Deus Ex Effing Machina By Rick Jurmain - The Wild Ride Continues In This Second Book Of The Gravtech Series!

Deus Ex Effing Machina: The Gravtech Series - Book 2

After reading the first book in the Gravtech series, Apocalypse Du Jour, there was no way I would miss the sequel, Deus Ex Effing Machina! I was mesmerized by the first book, and again, I became absorbed in this volume. It is an edge of your seat ride through the aftermath of the events in the first story. Deus Ex is another fast-paced, entertaining, and thought-provoking, tongue-in-cheek look at life after the accidental discovery of antigravity technology that brought about the eventual collapse of the global economy to make life better for everyone.

Deus Ex is a humorous work of speculative fiction that will also give the reader much to think about. There are some serious considerations that will crop up in this tale, but are presented in such a way that makes considering some of the grimmest situations fun to contemplate.

The characters in this story are all believable, so even the absurd will seem plausible.

Following the invention of antigravity, the four scientists who accidentally created the technology have all become billionaires and continue to work for the new company that is still developing and learning the consequences of their invention. In the meantime, there are those who would exploit this new tech for their own advancement and nefarious reasons. The global economy has become one where there is plenty for everyone, and that is difficult for some to accept, while others take to it without problems. A group of oligarchs see opportunities to use the tech to further their agenda. But the company is trying to investigate the problem of a hacker who has an agenda that is difficult to understand. Further, this hacker has a skewed sense of humor that is baffling everyone. No one can seem to get what this person wants, if it is even a person. Then, there are several nuclear devices traveling to major cities in the U.S. set to create mayhem and destruction on a massive scale, and they seem impossible to stop. And it is not clear who is behind that little plot, and there are numerous possibilities for the responsible party.

So, numerous problems and no easy solutions makes for a ride faster than a speeding bullet, and just as dangerous!

The characters in Deus Ex are all extraordinary individuals but are written in such a way they could be very real people. In this story, all the people introduced in Apocalypse are back, but some are expanded.

My favorite in this one is Ted "Boingy" Binghamton. He is the CEO of GravWorks. A former game programmer, he possesses a monster-sized sense of humor. Boingy will find the humor in all situations, no matter how grim. He’s the kind of boss I would want to work for. He seems very laid back, but he demands top performance from his people, but he does it without being overly demanding. He likes donuts and dunking them in his coffee (my kind of guy). 

Another favorite character was an octopus living in a Boston aquarium. I'll just leave that right there.

My favorite point of plot in Deus Ex is the mixture of various subjects to make the story thought provoking and informative. There is a mixture of science (both real and made-up) along with history, philosophy, politics, human relations, war and peace, and economics. While all the elements are fictitious, they all are relatable to situations we can read about every day in the news. While the reader will want to get on to the next element of the story, it wasn't uncommon for me to stop reading and contemplate what I had just read.

Another favorite part of Deus Ex was a chapter that had a subheading offering the reader to skip a chapter. I urge you not to do this! It's one of the best parts of the book!

My takeaway from Deus Ex is to remember something I will quote. I see it as more of a warning for vigilance than anything...

"Humans evolved from chimps into chumps. And everyone with something to sell knows it." (Page 273)

Deus Ex Effing Machina is 762 pages of sheer fun and an opportunity to think and learn. I am eager to see where the author takes the story from here. Rick has a great sense of humor and knows how to use it. The writing in this book reminds me a little of Douglas Adams because it combines dire situations with a natural sort of hilarity that one might find in reality. A friend once told me when the chips were down, "never lose your sense of humor."

The length of the novel might seem intimidating, but the book reads quickly and is absolutely worth the time.

I gave my highest recommendations for Deus Ex Effing Machina along with the previous book in the series, Apocalypse Du Jour. The author warns the reader that before reading Deus Ex, it would be wise to read Apocalypse, and I completely agree!

Oh, and while I'm at it, I'll warn you to beware of the interrupting bovine creature (you're going to have to read the book to get that).

