Exceptional first book in the Rho Agenda series! I was grabbed in the Prologue and wasn't let go.  Great reading for young people, sci fi buffs and UFO fans, amazing yet made plausible, some perhaps even probable, BUT you do not have to be a fan of sci-fi to thoroughly enjoy this book, it covers so many genres.  Richard Phillips is an author to be reckoned with, absolutely incredible.  He knows exactly what he is saying and knows how to say it.

For those readers who are UFOnauts, it all begins in Groom Lake, Nevada, site of the infamous Area 51.  Book One of the Rho Agenda, takes place in and around Los Alamos, New Mexico.  I am old enough to recall the "Roswell Incident" when it happened, so the book is of particular interest to me. However, don't be led astray by that personal fact, this is not about Roswell.  This is The Second Ship.  A model plane is the method through which this ship will be discovered; not just a model plane but one carrying a camera as an experiment. This model plane just happens to crash in some difficult terrain and must be retrieved.

Three high school students, while retrieving their plane, have stumbled across a cave which hides the back entrance, or rather entry point, where an alien ship buried itself when crashing. A highly sophisticated camouflaging device almost thwarts them, but no, they can actually walk right through it, disappearing as they go in and completely out of sight once they are in. As they turn around, they see the back of the ship which they feel must have been able to generate the cloaking devise at the mouth of the cave. There is a gaping hole where it appears the ship was shot down, perhaps by the Rho ship.  

The Rho ship crashed in the next year after the Roswell event, and has been undergoing tests in either another cavern or another part of the same cave. This ship was also damaged but whether from the crash or a collision or shot down is unknown. The authorities, from several different areas of security, presumably only know of the Rho ship, a cigar-shaped monster. This second ship the teens have just discovered is round, has a mind of its own and is only too ready to give portions of it to the newcomers. The problem with being a high school student though, is that there are certain restrictions on your free time, which makes it difficult for them to spend much time with the ship, but when they do, miraculous things happen.

Each student already excels in specific areas: Heather in mathematics, her next-door neighbours the twins Jennifer, excelling in technology, and Mark, into sports. Now, having investigated a number of areas in the ship and done some tests, they have found these skills amplified by multiples.  They must now play down their skills so they won't draw attention to themselves and raise suspicion.  Soon, Heather realizes that she is being 'stalked' by a skinny tattered man who appears homeless and possibly dangerous. Somehow he knows that they have been to the Second Ship.

This book has it all; humour, terror, alien ships, corruption, love, kidnapping, good, evil, secret agents, exciting, conspiracy, greed, thrills and chills, intrigue, deep dark secrets, action, adventure, and great cliff-hangers, especially the last one. The writing style keeps the reader in a constant race against time, running several parts of the story in chapters of their own.  This is not as difficult as it sounds, I found it easier to keep track of the parts that make up the whole this way.  Other styles would have left me floundering. The book is extremely readable, technical terms seem easy to grasp for the novice, and the action never stops, very fast paced. "The Second Ship" leads into a "must have" feeling for the second book of the series, "Immune".  This series definitely promises to carry on like lightning.

Reviewed on 07/23/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Betty Gelean

From Goodread.com:  On the evening of July 3rd, 1947, two starships battled in the night sky over the American Southwest, sending both ships crashing into the high desert. One of these ships was quickly discovered near Roswell, New Mexico, and spirited away, its existence officially denied by the US Government. In August of 2006, three high school students accidentally discover something which leaves them entangled in a dark web of international espionage and intrigue. Pursued by government agents and mercenary killers, they stumble upon something far more terrifying. Now, their only hope of survival may lie within The Second Ship. 

My Take:  What a rollercoaster ride of a book!!.  I really liked this book, it grabbed you with the first page and never let go.  

When the government decides to start releasing the technology that has been found on the ship the whole would is excited.  The first technology to be released is cold fusion.  Is this a good thing or the beginning of something else?   

Heather and her friends,twins, Mark and Jen find a second ship out in the desert and enter it.  what they find changes their life drastically and they have to keep it secret for now.

This is a great book and I think anyone who reads it will enjoy the mystery and thrill of the ride. 

Reviewed on 05/15/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Mindy Detweiler

Author
Richard Phillips

Publisher
Synergy Books

The Second Ship (The Rho Agenda) is the first in what is to become a trilogy. This story introduces a wonderful set of strong characters that you can easily follow. The three main characters are Heather and her neighbor twins Mark and Jen. These three are still in high school, and their father’s work with the National Laboratory with the Rho Project.
When these three teens test a remote control plane with some tweaked equipment, they discover a well-hidden space ship that crashed with the other ship that is the Rho Project. The three decide to keep their ship a secret, at least until they have had the time to fully explore it and what it offers.
Events occur after these teens spend time on the second ship that dramatically begins to change their lives in more than a few ways. They work hard to keep these changes from being noticed by everyone, but it proves to be a challenge. After having a special fitted remote control plane crash inside a restricted zone, the teens also notice the special changes that are occurring with the deputy director of the Rho Project and witness this deputy director’s sinister side and they decide to take some creative action.
The government is finally announcing to the public some of the hidden mysteries of the Rho Project and what advance technology the Roswell ship provided. Many are pleased, but the three teens feel a certain dread over the news.
This was a very suspenseful and exciting story and the reader is left hanging as the story is to be continued. I personally love all stories that tie into the Roswell incident, as well as a fascinating science fiction story and this tale is no exception to that rule. The introduction of characters is easy to follow, even as the events begin to unfold. I found myself wrapped up in this story and along for the ride. With the events that occur, I felt that I saw a symbolism of what can happen when someone is allowed too much power in certain positions in life and career. I am anxious to see what happens as this story ends leaving the reader in suspense as the events that needed answers are left until the installments to come. I definitely recommend this as I feel Mr. Phillips will have ‘Roswell’ tale that will rival all others.

Reviewed on 05/12/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Ann Hauer

Reviewed on 01/08/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Jud Hanson

Reviewed on 08/24/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Bethany Showell