De-Evolution by John Lars Shoberg - Entertaining Sci-Fi And Adventure

De-Evolution by John Lars Shoberg

Imagine yourself being part of a colony populating a new planet. What sort of creatures might you find? Are they sentient? Do they have a culture? Are they friendly or hostile toward you?

These are some questions John Lars Shoberg explores in his 2020 novel. De-Evolution.

I enjoyed this novel and was impressed by the craft John displayed with his writing. There are plot twists I found entertaining and was especially pleased with the twist at the end. Overall, this is a fine sci-fi story anyone can enjoy whether or not one is a fan of the genre.

On the planet Belenius 3, humans have arrived from earth onboard a generational ship to set up a colony. They are well on their way to getting dwellings erected to live in and are becoming familiar with their surroundings. Sightings of indigenous beings are reported, but no one really knows their nature or what to expect from the few chance encounters with them. The reports are of creatures the colonists are calling Jabberwockys, so named because of their disjointed appearance. So far, there have been no problems between the colonists and the creatures.

The colony's governor, Howard McCurtel, had his dwelling built on top of a hill, believing it would be safer than having it built near the rest of the colony. Unfortunately, a torrential rainstorm caused a mudslide. He and his family narrowly escape losing their lives when another member of the colony arrived to rescue them. During their attempt to make it to safety, an accident caused the family to be split up and the Howard's two younger children turn up missing.

When the weather clears, the colonists search for the children. They find their tracks but also find the tracks of a Jabberwocky accompanying the children. As Howard and company continue to follow the tracks, it appears the children are cooperating with the Jabberwocky and are in no danger. Eventually they find the children safe and sound in the camp of beings who are friendly and have kept the children safe.

Upon further investigation of the planet’s native occupants, there is evidence of a civilisation de-evolving from a more advanced state. There has to be a reason for this, but no one seems to understand why this evolutionary retardation is happening.

What follows is a story of discovery, danger, and creative problem solving I found engaging.

There are several characters in De-Evolution that have a level of expertise in their fields including builders, scientists, medical personnel, and so on. By far, I found Howard McCurtel the most interesting and developed character in the story. When first introduced, he seemed like he would be a dictator, issuing orders and imposing his way on everyone. An avowed capitalist, he gave all the geophysical features in and around the colony names of his heroes, such as "Buffet Bay" for a nearby body of water. He had his home built on top of a tall hill where he could look down on the colony and survey the fruits of his labor. In the beginning, he didn't seem to understand the nature of being the leader of a colony. In his opening statement, he declares, "there'll be no Communists in my colony!" Obviously, he was mistaking communal living with Communist philosophy. Fortunately, he figured out his role fairly early in the book.

Soon after Howard's family was rescued from the mudslide, he learned to be a leader meant bringing people together to accomplish tasks for the good of the entire colony. He learned there are no expendable people in the group; everyone had a part to play, and all were important for the colony to survive. Several other characters noted this change in him in the text. Howard learned how to lead and went from a character I thought I would not like to a person I could care about.

I also found Howard's two younger children, Tommy and Sarah, fascinating characters. After they go missing, they are found by a member of an indigenous race who leads them to safety. The Raffians, as the natives call themselves, take the kids in and make them feel at home until the rescue party can arrive. Both Tommy and Sarah are well-educated members of the colony. They learn the Raffian language quickly and act as interpreters for the older members who are not so quick to learn languages.

The children and their attitude toward the Raffians leads me to my favorite point of the story's plot.

Leave it to the children to be open-minded enough to make a relationship with an alien race possible. Tommy and Sarah learned to communicate with the Raffians and it opened up a beneficial partnership with the human colony. Had it not been for that relationship, the colony would have ended in disaster. The same thing that caused the Raffians to de-evolve would have claimed all the human colonists in a few months. The kids were the gateway to the colony's survival.

My takeaway for this story is the importance of cooperation in a system where people live in a community. Everyone has their own specialty, and some think their role is more important than others. Depending on the situation, this may be the case, but cooperation is the cornerstone to a community’s survival. Howard was ready to set himself up as the colony's ruler, but he learned he didn't know how to direct his people effectively because he didn't have their knowledge. What he learned was to bring people together and let them use their abilities and training to help him make decisions snd complete tasks. He not only got more done, but he earned the respect of his fellow colonists.

