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The Peace Warrior #1
Peace Warrior
Peace Warrior is a military science fiction novel, with a time travel element.
It’s the mid-21st century when Sergeant First Class Grant Justice is killed during an ambush on an enemy tank column.
Six hundred years later, his body is retrieved from the frozen, arctic lake where he perished. Re-animated by a team of scientists, Grant awakens to a civilization that has abolished war. A civilization that has outlawed violence and cherishes Peace above all else. A civilization that has been enslaved by an alien race called the Minith.
Grant is humankind’s final hope against the alien menace. He must be the... Peace Warrior.
It’s the mid-21st century when Sergeant First Class Grant Justice is killed during an ambush on an enemy tank column.
Six hundred years later, his body is retrieved from the frozen, arctic lake where he perished. Re-animated by a team of scientists, Grant awakens to a civilization that has abolished war. A civilization that has outlawed violence and cherishes Peace above all else. A civilization that has been enslaved by an alien race called the Minith.
Grant is humankind’s final hope against the alien menace. He must be the... Peace Warrior.
264 pages, Nook
First published June 30, 2010
274 people are currently reading
1029 people want to read
About the author
Steven L. Hawk
17 books46 followersSteven L. Hawk spent six years as a Military Intelligence Specialist with the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division before joining the ranks of corporate America. He has a B.S. in Business Management from Western Governor's University and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). He has traveled extensively across the United States and, at various times, has lived in Georgia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Massachusetts, California and Idaho.
Steve currently resides in Boise, Idaho with his wife, Juanita. Together, they have a blended family of five sons: Paul, Gordo, Aaron, Taylor and Steven Jr.
For more information, you can follow him via the following channels:
Website: http://www.SteveHawk.com
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenhawk
Twitter: @stevenhawk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/steven.hawk1
Steve currently resides in Boise, Idaho with his wife, Juanita. Together, they have a blended family of five sons: Paul, Gordo, Aaron, Taylor and Steven Jr.
For more information, you can follow him via the following channels:
Website: http://www.SteveHawk.com
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenhawk
Twitter: @stevenhawk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/steven.hawk1
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
March 28, 2013
This one was so bad, I can't believe I read the whole thing. (Confirms my use of the "hundred page rule.")
Where to start? A not-credible almost-superhero fights to free 60 billion earthlings from a hundred super-sized, but incredibly stupid alien warriors. And barely gets out of breath.
Hawk claimed humanity's second eyelid was an "evolutionary trait" (post twenty-first century) but somehow it was magically passed to the entire human population (60 billion, remember?) in "a few generations." Can it be that Hawk and the readers understand the theory of evolution so poorly? (No wonder they're making so little headway against the Creationists.) Genetic manipulation would have made more sense (and fit the level of supposed bio-medical technology).
The earth has "almost no machines" so farming is done by hand (and feeds 60 billion?! Oh, and families live in "one-room shelters" wasting more arable surface), but they have bus-sized "carriers which operate by an unspecified anti-gravity mode. And huge bio-chemical research labs. (But the aliens only want to steal natural resources, as if 60 billion people wouldn't have consumed them all in 600 years from now.)
Our hero happens to find a fully functional and charged ray gun in a museum, pockets it, and walks off.
How could the supposedly warlike Minith fail to detect humans entering and wandering around their gigantic spaceship?
Comic book plot, characters and writing. I'd mark it YA except Hawk peppers the hero's dialogue with profanity. You know, to show he's a manly man.
Don't waste your time.
Where to start? A not-credible almost-superhero fights to free 60 billion earthlings from a hundred super-sized, but incredibly stupid alien warriors. And barely gets out of breath.
Hawk claimed humanity's second eyelid was an "evolutionary trait" (post twenty-first century) but somehow it was magically passed to the entire human population (60 billion, remember?) in "a few generations." Can it be that Hawk and the readers understand the theory of evolution so poorly? (No wonder they're making so little headway against the Creationists.) Genetic manipulation would have made more sense (and fit the level of supposed bio-medical technology).
The earth has "almost no machines" so farming is done by hand (and feeds 60 billion?! Oh, and families live in "one-room shelters" wasting more arable surface), but they have bus-sized "carriers which operate by an unspecified anti-gravity mode. And huge bio-chemical research labs. (But the aliens only want to steal natural resources, as if 60 billion people wouldn't have consumed them all in 600 years from now.)
Our hero happens to find a fully functional and charged ray gun in a museum, pockets it, and walks off.
How could the supposedly warlike Minith fail to detect humans entering and wandering around their gigantic spaceship?
