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Author: Toby Heathcotte
Title: Full Contact
(Bk 1 of Operation Pleiades)

In the year 2003, seven baby girls were kidnapped by an alien species called the Anaz-voohr. They were taken to the planet Pleiades where they were implanted with new DNA to become hybrids. Then each girl was placed with guardian parents on Earth to grow up, with no knowledge of ever being taken or altered. At the tender age of two, these little girls had become weapons waiting to be triggered. They were the beginning of humanity's end.

In the year 2022, Maya Rembrandt works at NexTech (once known as Microsoft) in Manhattan's technology sector. Maya has the ability to directly interface with computers. She is working on software to help others learn to do the same. Upon the death of her best friend, Maya's grief causes her hidden programming to trigger early. Maya knocks out the electricity in more than thirteen states. However, no one, including Maya, knows what caused the blackout.

Global Security Sector "GSS" is the part of government with the task of seeking out and destroying Anaz-voohr life. Their splinter black ops group, ORION, tracks the alien species and any known hybrids. General Jason Carrick, Commander in Chief of ORION, has known about "the seven sisters of the Pleiades" for quite some time. When the blackout happens he sends out agents to collect Maya. To Carrick, Maya is not really human. She is a tool to be pumped for information and then destroyed.

Mythos is a secret society group that reports only to President Grant. Mythos Agent Dylan Brady (Code Named Apollo) is sent to investigate why ORION wanted Maya's best friend killed and Maya running scared. Only Dylan's ability of "remote viewing" allows him to locate where Maya has gone to ground. His order are to kill her. But if he finds out she is not being controlled by the Anaz-voohr, perhaps she could be persuaded to help Mythos fight them.

**** This is one intense sci-fi saga! At times it reminded me of the old TV Mini Series called "V" (Visitors). In a nut shell, aliens want humans wiped out so they can claim our planet as home. Human fight for their survival. The author placed this scenario in our not too distant future and included enough tech info to make the story pretty realistic. Since there were seven baby girls and only Maya is in this novel, I can hope to see six more stories. If those stories are half as good as this one is, then Toby Heathcotte has a new fan in me! Riveting! ****

Author: Barbara M Hodges & Darrell Bain
Title: Shadow Worlds

Linda's orderly life is turned upside down one morning as she retrieves her newspaper. Beside the Houston Chronicle, a body identical to her in every detail lay dead. Even her purse, down to the lotto numbers in a certain pocket is the same. Linda is understandably freaked as she summons the police. When the cops arrive, coincidences continue to arise. Frank, one of the officers in charge of her case, shares a history of loss identical to hers. Both of them lost their family when a plane vanished five years ago. An instant attraction springs up between Frank and Linda; however romance is not the most important thing in their lives at the moment. More twins are turning up, not only around Houston, but in other parts of the country. Each one had a relative on that plane, each one arrives dead or dies shortly afterwards. When a live person arrives, the mystery is revealed. Another Earth is sending the people there, trying to save all Earths from being taken over by Ogres. The risks involved and the price of salvation is high, but a few brave souls are willing to try if it will save all humanity on every world that's left.

***** Two voices have fused perfectly to create an action packed story that will hook you from the first page. Action and romance balance perfectly, making this a story appealing to a wide audience. If it were a paper book, I'd call it impossible to put down. As it is, you'll be glued to your computer screen until it's over. Although the story does wrap up nicely, I do hope there is a possible sequel in the works. *****

Author: Various
Title: Stargazer's Children (Anthology)