Conquering the fear of the unknown was another theme that stood out in De-Evolution. Fear would only be a natural reaction to entering colonizing a new planet full of unknowns. In the beginning of the story, there were several sightings of the indigenous beings on Belenius 3; they were dubbed "Jabberwokys." An unknown is only so until it is known and the colonists dealt with the situation through empirical and scientific research. 

I dove into this book and literally hated putting it down. It moved at a good pace and the writing was clear and concise. The science was easy to understand, and it wasn't overloaded with a lot of jargon that would have otherwise bogged down the story. Outside of the characters mentioned earlier, the others seemed to have enough development to make them individuals. Overall, I thought this was another fun and engaging story by John Shoberg and well worth the time to read. I recommend De-Evolution for readers that enjoy a solid story of discovery and adventure.

John Lars Shoberg always wanted to be a scientist, and had two Masters of Science degrees, but he also has a creative side. He attended a class for creative writing while in college as well. For several decades he worked in chemical labs while practicing his writing skills in the evenings. All of his works are available from www.MoonPhaze.com, where one can also sign up for his newsletter.

Well, there it is...

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ReCO2gnition - CO-ANDA 19 Vccine - Part 2 by Mark Dowson - An Uncommon Multidisciplinary Sci-Fi Story!

ReCO2gnition - Co-Anda 19 Vaccine - Part 2 by Mark Dowson

Back in August 2019, author Mark Dowson introduced me to his book, ReCO2nition Part 1. I read it and was fascinated by the story and the concepts presented. One of the major concepts was redesigning sports stadiums and adding wind generators to the rooftops to provide electricity not only for the stadium, but for the surrounding businesses and homes.

Several weeks ago, Mark sent me an early draft of part two in the series. I read it and was again intrigued by what was written there.

Overall, Part 2 picks up shortly after the events in the previous volume. There are many  twists, turns, and backstory reveals. All those are interlaced with philosophical ideas about corporate structure, leadership, and many others. Included in the text are discussions on science, science fiction, time travel, history, art, and religion. It always amazes me how Mark gets all of this into a single volume, yet writing so it makes sense.

Dr. Ben Richards wakes up in the hospital disoriented and suffering from memory loss. He remembers having some strange dreams but cannot figure out what they mean. As he awakes, his friend Grazia Rossini attends him. What he also doesn't realize is that Rossini is not the Grazia he has become enamored with, but she is actually the evil Shui Feng, a shapeshifting android assassin sent from the future to eliminate Richards before he can see his dream of efficient, clean production of electricity come to fruition.

It seems though Feng is no longer trying to take Richards' life following the failed attempt in Part 1, but is more curious about what Richards' next move will be.

When 'Grazia' leaves the room to get Richards some tea, he is contacted by Agent Merisi, the man from Part 1 who was also sent from the future to make sure Richards' dream isn't lost by his assassination. Merisi knows Grazia is actually Feng and tells Richards to get out of the hospital as quickly as possible.

Richards complies with Merisi's suggestion and they meet up near the hospital. Merisi gives Richards a drug that helps him recover his memory and think more clearly than ever before. In a secluded place, the two discuss drawings by the Italian artist Caravaggio (1571-1610) (Note: the illustrations discussed are included in the book. To get the full effect of these striking drawings, one should view them in a paper and ink copy of the book, or use a computer, tablet, or color-enabled e-reader to view them). Merisi then tells Richards he needs to travel to the future for a deeper understanding of the role he can play in the survival of life on Earth. So begins the adventure for Dr. Richards.

Dr. Richards is a good man who finds himself in a dangerous situation. He has a few hang-ups and a slight case of PTSD because of an incident as a youngster. He was always curious and open to learning new things and now, all he wants to do is apply what he has learned for the betterment of people and the environment. Ben is very intelligent and knows what needs to be done and how. Unfortunately, rather than working on selling his ideas to those that can set the wheels of progress in motion, he has to fight for his life. He seems to be a little naive as far as his dealings with people are concerned.

