From an Alien Perspective

     

     From an Alien Perspective by Jack Petersen.

     From an Alien Perspective is a fun little story about a group of crab-like aliens (Dejan) interacting with humans.  Iadog (the protagonist)  studies with Finnley (the human) in a galactic college.  Iadog was supposed to spy on the humans to learn what he could about their technology, physiology, weaknesses, etc.  But their species' value system is so different that Iadog can't even begin to fathom what is important, and what is not.

     When Iadog's superiors learn of his failure, they capture what they think is Finnley, but it ends up being an android.  They try to torture the human into submission, but their lack of understanding about basic human physiology, let alone not know that they had an android, leads them to more failure.  

     Finnley, for his part, is truly trying to educate the Dejan in hopes that they will leave their odd religious beliefs and join the interstellar community.

     This was a fun way to portray aliens.  We tend to want to portray them with human values and understanding, but Mr. Petersen does a good job at making them something completely different.  There are several short story with this download, but I could only review one, so I picked the first, and longest.

     I'd give it

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

     First off: Do not worry there are NO SPOILERS in this post.  I would never do that to anybody, no matter how much they ticked me off.

     So, what can I say about the new Star Wars movie?  Well, one word... AWESOME!

     Obviously, I'm a big fan of SciFi/Fantasy.  It's what I watch, read, and write.  So, of course, Star Wars is tops on my list.  If it weren't for George Lucas, CG as we know it would not exist.  He also proved that you don't need sex, vulgarity, and blood/gore to win in the box office.  I wish more of Hollywood would take the hint.

     Okay, so normally this is where I would review the movie, but because of the enormous efforts Disney and Lucas Films put into keeping even the plot a secret, I won't do that.  Instead, I'll tell you about my experience.  We live in a moderate-sized town, but St. George is weird because like half of the people here are retirees.  It's like a mini Florida.  On the other hand, it's also a college town, so there is a ton of stuff to do (Not to mention the red rock outdoorsy aspect of Southern Utah).  So, it is really hard to tell how busy movies are going to be.  Normally, you can get tickets for blockbuster movies at the door.  I knew this would be different, though, so I checked a week in advance.  I was almost too late.  The only show left on opening night was the 2:00 AM showing.  I bought tickets because I had to see this show opening night, before someone ruined it for me.
   
     That day I tried to take a nap so I wouldn't be tired for the show, but it was like Christmas Eve for children.  I couldn't sleep a wink.  When my wife got home from work, we watched Return of the Jedi together so she would remember where the series left off. (I had done a Star Wars marathon all by myself for the previous couple of days, but didn't mind seeing XI again).  Now, my wife is not a complete nerd like me.  She humors me most of the time because she loves me, and she lets me drag her to all my dorky movies, but her heart isn't usually in it. (Heck, I can't even get her to read my books because she really isn't in to Fantasy)  But she was kind of excited for this movie.

     The theater was only about half full, and we actually ran into a few people we knew.  Then...  The movie started and the saga continued!

     I loved the movie!  I was so scared that J.J. Abrams would mess it up, but, you guys, he did so well!  It fits perfectly with what you would expect from the Star Wars franchise.  They even went back to classic models instead of straight CG in a lot of the parts.  BB-8 is a perfect example of this.  And I still have no idea how that little droid works.  His body is a rolling ball, and his head levitates on the top.  I'm sure it some sort of magnet magic, but it was just really cool.  (And he was my wife's favorite character.  She would get all giddy and squeal that, "he's so cute" every time he was on screen)

     It was awesome to see all of the old cast.  It actually gave the film a strong nostalgic aspect.  The new cast is great, as well... for the most part.

     Daisy Ridley plays Rey (one of the new main protagonists).  She's multi-dimensional, believable, and beautiful.  I really enjoyed her role.  I love how the franchise take relatively unknown actors, and is so easily able to place them perfectly in a role, as if they were born to play that character.  Daisy hates this, but when she smiles she looks just like Keira Knightley, which made her all the more endearing to me.

     John Boyega plays Fin (The second protagonist, yes the story could follow either of these two characters, though Rey seems to be the more likely candidate).  Now, I loved the potential for Fin, as a character.  A storm trooper who runs from his duties (no, that's not a spoiler, it's in the trailers), but John seemed to only have two acting faces; bewilderment, and scared.  My wife said that that was his character, so he was perfect for the role, but it just sort of bugged me through the whole film.

