Book Review: STAR WARS: ALPHABET SQUADRON

 

 STAR WARS: Alphabet Squadron (Book 1)
Alexander Freed
Del Rey / Disney
416 Pages

June 2019
Fantasy / Scifi

For starters, this book, the first in the Alphabet Squadron series is crossover with the Marvel comic, TIE FIGHTER. In the hardcover edition, the center of the book contains several full-color comic book pages (with amazing illustrations by Roge Antonio). 

I am a huge fan of Alexander Freed. Was first introduced to his writing when I devoured the Star Wars novel, BATTLEFRONT: Twilight Company. So, when I learned he was doing a new series with a whole new cast of characters, I was super-psyched.

Alphabet Squadron does not disappoint! The Empire lost at the battle on Endor. The Death Star has been destroyed. The Emperor is dead. But those loyal to the Empire have not surrendered! Hera Syndulla is putting together a team. Caern Adan is spearheading the campaign. 

The goal is to assemble a team of pilots who can outmaneuver, and destroy the Empire's elite 204th TIE Squadron. The ruthless leader, Colonel Shakara Nuress, of the Starship Destroyer Pursuer dispatches what has become commonly known as Shadow Wing.

The Shadow Wing are known for heartless runs against often defenseless separatists, but also for engaging in battles --and winning them-- against the Rebel Alliance. They are a talented pool of pilots with the seemingly only agenda of decimating their enemy.

Alphabet Squadron is led by Empire defector, Yrica Quill. She flies an X-Wing. The remaining four on the squad are Karios, who wears a face covering helmet, and talks very little (and smells of iron and spice), flies a U-Wing. Wyl Lark, an A-Wing, Nath Tensent (Y-Wing) -- his entire squad was killed by the Shadow Wing. He was the lone survivor. And last, but absolutely not least, is Chass na Chadic (B-Wing).

Quill, partially charged with getting the squad prepared for battle, must also help Adan with figuring out where the 204th are in hiding. Tracking them down in the reaches of the galaxy is an issue. Beating them in a space dog fight is a near impossibility.

The book is explosive with action, wrought with character tension, and nail-bitingly intense as the stories of each of the members of the Alphabet Squadron come into play! Freed has started an amazing series. I love the time frame -- Just after Episode VI. There is a lot of name dropping, mentioning of the Rebel Alliance heroes and legends, such as Jyn Erso from Rogue One (novelization by Alexander Freed).

I hear constant complaints about the newer Star Wars movies, but you know what I rarely hear? Complaints about the books that stem from the universe. If you haven't read Alexander Freed before, Alphabet Squadron might be the perfect place to begin! Or Rogue One. Or Twilight Company . . .

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the scifi horror novel ABSOLUTE ZERO

Book Review: MISERICORDE (Mercy Series, Book 1), by Cynthia A. Morgan

 

Cynthia A. Morgan
MISERICORDE (Mercy Series Book One)
Shadow City - Next Chapter Imprint
249 Pages
April 2020
Fantasy / Romance

It is the distant future. 2446 and the first three Horsemen of the apocalypse have arrived. Pestilence, War, Famine. Death has agreed to wait 100 years, allowing Archangel of Mercy, Tzadkiel, the chance to find one person of true compassion. If he fails, then the human race fails and Death will ride!

This is how MISERICORDE opens. Tension from the start.

What is known as the Great Cataclysm started in 2060, as the first of the riders crossed the globe. The population dwindled after each Horseman rode. Lourdes, a scullery maid, with chestnut-red hair, found herself in a somewhat lucky predicament. In her late teens, she landed the maid job in the Bastion of Resolution, in France, a castle taken over by the Eminent Protectorate faction.

Tzadkiel, taken somewhat by surprise, is captured by the officers of the Eminent Protectorate. They realize what they have, when they have him. So begins a year-long reign of torture. The goal is to find out what makes the heavenly man tick. They know he cannot die. In human form, though, they want to learn just how much pain the man can withstand!

Her nightmare begins when she can no longer stand the screams from a man being tortured night after night. His crying out in pain can be heard from the nearby tower all night long. Every night. In a desperate attempt to help the man, she finds away to work in the same tower. The new job is far more than she bargained for, however.

Tzadkiel recognizes Lourde as a kind, and compassionate young woman. Weakened by the months of brutality, he is of little use. While normally he can heal from any wound within hours, the sustained abuse has left him close to incapable of recuperating fully. Lourde has one goal. Saving Tzadkiel at any expense. She forfeits her own safety and peace of mind to ensure the Archangel is all right.

Locked in an impregnable tower (for either getting into or out of), the two must figure out a way to escape, to survive, and to triumph!

MISERICORDE is non-stop tension. Reading the book I was compelled, enthralled, and infuriated! Morgan writes clean, crisp prose. The dialogue is taut, authentic. Her description places the reader on scene for every scene as if standing in a corner witnessing each and every horror as they unfold.