After finding a mysterious artifact, a group of researchers watch the three tales contained within it. These three stories are related here. Each one occurs in a very different time and place. The middle one seems to have taken place in the past, though when is rather uncertain; and the final one has the feel of being both in the distant future and past. In both, characters find their meaning through love. However, the first one is the most compelling of the three, and if you buy the book only to read Child of Prophecy, you will be getting a good deal. Like the saga began in the Blue Flame, a fantasy world is intertwined with the modern, familiar reality. Brianna finds her big break in the catering business both exciting and daunting, as she is not sure she can assemble a party for a hundred people in two days' span. However, her potential employer, Mason, has every confidence in her and won't take no for an answer. Catering is not what he really wants from her in any case. What he wants is far more. His life has been bound to Brianna's for many lifetimes. Together, they are destined to journey to another world where they will unite their strengths with the sorceress Mirabella and her true love, Christian, to bring about a prophecy that will prevent eternal darkness from overtaking the land. The problem is, Christian has been captured by a dark witch, Katarina, who wants to replace Mirabella in the prophecy, thus preventing the light and bringing darkness.

*** Dangerous passions and wild magic conflagulate to a stunning conclusion that can not leave you unmoved. This is a truly memorable story, compacting all the best of epic fantasy into a small space. ***

Author: Lee Denning
Title: Monkey Trap

Two objects fell from the sky. The government believed it was simply pieces of space junk or asteroids. Goddard Space Flight Center and those at the Global Consciousness Project believed that two ER forms had landed on Earth. Contact had been made!

Captain John Jacob Connard worked for the black operations. His targets were mainly big drug lords. He was an assassin. After one such target deep in Colombia, John lay dying in a cave. He was saved by an entity merging with his body. It taught John how to heal himself, teleport, and to use higher powers. The entity only asked for one favor in return. John was to help track down another space entity that had landed on the planet. It was pure evil and would destroy all those on earth unless they destroyed it first. John must find the human host of the evil one and destroy them both.

Lara Ellen Picard was FBI. She was dying on a cliff ledge when an entity merged with her. It taught Lara all about her new special powers as well. Lara was to set a trap for an evil creature that would soon come to kill her. If Lara lost the battle, the other entity would destroy everyone on earth.

***** An alien war on earth with two humans caught between them. All through the story I wondered which entity was the real "evil one". This book will test your wits while keeping you on the edge of your seat. For the big fans of Robert A. Heinlein out there, you will detect the master's intelligent flavor all through this novel. Lee Denning could very well be the next big name in Sci-Fi! *****

Author: Jim Johnson, J. Allen Johnson
Title: SOL SYM: 1 (Tales From Our Solar System)

The Europa Contact is the first story. Paul Stone and his partner, Wendy Copeland, work beneath the icy sea of Europa, one of Jupiter's moons. During one mission, they came upon a strange looking nodule growing on a reef. Wendy cut one off so Dr. De Silva could run some tests. Before they could return, the nodule attached itself to Wendy's face plate, seeped in, and turned her to liquid. No one believes Paul's story because when Wendy's face plate is removed, she is solid ... and dead. But when Wendy suddenly comes back to life eighteen hours later and people on station are mysteriously dying, Dr. De Silva believes Paul. Is it too late to escape?

Outreach Station rests just beyond Neptune. The drives are inoperable but the inexhaustible power cores continues to provide the station of life-sustaining energy. Eric Foster is an exterminator. Normally there is nothing around to exterminate. Things change quickly and the station is being overrun by twenty pound rats. Too much for even a professional exterminator to handle.

The Red Sand Sea is another name for Mars. And Joe Simmons has had enough of Mars to last him for the rest of his life. All Joe wants is to leave this planet. "Tap Central" sends Joe out, at triple pay, to sector eight where two men have disappeared. Joe is to fix a tap so water extraction from the planet core could continue. Sounds simple, right?

***** Three stories that will not only thoroughly entertain you but also, at times, chill you to the bone. Author Jim Johnson has proven that he has a very fertile imagination. I am eagerly awaiting his next release! *****

Author: Nina M. Osier
Title: Rough Rider

Our story actually begins in the middle. Star Guard Captain Joy Grant commands the St. Petersburg. As the story opens, Captain Grant and her crew have been diverted to the planet Zorti. All communications with the planet ceased abruptly a month ago. Since Captain Grant had been present nineteen years ago, when firs contact had been made with the population of Zorti, she was the one chosen to find out what was wrong.

