Advent of the Corps : A New Beginning

Rating:
Summary: Except for a few flaws, this was great space opera!
Review: I must say that this book, written in "command journals" by Colonel Marc Hendrix of the E.S.S. CLARKE, a stellarship with a wide mix of humans and one alien with no hair and purple-hued skin, a Vulradian named H'Thof who was the Executive Officer, exploring and protecting the Confederation of Sentient Worlds that made up most of the galaxy in the 28th Century (from New Earth where the Vulradian race transplanted the survivors of Original Earth after the fifth and final devastating World War that killed over 25-billion humans!).

This book has the crew going up against a planet that is a strange mix of super-technical buildings even more advanced than New Earth or Vulrad (the planetary home of the Vulradians) yet seems to also be a throw-back to their own Middle Ages complete with public tortures and executions. It is the command crew's duty (via the Stellar Corps' General Womark's order) to blend in and try to use their super high-tech devices to gather detailed readings after they use one of their many on-board jump chambers to form an artificial wormhole through which to "walk" and instantaneously go from high-orbit stellarship to planetary surface. For protection they carry "maser pistols" which fire accelerated meson radiation (the same energy weapons which nearly destroyed the humans of Old Earth during World War Five). Unfortunately, they are discovered and believed to be "demons" (due to the alien look of Lieutenant-Colonel H'Thof, the Vulradian). Now, somehow, they will have to escape and keep their "maser pistols" from falling into the wrong hands! Even worse, Colonel Hendrix seems to be "controlled" somehow!

An absolutely fantastic read! I literally could not put it down! I couldn't help thinking what a great movie or television show this would make...I certainly hope there are more issues and adventures to come from the Stellar Corps and the E.S.S. CLARKE!

Rating:
Summary: Except for a few flaws, this was great space opera!
Review: I must say that this book, written in "command journals" by Colonel Marc Hendrix of the E.S.S. CLARKE, a stellarship with a wide mix of humans and one alien with no hair and purple-hued skin, a Vulradian named H'Thof who was the Executive Officer, exploring and protecting the Confederation of Sentient Worlds that made up most of the galaxy in the 28th Century (from New Earth where the Vulradian race transplanted the survivors of Original Earth after the fifth and final devastating World War that killed over 25-billion humans!).

This book has the crew going up against a planet that is a strange mix of super-technical buildings even more advanced than New Earth or Vulrad (the planetary home of the Vulradians) yet seems to also be a throw-back to their own Middle Ages complete with public tortures and executions. It is the command crew's duty (via the Stellar Corps' General Womark's order) to blend in and try to use their super high-tech devices to gather detailed readings after they use one of their many on-board jump chambers to form an artificial wormhole through which to "walk" and instantaneously go from high-orbit stellarship to planetary surface. For protection they carry "maser pistols" which fire accelerated meson radiation (the same energy weapons which nearly destroyed the humans of Old Earth during World War Five). Unfortunately, they are discovered and believed to be "demons" (due to the alien look of Lieutenant-Colonel H'Thof, the Vulradian). Now, somehow, they will have to escape and keep their "maser pistols" from falling into the wrong hands! Even worse, Colonel Hendrix seems to be "controlled" somehow!

An absolutely fantastic read! I literally could not put it down! I couldn't help thinking what a great movie or television show this would make...I certainly hope there are more issues and adventures to come from the Stellar Corps and the E.S.S. CLARKE!

Rating:
Summary: Very, very good book...
Review: This book really surprised me. One of the best new space operas to come along since Star Trek and Star Wars. I highly recommend this far-reaching and far-flung sci-fi tale of the 28th Century.

Rating:
Summary: Even with minor flaws, this was great "space opera"!
Review: Without a doubt one of the most intriguing space operas I have read in a long time. Written in "command journals" and the like, Colonel Marc Hendrix heads up a stellarship, the E.S.S. CLARKE, with a wide mix of humans and one alien, a Vulradian named H'Thof who is the executive officer, on board.

The time is the 28th Century and humanity had barely survived a fifth and final war that devastated Old Earth which caused the space-faring (via dark-matter engines) Vulradians to take the surviving humans and transplant them onto a lush world, which would become known as New Earth, in the Cygnus star system. It would be here that the humans and Vulradians would lay the ground work for both the Stellar Corps as well as the Confederation of Sentient Worlds that, over the years, would swell to hundreds of member-races and planets, not to mention the many dozens of colony worlds set up by humans.

This book has so much to keep you interested, not the least of which is the very realistic manner in which the main characters are treated: There is, of course, the dark-matter engines which gives stellarships "hyper-dimension speeds" as well as maser pistols that use accelerated meson radiation to either explode or disintegrate their targets (and maser cannons on the CLARKE as well). And the jump chambers which create "artificial wormholes" through which ground teams can walk to instantaneously be teleported to the surface of a planet about which the CLARKE was orbiting. And so on.

The first assignment of this stellarship and crew is one that not only brings out the brutality of humanoids on another world, but brings a mystery to light that, once the ground team headed up by Colonel Hendrix and Lieutenant-Colonel H'Thof escapes capture and torture, takes on a very unexpected twist that is very believable. Great read!

Rating:
Summary: Even with minor flaws, this was great "space opera"!
Review: Without a doubt one of the most intriguing space operas I have read in a long time. Written in "command journals" and the like, Colonel Marc Hendrix heads up a stellarship, the E.S.S. CLARKE, with a wide mix of humans and one alien, a Vulradian named H'Thof who is the executive officer, on board.

The time is the 28th Century and humanity had barely survived a fifth and final war that devastated Old Earth which caused the space-faring (via dark-matter engines) Vulradians to take the surviving humans and transplant them onto a lush world, which would become known as New Earth, in the Cygnus star system. It would be here that the humans and Vulradians would lay the ground work for both the Stellar Corps as well as the Confederation of Sentient Worlds that, over the years, would swell to hundreds of member-races and planets, not to mention the many dozens of colony worlds set up by humans.

This book has so much to keep you interested, not the least of which is the very realistic manner in which the main characters are treated: There is, of course, the dark-matter engines which gives stellarships "hyper-dimension speeds" as well as maser pistols that use accelerated meson radiation to either explode or disintegrate their targets (and maser cannons on the CLARKE as well). And the jump chambers which create "artificial wormholes" through which ground teams can walk to instantaneously be teleported to the surface of a planet about which the CLARKE was orbiting. And so on.

The first assignment of this stellarship and crew is one that not only brings out the brutality of humanoids on another world, but brings a mystery to light that, once the ground team headed up by Colonel Hendrix and Lieutenant-Colonel H'Thof escapes capture and torture, takes on a very unexpected twist that is very believable. Great read!