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rick Jurmain is a retired rocket scientist and entrepreneur. In the ‘90s, he and his late wife Mary (killed by cancer in 2016) built a successful corporation from the ground up. For Realityworks, Inc., the invented, built, and marketed a microprocessor-based product that gained national support, achieved international media attention, and was named by Fortune magazine as Product of the Year in 1994. In 2000, the Eau Claire (Wisconsin) Chamber of Commerce selected Rick and Mary as the local Entrepreneurs of the Year, and Ernst & Young selected them as Finalists for the Wisconsin Entrepreneur of the Year award. Mary ran the company, while Rick was Vice President In Charge Of Things That Go Beep (engineering, computers, phones, faxes, cars, dishwashers, and oddly enough, toilets, though they rarely go beep).

In the ‘80’s, Rick let, or was a member of, 13 NASA Space Shuttle mission control Flight Activities teams. Unlike cruise ships, Shuttle flight activities did not include shuffleboard or bingo. The Flight Activities teams planned missions starting years prior to launch, and re-planned missions during flights when things went wrong. And things always went wrong. Rick also led the Operations Analysis teams for General Dynamics’ Single Stage to Orbit (SSTO) and McDonnell Douglas’ National AeroSpace Plane (NASP). He spent 15 years in the aerospace industry doing tactical analysis and war games, including top level WWIII combined arms games, and he helped invent hypersonic war games.

In 2002, Rick was a consultant to Coleman Aerospace on DARPA’s RASCAL study, which designed modifications for a rocket-powered F-14 fighter. For that contract, Rick headed up designing the Operations, Support, Avionics, Electrical, Instrumentation, Cockpit, Payload Interfaces, and Integrated Vehicle Health Management Systems. All the fun stuff.

In the late ‘90’s, Rick was founder of Vela Technology Development, Inc. Vela and its partners started much of what is becoming the space tourism industry. Vela’s briefings to Burt Rutan and Richard Branson started them on the path to space tourism. Vela worked with the FAA to write regulations for space tourism. And Vela helped design a space-tourism themed resort for Las Vegas. While Vela has since folded, Rick owns its process patent on key low-acceleration trajectories for space tourism. And if Rutan doesn’t get his butt in gear, the patent will be worthless because it expires soon.

Rick was a Captain in the Army Combat Engineers, National Guard and Reserves (no significant active duty).

Rick is 65 years old, currently retired, though working intermittently as a board member, inventor, and writer. He has two kids: Jake, age 30, and Ariel, Age 26. And he’s obnoxiously proud of both of them.

Rick is widely acknowledged to have been Mary’s trophy husband. Though no one has ever thought of him as just another pretty face. At least, no one who’s seen his face. And, come to think of it, no one has ever considered that he was a first-place trophy either. Rick was just in the right place at the right time to trip up a gorgeous, massively intelligent woman with an aging biological clock and desperately low standards. Someday, someone will make a fortune building a dating site for such women.

Well, there it is...

Qapla!

Apocalypse du Jour (Book 1 in the Gravtech Series) by Rick Jurmain - Strap In For A Hell Of A Ride - Not To Be Missed!

Apocalypse du Jour (Book 1 in the Gravtech Series) by Rick Jurmain

What would happen if four scientists came together by chance and invented the impossible? What could possibly go wrong? Well, the story contained in the 383 pages of Rick Jurmain’s uproarious tale in Apocalypse du Jour is one possibility. And what a tale it is. Rarely have I read a story that uses humor in such a way to present what could be a very grim picture. But Rick does it with great style. This is a lightning-paced story that will keep the reader turning page after page until the end. Once one picks this up and starts reading, stopping is going to be more of a challenge than the amazing characters face in the text.

I have a casual, online relationship with the author through a mutual friend who holds weekly zoom meetings. It is how I learned about this book, and I am glad I was paying attention. Of all the books I read, I found this one of the most entertaining and thought-provoking stories I have ever picked up.

There is so much contained in those pages. In a word, all I can say to sum it up is...

WOW!