Merisi moves in and out of the story, helping Ben when needed. He seems to want Ben to learn things on his own, but gives him a lot of encouragement and advice. Merisi is a time traveler who got the Caravaggio drawings from the artist himself. He uses leading questions to help Ben find the answers to his questions. He just appears to be a nice older man, a kind of Merlin-like figure.

Shui Feng is an Artificial Intelligence enhanced, shapeshifting android assassin. He is programmed in the most efficient ways to incapacitate his targets. He is very effective in his role, but he is not perfect, he gets it wrong from time to time, but his faux pas are usually not noticed by Richards. The best description of Feng comes from Merisi...

" He has no trace of humanity, no scruples and so there is never any danger that he might hesitate in his mission."

Feng's original mission was to eliminate Richards, but in Part 2, he appears to have been given new orders. But even then, he is still a killer. 

If I had to choose a favorite point of the plot, it would have to be when Richards travels to the future. The future is not a better place in the least. Mark's description of the dystopian nature of the world is downright depressing. As Richards and his escort fly from the time travel portal to a place for Richards to rest, he sees the air is so polluted that sunlight cannot even reach the planet's surface. The city of Beijing is bathed in light just so everyone can see, and the lights are on 24 hours a day. The people Richards meets seem friendly enough, but some of them are Artificial Intelligent beings, and he cannot tell the difference between the AI's and humans.

It is also at this point in the book where the action ramps up into a major struggle for survival.

Among the themes that stood out to me were...

How the style of leadership may determine the effectiveness of the success of a project. Richard's idea is to switch the world over to cleaner, more efficient, and renewable sources of energy production. According to the author, if the project were left to the corporate world, it may not happen at all. In the story, before Ben was saved from assassination, his project never got off the ground. In the first book, it was thought by a businessman that the cost of redesigning a stadium to Richard's specifications is prohibitive. Obviously, the businessman didn't immediately see the redesign as an investment. So, the corporate world's leadership for such a project would be determined by the bottom line.

There are many business leaders who start out with a vision, but it often seems that when they see that vision become a reality, they also see how much money there is to be made. I will not throw around any names, but some just get bigger and bigger; billions in assets are never enough.

Richards is not looking to get rich off his ideas, he is doing what he thinks is best for the environment and for the people of the planet. His style of leadership is for the betterment of all. He's not looking at the profit, just a better future.

Another theme is what might happen if climate change is left unchecked. In this story, GIATCOM may do whatever they want. They are solely invested in nuclear power and damn the consequences. As a result, in this world, there is an oxygen debt, and the atmosphere is full of carbon dioxide. The heat has risen to where many coastal cities no longer exist. There are a lot of places that have been flooded because of the melting of the polar ice caps, so there is a food shortage. People are sick and viruses spread wildly because of inadequate ventilation and air quality. Are Ben's ideas the cure for the problem? Dowson's story shows that it at least may be a step in the right direction.

The Nature of Artificial Intelligence is also a theme that stood out to me. Shui Feng is a highly intelligent being. He has his programming, but also can learn and interpret situations from a strictly logical point of view. What makes him different from humans is that, while he can understand and even invent, he doesn't have humanity in him. There are no experiences that have shaped his thought processes. Feng has no compassion or capacity for it. An extensive discussion on this very subject happens in the book; it is quite thought provoking.

ReCO2gnition Part 2 is a complex book with a lot of philosophical ideas. But it is written in such a way one can understand what is in the text. Mark is sharing his thoughts as a story while leaving room for the reader to make up their own minds about what is presented. The author is calling upon his life experiences to present a plea to think about what we leave our children and grandchildren after we are gone, but it is done in such a way that leaves hope if something is done soon.

I enjoyed this book and the story it gave me through the eyes of excellent characters and innovative ideas. We see ideas that come from the ancient Romans all the way past our time, and into the future. We get some amazing artwork to fuel our imaginations, and, is pleasing to see to the eye..