Flash back nineteen year. Lieutenant Joy Grant and Captain Kirk Rogers were intimate, though the crew had not known it. Captain Rogers commanded the Rough Rider. The crew was thrilled to locate a new planet and attempted First Contact. The Zortians were not a violent species, they had no weapons. In fact, they "spoke" by telepathy. After Grant met one being, named the Elderess, she returned to the ship so the captain could go planet side and meet with the planet's council members. The next morning, the Elderess was telling Grant that Captain Rogers died over night and his body had already been cremated. Grant never even got to tell Rogers that she was pregnant.

**** That is as much as I can tell in a synopsis without giving away any "spoilers". Much changed on the planet between Captain Grant's two visits, all of it stemmed from the events of the first time contact had been made with the Zortians. The only thing about the story I did not care for was the fact that it went back and forth in time. Yet I do not see how else it could have been written in a way that readers could fully understand otherwise.

The author, Nina M. Osier, was able to project the rough and soft sides of Captain Grant. I could easily see the character stern as captains must be, as well as, the loving side of a mother. Brava! Well written and recommended to sci-fi fans! ****

Author: Jennifer Macaire
Title: Virtual Murder

"Virtual Tours" was perfect for people too busy for vacations. All one had to do was book a vacation at the company, Virtual Tours. The clients were hooked up, went into a sleep-like state, and had a two week vacation in the Bahamas. However, in reality, the clients' bodies were at rest only three days. Everything was realistic. They could even purchase gifts on the vacation for people back home. Only one thing was different, no one could be aroused to desire or lust. Net Government wanted to make sure that no one could use the Net for sexual gains. "Those" types of sites were wiped out back in the year 2010. What the public never knew was that nineteen mutants created it all. Half human and half machine, these nineteen beings floated in their large glass tubes and created virtual world after virtual world.

But when tour guides began to die things went bad! Net Security claimed it was only a virus or bug in the program. Andrea Girt, who began Virtual Tours and ran it, was sure that it was murder. Andrea was convinced that someone, somehow, had slipped into Virtual Tours' virtual world and murdered them.

One mutant was chosen, M-18, to be taken out of his glass home. M-18 was nicknamed Monkey. Everyone hoped that Monkey could find and catch the killer or virus. After all, Monkey created that particular world and no one knew the virtual worlds better than the mutants.

***** An incredible sci-fi tale that kept me glued all night long! It reminded me of the old movie "Total Recall" but this novel took the virtual tour idea even further! If this book was made into a movie or television series it would be an instant hit. Recommended to readers who love to game online especially! *****

Author: Various
Title: Port Nowhere: Adventures At The Edge Of The Galaxy
(June 2004)

Here is a novel unlike any I have ever read before! There are twenty-three chapters and almost a dozen sci-fi authors! The entire novel takes place far away from our planet, Earth, at a place called "Port Nowhere". There are dozens of different species that call Port Nowhere home. The inhabitants affectionately call it "The Rock", because people live below ground. Few ever see the surface. Many believe the stars and tales of other places are just that, tales. As for planets with free water, that could not really exist! Water is never free!

LevOne is for the richest inhabitants. The lowest level (that house beings able to generously be labeled as civilized) is LevSev. There are lower levels, called the Depths. But trust me on this, you DO NOT want to go there!

Let me tell you about a few characters now. As the story opens, Port Nowhere is getting a new local commander. Captain Carle Eversyn arrives on the Rock. He commands the Consolidated Guard (A.K.A. the "Connies") of Malpairiso Sector. He has the last word on everything! His main goal is to capture Malik "Mal" Blayne. Malik has single-handedly kept the Connies (and all the authorities that claimed authority before them) in chaos. Glimpses are often seen of Mal, but no one can find him. As with the best villains, Mal hides right under Captain Carle's nose. Mal is also Rudof Dyll, the richest person at Port Nowhere, but only his bodyguard knows it. Mal and Rudof look nothing alike. As for the bodyguard, he is one of the Vamir. Think Wookie, but meaner and deadlier.