Usually, I would write my own synopsis of a story, but in this case, there is no possible way I could improve on the blurb from the back of the book, so I am quoting it here...

“Apocalypse du Jour is a hilarious techno-thriller. It presents the adventures of four researchers, all social outcasts: an autistic programmer, a barely functional paranoid mathematician, a blind vet physicist with severe PTSD, and a basement gamer prototyper.

“They briefly collaborate on research via the internet without ever meeting one another. They publish an innocuous paper in an obscure journal, then disband. Three months later, every major country and corporation in the world races to kidnap or kill them. They run for their lives, each according to their disability, while trying to figure out why. But that is just the beginning of an adventure involving many other interesting characters, political power struggles, and global economic collapse and rebirth, all from the point of view of relatively normal people. More than half of the main characters in the book are realistic, strong women.

“The book is packed full of action, motorcycle chases, helicopter chases, white-knuckle danger, psychological manipulation, soldiers, guns, Godzillas, betrayal, revenge, assassins, blueberry blintzes, two (count ‘em) battlegrannies, Presidential vendettas, computer hacking, riots, rescues, edge-of-the-seat tension, and one near-catastrophic hot flash.

“Then, in chapter two... Actually, that stuff is spread out throughout the book. Though it’s all there, plus a lot more.”

 The synopsis introduces the focus characters who take turns appearing as they face situations that are often challenging, but at the same time terrifying at the core. How this quartet of geniuses deal with these situations is different in each case, but funny and scary all at the same time.

The most impressive thing about this collection of people, and I mean every character in the book, is how unique they are. There are no copies and it is obvious that the author took great care in creating them. None of the people in this story can be considered “stock” characters. They come through as individuals with their own attitudes and beliefs. The principal characters are quite well developed and are people whom the reader can invest themselves in.

My favorite plot point in Apocalypse du Jour is that there is a surprise on every page. There are more twists and turns in this story than San Francisco’s Lombard Street! Every time I thought I had everything figured out, there was something new and fascinating happening. For instance, one of the principal characters is attending a comic con when he is suddenly being chased through the con while in costume. He winds up being saved by an unlikely set of circumstances culminating in a wild motorcycle ride through a busy city! It is truly a laugh a minute as this scene unfolds, and it is so unpredictable. It creates great tension, but the description of this scene is full of madcap hilarity, one cannot help but laugh out loud leaving anyone in the vicinity to ask what’s so funny.

 My takeaway from Apocalypse du Jour is to remember that no matter how grim a situation might be, there is always a solution to any problem. Sometimes the most absurd solutions may present themselves, and the tendency is to dismiss them out of hand. But one should give serious consideration to the absurd, it may just be the best, or only way to resolve a seemingly unsolvable puzzle.

 I give my highest recommendations for reading Apocalypse du Jour. It is an utterly entertaining story with a full range of emotions. It had me laughing and made me tear up a few times. But it is never boring. There is plenty of action for readers who are seeking thrills, there is some interesting science. There are characters who are compelling and much like people the reader may know in their own life, but the circumstances they find themselves in are anything but ordinary. I think this would be a great tale for anyone to read because there is truly something for everyone. So, grab a copy of Apocalypse du Jour and strap yourself into your favorite reading chair, it’s a hell of a ride!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rick Jurmain is a retired rocket scientist and entrepreneur. In the ‘90s, he and his late wife Mary (killed by cancer in 2016) built a successful corporation from the ground up. For Realityworks, Inc., the invented, built, and marketed a microprocessor-based product that gained national support, achieved international media attention, and was named by Fortune magazine as Product of the Year in 1994. In 2000, the Eau Claire (Wisconsin) Chamber of Commerce selected Rick and Mary as the local Entrepreneurs of the Year, and Ernst & Young selected them as Finalists for the Wisconsin Entrepreneur of the Year award. Mary ran the company, while Rick was Vice President In Charge Of Things That Go Beep (engineering, computers, phones, faxes, cars, dishwashers, and oddly enough, toilets, though they rarely go beep).

