Having survived the tumult of their rescue, James May and his crew of mercenaries have finally made planetfall at the home of the Essence Corporation – creators of the long-lost Essence Phials. Unfortunately, the crew's hopes of reward for returning them are dashed when the company's CEO steals them back while denying their authenticity. It looks like May is left without recourse until the CEO kidnaps both the crewman who sampled one of the phials and a visiting Arcolian ambassador – for the purpose of medical experimentation. For May, it's now no longer about the money. It's about friendship and loyalty ... and teaching a corrupt businessman a damned good lesson. But to rescue his friends and set the record straight, May is going to need a galaxy-sized portion of the luck that has been running in increasingly short supply... Reviews for The Essence of Evil "For those of you who like space opera with a very dry wit, Faust has come up with a series that should tickle your fancy." - Locus