Martian Mist by J. Dallas Brooks - An Old Trope With A New Twist And Fun Reading

Martian Mist by J. Dallas Brooks

Martian Mist is a new idea based on an old trope; a boy and his dog strive to achieve a goal against seemingly impossible odds.

The book opens as we see our principal character, Zachary Grainger, engaged in some precarious business aboard his dirt bike and making a video for YouTube. As one might guess, the stunt doesn’t end well, but Zach is not seriously injured, except for his pride.

In the meantime, the first manned mission to Mars is returning to Earth. It was not a success by any definition of the word. All the crew are dead except for the mission commander, who has contracted some kind of alien disease. The onboard computer, an artificial intelligence capable of deciding, does everything it can to make sure the ship doesn’t reach home. It knows the disease is dangerous and could be catastrophic should the Daedelus reach home. Unfortunately, Mission Control signals the doomed spacecraft ordering the computer to override its programming. The Daedelus returns as ordered, and a massive plague infects the entire planet, creating air difficult to breathe and monsters larger than cars that prey on every living creature they can find.

Following the infection of the entire planet, Zach sets out on a journey to southern California where he hopes to find a real-life comic book character, Dr. Kai Rosebud, who has an army of robots ready and waiting to save the world. Zach’s journey picks up in the Arizona desert as he travels across the U.S. on his dirt bike with a canine companion he picked up along the way. Zach is looking for someone what may or may not exist in reality, but he has nothing else to hope for. He faces many deadly situations in his travels across the desert. Along with the alien creatures he calls “splizards” because they look like a cross between spiders and lizards, he encounters humans trying to survive as best they can, mostly through violence. Zach survives on his wits and what he has learned from his grandfather.

Martian Mist is a young adult story that I would estimate is appropriate for upper middle school and younger high school aged kids who would enjoy a science fiction story about a young man beating the odds while on a quest. The most terrifying aspect of this story is the encounters with the splizards. They are huge, can move fast, are extremely voracious, and they are relentless. They have a social structure that includes an alpha creature and several followers, and they are also intelligent. I enjoyed the way author, J Dallas Brooks, also included what the creatures were thinking as they tracked Zach and Blue across the desert and to their ultimate destination.

I enjoyed reading this story. The action starts from the outset and never slows until the end, leaving the reader with a sense of triumph. While it is YA Sci-Fi, I would say that anyone could enjoy this as a fun read. It is full of intense action scenes that will have the reader on the edge of their seat. I also think it would be a good story to introduce a young person to the Sci-Fi genre. It is a decent length book at 350 pages with a writing style that is easy to understand and follow while not being bogged down with a lot of technical jargon. Brooks does a good job of using words to help the reader visualize the action.

J. Dallas Brooks is an Air Force veteran, Cybersecurity Engineer, and adjunct professor who enjoys spending time with his family on their farm in Peyton, Colorado. A 7th generation Georgian, Dallas has made Colorado his home since 2008. When not writing, he enjoys playing retro games, listening to 80’s music, and attending his children’s numerous sporting events. Other books penned by brooks include 1986, and two books in his Dystopian Spacetime series.

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Point of Impact (Nuclear Dawn Book 1) By Kyla Stone - Solid Story, Well Told, Good Characters - Worth A Read!

Point of Impact (Nuclear Dawn Book 1) by Kyla Stone

As often happens, I discovered this post-apocalyptic series when an ad appeared on my Facebook feed. I was looking for something new to read, and I noticed it was an entire series available on Kindle Unlimited, so I grabbed it. Then, as I started reading, it grabbed me!

Dakota, a waitress in a Miami bar and grill, is doing her job when a ballgame on the television is interrupted by a special report of a bomb being disarmed in Chicago. Next, there is a report of a bomb detonating in Washington, D.C. It isn’t long before she has a feeling something similar is about to happen in Miami when a nuclear device indeed detonates near her place of work. The bomb wrecks the bar and kills or gravely injures many people. Dakota and a customer, Logan, attempt to help who they can, but Dakota, well trained in survival techniques, realizes she must find adequate shelter before the fallout rains down on the city.