In the ‘80’s, Rick let, or was a member of, 13 NASA Space Shuttle mission control Flight Activities teams. Unlike cruise ships, Shuttle flight activities did not include shuffleboard or bingo. The Flight Activities teams planned missions starting years prior to launch, and re-planned missions during flights when things went wrong. And things always went wrong. Rick also led the Operations Analysis teams for General Dynamics’ Single Stage to Orbit (SSTO) and McDonnell Douglas’ National AeroSpace Plane (NASP). He spent 15 years in the aerospace industry doing tactical analysis and war games, including top level WWIII combined arms games, and he helped invent hypersonic war games.

In 2002, Rick was a consultant to Coleman Aerospace on DARPA’s RASCAL study, which designed modifications for a rocket-powered F-14 fighter. For that contract, Rick headed up designing the Operations, Support, Avionics, Electrical, Instrumentation, Cockpit, Payload Interfaces, and Integrated Vehicle Health Management Systems. All the fun stuff.

In the late ‘90’s, Rick was founder of Vela Technology Development, Inc. Vela and its partners started much of what is becoming the space tourism industry. Vela’s briefings to Burt Rutan and Richard Branson started them on the path to space tourism. Vela worked with the FAA to write regulations for space tourism. And Vela helped design a space-tourism themed resort for Las Vegas. While Vela has since folded, Rick owns its process patent on key low-acceleration trajectories for space tourism. And if Rutan doesn’t get his butt in gear, the patent will be worthless because it expires soon.

Rick was a Captain in the Army Combat Engineers, National Guard and Reserves (no significant active duty).

Rick is 65 years old, currently retired, though working intermittently as a board member, inventor, and writer. He has two kids: Jake, age 30, and Ariel, Age 26. And he’s obnoxiously proud of both of them.

Rick is widely acknowledged to have been Mary’s trophy husband. Though no one has ever thought of him as just another pretty face. At least, no one who’s seen his face. And, come to think of it, no one has ever considered that he was a first-place trophy either. Rick was just in the right place at the right time to trip up a gorgeous, massively intelligent woman with an aging biological clock and desperately low standards. Someday, someone will make a fortune building a dating site for such women.

Well, there it is...

Qapla!

The Vacuum of Space: A Funny Sci-Fi Mystery (Space Janitor Book 1) by Julia Huni - Light Sci-Fi That Is Heavy On Romance

The Vacuum of Space: A Funny Sci-Fi Mystery (Space Janitor Book 1) by Julia Huni

I kept seeing ads for the Space Janitor books popping up on Facebook and other places, so as it was offered on Kindle Unlimited, I thought I would give it a look. I've recently finished reading the first book in the series and have to say I am a little confused about a few things.

First, where's the humor? In this story, the only funny thing are the thoughts of the main character, Triana. The humor is veiled almost to the point of being absent and come as some light, sarcastic observations about the situations and other characters. I will admit, Triana has a fast wit, and many of her quips and descriptions are funny, but I was hoping to laugh more. The beginning of the story showed great promise, but it kind of fizzled as the tale progressed.

Second, where was the character development? Other than Triana, there isn't much. Most of the characters Triana deals with are one dimensional and I had no real reason to care for them. There is her grumpy boss who is just grumpy, her overbearing mother, her roommate who sleeps around, and her "shiny" detective quasi-boyfriend who seems to have only one thing on his mind. Among this group, there are no characters that were little more than cardboard cutouts.

Third, how do I classify this one? Well, it is touted as Space Opera. Okay, it is set on a space station, which is in space, so I'll give it that. But then there is the relationship between Triana and Ty O'Neill, the afore mentioned quasi-boyfriend. A good portion of the story is devoted to the development of this relationship, which really goes nowhere and reads a lot like a bad romance novel. Finally, there's what should have been the real substance of the book, and that is the solving of several murders aboard the station, which struck me as being a subplot.

So, my conundrum is trying to decide if the book is Space Opera, Sci-Fi Romance, or Sci-Fi Murder Mystery?