This is not your common Sci-Fi story because of the way it draws many diverse disciplines. It is presented well and I would recommend it for readers looking for writing that is innovative and fresh. Mark told me, “anyone who is a fan of the first Blade Runner movie will enjoy this second part of the ReCO2gnition series.”

In the acknowledgment section, Mark thanks me for helping with the editing of this volume. So I will extend my thanks back to Mark for the opportunity to help and learn from the experience.

Mark Dowson's own inspiration to write the trilogy of books has come from his knowledge and experience gained in carrying out his own personal wind energy research at a masters of science degree level. The story's foundation is based on his own factual research dissertation and has transformed and expanded upon these facts to create an exciting fictional mystery thriller. Mark has published a wind research article for Amida recruitment based on his wind research. Mark has worked on some of the most prestigious renewable power generation projects in the UK as a practicing commercial manager for the past 15 years, which substantiates his factual research being valid and reliable.

Well, there it is…

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The Glactic Culinary Society - The Secrets Of Umami By D.R. Schoel - Short Story - Long On Hilarity

The Galactic Culinary Society: The Secrets of Umami by D.R. Schoel

When writer/filmmaker D.R. Schoel contacted me by email to introduce me to his Galactic Culinary Society story, The Secrets of Umami, I was surprised and pleased. In his email to me, he mentioned that during these (COVID) times; he wanted to make something lighter and fun, much like stories he enjoyed as a child.

Of course, I am always happy to look at new material and agreed to read and comment on his story.

Overall, I found Umami hilarious and satisfying. It is a quick read at 44 pages, but in those pages is a tremendous story. The writing style is in the vein of Douglas Adams. It is loaded with unusual names for aliens and ironic prose. I think Schoel has met his goal in what he promises to be a series of such stories involving Jeane Oberon, Galactic Chef Hunter.

The story opens with an epigraph explaining that, despite being human, Jeane Oberon is a top agent for the Galactic Culinary Society (GCS), a body that is sworn to "Preserve and Serve" information on culinary delights from all races throughout the galaxy. Jeane has never failed on a mission before the accounts in this story.

Jeane looks for and finds a memory chip on a crashed ship on Alpha Bootis. The chip contains information on a strange food item that is shrouded in mystery, The Edible Sonnets of Umami. Yes, poetry that is edible. Apparently, one has to partake of the words and the flavors in the verse to appreciate it fully.

At any rate, Jeane finds herself before an assembly of the GCS. She appeals for backing to find and return the secret of how the esculent sonnets are produced and how they work. Some of the GCS say she will be successful as always, others say she is doomed to failure. She is commissioned by the Society to seek the secrets of edible poetry, but if she fails, there will be a price to pay.

She does what it takes to gain access to the single person who can give her the secret, but there is also another being who will go to great lengths to secure the secret for himself. Xstersiisterpeeze, a member of the Greelon race, makes it to the planet Umami before Jeane. The monk who possesses the secret puts them through several challenges promising the secret to the winner of the contests.

As stated in the opening epigraph, Jeane loses. But does she really?

The principal character, Jeane Oberon, is an adventurous young woman whom I would compare to Lara Croft and Indiana Jones. Croft is a strong, intelligent, athletic character while Jones is all of those things, he doesn't seek profit from his adventures. Jeane is always in command of herself, and through that, also in command of situations she finds herself in. She can assess a situation and make an analysis on the spot. There's no backstory offered in this story, but I hope that through future stories, we learn what makes her tick.

Jeane's rival in seeking the secrets of the edible poetry, Xstersiisterpeeze, is unlikable, but is also endearing at the same time. He seeks the secret for sheer profit. Always cautious when he encounters an unfamiliar situation, he holds back, letting Jeane face the danger before plunging ahead to meet challenges.

The owner of the secret of edible poetry, Brother Otin, seems to be a simple monk charged with protecting the mystery, but there's more to him than appears. Jeane figures out what he is doing and ignores it in favor of securing the secret. Xstersiisterpeeze also knows what's going on, but also lets it pass in favor of the immense profit he can make.