A short distance from the bar, Dakota’s younger sister, Eden, is alone in her foster patent’s home when she receives a text from Dakota telling her to find a safe place to hide until she can rescue her. All the while, before and after the blast, a mysterious figure named Maddox is stalking Dakota and her sister for unknown reasons.

Surrounded by death and destruction, Dakota has one purpose; find and rescue her little sister and get them to safety, if there is such a place. First, Logan has to face multiple obstacles before she completes her mission.

Point of Impact is the first in a series of five books. If this book is any indication of the content in the rest books in the series, it is well with the time to look at.

First, the characters are compelling. Dakota, a young woman who has suffered some physical and mental trauma, is a survivor and can read people. Thanks to some extensive training she received at the hands of a hermit living in the everglades, she has learned to identify dangerous situations and respond to them appropriately and with a cool head. She is always thinking and is always prepared to respond to difficult situations.

Logan also has a past causing him some difficulty, but he tries hard not to let it show. He seems to have a sense of justice and is not afraid to come to the aid of others. Dakota knows he’s tough and good in a fight, and she relies on him to help her get out of a few situations.

Eden is a victim of the same traumatic situation as Dakota, only she wound up much worse. She knows that Dakota will do whatever it takes to take care of her, but she is also happy in her foster home, where she is afforded opportunities she wouldn’t otherwise have. She seems to be the principal focus of the chief antagonist, Maddox.

There isn’t a lot about Maddox in this story yet. It appears he will figure more in the sequels. He appears to be under the control of someone who wants both Dakota and Eden, and he seems to be relentless in his pursuit. He has very little compassion for others, although he is shocked at the level of devastation as he looks for clues to find the girls.

Along with the characters, I really enjoyed the narrative. The descriptions of people, places, things, and situations were so detailed that I could accurately picture what the author wrote about. The narrative was not overly wordy with the descriptions, there was enough there to set a scene for the characters to react to and carried the action forward.

That being said, I would also caution potential readers, especially those disturbed by graphic scenes, that some descriptions in the story are of those severely injured by the nuclear incident, and are very gruesome. While the detail is amazing, it could call up images some may consider over the top.

I have to take my hat off to the author for her research of the science she used in the story. After the nuclear device detonates, there is a great deal of discussion on who was responsible for the incident and the ramifications of the aftermath. Owing to Dakota’s training, she knew all the facts that would probably take place when something like this would take place. She could tell, step by step, and down to the minute, what would take place. It was a very detailed description, and I found it informative and interesting.  Dakota also faced a medical situation that required her to perform a procedure, also described in such detail, I could feel it every step of the way.

There are four more books in the series and I intend to reading all of them as time permits. I hope they are all as good as this first one.
Author Kyla Stone lives in Georgia. She has written many dystopian novels, all available for reasonable prices. Here’s how she describes herself and her work...

"I spend my days writing apocalyptic and dystopian fiction novels. Because what’s more fun than imagining the end of the world from the comfort of your couch?"

 

"I love writing stories exploring how ordinary  people cope with extraordinary circumstances,      especially situations where the normal comforts,  conveniences, and rules are stripped away."

 

I enjoyed Point of Impact immensely and recommend it for those who enjoy a fun story with excellent characters put into situations that seem impossible to survive.

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The Viperob Files by Al Hodge - Sci-Fi Thriller Full Of Twists And Turns That Are Spellbinding!

The Viperob Files by Alister Hodge

Just a few weeks ago, author Al Hodge contacted me and asked if I would review his novel, The Cavern. I said I would give it a go and read it, and was amazed at the quality of the writing and how gripping the story was. I wrote my review and if you click on the title, you can read that review. After posting my review of The Cavern, Al contacted me and asked if I would be interested in reading his newer novel, The Viperob Files. As much as I enjoyed the previous story, I couldn't say no. 

