Time Off by John Shoberg
Looking at the cover of Time Off doesn’t reflect what is inside the book itself. On the cover we see someone in a spacesuit floating above a planet. Everything looks tranquil and happy which is the way it is supposed to be when one takes an interstellar vacation aboard a space going cruise ship, right? Well, it is not so for the main character of this novel, one Mr. Ed Tanner, a stressed out veteran of the SEALs. Ed works as a consultant for a company related to the military and when his boss notices that his stress level is rising beyond healthy levels, he sends Ed on vacation. Ed decides that he has enough stashed away to take a jaunt aboard a luxury liner where he expects to travel around the galaxy relax, enjoy being waited upon, and visit some exotic places. Further, Ed is plagued with something that might be taken for PTSD as he has bad dreams that wake him in the middle of the night. He dreams of a mistake he made as a sniper in the SEALs. What he doesn’t know is that the dreams and memories are false.
Ed’s cruise is anything but peaceful; even before he boards the ship, an attempt is made on his life and this is where the nonstop action begins in Time Off. Another thing that he doesn’t know is that there is a sinister plot to develop a device that is supposed to be beneficial to everyone but can also be perverted into a weapon of mass destruction that will end everything.
When our hero is finally allowed to settle down aboard the ship, he meets new people, and even friends that he has known for a while, just like one is supposed to when on board a ship. But it seems that someone is determined to ruin his time off and they do manage to make things quite uncomfortable as his cabin is broken into, bugged and his belongings disappear. Not to mention that equipment he is to use for EVA excursions is sabotaged. As he confronts people that he finds responsible for these acts, he seems to be debilitated because everytime he confronts someone, he becomes violently ill and is unable to act, so he can barely defend himself.
I know John Shoberg, the author of this story, and it reflects the kind of person that he is. One thing about John is that he never seems to sit idle, and Time Off definitely does not slow down. The action in the book is ongoing from the beginning to then end and I found that I was engaged all the way through. Every now and then, as I read this book, I found that I needed to take a break for a short time because it moves so fast. Another thing I will share about John is that he appreciates when an author shows the reader a story as opposed to just telling a story. In this, John has succeeded in this his first published novel. His descriptions of the action, people, places, and things unfold much as a movie would on the screen.
What appealed to me most about Time Off is the cast of supporting characters that the author included in this volume. I absolutely loved the holographic detective that appeared, and disappeared as time went on because he was a very noir-like relentless gumshoe type who may not have said much, but spoke volumes by what wasn’t said. The ship’s captain was also an interesting character as he tended to be another antagonist to Ed, blaming him for everything that was happening on board his liner, not realizing that Ed was actually being made a victim. It made for a very ironic situation.
What is also interesting in this book is how it shifts from taking place on a cruise ship and turns into a military operation designed to shutdown the big antagonist of the story. John has never served in the military, but one gets an impression that he is well read in the military story genre. The ending of the story picks up the pace even more than the matter before and paints a picture of something far more serious.
In any case, Time Off is a fun romp and a roller coaster ride set in a future that John makes seem plausible as his characters move comfortably through it. It is a fast read that never strays from the plot. I wouldn't tag Time Off as hard sci-fi, but it is easy to read and moves at a pace with will hold a reader’s attention.
As I mentioned above, John Shoberg is not one to stand idle and let grass grow under his feet. He is active on the convention circuit as a panelist and teacher, quite knowledgeable in the area of costume building and how to organize activities. He is an active member of the Klingon Assault Group, and the 501st Legion. If you are in Florida where he lives you may see him as a stormtrooper, or even as Darth Vader in parades and perhaps elsewhere. John is also one of three hosts (I am another) on Bound By Honor: The Klingon Book Review Podcast available at KAG.org/podcast, and he also has appeared on many other podcasts discussing various aspects of Klingon Culture, activities, and costuming.
Well, there it is…
Qapla’!
Edited by Benjamin Arrowood
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