It is also worth mentioning the characters in the GCS gathering. Some were rather vocal and played a small part in the opening and closing of the story.

I usually try to identify favorite plot points in a story, but there is no single item I can point out without spoiling a large part of it. I'll just say the entire story is excellent.

My takeaway from this story is not all is what it appears to be. There are many twists and turns in this story creating amusement for me. Brother Otin first appears to be challenging Jeane and Xstersiisterpeeze to several contests, but he is actually reducing the challenge to himself. I'll let you figure that point out yourself.

Another important theme is the inclusion of a strong, highly intelligent female character. Jeane is amazing in her demeanor and is cool under fire. I want to know more about her and look forward to her role in future stories.

The Secrets of Umami may be short on word count, but it is long on intelligence and imagination. It is also long on humor and there were many times I laughed out loud. If you are looking for a break from serious Sci-Fi and wanting something quick and light, this is the book for you. Having a bad day? Umami will make you smile, and for that alone, I highly recommend it.

When Schoel sent me the book, he mentioned he is a fan of the Dune books. Then he mentioned he had included a huge reference to the Dune in the story and challenged me to find it. I did, so I am passing the challenge on to you. If you know Dune, you should be able to pick it out. Enjoy!

About D.R. Schoel:

I'm a writer and filmmaker with a Master's degree in film production. But they say it's the experience that counts: I've worked for nearly twenty years with the Inuit of the Arctic on many, many television  programs. I've also worked with Chad McQueen (son of movie icon Steve McQueen) on an un-produced project for Netflix, and wrote a feature film about a Jewish-Arab love story, Adam's Wall, released globally. I've presented a short film at Cannes (an autobiographical piece, The Fantastic Bus), won a Canadian screen award (the equivalent of the Canadian Oscars; is that worth mentioning?) and had aTop-10 documentary  at the Tornto Film Festival, Sol, about an Inuit circus performer who died in RCMP custody.

I like to travel, having been all across China - excluding Xinjiang, where Uyghurs were put into detention camps, and I had to go through police checkpoints, sometimes twice a day - to Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, The Dominican Republic, pretty much everywhere in Europe, and the Arctic. Lastly, I'm a lifelong fan of Sci-Fi and since I can't (yet) go into space... I like to daydream about it.

You can follow me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/DRSCHOEL), and on Twitter (https://twitter.com/@drschoel2013).

The Secrets of Umami is the first in my new series, The Galactic Culinary Society. I have lots of surprising ideas to explore. To keep up-to-date on all things related to the GCS and Intergalactic Chef Hunter, Jeane Oberon, you can sign up for my newsletter at GCS NEWS.

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Empire Of Blood and Sand By Alister Hodge - Best Fantasy Book I Have Read

Empire of Blood and Sand by Alister Hodge

I received an advance copy of Empire of Blood and Sand from author Al Hodge in return for a review. Please note, this book will be released on June 30, 2021. 

Empire is a quick paced fun story about building a kingdom that must be won through battle and bloodshed, and believe me, there is plenty of bloodshed in this story. I have read some fantasy (it’s not my favorite genre) and have enjoyed a lot of what I’ve read, but this one moves to the top of my list of favorites.

Jael Crowfeeder is a beast hunter. Along with his partner, Pyx and Jael travel the countryside collecting bounties for killing troublesome beasts. There are many skeletons in Jael’s closet. One rears its head when he crosses a local official and winds up with a choice, either be hanged or be conscripted into the military. He chooses the latter and begins an adventure taking him into a fight for control of a kingdom.

Aging King Loic’s daughter, Princess Larika, is slated to become the ruler of Kalech by right of blood. But there are others who also wish to become ruler and go to great lengths to secure their possible ascendency. One is Larika’s cousin, Lord Revarc, a ruthless rival who has few redeeming qualities.

Before anyone can rise to succeed King Loic, there are problems needing to be solved. A rival king has control over giant beasts that seem to come right out of hell. Without a solution for this, there will never be a united kingdom for anyone to rule.