Please don't get me wrong, I don't hate this book, as a matter of fact, I liked it, but not enough to read the next four books in the series with a tip of my hat and a thanks to the author for making it available. I know there are those that love the Space Janitor series, but it just isn't for me.

At any rate, given the questions I have, I’ll quote the blurb from the back cover as a synopsis:

It's a dirty galaxy, and someone has to clean it.

Avoiding the wealthy inhabitants on the upper levels of Station Kelly Kornienko is bot-programmer Triana’s number one rule. Well, number two, right after "eat all the chocolate."

But when one of her cleaning bots finds a dead body, all the rules go out the airlock. A highly connected security agent interrupts her routine with stories of missing bodies, and Triana can’t ignore him; it’s cooperate or find a new job. A girl has to pay the rent, even on a crappy studio compartment.

Working with a shiny detective beats a shuttle dirt-side, so Triana lends her programming skills to Agent O’Neill’s investigation. Together, they find more victims and evidence of a major cover-up.

It will take all Triana’s technical talents, most of O’Neill’s connections, and some really excellent croissants to stop the murders, save her job, and ultimately, her life.

There isn't much I can add to this.

The principal character, Triana Moore, is the best developed character in the book. She is interesting and someone a reader can care about to a point. She has a lot of secrets and the author has a maddening but somewhat humorous habit of starting to give some background through some anecdote from Triana's past, but then chops it off with "but that's another story." She has a sense of humor and is quite witty with her quips about observations, situations, and other characters from time to time, but I wouldn't go so far to say it is more than mildly funny.

Mostly, she appears to be a young woman who is working a job and trying to make ends meet the best she can. She likes the work she is doing and has no problem continuing, but her discovery of a dead body sends her in a different direction. 

My favorite point of plot is a huge twist about the identity of a character. There are a couple of reveals of this nature in the story, adding a welcome dimension to the tale and is one aspect that kept me reading.

As I've mentioned, I liked this book despite being a little confused about what kind of book I was reading. While I don't mind some romance in my sci-fi, I thought it was a little overdone in this tale and it almost felt like material being used to extend to story to novel length. I got the theme that Triana and O'Neill were interested in pursuing a more personal relationship, but I think the point was overstated and more of a tease than anything else.

I think this first book in the Space Janitor series might appeal to a narrow audience who is interested in a lightly written, light sci-fi story that doesn't require one to think too much. It is well written and easy to understand with just enough technical jargon to set the scene and explain action anyone can grasp.

It was a fun little romp, but not enough to make me move to the second book in the series.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐                                                                       

Julia Huni is the author of the Colonial Exploration Corps, Space Janitor, Recycled World, and Krimson Empire series.

I grew up in the US Pacific Northwest, and after twenty years roaming the country with the US Air Force, I'm back. I have a spouse, three kids, and a dog named Pippin.

I've been an IT guy, a choir director, an executive assistant, a stay-at-home mom, a college instructor, and that lady at the information booth in a tourist town. But writer is the best job ever, because I get to make stuff up. Stuff I wish were true; stuff I'm glad isn't true.

When I'm not writing, I like to knit, read, bake, and ski. I also love to travel.

Well, there it is...

Qapla!

Daros by Dave Dobson - A Serious But Funny Sci-Fi Adventure Story Worth The Time

Daros by Dave Dobson

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Daros is a Sci-Fi Adventure/Space Opera novel focusing on the exploits of two characters on and above an imaginary planet the book is named for. I enjoyed this story immensely, but it took me a few chapters to get into it. The story has a lot of detail, so the reader really must be invested in reading this story. After the exposition, the story flows well and is rich in aspects of the motivation of the characters, the setting, and especially the humor. I would add the category of humorous sci-fi to the description. The humor is really what kept me reading on. I loved the subtle dry wit the author added to the story through an artificially intelligent character that aids one of the principal characters through most of the book.

Captain Nellen Vereen of the small freighter, Envy's Price, intends to unload cargo on the planet Daros. Accompanying him is his daughter, Brecca, and two more crew members. Along with regular items to be delivered, there is an item promising to deliver wealth to all aboard.