     Oscar Isaac plays Poe Dameron.  Dare I say, "The new Han Solo"?  Poe is just... awesome.  You instantly love/hate him.  The best pilot the rebels have ever seen, and he knows it.  I really hope he takes a major role as the story continues.

     Adam Driver plays Kylo Ren (The new Sith).  This was the only disappointing character for me.  At the risk of saying too much: All the other Sith Lords take on two Jedi at a time (or more in the case of Anakin), and still kick butt, but Kylo has awesome new powers, and is kind of pathetic when it comes to the fights.  Plus, they unmask him way too soon.  I can't say more without saying too much, so you'll just have to see if you agree with me when you watch the film.

     Andy Serkis plays the Supreme Ruler.  I won't say anything about him.  I just wanted you all to know that they got Golem/Smeagol in The Force Awakens!

     There are two other characters who will probably play a big role in the coming films, but I didn't really pay attention to them in this one: Domhnall Gleeson (plays General Hux) and Gwendoline Christie (plays Captain Phasma).  I didn't really pay a lot of attention to them during the movie, but afterward, I watched the red carpet interviews, and apparently they were important enough to get a lot of attention.  I have no idea why.

     In short, if you are a Star Wars fan, go see it. (Like I really need to tell you?)  If you're not a Star Wars fan, go see it.  You can bring kids, it's PG-13 but spongebob has more inappropriate stuff in it than this movie.  You can take your girlfriend/boyfriend, wife/husband, grandma/grandpa, mom/dad, etc.  I think just about anyone would like this movie.  In fact, after we saw the movie opening night, we bought tickets for several family members for Christmas presents, and tickets for us and the kids to see it again in D-box.

     I can't wait until XIII comes out!

Shadowline Drift

     Shadow Line Drift by Alexes Razevich is SciFi/Quantum Fiction novel.  This is one of my favorite SciFi sub-genres.  Most Quantum Fiction novels are dealing with time/space, like in The Time Keeper, but alternate dimensions are so much funner.  A lot of people confuse this with Fantasy because there is usually some sort of fantastical aspect to these types of novels, but the difference lies in the fact that the world is still based in reality; that's what makes this genre so fun - it's just a couple degrees off reality, and still lies within the realm of scientific possibility.  The problem most authors have is that they take far too many liberties, and turn SciFi into fantasy.  Mrs. Razevich has a perfect balance.  As a result, Shadow Line Drift was a pleasure to read.

     I spent a couple of years in Brazil, so it was fun to have the Brazilian culture mixed in to this novel.  I spent my time in Sao Paulo, the third largest city in the world, so it was nothing like the Amazon (where the story took place), but I had a lot of interactions with people from the Amazon, and especially Manaus, so I've heard the stories.  This all just added another level of enjoyment to the novel.  I haven't asked the author, nor is it in her profile, but I would swear she'd spent some time down there.  Either that, or she really did her research.  A lot of authors underestimate the importance of these consistencies, but it adds a level of depth which draws the reader in all the more.  I loved it.

     Okay, on to the synopsis.

     Jake, our protagonist, is a representative of World United sent to a tiny tribe in the Amazon to negotiate a trade agreement for a newly-found protein supplement, benesha, which would practically end world hunger.  When animals eat benesha their protein content goes through the roof.  Scientist tested the supplements on rats, and then fed the rats to dogs.  The dogs weren't hungry again for a week.  It's a miracle supplement.  Jake is called in because he is an excellent negotiator, but probably more importantly, he's a little person.  The tribe he goes to see is made up of mostly little people not more than 4 feet tall.

     Mawgis, the tribal leader, is a strange fellow.  The tribe has a habit of testing the wits of outsiders in a never-ending game of one upmanship.  Jake feels that the whole negotiation is a test of his wits, and the test continues throughout the novel.  In the end, Jake's size does have a lot to do with the success of the negotiation.  Mawgis wants to know Jake's story.  The tribal leader has a sixth sense, seems to know Jake's thoughts, and knows that Jake's diminutive size has nothing to do with genetics.  The old tribal leader is right.  Jake never wanted to grow up for fear of losing his mother's love, so he wished with all his might to stay small... his wish came true.  Doctor's couldn't explain it.  Jake couldn't even explain it, but it happened.