Viperob Files is set in a dystopian future in the year 2194. Owing to the overuse of fossil fuels, global warming has taken full effect,  melting the polar ice caps and causing ocean levels to rise 100 meters. A vast area of Australia (known as Australasia in the story) has been covered by ocean water submerging once bustling cities. This inland sea has created a completely new coastline and a series of islands still above water. On one of these islands is a corporation called Viperob that supplies military drones to the central government. Everyone living on the island works for the corporation in some way. While the adults work, the children go to school to attend classes and military training to prepare them for following in their parent's footsteps as Viperob employees. But kids will be kids and as they do, they tend to push the limits of what is allowed.

The story opens as Ethan and his friend, Jaego, dive on the submerged remains of homes and businesses in search of treasure. Meanwhile Ethan's father, Nickolai, learns that there is a software bug in Viperob's system that could allow foreign interests to take over operation of the drones sold to the Australasian government. Realizing that this could destabilize what is left of the national government, he makes plans to get the information into the right hands. This is not an easy task because Viperob has it's own highly trained military-like force that is fiercely loyal to the corporation.

Enter Lieutenant Harris, a ruthless, psychopathic officer in Viperob's security force who is assigned the task of retrieving the drone control files and eliminating anyone who has knowledge of them. He will use any means necessary to complete his task including torture and murder to achieve his end.

When Harris kills Nickolai, Ethan takes on the task of getting the information into the right hands. He has to get the Viperob files off the island, thus making Ethan and his friends Harris' target. 

One of the many appealing aspects of Viperob are the well developed characters in the story. Ethan and Jaego are joined by a third youth, a young woman named Gwen. These three young people have spent their lives, up to this point, learning to live within the confines opposed upon them by the corporation, and didn't know that there was anything else. In their mid-teens, they are beginning to realize that there has to be a better way of life and begin questioning their existence as part of Viperob. They have been trained well and when they are charged with getting the damning files off the island, they are pretty skillful at doing what needs to be done, and they are well aware of the consequences they face taking on the task, and the consequences of failure.

The parents of the youthful trio are more or less going through the motions of being loyal to Viperob, but are not above taking risks to get ahead. Viperob appears to be aware that the little transgressions take place, but are willing to turn a blind eye to them until they threaten the corporation.

Harris is, by far, one of the most evil characters I have ever seen in my lifetime of reading. He has no feelings for anyone, no compassion, and no end to his cruelty. He has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. He is like a machine, a weapon that has been pointed in a direction and he will not give up or accept defeat. One cannot help but hate this character.

Hodge is masterful at making all of the characters come out of the story and become real people a reader can care about.

Along with great characters is the skillfulness that Al displays with world building. Viperob provides everything its employees need to maintain a subsistence level existence. Everyone has a place to live, food to eat, and a job. But there is very little beyond the absolute necessities provided. The living spaces seem to be little more than over-sized walk-in closets, the food is of adequate nutritional value, but not very appetizing. Those that want extras have to pay dearly for them. In order to have a better quality of life, many turn to taking bribes or trading on the black market. What keeps the people in the story in line is the threat of being banished from the island, which seems to be a certain death sentence. Outside the walls of the company is a great expanse of wasteland where survival is nearly impossible. Then there are also the monsters that are on constant patrol.

Along with the global warming problem comes mutations of some animals. Prominent in Viperob are the Tri-Claw creatures that patrol the coastal areas. They are described as trilobites that stand on six legs, move very fast, and have very large claws that are capable of cutting their prey in half with little effort. Oh, and these trilobites are the size of Volkswagens! They are the stuff of nightmares. 