When the ship arrives at Daros, they find themselves in the middle of a war. The Envy's Price is hit and plummets toward the planet below. Captain Vereen orders all hands to evacuate the ship. Brecca grabs the valuable item and leaves the ship in an escape pod while the captain attempts to land the damaged ship.

Meanwhile, aboard one of the attacking Zeelin warships, Navigator Frim unfolds a plan to stop the war. That is, if she can avoid being culled by the cruel commander of her ship.

Brecca finds herself alone and unsure of what to do until she is taken aboard a cloaked Vonar ship being operated by an artificially intelligent entity named Lyra. The two strike up an uneasy relationship as they learn to understand one another, that transforms into an unusual friendship as time goes on.

I enjoyed the principal human character, Bacca Vereen, and her artificially intelligent companion, Lyra. Although, I may have that backward. Sometimes it appeared Bacca was more of the sidekick than the ship. In any case, these two and their interactions were priceless and a major source of entertainment.

Sixteen-year-old Bacca is wise beyond her years. Thanks to what she has learned while working onboard her father's ship, and also, because of a good education, she solves problems that would confound some of the smartest adults. Her main quest is to find her father who went down with his ship. While she hopes for the best, she also fears the worst which drives most of her part of the story. She also has a great sense of humor, which is helpful in her dealings with Lyra.

Lyra is the power behind the Vonar ship who adopts Bacca as the Interlocutor. The Interlocutor's job is to provide Lyra with arguments, or rather, statements, to analyze to determine how to best proceed in particular situations. The interactions between Bacca and Lyra is where much of the humor appears. Lyra comes across as your basic smart-ass without meaning to. Nearly every statement made to Lyra is analyzed out loud, which often seems condescending. 

As far as I am concerned, the interactions between these two are worth the price of the book. Daros is a stand-alone story, but I would enjoy a sequel featuring these two characters again.

Along with the character interaction, I also enjoyed the many plot twists, but there in one in which a character is encased in a substance and requires rescue. It is one of the best scenes in the book and I laughed all the way through it.

The biggest takeaway for me in Daros is Bacca's hero’s journey as she is forced to think on her feet, but also relies on help from Lyra. As a teenager, Bacca is a force to be reckoned with. I can only imagine what she will be like as an adult. It wouldn't surprise me if she became a major player in the affairs of the galaxy.

If you are looking for an entertaining, witty, and interesting story, this is it. This review really only scratches the surface of what is in the book. I recommend this for the quality of the writing, the humor, and the character interactions in Daros.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A native of Ames, Iowa, Dave loves writing, reading, board games, computer games, improv comedy, pinball, pizza, barbarian movies, and the cheaper end of the Taco Bell menu. Also, his wife and kids. Dave is the author of Snood, Snoodoku, Snood Towers, and other computer games. He first published Snood in 1996, and it became one of the most popular shareware games of the early Internet. His most recent computer game is Doctor Esker’s Triad. He also designs and publishes board games though his company, Plankton Games. You can see his games at the PlanktonGames.com website. More information on his writing and novels are available at DaveDobsonBooks.com. Dave spent 24 years teaching geology, environmental studies, and computer programming at Guilford College, and he does improv comedy every week at the Idiot Box in Greensboro, North Carolina. He’s also played the world’s largest tuba in concert. Not that that is relevant, but it’s still kind of cool. Daros is Dave’s fourth book of fiction after Flames Over Frosthelm, Traitors Unseen, and The Outcast Crown.

Well, there it is...

Qapla!

Three Aliens Walk Into A Bar: The Invasion Of Lake Peculiar Book 1 By Jack Ravenhill - A Funny Little Story With A Few Problems

Three Aliens Walk Into A Bar: The invasion of Lake Peculiar Book 1 by Jack Ravenhill

How could anyone resist a title like Three Aliens Walk Into A Bar? Well, I couldn't. I learned about this book from a blog I subscribe to that recommends books in various genres. Along with the title reading like the opening to a bad joke, I was drawn by the cover.