This may be the first book I read by Morgan, but it will not be my last. She has hooked me on the Mercy Series and I cannot wait to dive into the other installments!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of Wizard's Rise 

Book Review: NIGHTWISE, by R.S. Belcher

R.S. Belcher
NIGHTWISE
Tor Books
Fantasy

What is a Nightwise? Best I can tell, it is an honorable assistant of knight-magicians. They are tasked with protecting the world from evil threats.

And I hate, hate when reviewers compare an author's character to some other author's character. Hate it. Now, with that said, Belcher has created a main character in Laytham Ballard that is similar -- like -- Butcher's Dresden ... but on meth. With sever anger issues. And selfishness. And almost unlikeable.

Ballard's long time . . . I guess you could call him a friend; his one-time partner, Branko Boj, is dying. The man has one last wish. Long ago Boj's wife was kidnapped, tortured for months, until finally he was murdered. All these years Boj has been unable to make pay the man responsible. And although Ballard wants nothing to do with any of it, Boj is responsible for saving his life. Countless times. Reluctantly, the wizard agrees.

As it turns out, Dusan Slorzack is a war criminal. He's wanted by more than just Boj from the acts the horrible man committed. The problem is, Ballard is having trouble finding him. The only thing that give him any direction is the dead banker. The brutal murder scene wasn't so much for punishing the banker as it was to send Ballard a "back off this investigation" message. Despite the message, the warning, Ballard doesn't back off, he now has a solid place to start digging for answers.

Laytham Ballard is a wizard. In the Wisdom, as his grandmother called it, and quite powerful. He is legendary in the magic world. The problem is his personality rots. He is not trustworthy, or friendly. He cares about himself, and little else. He'll do what needs doing to get something done with little regard for anyone else. And that part of his legend is known to all, as well. So when Ballard goes looking for help, few are excited about lending assistance.

With joy missing from an iced over, and blackened heart, Ballard may not know it, but he's the villain desperate to become the hero. NIGHTWISE is filled with constant hints, and nods toward an entire series of Ballard tales (fingers crossed).

NIGHTWISE is dark. Gritty. It has a noir-style, dripping with cynicism, fatalism, and moral ambiguity. R.S. Belcher did some amazing world building between the branches of magic, the layered dimensions, the diversification of beings, and the maps connecting it all. Wow. Thing is, he has the talent as a writer to keep it simple. Followable. There's no getting lost. Belcher guides the reader smoothly from haunting horror, to haunting horror with grace, and a knotted stomach.

Intense and exciting, dark and daunting, NIGHTWISE was a very fantastical mystery!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series, and
The Vaccination Trilogy

Author Interview: C.T. Phipps

Welcome to our First Ever Author Interview.

Today we are talking with C.T. Phipps, who is a lifelong student of horror, science fiction, and fantasy. An avid tabletop gamer, he discovered this passion led him to write and turned him into a lifelong geek. He is a regular reviewer at The United Federation of Charles and the author of The Supervillainy Saga, The Red Room series, Straight Outta Fangton, and Cthulhu Apocalypse.  Hope you enjoy the interview . . . I know I did!

1. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Oh, that’s a question which has no answer. I was scribing away at (awful) books when I was six years old. Whether it was make-believe, Dungeons and Dragons, or amateur writing I’ve always been a storyteller. When did I become a “serious” (heavy on the quotes since I got my start writing humor book) writer? That was the year before I met my wife when an author gave me a card which said that I should try to find a writing group to help me refine my craft.

I joined up with the now-defunct Permuted Press “Pit and the Pendulum” group which helped me tremendously by saying that my writing sucked. Too often you get positive feedback when you need actual criticism to know what works and doesn’t. Under their direction, I wrote The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and Esoterrorism.

For me, I always wanted to be a writer but it was a question of whether I could make a living at it. Changes in the market as well as growing experience now means that’s a yes and I couldn’t be happier.

2. How much time do you dedicate to writing per day/week?

I write in feasts and famines depending on the available time I can get. My best writing success is, of course, when it's dark and quiet with just my computer glowing beside my bed.

However, I've also been known to have flashes of inspiration I swiftly just put down a few paragraphs for.

Generally, though I try and fit in at least a few hours every day in writing. Really, it depends on what I'm in the mood for and whether the angel of inspiration can get my wiring working. I recall the most condensed bit of writing I've ever done in my life was Straight Outta Fangton, which I managed to do in just under a month and half in just under a week. Cthulhu Armageddon, by contrast, took years and involved several rewrites.

3. Do you listen to music when you write? If so, what’s on the playlist?

Oh yes, I definitely do. I prefer to choose a playlist based on the genre I’m choosing to write in. For Cthulhu Armageddon, I got a Fallout-based collection of music from the games as well as Wild West music like Red Dead Redemption’s original soundtrack as well as The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly’s. I also listen to a lot of heavy metal with a focus on Blind Guardian when doing fantasy. Youtube is particularly good for this as you can find all manner of genre-appropriate music which can play in the background while you’re working at your laptop.

