Multitude: Dimension Space Book Two by Dean M. Cole - More Post-Apocalyptic Intrigue In This Sequel To Solitude

Multitude: Dimension Space Book Two by Dean M. Cole

Back in March of 2017, I posted about a book that grabbed my attention. It was called Solitude, and turned out to be the story of the last man and the last woman left alive on the Earth. Apparently, there was an accident at the CERN collider that caused everyone to disappear. Vaughn managed to rescue Angela from the International Space Station and they began their adventure together on a luxury yacht plying the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Multitude picks up where the first book in the series leaves off.

The book opens with a bit of a disagreement between Vaughn and Angela, the only two humans apparently left alive on Earth. In the previous novel, we left them plying the Mediterranean Sea in a 'borrowed' luxury yacht. Much to their astonishment, objects made of steel are slowly, steadily, and silently flying overhead in a straight line toward the CERN site near Geneva, Switzerland. Vaughn would be very content with just turning the boat around and heading for someplace in the tropics to live out his life with Angela in blissful ignorance. Angela, on the other hand, is determined to learn what has happened and perhaps reverse what has wiped out humanity. After some discussion, they ‘compromise’ and begin making their way to the CERN facility.

What they find upon arrival is a completely reworked landscape that baffles them both. Angela's attempt to correct what has happened launches the pair on a journey that is full of danger and disappointment.

One of the most amusing aspects of Multitude is the interaction between Vaughn and Angela. These two would seem to be complete opposites. Vaughn is a pilot who comes across to me as a pragmatist who also has a sarcastic streak. He always has some sort of backhanded remark ready for every situation. Angela, on the other hand, is a scientist who tends to get a bit fed up with Vaughn's cynical viewpoint while she is trying to think of ways to fix what has gone wrong. But even thought these two are opposites in their ways of thinking, they do manage to get along. They take turns being in the lead as they encounter the various situations they find themselves in. They have learned they can count on each other when it looks like they are in for certain doom. I like these characters and the author does a good job in developing them to that point that a reader will find that they care about what happens to them.

As much as I enjoyed Vaughn and Angela, I enjoyed the story even more. Multitude is an exciting, suspenseful, and often dark story to read. The characters are thrown into numerous situations, and while all of them are pretty grim, a few are downright depressing. One in particular is what the characters have named "Hell." This one in particular is indeed quite hellish in nature where it is even hard for one to breathe. The description of that place is absolutely someplace no one would want to be for any length of time and the pictures I got in my head as I read the passages were breathtaking, but not in a good way.

The story unfolds at an amazing speed, but the pacing is appropriate and given enough attention that I had no trouble visualizing what was on the page. I found myself on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading and when I had to put the book down, I was very eager to get back to it.

The theory behind the science in the novel is interesting, but the descriptions of what is happening is just technical enough to be scientific without a lot of overwhelming jargon to bog the story down. I enjoyed Angela's ideas about what has happened to bring the story about and as a layman, found that it not only entertained me, but gave me a few things to think about.

As the story came to an end, I was hoping for an idea of why what had transpired in the previous book had happened and who was responsible, but that was not to be. At least not yet! I have also learned that there is a third novel in this series planned and in the works entitled Amplitude. I am looking forward to the continuation of the story!

I would recommend Multitude to science fiction fans who enjoy post-apocalyptic and speculative fiction having a dark side involved. But it is not a stand-alone work, I recommend also being sure to read Solitude, the first book in the series. It is also a great story with the origin of how Angela and Vaughn met, it is a most entertaining and unlikely story, but is so plausible that it is a bit scary.

To learn more about Dean M. Cole, click here to follow the link to his website and consider signing up for his newsletter.

Well, there it is...

Qapla'!

Alien Blood by Stan Schatt - More Fast Paced Aliens Among Us Speculative Fiction

Alien Blood by Stan Schatt

Over the years, I have read numerous stories about aliens among us, watched numerous television shows, and listened to Coast to Coast AM hosted by Art Bell and, more recently, George Noory. I guess what I am trying to say is there is no shortage of speculation on alien life on Earth and conspiracies surrounding it. For me, it is all in good fun and is amusing to think about. Usually, I find movies and television shows on this subject somewhat hokey and quite unbelievable. If I am to be entertained by alien conspiracy stories, I am more likely to enjoy a good book that allows me to create my own visualizations as I read.

Not long ago, I received an email from author Stan Schatt in which he let me know that he had released a new book, Alien Blood. I have enjoyed Stan's work in the past and knew that I would most likely enjoy this latest release from one of my favorite indie authors.