     I just loved Mrs. Razevich attention to detail with Jake's size.  I deal with a disability.  It isn't as easily seen like Jake's size, but it is omnipresent in my life.  Most people with any disability will tell you, in their honest moments, that it is always an issue in life.  They can learn to deal with it, and rise above it, but it is always present in their lives and affects almost everything they do.  I just reamed an author over this issue.  His protagonist had a bum leg, and the injury was very inconsistent throughout the novel.  It ruined the story for me.  Mrs. Razevich was incredibly sensitive of the issue.  Dwarfism is considered a disability simply because it severely limits the persons ability to carry out what most people would consider normal tasks.  Jake is often focused on his height/size, even though he doesn't let the outside world know.  The inner dialog is so realistic.  It was one of the most honest portrayals of inner turmoil I've read about the insecurities a person feels over their limitations.  The effect this stigma had on the way Jake interacts with the world (and later in the book when another wish is granted) made the character real.

     At any rate, Mawgis has his own terrible agenda.  Mawgis abandons Jake in the rain forest after telling him his horrible plans.  Jake, alone, lost, and scared has to find his way out of the forest, and to a phone, to alert the World United organization of the danger disguised as a miracle.  

     Just as Jake thinks he's made it out, he finds he's trapped in another one of Mawgis's webs.

     This story was so great.  I found myself dreaming about it in between reads.  That happens so seldom for me.  I love a good book, but an author who can create a real character, a fascinating plot, and a smooth read is an even more precious and rare gem.  I look forward to reading more of Mrs. Razevich's work.

    I openly recommend this book to any reader.  There's a little language, so young audiences beware, but other than that, it was awesome.  I give it 

The Undecideds (A book I'm writing with my oldest daughter, part 2)

     I posted the first chapter of a book I'm writing with my oldest daughter a couple of weeks ago.  It had hundreds of hits, and a lot of inquiries, so I thought I'd post the second chapter.  Once again this is very rough, and may be a little disjointed.

Chapter 2

The shower calmed her nerves, but her stomach still churned afterward.  Her mother insisted on her looking fairly kept for the special occasion, but Rachel wasn’t one of those girls who minded much what she looked like.  All she cared about was staying righteous and virtuous; a combination of her mother and father’s constant indoctrination.  She allowed her mother to put her hair up, even though she didn’t mind how it would look, or even if it was beautiful.  She just hoped it wouldn’t be time consuming.  She secretly wanted to put off the dreaded first day at a new school as long as she could.  She allowed her father’s angel to choose her outfit.  The sweet angel hummed a happy angelic tune as she joyfully dressed Rachel.  Rachel so wished she could speak with her without having to use her father as a translator.

Fully ready, Rachel yawned and picked up her ball of fur.  He seemed pleased with how she looked.  She smiled in appreciation, but passed no telepathic words to the furry ball of mystery.  There were rarely words between Rachel and her spirit beast.  They shared each other’s feelings, of course, but her spirit beast scared her more than anything else.  He would, ultimately, chose the rest of her life for her and reveal her true inner self.  Rachel was afraid of what secret inner thoughts he would expose to her parents.  She was so unsure of herself.  

Nathan, Rachel’s youngest brother, was just waking up.  He dragged his blanket down the hall towards the kitchen.  His spirit beast was a bouncing ball of furry happiness.  Nathan was a happy boy, too, but he always took a while to wake up.  The beast kept bouncing against his legs as they made their way to the breakfast table.  Finally, it elicited a smile and a laugh from little Nathan, and the two raced the rest of the way to the table.  Rachel envied their relationship.  She wished her and her beast had that much fun together. 

As soon as she had the feelings, she quickly repented.  Be self-loving, she thought.  The words echoed in her mind. No, she shouldn’t love herself.  It might make her turn vain, and then she’d get an unwanted spirit beast.  “Pegasus, angel, unicorn, light ball, or fairy,” she repeated over and over in her head trying to command her ball of fur to evolve into an angel beast.  “Even a manticore,” she thought with a laugh, but then she realized there were almost as many demon manticores as there were angel manticores.  “No, not a manticore,” she said out-loud as she looked at her beast.

“What was that,” her mother asked.

“Nothing,” Rachel said, biting her bottom lip.

                Catching her mother’s attention was the worst thing Rachel could have done at that minute because she suddenly found million last minute touches to do on Rachel before she practically carried her to the car.  Her younger brothers laughed and teased her the whole time, which lead to another ‘be’ lecture from their mother.  Before she knew it, Rachel was at her new school.  And even with all the priming and grooming, she couldn’t have been less ready to be there.

