Delphi Federation

By: Jamie Steinberg

Author Bob Blanton’s latest book Delphi Federation is the sixth in the sci-fi compilation “Delphi in Space Series.” The government of Delphi is continuing their quest to harmonize the civilians of both Earth and the alien race known as “Paraxeans.” Unfortunately, this latest iteration is so disjointed that it’s hard to invest in any kind of expansion, whether it be technological or the story’s characters. While it’s intriguing to imagine the types of leaps we can make some day, this book is less a page turner and more a dare to dream adventure.

Marc McCormick is the ruler of the nation of Delphi and his brother Blake is what we Earthlings would probably consider Surgeon General or Chief of Staff. The tale of Delphi Federation introduces us to Marc’s teenager daughter Catie who is wise beyond her years. She’s a mix of child prodigy and reluctant princess. She has developed many projects that are helping Delphi to advance their military while also influencing her father’s political decisions. However, from the beginning things get muddled by a lack of focus. Way too much time is spent teasing her about her selection of mentor and patting her on the back for a successful military mission. Add to that the annoyance of her constantly touting her fighting skills against her bodyguards (who seem less like protectors and more like pals) and you’re still left waiting for a reason to invest in this young lady’s life.

Reader boredom goes from bad to worse when Catie needs to finish a school assignment, but will have to go undercover to complete it. Thanks to advancements in technology, nanites are introduced through her body that alter her height, weight, hair color, skin tone, etc. to ensure that she will not be recognized. Here is where the story shifts from Catie’s quest for technological advancement to detective. She gets a position at an assembly plant where she discovers the poor quality food being served to employees. She makes it a point to investigate why provisions aren’t as good as they once were and who is responsible for it. All the while this is happening, Catie still has time for hanging out with her roommate and even secretly creating a special step to help her height impaired temporary roommate.

Storylines shift once more when military action is required in Guatemala. A drug lord takes over a hospital and demands special treatment for his son who has a unique medical condition that only a Delphi doctor can truly treat. We follow the mission to bring the drug lord and his cartel into custody and help the Guatemalan police take back control of their country. Of course, Catie finds herself immersed in this mission as she is pilot (one frequently called on for assistance). She lends a hand dropping soldiers on site and also evacuating hostages. Add to these matters a ball, a birthday celebration and Catie developing a number of technological advancements to help the Delphi military and somehow this nation finding themselves assisting during a war between Russia and Ukraine. Plus, her dad is dating his Chief of Staff. Her uncle is part mentor and part pal. The doctor that helps her with her nanite change is also secretly using government funding and technology to promote birth control in Africa. It’s all just a jumbled mix of storylines that leave you lost.

Obviously, the focus is mostly on Catie so you certainly somewhat interested in her as a character. But with so much going on it’s difficult to truly lose yourself in any aspect of the story enough to excitedly turn pages. Why does someone so young have such influence on governmental decisions? Why is she the only teenager included on military missions? Are we to believe it’s simply because she’s wise beyond her years and intellectually gifted? Also, where do readers find the emotional connection to Catie? We never get any inner exploration of how she is feeling – outside of her expression of disdain for attending social events. Her sole form of friends (as previously noted) seem to be her bodyguards until she hangs out a bit with a coworker while undercover and post mission we read about her on an outing and then a vacation with a reporter around her age. Readers would have benefited from a little less space exploration and more internal monologue from our leading lady.

One noteworthy aspect for sci-fi fans is the technology featured throughout the book. It remains to be seen if Blanton has a psychic gift for what the future holds, has a pal in at NASA slipping him ideas that are being toyed with for space advancement or if these are just notions dreamt up for what he’d like to see some day. Whatever it may be, he clearly has his finger on outerspace and what may someday come to be.

Sadly, Delphi Federation is less focused on characters and more centered on what the future holds for technology. Catie seems like a nice kid, but readers just don’t find themselves fully invested in her personal journey rather than her incredible inventions. On a personal note, Blanton has a set of twins in the story that seem to talk at the same time – almost as one. As a twin, myself, it is kind of a bone of contention since in reality there is almost never an occasion where we’d answer simultaneously. Regardless, Delphi Federation is a fascinating look at what the future could hold through advancement in technology. If you’re more interested in that aspect of science fiction it is worth the read. Otherwise, we hope that Blanton fleshes his characters out more in the next book in the series.