Comic book plot, characters and writing. I'd mark it YA except Hawk peppers the hero's dialogue with profanity. You know, to show he's a manly man.
Don't waste your time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2016
-De la Proyección, afirmo, y de la Sublimación, sospecho.-
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. Un suboficial del ejército norteamericano es asesinado durante una acción militar en el siglo XXI. Seis siglos después, despierta en una sociedad que aborrece la violencia y que está bajo el dominio de una raza extraterrestre conocida como los Minith. Primer libro de la trilogía “Peace Warrior”.
¿Quiere saber más del libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. Un suboficial del ejército norteamericano es asesinado durante una acción militar en el siglo XXI. Seis siglos después, despierta en una sociedad que aborrece la violencia y que está bajo el dominio de una raza extraterrestre conocida como los Minith. Primer libro de la trilogía “Peace Warrior”.
¿Quiere saber más del libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
November 10, 2013
Peace must be earned!
This is one well written riveting, page turning, exciting story. Did I use enough adjectives? It’s been quite some time since a book has really grabbed my attention. This is it.
This is an extremely original work. The main character Grant Justice is a seasoned soldier. He will do whatever it takes to defend his nation, no matter what the time period.
The book opens with him knee deep in a difficult situation. His squad is attempting to slow down the spearhead of the European armored thrust into North America. His troops are successful, but like all great soldiers, Grant doesn’t leave the battle in one piece. The next time he awakens, over six hundred years have passed and Earth is under the control of an alien race— the Minith. Like I said, this is a very original story. It never bogged down in unwanted descriptions or tactics like many others I’ve read. This book keeps the meat of the story pushing forward as Grant tries to rally the forces of a planet that has abolished violence in any form, to rid itself of the enslavers!
I will be checking out the second book in the series. Well done Mr. Hawk
A five star work!
This is one well written riveting, page turning, exciting story. Did I use enough adjectives? It’s been quite some time since a book has really grabbed my attention. This is it.
This is an extremely original work. The main character Grant Justice is a seasoned soldier. He will do whatever it takes to defend his nation, no matter what the time period.
The book opens with him knee deep in a difficult situation. His squad is attempting to slow down the spearhead of the European armored thrust into North America. His troops are successful, but like all great soldiers, Grant doesn’t leave the battle in one piece. The next time he awakens, over six hundred years have passed and Earth is under the control of an alien race— the Minith. Like I said, this is a very original story. It never bogged down in unwanted descriptions or tactics like many others I’ve read. This book keeps the meat of the story pushing forward as Grant tries to rally the forces of a planet that has abolished violence in any form, to rid itself of the enslavers!
I will be checking out the second book in the series. Well done Mr. Hawk
A five star work!
January 4, 2012
From the first word to the last this book was full of action. The story line was well written and the charactors were well developed and believable. This is a very good book and I recommend it to all ages.
January 23, 2016
From the moment I started reading this book, the author reeled me in. You are immediately thrown inside the mind of Sgt. First Class Grant Justice while he is leading his men on a combat operation. Unfortunately Sgt. Justice is savagely killed on the mission and his mangled body ends up in the frigid waters of a lake. This scene sets up the premise for the rest of the story.
Flash forward 600 years and the reader is propelled into a time when all the inhabitants on Earth are peaceful. There are no wars, no fighting or even any bickering. This utopian world is the perfect place for the savage and military race, the Minith, to invade and conquer. The Minith rule with an iron fist and the humans are easily enslaved because aggression and violent tendencies have been bred out of them.
I found the chapters dealing with the Earth Peace Council dragged a bit. Their names were complicated and dialogue was stilted, but as soon as Senior Scientist Tane Roland was introduced, I was eagerly turning the pages again. I would have liked it if the author had let us see more into Tane's inner thoughts. He is an anomaly among the humans and it would have been great if his character had been fleshed out more. I would have liked more back story for the major prison characters as well. A few fell flat for me.
Tane receives permission from the Council to awaken the newly improved bioengineered Grant Justice and from the moment Grant opens his eyes I was back under his spell. Grant was given an impossible task, but relying on his 600 year old military experience might just save the planet. The author kept Grant true to his ideals and morals throughout the book and it clearly reflected the author's military experience.
Without giving the climax away, I can say that I couldn't stop reading. Page and page flew by during the final chapters. This is an impressive debut novel for this author and I look forward to reading more by him.
Flash forward 600 years and the reader is propelled into a time when all the inhabitants on Earth are peaceful. There are no wars, no fighting or even any bickering. This utopian world is the perfect place for the savage and military race, the Minith, to invade and conquer. The Minith rule with an iron fist and the humans are easily enslaved because aggression and violent tendencies have been bred out of them.