4. Why did you choose to write in the genres you write in?

This is a complicated question because I’m not one of those authors who sticks to a single genre. I write in post-apocalypse sci-fi fiction with Cthulhu Armageddon, urban fantasy spy fiction for Esoterrorism, space opera for Lucifer’s Star, superhero fiction for The Rules of Supervillainy, vampire fiction for Straight Outta Fangton, and epic fantasy for Wraith Knight.

I sometimes think I may have taken on too many projects but I would rather find myself immersed in too many worlds than too few. As for why I was inspired to write in various worlds, I can’t say. I wrote Cthulhu Armageddon because I love Mad Max and Fallout as well as H.P. Lovecraft’s monsters. I wrote The Rules of Supervillainy because I love the intricacies of superhero fiction but also know the worlds don’t quite make sense. Lucifer’s Star? Because I’d just seen The Force Awakens and wanted to see what a darker, less forgiving galaxy far far away would like.

So, why do I write in X genre? Because I want to.

5. If you could only have one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Chinese. It’s more a genre of foods anyway.

6. Is there an author, or book, that inspired you into becoming a writer?

I am going to say The Hobbit since it was probably the second or third "serious" book I ever read. I was amazed at the strange, serious, silly, and wonderful world I was introduced to by it. To this day, I still consider it superior to The Lord of the Rings--at least for my tastes. It's also a huge influence on my writing since I can't quite take any genre I participate in completely seriously. I enjoy deconstructing tropes and challenging the assumptions of whatever settings I experience.

7. Tell us something about your latest release?

My latest release is WRAITH KNIGHT from Ragnarok Publications. Wraith Knight is a dark fantasy which takes place in a world where the Dark Lord has been defeated, his armies routed, and after the happily ever after of your typical fantasy series. Except, this means all of the various groups of "good" and "bad" species have to learn to live together now. The protagonist is a Ringwraith-like being named Jacob Riverson.

Jacob has regained his free will and reverted back to his arrogant power-hungry but heroic self. A man who was tempted by evil and enslaved long ago but now finds himself in a world falling apart without a common enemy. Accompanying him is an idealistic young heroine named Regina Whitetremor who believes the world is falling apart rather than just going through the growing pains of reality.

8. What are you currently working on, and when can we expect to see it?

I'm working on THE SCIENCE OF SUPERVILLAINY, which is the fourth novel in the Supervillainy Saga series. I'm also working on the third CTHULHU ARMAGEDDON book, THE TREE OF AZATHOTH.

I finished the second CA novel, THE TOWER OF ZHAAL, a little while ago.

I’m hoping we’ll release The Science of Supervillainy in March of 2017. I’m not sure about the Tower of Zhaal but I’m hoping for December or January of 2017.

9. Do you judge a book by the cover?

I think that's inevitable. We've got so many wonderful books out there that we must have our attention gotten before we can stop to look them over. This is why choosing the right sort of cover for your book is so important. I was lucky with the artists for my books as they've given me some truly wonderful covers. A great cover doesn’t guarantee success but it certainly helps.

10. If you could live in the world of any TV show, what show would you pick, and (of course) why?

That's a tough call as there's comfortable places (Star Trek) and awesome places (Game of Thrones) but you must balance those two. For example, as awesome as Westeros is, I'd end up digging ditches and dying of cholera. If I had to choose, I’d probably Rapture from Bioshock even if I’d end up joining the Atlas underground and dying in the revolution. Why? Well, I’d get to live 20 years in a comfortable underwater city of weird science. Alternatively, Conan’s Hyborian Age if I got to be an evil sorcerer.

11. Do you write full time, or have a day job as well? (And if you have a day job, what is it? What are some of your responsibilities?)

I have been lucky enough to have had a job which allowed me to do a number of my books. Now I'm actually a full time writer and able to live off the revenues of my work. While "don't quit your day job" is always good advice, I'm glad to say I was able to.

12. A meteor is one week away from destroying earth, how do you spend your last seven days?

Playing Xbox. My wife would probably object, though.

13. Do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring writers, or things you wish readers / perspective readers knew about you?

Try to get your book out in multiple formats. Listen to any criticisms people have of your writing. Get social media (Twitter, Facebook, and a website). Don’t pay for reviews or promotions since they probably won’t work. Keep writing and do it for the love of the craft.

This is Phillip Tomasso -- and I want to say, hey, man -- thanks for stopping by. I can tell you now, all I am thinking about is Chinese food! Readers, be sure to follow C.T. Phipps on the Social Media Links we have provided below. Have a fantastic day!

C.T. Phipps Links:

Website

Twitter

Goodreads