Timothy Zahn is a Hugo Award winner and the author of the New YorkTimes #1 bestseller,Heir to the Empire, as well as the best-selling StarWars: Thrawn series of novels. Born in Chicago, he earned a B.S. inphysics from Michigan State University and an M.S. in physics from the University of Illinois. He sold his first story to Analog in 1978and immediatelyattracted attention as a new writer of science fiction based on real,cutting-edge science. Baen published his popular Cobra trilogy in onevolume. His other popular series include the Conqueror and Dragonbacknovels. With David Weber and Thomas Pope, he is the author of novelsA Call to Duty, A Call to Arms, A Call to Vengeance, and A Call toInsurrection. Zahn has written more than 50 novels, including the recentCobra Rebellion series entries Cobra Outlaw and Cobra Traitor.