When Al sent me the book, he described it as a young adult novel. The story does center on how the three kids end up tasked with getting the damning files to the proper authorities and prevent further hardship on Australasia. There are a couple of scenes of torture in this story that might be disturbing to very sensitive readers. Readers below the ninth grade level may want to avoid Viperob.

This is another excellent book from Al Hodge, it is exciting from the very first page all the way to the end. It is full of twists and turns that made me want to read on and on, I simply did not want to put it down. This story also has a wide open ending that screams for a sequel and I look forward to reading it when, and if it gets written. High recommendations for The Viperob Files!

Here is a brief biography from the author's web page...

"Alister Hodge is a Sydney based author, writing within the genres of horror, science fiction and young adult. He is also an Emergency Nurse Practitioner and a Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sydney. As a mental break from providing healthcare in a busy Emergency Department, Alister leaves behind the everyday traumas and horror of the real world, by creating new ones for post-apocalyptic and dystopian landscapes.

Aside from fiction writing, Alister has authored numerous journal and textbook publications, and is the co-creator of an app to support triage nurse development in Australia and the USA."

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The Man In The High Castle - Amazon Brilliantly Realizes The Novel By Philip K. Dick - Sheer Awesomeness!

The Man In The High Castle - Television Series Based On Philip K. Dick’s Novel Of The Same Title

In March of 2013 I reviewed P.K.D.’s The Man In The High Castle on this blog on the heels of an announcement that Amazon.com would be making a television series for their Prime streaming service. In short, I enjoyed the book finding it thought provoking.

After a release of the pilot episode earlier this year, the television series was released this past November. I was surprised that the entire series of ten episodes was released all at once and available for streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime.

The story is set in 1962 post World War II United States, but the U.S. depicted in the show is nothing like anything we would recognize because the war was won by Germany and Japan, the Axis powers.  The United States have been divided into three sections with the Nazis in control of the eastern part of the country and west coast under the control of the Japanese.  In between, a strip of land running from north to south and roughly following the Rocky Mountains is called the Neutral Zone.  There is a palpable tension between the Nazis and the Japanese, especially since Hitler is aging and more ambitious individuals seek to take power when he is either killed or dies.  Thanks to one character in the story, the Japanese have the capability of building an atomic weapon while the Nazis already have theirs. Meanwhile, films are surfacing that depict a different outcome of the war that is more in line with our history.  As these films surface, both factions in charge of the U.S. are trying to get hold of them to keep the population from inciting to riot. An underground resistance movement also seeks to possess the films and  deliver them to a mysterious character known as the man in the high castle.

As I stated earlier, the story is based on P.K.D.’s book, but it does not entirely follow the story as laid out in the book. There are numerous story elements that are preserved in the series though, and I am completely okay with that. One of the elements that has been preserved is how dark and disturbing the world of Dick’s alternate post WWII world is. The population of the U.S. has been almost completely assimilated into the cultures that dominate the two areas of the country that are controlled by the Axis powers. While the Nazi controlled east would seem not to be quite as oppressed as one might think, on the surface, everything would seem to be normal, with the exception that there are a lot of Nazi style uniforms with armbands that incorporate the swastika into the red and white stripes of the U.S. Flag.  At one point, late in the series, there is a celebration of V.A. (Victory over America) Day that looks much like a 4th of July celebration, complete with fireworks, and flags flying in the breeze that has the blue field of stars on our flag replaced with the Nazi symbol.  As I said, more than just a bit disturbing.

At the same time, while the east is normal on the surface, the American Nazis work more behind the scenes to maintain order. This is not the case in the Japanese controlled west, where the population has been beaten into submission by the controlling government.  As far as the Japanese are concerned, American natives are simply a resource to be exploited and disposed of when no longer needed. The Japanese style of rule is depicted as being openly brutal to serve as a constant reminder of who is in charge.

All of this is depicted by the movements of four main characters throughout the series so far.

