Progenitor

Rating:
Summary: Progenitor - by Duncan Schultz
Review: A single shot marks the beginning of a mission that will take Hunt and his team to the birthplace of civilization and face-to-face with a secret so powerful that the Republic will be shattered if it is revealed.

For years the Republic searched for the origin of life, the seed of the human race. Only when they found it they discovered not gods, but mortals. The progenitors of the Republic were a warlike and deadly race, and conquest was their way of life. Their discovery had to be a secret, both to the Republic and the people of Gensis themselves, for exposure would mean one of the civilizations would be destroyed.

Progenitor is a fast-paced journey through the intrigue of the Senate and the power of the Stellar Command and Security Fleet as the Assagi Stealth Ship races towards the Exclusion Zone and the awesome power that Gensis holds within.

About the Author:
Duncan is an Australian entrepreneur, adventurer and Army officer. He lives on the beach in Queensland with his bride and buzzard.

Rating:
Summary: A stimulating Must Read
Review: Not normally an avid reader of sci-fi as we used to call it, but a fan of vintage material from Philip K. Dick, Theodore Sturgeon, John Brunner and Arthur Clarke, Schultz's mixture of space opera, anthropology and politics makes a great read; the ideas are good and mind stretching enough to satisfy even lovers of the immortal "First and Last Men" by Olaf Stapledon, in this writer's opinion a book which would be arguably the best ever science fiction novel if it weren't simply "beyond category'.

Schultz's notion of retracing the history of the "seeds' of humanity is compelling and the protrayal of the political disruption risked--and craftily managed---provides a sub-plot
of much interest. Character development could use a bit of improvement, but as a first-off this is the work of a promising
young writer to watch. It does have that unputdownable effect, which after all is what we seek, in the final analysis.