Then there is Crila "Cri" Maragorn. Her left forearm is a prosthesis. She is a bartender at Dhamu's Place. But that left hand can become several weapons, power tools, and so much more! She joins the Circle of the Beryl. (Think assassins and spies that look like tall lizards.) Cri is half Human and half Halsan, so her form is human female, red hair, lilac skin color, and she is a lethal combination of lovely and deadly.

There is also a boy, Tau the Silent, who is just hitting puberty. I found him exceptional. Tarzan, if you recall, was raised by apes. Tau was raised by things much more deadly. I refuse to say what and I doubt that you would ever guess.

***** There are several other characters, some get a lot of attention, some do not. The most awesome thing about this particular novel is that each chapter is written by a different author. So for the first few chapters, it is like reading an anthology. But each chapter picks up where the last left off! Soon the authors are using characters from each other. So Mal and Captain Carle have a plot going, then Mal could enter that plot and have another going that involves Tau, who may have another going with several others... You get the idea.

We have all heard the saying "Too many cooks in the kitchen will spoil the dinner." Yet somehow, these authors have collaborated and the stories flow smoother than silk. You would have to really be looking to figure out where one author stops and another begins. Few authors can works well with other authors. This group is part of that elite clan. If you enjoyed the Starport Canteen scene during the original Star Wars movie, then you will LOVE this novel. I cannot recommend this novel highly enough! Astounding! *****

Author: Jon Wakefield
Title: Dark Presence

Cason McCarty went to sleep in bed beside his wife, Jennifer, one night only to wake up three days later in the woods. No one knew what happened during that time, not even Cason. It was all a blank. However, Cason took one look at Jennifer and found out that he could read minds! Jennifer's mind immediately informed him that she was having an affair with his best friend!

Linnea Sinclair: title - Finders Keepers

Captain Trilby Elliot ran an old Circura II cargo ship. Most things aboard did not operate well, if at all. They were extremely outdated, including her nav charts. Her only companion was Dezi, her DZ-9 droid that spoke too much. While settled in Avanar's infamous swamp world, a Sko ship crash-landed. Trilby decided to salvage all available in the crash for much needed cash. After all, finder's keeper's. But instead of an enemy Sko, she found a Z'fharin. Trilby and Dezi patched him up, intending to continue to Port Rumor (her home world) for a pick up of cargo. It was not to be.

He was THE Senior Captain T'vahr! Known by many less friendly titles. He was created by the Empire. He had been genetically manipulated. Keeping his identity hidden from her, he let her call him Rhis Vanur. He had escaped from the Ycsko and needed to complete his mission. Soon the Sko would own Trilby's Conclave, and later the Empire, unless he succeeded. No one, not even Rhis, believed he could ever care for anyone. Emotions were a waste of time and dangerous! But Trilby slowly wiggled inside his defenses.

The Sko had Trilby's ship on their Kill List though no one knew why. An old, high-ranking, ex-boyfriend was out to win Trilby back for his own treacherous reasons. Trilby's nav charts (over 30 years old) were suddenly valuable to some anonymous forces. Her old friends were disappearing, Sko related somehow. But her new friends from Razalka were dangerous. With her new friends as crew, in her new and powerful ship, and with THE T'vahr the Terrible aboard, it was time it go kick some serious Sko butt!

***** It gets no better than this! An author after my own heart! This one caught me quickly and never let go. In fact, I read it in record time. (My husband is currently into the story.) Perfect for male or female readers. Don't think "bodice ripper". Could not be farther from the truth. No, this is jam packed with excitement, battle, adventure, romance, and treason! Highly recommended reading! *****

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