Distant Family: The Chronicles of Mharc by T.L. McDonald is the story of Commander L' Hyatt Tsaurine Mharc, in which she takes the necessary steps to ensure the safety of her people. The story begins when an earth ship arrives on Nihili and no one knows why they should be here. No one knows what brought them here or what are they hoping to achieve from this sudden visit. L' Hyatt Tsaurine Mharc is ready to risk it all to find out the reason behind their sudden appearance, even if it means that she will have to face a court martial for this.

However, she has no idea that she is running right into a situation where she will be helpless. She and her crew are in for a mighty surprise that they did not see coming. This mystery is very dangerous and if she and her people cannot solve it in time, this could be it for them. Solving this could be her glory moment or it could be her doom? What will she do? Should she take the risk and go for it? Or should she step back and let the mystery unfold itself?

Awesomely developed and brilliantly written, Distant Family is a gem. I really enjoyed the story and I loved Mharc, she is strong and very well-developed. She takes responsibility, even though her decisions are not always the best, but she does not back down. I liked her crew and how she behaved with them as well. Even thought she was the commander, she was not bossy and that got her a lot of brownie points from me. The mystery itself was very interesting. I was hooked and I wanted more from the get-go. The way T.L. McDonald wrote the characters and the story was brilliant! I really enjoyed it.

It started with a buoy, there one minute, gone the next. When the buoy had vanished a small spaceship appeared in its place, a craft that by all rights could not have possibly made it this far, and it was on a collision course with Nemori. It posed a threat to all living there, especially given its archaic design. It fell to Commander Mharc to intercept and retrieve it. Within the craft were humans, from the Gaia strain, and they marked the beginning of all her problems. Curiosity killed the cat they say, and it could quite possible kill Mharc, and all those loyal to her.

Distant Family is the second book in The Chronicles of Mharc series, but is easily readable as stand alone. Any essential information from the first book has been skillfully woven into the story to flesh out the characters and explain how they came to be where they are now, and the circumstances surrounding their current situations. I found T.L. McDonald's writing engaging and enjoyable. His ability to create futuristic technology whilst keeping the premise easily understandable is well executed, as is the introduction of new races. I found myself drawn to the characters, engrossed in their stories, and enjoying their growth and challenges. If you're looking for a gripping sci-fi read, set in a place riddled with war, challenges, and conflict, then Distant Family won't disappoint.