I found the chapters dealing with the Earth Peace Council dragged a bit. Their names were complicated and dialogue was stilted, but as soon as Senior Scientist Tane Roland was introduced, I was eagerly turning the pages again. I would have liked it if the author had let us see more into Tane's inner thoughts. He is an anomaly among the humans and it would have been great if his character had been fleshed out more. I would have liked more back story for the major prison characters as well. A few fell flat for me.
Tane receives permission from the Council to awaken the newly improved bioengineered Grant Justice and from the moment Grant opens his eyes I was back under his spell. Grant was given an impossible task, but relying on his 600 year old military experience might just save the planet. The author kept Grant true to his ideals and morals throughout the book and it clearly reflected the author's military experience.
Without giving the climax away, I can say that I couldn't stop reading. Page and page flew by during the final chapters. This is an impressive debut novel for this author and I look forward to reading more by him.
June 23, 2011
It occurred to me while reading this book that I just like stories...all kinds of stories. This one is scifi, which is usually pretty interesting to me. The first chapter, or maybe it's a prologue, almost made me put it down, though. It is graphic and unpleasant.
I'm glad I stuck with it because I ended up enjoying it. There is almost an element of time travel, which always intrigues me. Most of it was predictable but it was still a fun read. I'm not sure yet if I'll be purchasing the next book in the trilogy, but this one was worth the time it took to read.
I'm glad I stuck with it because I ended up enjoying it. There is almost an element of time travel, which always intrigues me. Most of it was predictable but it was still a fun read. I'm not sure yet if I'll be purchasing the next book in the trilogy, but this one was worth the time it took to read.
June 16, 2018
Not sure
This was nearly a DNF book for me. I just couldn't get into it. But I persevered and found parts of it enjoyable.
This was nearly a DNF book for me. I just couldn't get into it. But I persevered and found parts of it enjoyable.
September 24, 2013
I was hooked into this book from the very beginning. Being a huge fan of military fiction, I was not disappointed by this book. The blurb posted on Amazon drew me into the story and I had to give it a shot. I'm so glad I did.
The story begins with the awful death of SFC Grant Justice. Then it shoots ahead hundreds of years in the future to where Earth has rid itself of war and all violence. Even cursing is seen a major offense that landed one in prison. As I said, that concept pulled me immediately into the story. Advancement in science allowed Grant Justice to be revived to help the Peaceful people of earth to fight against the Minith, an alien race that had enslaved the entire planet. But, Grant's revival poses problems for the veteran soldier, as his very nature offends the very people he is trying to save.
I found Mr. Hawk's new Earth to be very interesting. I especially loved the new names for countries and cultures as well as the world government he built for this story. It was a great idea that fit perfectly with the "No Violence" world Earth had become. I don't want to give away too much of the story, but the world building in this book is very deep and I felt, completely realistic due to the way Hawk presents the new world to the reader.
I was also impressed with the character of Grant Justice himself. He is a fully developed character, three dimensional. As a girl and Army Brat, I was completely entranced by Grant's sense of duty, honor, and loyalty to humankind. And yes, I admit, I found the character rather sexy too.
I can't wait to read more of this series. I couldn't put this one down. I can't wait to read Peace Army, the second book in the series, that already awaits me on my Kindle. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves military fiction and sci-fi.
The story begins with the awful death of SFC Grant Justice. Then it shoots ahead hundreds of years in the future to where Earth has rid itself of war and all violence. Even cursing is seen a major offense that landed one in prison. As I said, that concept pulled me immediately into the story. Advancement in science allowed Grant Justice to be revived to help the Peaceful people of earth to fight against the Minith, an alien race that had enslaved the entire planet. But, Grant's revival poses problems for the veteran soldier, as his very nature offends the very people he is trying to save.
I found Mr. Hawk's new Earth to be very interesting. I especially loved the new names for countries and cultures as well as the world government he built for this story. It was a great idea that fit perfectly with the "No Violence" world Earth had become. I don't want to give away too much of the story, but the world building in this book is very deep and I felt, completely realistic due to the way Hawk presents the new world to the reader.
I was also impressed with the character of Grant Justice himself. He is a fully developed character, three dimensional. As a girl and Army Brat, I was completely entranced by Grant's sense of duty, honor, and loyalty to humankind. And yes, I admit, I found the character rather sexy too.
I can't wait to read more of this series. I couldn't put this one down. I can't wait to read Peace Army, the second book in the series, that already awaits me on my Kindle. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves military fiction and sci-fi.