The story opens with a scene in the White House with a new president being briefed on alien activity in the US. This is the first time the freshly elected leader of the free world has heard anything about such matters. He speculates on how it is no wonder that presidents leave office looking much older than they entered it. It seems that a treaty between two species of aliens, the Greys and the Draconians, and the US is about to expire and negotiations for a new treaty are not looking promising. Along with that, the new president is told many horrible things that took place during the past decades since the presidency of Harry Truman, and in order to save the country, not to mention the world, a new treaty with the aliens must be hammered out.

The story then switches over to former Navy SEAL Ben Swift. When his sister, Heather is kidnapped by some government thugs, he gathers a team of his former SEAL brothers to rescue her from what he learns is actually an alien group that wants to use her DNA for experimentation. Along with the other former seals. he is accompanied by a woman who is apparently a former foreign special ops agent named Sherry. Ben will stop at nothing to get his sister back. Along the way, he learns about several conspiracies leading him in a chase across the country, not to mention a trip to a secret base on Mars via a reverse engineered flying saucer!

As mentioned, Former Navy SEAL Ben Swift is retired and working for a tabloid paper one might would find in the grocery store near the checkout stands. He takes calls from the public and follows up on anything that might seem plausible, but usually finds most of the calls are from crackpots and lonely people who dream up scenarios from bits of information they obtain from others. But when Heather disappears, he goes into full SEAL mode and it doesn't matter if it is his own government he has sworn to protect and defend, he is going to get Heather back.

While Ben goes about the business of the rescue and its aftermath, the author craftily moves among numerous alien related conspiracy theories including a secret military base on Mars, a crashed alien ship on the moon complete with alien bodies recovered by secret Apollo moon missions, various types of aliens performing various types of experimentation with the blessing of the US government, and more. Schaat speculates (at least I am hoping it is only speculation) on numerous theories in his story that moves at a very fast pace.

This is the second book set in this universe Stan has created in which he explores conspiracies and lore surrounding alien life. Most assuredly, it is some fun speculative science fiction that, at the same time could give one a few things to think about. The pacing of the story is extremely fast, never letting up for a second. I was engaged from the opening line to the very end of the book which I read very quickly because I just had to see what happened on the next page.

The language is plain talk with very little jargon to wade through making it easy to understand and follow. I especially enjoyed how the author went about showing the story instead of simply telling it. His descriptions of people, places, and things got to the point rapidly, but in such a way that it helped the flow of the book.

While I in no way think that the Earth has been visited by aliens (and I do not intend to present my reasons here), The story is written well enough to make it seem quite plausible. I think that is one of the main reasons I enjoyed this story so much. With any certainty we humans have, there is always a shadow of a doubt that perhaps the other side of the story may have a ring of truth to it. Stan's characters could be people that we know, the places may exist as he describes them, and the situations may also be things that could happen in the real world. This is where Stan Schaat shows himself to be a master at inserting his ideas into that door where the shadow of a doubt exists and little by little, pushing the gap in the door just a little wider.

Alien Blood is the second installment in a set of two stories in which Stan presents his speculations. The first, Alien Love, has many parallel themes and elements, but is not part of what I would consider a series. Both of these stories are stand alone with a definite ending, but they both make me want to read more. I have to say that I was very surprised by the plot twist at the end of Alien Blood. I certainly didn't see it coming, but found it to be another interesting and satisfying aspect to these books.

As always, with Stan's stories, there are many references to popular culture that many of us commonly know, but especially numerous references to Star Trek, which only serves to add to the fun.

I contacted Stan via the internet to ask a question and he intimated to me to watch for another Alien book that he recently finished. Yes indeed, I am looking forward to that!

I recommend Alien Blood as a fun story that will take a reader on a fast paced ride through a world filled with intrigue, conspiracy, and aliens who all seem to have an agenda for the people of the planet Earth, but at this point is only really known to them.

From Stan's website, here is how he describes himself...

"Futurist, technologist, novelist, and a person curious about many things. The roll call of jobs I’ve held over the years includes but is not limited to autopsy assistant, police department administrator, salesman, sales manager, literature professor, telecommunications professor, and technology analyst, and research director. I’m a full-time writer now and live in Carlsbad, California with my wife, Jane. My plate’s pretty full right now with writing projects. I’m writing primarily mysteries at the moment when it comes to fiction and non-fiction books on careers and retirement. I have always loved technology and politics almost as much as writing."

You can find a more complete list of both his fiction and non-fiction work on his website, and there is a short list of his works at Amazon.com.

Well, there it is...

Qapla!