Three Aliens is a Sci-Fi Comedy focusing on strange characters who have gathered in a small town somewhere in Minnesota. It is full of funny situations, but only funny; I wouldn't go as far as to say hilarious. The characters are a group of widely diverse types ranging from somewhat normal to outrageously strange.

While the story wasn't what I would call great, it is good. It is solid and moves at a quick pace and is easy to read mostly, which brings me to my major complaint about the book.

I think the author should have run this book past the editor a few more times. The text has so many typos I found myself looking for them and being taken out of the story.

Now, before anyone goes off calling me a "Grammar-Nazi" I'll say no matter how many passes someone makes over a text, a few things will be missed. I've learned this from my writing. I've read several books that have one or two minor problems and tend to forgive them, but Three Aliens has so many, I could not ignore them and must wonder if this story wasn't rushed to release.

Despite the typos, I enjoyed the story and was entertained.

A phone app called Astra is showing numerous objects approaching the solar system from deep space. Scientists say the nature of these objects is inconclusive and could be anything. Later, it seems the objects' movements are not responding to gravity well encounters, and they appear to be accelerating as well. Many people jump to the conclusion that alien invasion is imminent. And with that, chaos and bedlam take hold in large population centers.

Gus and Sam, a couple of gamer-types, react as well. Gus decides it is time for a road trip to see a woman he has been internet gaming with calling herself the Night Fox. In Gus' grandiose thinking, this woman is his erstwhile girlfriend, and he is determined to meet her. Sam, Gus' meek-mannered sidekick, goes along for the ride against his better judgement.

When their car becomes inoperable along the way to the Canadian town where Night Fox lives, they catch a ride with a paranormal radio talk show host. Following another vehicular mishap, they wind up in Lake Peculiar, Minnesota, thanks to a good Samaritan who rescues them.

Meanwhile, Journey Devereaux, and her grandmother are evicted from their cabin in the Canadian woods and told they will have to move on. Thanks to the efforts of Sam and the good Samaritan that saved him, they can bring Journey to Lake Peculiar. Out of the goodness of his heart, Sam does this for Gus' sake, thinking she is the mysterious Night Fox.

In Lake Peculiar, there lives a collection of numerous types of people. All are interesting and some are down-right, well, peculiar.

When the aliens arrive, it is rumored the Russians launched nuclear weapons at a mothership and it resulted in the complete and utter destruction of Moscow in retaliation. Many are convinced this is an actual event, causing everyone to assume the visitors from far away are malevolent. However, when three members of the alien race arrive in town, they don't seem bent on destruction, or anything else for that matter. They just seem to stand and silently observe while the sleepy little town goes about business as usual.

Of the three principal characters of this story, Gus seems to be the most interesting, and the most irritating. He sees himself as a classic Renaissance man who knows everything, but he is really just full of crap. He has the uncanny ability to extrapolate fact from thin air with little or no evidence and gets on everyone's nerves. When the aliens arrive, he becomes a self-appointed goodwill ambassador to the aliens. Most of the people of the town just go about their business while Gus continues his boisterous proclamations of how the aliens will be a beneficial addition to the community. Everyone tends to ignore Gus once they find out what he is all about.

Sam is the opposite of Gus. He is wholly unassuming and rarely insinuates himself on anyone. He is almost powerless where Gus' influence is concerned and often finds himself worse off for it. Sam is a nice kid, and one gets the impression he is smarter than he lets on. As the story unfolds, he shows quite a bit of growth and should be an interesting character in future books.

Journey is blind and is also quite smart and independent. She has accepted the situation that robbed her of sight and despises pity and goes to great lengths to avoid showing any vulnerability. She is the best developed among all the characters in Three Aliens, and as such, the most interesting.

The blurb for the book promises that "if you enjoy Garrison Keillor's Tales from Lake Wobegon, you'll love Lake Peculiar." I would have to agree with that statement. My favorite point of plot is the irony of the townspeople's reaction to the aliens on their doorstep. While as the title suggests, the three aliens do not walk into the bar, but they do little else other than mildly intimidate the population of the sleepy little town. Everyone except for Gus avoids contact with them, but still, they remain seemingly unfazed by the most incredible event of human history.

