A Review of Two Self Published Books Written by Scott Washburn
Anyone who has tried to have their written word published knows how hard it is to get out of the slush pile and into print. No one wants to take a chance on a new author, which is why self publication has become so popular. It gives authors a chance to get their work into print. Scott Washburn is one of these authors. His books are published by Stellar Phoenix Books, a scify/fantasy small press. They are POD-printed by BookSurge, distributed by Baker & Taylor, and sold through Amazon.
If you are a science fiction or fantasy fan you will want to check out his work. Mr. Washburn has just published his third book Fires of Memory. His first two books are War Among The Ruins and Pathfinder, both of which are reviewed in this article.
War Among The Ruins
The long war with Darj’Nang Empire is almost over. While newer and larger ships fought the war the old Star League cruiser Gilgamesh patrolled the border far from the action. Now with the war ending Gilgamesh is due to be decommissioned. Newer ships built for the war will be free to take over pirate duty in the backwater areas of the League.
For Captain Lu-Chin the end of the war means retirement, for Commander Jaqueline Ellsworth command of a new destroyer. As they approach the naval base at Leavitte IV the final attack by the dying Darj’Nang changes everything. In the blink of an eye the station and all of the orbiting ships loose power. Only Gilgamesh retains any power. Thanks to a supply officer who never threw anything away Gilgamesh has a supply of thirty year old power cells that still work. It’s not much but enough to run the air scrubbers on the base and rescue some of the crews of ships in orbit. The old cells also hold the answer to what is causing the power failures, not only at Leavitte IV but all over the entire Star League.
There are over a trillion people in the Star League, all of them dependent on technology that no longer works. As the League falls apart and the wolves begin to gather Gilgamesh and her crew set out for a forgotten world in search of a solution that will save the League. It will be a long, treacherous, and heartbreaking trip with more trouble at the end. But the survival of the League is dependent on them and they will do their duty or die trying.
Pathfinder
This is science fiction at it‘s best. The characters are real and the action is non-stop. The story is well plotted and tightly written, focusing on a small part of a large picture. The heroes are heroes because of the situation, not because they are braver, smarter, or stronger then the rest of the human race. The villains are villains, not just enemies. All in all a very good read.
David Dysinger is a 23rd century scientist who dreams of traveling to the stars. After years of sending out and analyzing faster then light probes, he and his team are ready to build the first FTL starship. The problem is getting the money and backing to build such a ship. Neither the scientific community nor the government are interested in star travel. The majority of people on Earth spend most of their lives wired into their computers, living in virtual reality. The governments of Earth are only interested in keeping the wire heads happily ensconced in their virtual worlds while they run the real world. The only people interested in star travel are the spacers, free thinking individuals who live aboard the orbiting space stations and supplying the power needed by Earth.
Backed by the Spacers and the only privately owned station, David and his team pursue their dream . For them this project is a scientific adventure. What none of them realize is that Earth’s leaders see their adventure as a threat. A threat that has to be stopped. But sabotage, lies, and murder will not stop the crew of Pathfinder.
Both of these books are excellent reads. War Among The Ruins is military science fiction at it’s best. Pathfinder more a science fiction adventure. I am looking forward to reading and reviewing Fires of Memory.
About the Author:
Barb reviews books and series at http://beckymildansbookreviws.blogspot.com/
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