By far, my favorite character in Empire is Jael. He is a rough man with a good side. Don’t cross him though; there will be hell to pay. He is a member of a tribe of people who were feared in the past and have nearly been completely wiped out. They have special talents that come in very handy when fighting dangerous beats. He will help people until they cross him, then watch out! After spending much of his life in the military, he is a well-trained soldier who sees situations before they develop. He makes mistakes, some almost fatal.

Princess Larika is every bit as tough as Jael. Unlike many princesses in stories, she believes she must lead her army by being the first into battle. Against the advice of her advisors, she will not send others out to fight unless she will fight herself. She makes excellent decisions mostly and will usually listen to her advisors. She knows there are rivals for her future reign and will deal with them.

Lord Rezac is the antithesis to Larika. This character is flawed, he is vile and seems to have no redeeming qualities. Rezac takes pleasure at the pain of others. He doesn’t care for anyone or anything other than his own ambition.

There are surprises involving characters but will not spoil them here. I will say I was surprised at a revelation by a major character. But Al is known for having very human characters. Mostly, no one is all good or all bad, and everyone has character flaws.

Many other characters in the story add to the reading experience. They are dynamic, funny, tragic, and some of them are of poor character.

In this book, not all the things motivating characters are revealed in the exposition. Much of the backstory is covered by epigraphs that begin every chapter. As it goes along, we learn about Jael’s motivations to behave the way he does, and why his people, the Scalzini. Princess Larika gets wisdom and rulership advice from her father, King Loic. We also get a lot of insight into other relevant issues involving characters and situations. Keep the epigraphs in mind while reading the text.

Good versus evil is the overall theme of Empire, as one would expect from a fantasy book. Only in this story, good is vastly outnumbered by evil. Larika faces what she admits to herself is an impossible situation with just the sheer numbers of people under her command and those that oppose her. Evil has the upper hand, and it will take some clever planning to get her out of a grave situation.

Another takeaway for me was how bigotry can get to such a point that an asset can be wasted through fear and misunderstanding of the Scalzini. The eradication of Jael’s people marked him, and any others remaining, to hide their heritage. It is a sad story. No one really knows the actual reason for the slaughter. All everyone knows is that Scalzini are not to be trusted. Jael is fighting for Loric and Larika. When some find out who he really is, they call for his death.

Honor and Dishonor is another theme that stood out to me. There are no obvious lines of who is honorable and who is not. Mostly, honor is determined by the situation. Even Larika, a champion of “leadership by example,” does something dishonorable.

As I mentioned earlier, this is the best fantasy novel I have read so far. It is not my usual genre and most of the fantasy I do read is for a podcast I take part in. But Empire of Blood and Sand is a book, had I read it when first introduced to the genre, would have hooked me from the beginning. It is a great story full of intriguing characters, epic battles, and there’s even a dragon! I would recommend this for someone who doesn’t normally read fantasy novels as a gateway book into the genre.

I should mention though, there are graphic scenes describing injuries in some detail that some may find quite disturbing. Those with an aversion to descriptions of injuries may want to avoid this book. The author works in the medical profession and had seen his share of trauma. Otherwise, I give my highest recommendations for this book!

From the author’s website:

I am a Sydney, Australia-based author, writing within the genres of horror, thriller, and fantasy.

Outside of writing, I work as a Nurse Practitioner. Through working in Emergency, I’ve come in contact with humans at their best and worst. I’ve treated medical emergencies and witnessed the beginning and end of life. In such environments, the usual facades are stripped away, and it is a privilege to work with people in what can be the most stressful time of their life. It’s also an environment that reinforces the fact life isn’t always fair.

I think these experiences are reflected in my novels. My characters have flaws and face challenges. There is evil, and unfortunately the worst is often found in other humans and what we do to each other. When I describe blood, gore and pain, or life and death situations - it comes from personal experience. I know how the crunch of a broken bone feels under hand, and what the pattern of blood looks like on the ground after it squirts from a severed artery. I’ve experienced the stress and self-doubt that must be overcome during a medical emergency, and also witnessed the grief and distress of family members confronted with the loss of a loved one.

These are unforgettable experiences that can’t help but leave a mark on my subconscious and writing.

Well, there it is...

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