The school’s name was big: The Undecided’s Intermediate School of Arabelle.  Arabelle, was their city’s name.  Rachel stared at it, holding her ball and backpack tight.  Her stomach decided it was suddenly an acrobat; twisting, turning, flipping, and fluttering.

“Are you ready Rachel,” Her mother asked gently.  Usually her voice was overbearingly commanding, but pity was her virtue of choice at this time.  Her mother’s pity did little to help Rachel’s nerves.

Rachel nodded, feeling very small.  How she wished she could be in Elle’s perfect angelic school. It was almost normal to be an angel in Rachel’s community.  She lived in a gated neighborhood designated for those in the Angel Guild’s advisory council and staff.  At least at an angelic school she would know what to expect.  This school could have any number of spirit beasts.  Some could be partially developed.  Some might even hurt her or her beast.

                “Come on, let’s go in together,” her mother offered when she saw the look of trepidation on Rachel’s face.

“No thank you,” Rachel said, immediately.  The last thing she needed was her mother coming in with her.  She could almost hear the name “baby Rachel” ringing through the schoolyard.  “But I appreciate the thought,” she said, quickly as she plastered on a smile.  She looked nervously at her ball of fur.  Be gracious, she thought.  

“Well then, I suggest you head in,” her mother said, after a long moment.  Rachel detected a strain in her mother’s voice as she tried to sound patient, even though she was clearly pressed for time.

Rachel nodded, and slipped out of the car.  She was too nervous to notice she hadn’t kissed her mother goodbye.   Halfway to the building she remembered, so she turned around and waved at her mother.  Her mother smiled and waved, and then drove away. Rachel looked at the school one last time and ran in, holding her breath as if she were jumping into a cold lake.

                The school was crowded, and Rachel’s fear of not knowing anyone was proving to be true.  Nobody she passed looked familiar.  But on the bright side, almost all of them looked frightened.  The second year intermediate students were already picking on the new kids.  They obviously didn’t care about what effect their mean behavior would have on their spirit beasts.  These kids were far different from the kids at her angelic guild’s elementary school. 

Her first class was Herbology.  Good, something she was good at which took a lot of concentration so that she could forget about the butterflies in her stomach.  She quietly took a seat and started looking over the book on her desk.  Some of the kids noticed and gave her dirty looks.  She thought she heard someone whisper, “Goody, goody”.  Students were clumped in different areas; on desks, in corners, and by the chalkboard.  Several looked over in her direction, but no one waved, or smiled.  This was definitely not her friendly angelic elementary school.  She started to hate some of the groups of kids as she could hear their mean judgmental conversations, but she quickly repented when she noticed her spirit beast was paying attention to her feelings.  She dreaded having to be so… perfect.  She took a deep breath and stared ahead.  Just wait for the teacher, She instructed herself.  Be patient.

                The teacher finally entered, saving Rachel from her inner anguish.  All of the students hustled to sit down, timidly fighting over seats.  Rachel kept her head straight ahead until the class was settled.  When everyone had found their seat, she decided to see who she’d be permanently seated next to for the rest of the year.  She looked to her left and felt more relief than she had all day; a recognizable face.  At least she’s seen him before.  Rachel never bothered to make friends with him.  She wasn’t the friend making type, but at least she’d seen this boy before.  Was his name John?  She racked her brain to remember.  This was her chance to actually have a friend.

“Rachel,” she whispered, expecting him to hear over the teacher.  

“What’s your name,” she whispered when he didn’t respond.

He finally looked over at her and a spark of recognition lit his eyes.  “Do I know you,” he asked.

 She wasn’t surprised, and forced herself not to be disappointed.  She didn’t really know him either.  “I’ve just seen you around elementary school, that’s all.  I thought we could be friends,” she said looking ahead so the teacher wouldn’t know they were talking during class.  He was writing his name on the board; Mr. Hancock.

“David,” the boy finally whispered back, looking ahead as Rachel was.

                After Herbology, she finally turned to look at her new friend David.  She almost dropped her books when she saw his spirit beast.  It had long legs, almost five feet tall, and massive arms which hung down past the knees, but the beast hadn’t fully evolved yet.  It was just arms and legs attached to a ball of fur.  Rachel had to hold in a laugh at the comical sight.  Be respectful.  Be polite.  She reprimanded herself.  And she resisted the urge to make a comment or even ask about the beast.

