Unfortunately, having now read Nicolae, I am convinced that our boys should have stopped after Triblation Force. Their writing is steadily going down hill — and it would appear that they are planning a number of sequels.
Nicolae did start out better with a great deal of action, and gratefully, the poorly written romance was kept to a minimum. But the authors simply replaced romance with technology as a filler. I believe there was more written about Range Rovers, super laptop computers and cell phones than there was about opening of the seal judgments. Add in a long and boring bus chase (yes, a bus chase), constant repetition of events detailed in the first two volumes (and sometimes earlier in this one), huge numbers of petty conversations, and you have the recipe for a yawner. Maybe a groaner would be a better term, as I actually found myself groaning from total boredom. Please, Tim and Jerry, spare us any more of these sad novels.