I enjoyed this story, but I'm on the fence about whether I will invest time in the promised sequels. I was intrigued and entertained by Three Aliens, but I don't feel invested in the story enough to commit. That's not to say it isn't a fine story, it just has a few weaknesses - aside from the poor editing - that may be a little off-putting. Mostly, I have known too many people like Gus in my lifetime and am not sure I want to expose myself to the attitude in my entertainment.

I would recommend this book to someone who might look for light and entertaining story with lots of action and head-scratching logic. It's not bad.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Jack Ravenhill loves to build strange and complex worlds rich with unforgettable characters, hidden corners, and looming questions. His favorite stories break down old categories and invite you into fresh and fascinating ways of thinking. Whether it's robot fairies or small-town aliens, whether the stakes are the fate of the world or a teenage heartbreak, Jack always gets you through with heart, humor, and a feast among friends.

Well, there it is...

Qapla!

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Rules Of Accusation - Quark's Scheme To Make Latinum Takes A Funny Turn

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Rules of Accusation by Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdman

A good and dear friend, Eric Cone sent me an instant message telling me that he had just read this book and that he found it hilarious and said that I should give it a look. Science FIction has a tendency to get a bit heavy, and just having read a book with a very grim scenario, I was ready for something on the lighter side.

Quark’s Bar is reopened on the newly rebuilt Deep Space Nine, and as always, the Ferengi bartender is contemplating new schemes to drum up business. Now the bar is not only a place of entertainment and gaming, but it has also become the Ferengi Embassy to Bajor, and quark is the Ambassador, duly appointed by his brother Rom, who was appointed to be the Grand Nagus, the current ruler of the Ferengi people. As far as Quark is concerned, the ambassador cannot function properly until there is a dedication ceremony. Quark sends out invitations to all of the most influential business leaders in the Ferengi Alliance, but the response to his RSVP’s is not what he had hoped. Quark visits with several of the station’s personnel about ideas to boost interest in his party including the station’s commander, Ro Laren. He asks Commander Ro if perhaps he could offer a door prize that would allow contraband to be transported through Federation space on a one time basis. When that fails, he visits with Chief O’Brien who tells Quark about a display of old, first edition classic books that he attended. At first, Quark thinks that no one would care about looking at old books, but perhaps, if he can arrange it, if he put the original Rules of Acquisition, penned by the first Grand Nagus on display, this might be just the hook he needs to get the other Ferengi entrepreneurs in the door.

After making arrangements with his brother, Rom agrees to bring the sacred document to the station for all to see after being locked in a vault for a long time. Quark’s scheme is successful and, on the day of the big event, all of the most influential Ferengi business leaders arrive ready and willing to part with their latinum to get a glimpse of the scroll that is the very foundation of Ferengi commerce and their way of life.

When Quark unveils the scroll, it is soon discovered that it is a fake and is the beginning of a search for the real scroll that takes the reader through many twists that leads our characters on a merry chase that includes an ironic ending to the story that actually started many years before the actual story took place.

Poor Quark, it seems that no matter what he tries to do things always seem to go wrong, but he always seems to manage to land on his feet thanks to the help of others. In this case, his former arch nemesis, Odo is a great deal of help in discovering where the real scroll isn’t, but it is a long time but absent friend who really gets to the bottom of the matter and makes everything right again. Quark doesn’t make a lot of profit on this venture, but all ends well, as it usually does in situations involving the Ferengi.

The authors do a great job in capturing the spirit of a Deep Space Nine story. The characters are all just as they should be, that is as they would be had this been an episode of the television series. The voice is just right and they all behave just as one would expect. The story itself is a lighthearted romp with no one really being in danger, with the exception of their reputations, which are shaky at the best of times where the Ferengi are concerned.

I would recommend this story for any Deep Space Nine fan who is looking for something on the lighter side.

Well, there it is…

Qaplah!