David and Rachel walked together out of the classroom and down the hall, making small talk about the herb lesson.  Rachel learned how determined David was to learn every minute of every lesson.  He was extremely intelligent, but clumsy and awkward.  His beast was no better.  The lanky giant bumped into everything, and even fell down two times on the way to their next classes.  Rachel tried her best not to laugh, and concentrated hard on what David was saying so she wouldn’t stare at the awkward giant.

Listen to how devoted David was to his studies, she began to realize how impolite it was to talk to him during class.  “I’m sorry I disrupted your learning time,” She said quietly when David paused in his recount of the Herbology lesson.  “It was rude of me.”

David laughed. “Parents with Angelic creatures, eh,” David asked, guessing at her parentage by her kind and compassionate nature.

Rachel nodded.  “You don’t know the half of it. They have actual angels.”

David laughed even more. “My mother has a Pegasus.  She’s strict enough.  I can’t imagine having two angel parents and actual angels...”

Rachel smiled.  She was glad she made a friend.  At least someone would know what she was up against this year.  She wanted to be perfect for her parents, but normal at school.  Not too good that she would draw attention, but not so bad that she would end up like her older brother had.  Rachel had to hold back tears at the memory of her brother.  All she could remember of him was their trips to the meadows.  He was never evil when he was with her, but he must have done something to get that beast.  Since his banishment, she feared any type of rebellion or bad behavior.  She didn’t know if her parents were okay with a common animal spirit beast, but she didn’t dare take the risk of making any slight infraction without repenting. An angel was crucial… needed.

“You think a lot, Rachel,” David said.

Rachel snapped out of her thoughts.  “I’m sorry,” she said.  “I focus too hard on the ‘be attitudes’ sometimes, I guess.”

David just shrugged.  He knew how hard it was to be the kid of an angelic beast parent.  “My next class is Math, yours?”

Rachel stopped in front of the door she was dreading to enter.  “This one,” she said with a quiver in her voice.

David looked at the black and red plaque.  “Demonology.”  He smiled and nodded his head up the hall.  “I’m just two doors up,” he said as he casually walked away.

Rachel was glad to have made a friend.  She hoped there would be more.  She really hoped there would be girls who would talk to her.  Boys were fine, but it would be nice to have a friend she could really relate to.  It was hard enough with all the different spirit beast types around in this school.  Maybe there was another angel family girl out there. 

Rachel sighed as she pushed the door open; forgetting completely just which class it was that she was entering.

Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams

     In Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams, Rachel Barnard creates a post WWIII world in which hackers and other cyber crimes destroyed the fabric of society.  The Americas band together to create a single nation, and the government took control of cyber activity, news, and any form of press.  This new founded government (Referred to as Obies, or old boys) covers up an on going war between itself and a rebellion group know as Ataxia.  The story is told first person, through the eyes of a young woman named MC.  MC has a secret past, and a secret agenda.  

    The story takes place at an academy.  There is a form of high tech dodge ball which seems to be the main focus of the students.  The students enter an ever changing arena and throw "Fireballs" at each other.  They wear special uniforms that, when hit, freeze the person for the rest of the round.  The point is to get the most kills, be on a winning team, or avoid being killed, and there is a point system in place for each of those things.  The problem is that the teams constantly change, so you could be with a group of friends, and then the round is over and your uniforms change colors, making you instant enemies.  The rankings from these games compile throughout the year and the top ranked contenders, supposedly, get picked first for the best jobs upon graduating.  Of course there is a government conspiracy behind all of this, but I won't spoil the novel for you.

     MC is in a constant internal battle between her mission, performing well in the competition, keeping her distance from other students, and wanting to be a normal teenage girl.  She does make friends, but has to distance herself from them. And, of course, there is a love interest, along with a few side love triangles.

     The story is great, and I reservedly recommend the book to anyone who likes realistic, futuristic fiction.  The reason I say "reservedly" is because this is an Indie book.  It needs some major content editing.  Mrs. Barnard has a great story, but the characters are inconsistent, and the beginning of the book is very confusing.  The transitions of time passing need more explanation.  I found myself lost several times in the novel.  If you can get through the first 3-4 chapters, you will find that you enjoy the rest of the story with only a few hiccups between scenes and the passing of time.  

In all, I give this book