Juliana Crane (Alexa Davalos) Is a young woman living in San Francisco and would seem to have assimilated well into the culture imposed by the Japanese. She has studied the martial art of aikido and is quite proficient. While she, like most other Americans in the west, are just trying to survive and make life as comfortable as possible, she unwillingly finds herself becoming a part of the resistance movement when her sister is killed in front of her trying to deliver one of the films. As time goes on, Juliana finds herself drawn deeper and deeper into the resistance while managing to avoid being captured or killed on numerous occasions. She unwittingly becomes involved with a Nazi agent who saves her life causing her to have a sense of misplaced loyalty to him

That Nazi agent is Joe Blake (Luke Kleintank) who is given the mission of infiltrating the resistance based in the neutral area of the country. As he travels, he sees things happening and remains loyal to his controller, but would also seem to have doubts as he encounters Juliana and begins to have feelings for her. At the same time, Juliana has feelings for him and manages to help Joe evade being killed when it is discovered who he really is working for.

Joe’s controller, Obergruppenfuhrer John Smith is a family man, but is also the sole head of the SS in the U.S. His loyalty to the party is without question and he is not above using any means necessary to achieve his goal of putting down the resistance, including committing murder of disloyal fellow officers and threatening the lives of the families of those under his control. His behavior in the series is deceptively appealing until one remembers that he is a high ranking member of an oppressive government.

Juliana’s boyfriend, Frank Frink (Rupert Evans), is of Jewish heritage and has to go to lengths to conceal this as he might be extradited to the Nazis for execution.  Frank works in a factory that produces replicas of weapons to be sold to the Japanese. When he comes under investigation of the Kempeitai (the Japanese counterpart of the Nazi SS) for his relationship with Juliana, he faces execution. His sister and her children are instead killed prompting Frank to insist on taking action by converting one of the replicas of a weapon into a working model and going after a very high ranking Japanese official.  His attempt is thwarted when he is beaten to the punch by another assassin. Nevertheless, Frank is then forced to try to avoid being captured by the Kempeitai and executed.

As political tensions between the Nazis and the Japanese rise over the impending power vacuum that will be created by the death of Hitler, the Japanese Trade Minister, Nobosuke Tagomi (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) works clandestinely with a high-ranking Nazi to try to avoid what he fears will be a nuclear attack by the Nazis to take over sole control of the globe.

Two other characters that should be noted are Chief Inspector Kido (Joel de la Fuente) and his assistant Sergeant Yoshido (Lee Shorten). They are the Kempeitei officers who seem to get into everyone’s business in pursuit of dissidents and disloyal Japanese citizens. They are very cool, calm and collected as they go about their business, but their sense of harmony covers a ruthlessness that is to be avoided at all costs.  I should note that the actor Joel de la Fuente was also in a short-lived series that I dearly loved called Space - Above and Boyond. It was great to see him back on screen and showing more of his acting range.

The Man In The High Castle is well written, well acted, and very compelling. Again, the story in the television series does not follow the novel to the letter, it does set the right mood and there is plenty of Dick’s work integrated to make it very recognizable as the authors foundation.  The story does not move quickly and gives the viewer plenty of time to reflect on what has happened and really get an understanding of what is at stake for the characters. There are numerous scenes of intense action that are well thought out and move at a pace that is digestible in a single viewing. However, there are some scenes that are very graphic in nature, or are also quite suggestive, but are done in a way that advance the story and always keep the attention on the story and the characters.

Overall, as I mentioned before, the story moves along at a rather slow, cerebral pace and so does the character development. The back stories of the main characters unfolds at a snail’s pace and we only get what we need to know as it is relevant to what is happening on the screen. Continuity was apparently very important to the story because every episode picked up where the last left off. This is a great television series and I highly recommend it for fans of Philip K. Dick, dystopian stories, or just really good television in general. Be careful though, as I did, you will be tempted to watch the entire series in one day.

This show is serious, gritty, disturbing, depressing and awesome. I think that the opening credits sequence sets the mood quite well...

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