Russ Atkins already gave up his life once to do the right thing, and his reward was jail for two years, and then menial pilot jobs for uncaring corporations. But when an unregistered telepath begs him to smuggle her off planet, he finds himself running, yet again, from the law with the death penalty hanging over his head. This time, his act of mercy sends him on an adventure dodging government agents and trying to thwart a political assasination plot, because Teresa isn’t just any telepath. She wants to live free from a government that dictates where she works, lives and whether she is even allowed to have children of her own. Unbeknownst to her, Teresa is the princess and heir to a lost empire and thus the key to the Underground’s unity and future.

Hot on their tails is Telepathic Officer, Eric Schiller, leader of a team of government telepaths who hunt down their own in return for social benefits not usually afforded to their kind. Eric has a personal grudge against Teresa’s family and was once Russ’ superior officer. He sees Russ’s actions as no less than personal betrayal, all the while ironically refusing to see his own actions as a betrayal of his own people. Eric is coldly calculating and terrifying in his ability to look past the mistreatment that his government enacts upon his people. Yet, he is somehow oddly admirable in his discipline and dedication to protecting his family and his team members from those horrors. He is the best-written villain I’ve yet come across while reading for CatholicReads. This adventure is sure to please fans of space opera and hard science fiction. It reminds me strongly of that cult classic science fiction show, Babylon 5. 

The story is set in an Earth-run empire with jump gate technology and mostly humanoid aliens. It features the occasional lizard Being, and one Shakespeare-quoting octopus-like alien (my personal favorite). It’s got a rebels-against-the-empire feel, and although I initially was confused about how regular humans could possibly oppress a group of humans with telepathic powers, it was interesting to watch that complex relationship develop  as the world unfolded. Leboeuf has created a fascinating world that I hope she will keep going in future volumes.. The way that telepathic powers come to play in ship to ship battles and close quarters combat was also fascinating. 

This is not a specifically Christian book in terms of topic or theology and is one that I think any secular reader would accept. However, it is very clearly religious, and the good guys make no bones about their belief in the equality and dignity of everyone before God, and the need for all to forgive one another, even enemies, out of a faith that teaches that no one is beyond redemption. The evil earth empire, meanwhile, is full of corporations who put their profits before people and governments that demand the absolute servitude of those it deems undesirable. Although Christianity is not made explicit, it is clear that the ethics at play are Christian, that all men (no matter their planet of origin) are made equal and endowed with inalienable rights. 

There is a fair amount of action in this story, but it is well balanced with political and character intrigue. While the ease and authority with which Leboeuf writes about spaceships and zero gravity makes her NASA engineer background apparent, this is a book that still has plenty of character-driven plot to please a wide range of science fiction fans. Readers who enjoy a well written villain will find themselves quite satisfied with the gestapo-like, masterfully intelligent Eric Schiller. Although he is hunting the heroes, and the reader is often worrying that he will succeed, you also start to worry about his fate if he doesn’t succeed, as you witness the even more cruel actions that the Earth-government takes to keep him and his team on a tight leash. Although intelligent, self-important and cold, from the first page he is introduced, it is apparent to the reader that Eric Schiller himself is a slave, even if he refuses to acknowledge it. In fact, it is that very refusal to acknowledge it– his determination to take control of his own life and fate–that makes him oddly admirable even as he is also terrifying. In short, Fields of Prosperis is a thrilling bingeable read that will leave you thinking about its characters for days afterwards.