February 11, 2011
I posted this on Amazon as well.
Peace Warrior is a fine first novel from Steven Hawk. There are some rough dialogue spots but I imagine that by the time the sequel is published, those will have diminished.
I enjoyed the story of Sgt First Class Grant Justice. He is a man out of his own time, a soldier revived from a 600 year period frozen on the bottom of a lake with a shattered body and patched up to help defeat the Minith, who have taken over the planet. The Minith are a violent race, killers without thought or conscience. They have subjugated the 60 billion human beings who have no knowledge of how to fight back. In the 600 years since Sgt Justice's death and revival, the human race has evolved to put war and aggression behind them, focusing instead on Peace. As a consequence, it was fairly easy for the Minith to force the planet's population into slavery. Grant Justice, with his extensive soldiering knowledge that the current generation of humans have forgotten, has a huge task ahead of him : recruit enough people, train them and then lead them in a race against time to rid the planet of the Minith.
There are elements of Battlefield Earth and especially the Psychlos in the Minith and how they have enslaved the human population and are strip mining the earth of everything valuable. There are also elements of Demolition Man where humans have no need for violence and violent criminals are put in prison except in this instance, the violent criminals.....well you will have to buy the book to find out what happens.
I look forward to the sequel.
Peace Warrior is a fine first novel from Steven Hawk. There are some rough dialogue spots but I imagine that by the time the sequel is published, those will have diminished.
I enjoyed the story of Sgt First Class Grant Justice. He is a man out of his own time, a soldier revived from a 600 year period frozen on the bottom of a lake with a shattered body and patched up to help defeat the Minith, who have taken over the planet. The Minith are a violent race, killers without thought or conscience. They have subjugated the 60 billion human beings who have no knowledge of how to fight back. In the 600 years since Sgt Justice's death and revival, the human race has evolved to put war and aggression behind them, focusing instead on Peace. As a consequence, it was fairly easy for the Minith to force the planet's population into slavery. Grant Justice, with his extensive soldiering knowledge that the current generation of humans have forgotten, has a huge task ahead of him : recruit enough people, train them and then lead them in a race against time to rid the planet of the Minith.
There are elements of Battlefield Earth and especially the Psychlos in the Minith and how they have enslaved the human population and are strip mining the earth of everything valuable. There are also elements of Demolition Man where humans have no need for violence and violent criminals are put in prison except in this instance, the violent criminals.....well you will have to buy the book to find out what happens.
I look forward to the sequel.
June 15, 2011
Read a purchased Kindle ebook version.
This was a cross between Sylvester Stallone's movie 'Demolition Man' and L. Ron Hubbard's 'Battlefield Earth.' The aliens lording over Earth seem to closely resemble those in 'Battlefield Earth.' However the author manages to personalize it and make it his own story through his title character, Justice Grant, a soldier from our near future who, in a freak set of circumstances, ends up being revived several hundred years in Earth's future, complete with some cybernetic enhancements.
Overall the story was engaging, but did not create any breakthroughs in concepts or treatment of the subject of 'war and violence have a necessary place in civilization.'
Two drawbacks that are perhaps a matter of personal enjoyment more than anything else ... 1) There was some confusion in clearly identifying the main character in the opening chapter (referring to him either by his first name or last name, and thereby seeming to refer to two different characters). 2) The preamble section presented a gore quotient that, to the author, may have seemed necessary to establish parameters for what happens later in the book, but went beyond a tolerable and believable level.
The story ended with the promise of a sequel, and sure enough, a second helping is available.
For those who like a somewhat predictable plot in the military science fiction genre, this comes recommended and will probably provide a good reading diversion.
This was a cross between Sylvester Stallone's movie 'Demolition Man' and L. Ron Hubbard's 'Battlefield Earth.' The aliens lording over Earth seem to closely resemble those in 'Battlefield Earth.' However the author manages to personalize it and make it his own story through his title character, Justice Grant, a soldier from our near future who, in a freak set of circumstances, ends up being revived several hundred years in Earth's future, complete with some cybernetic enhancements.
Overall the story was engaging, but did not create any breakthroughs in concepts or treatment of the subject of 'war and violence have a necessary place in civilization.'
Two drawbacks that are perhaps a matter of personal enjoyment more than anything else ... 1) There was some confusion in clearly identifying the main character in the opening chapter (referring to him either by his first name or last name, and thereby seeming to refer to two different characters). 2) The preamble section presented a gore quotient that, to the author, may have seemed necessary to establish parameters for what happens later in the book, but went beyond a tolerable and believable level.
The story ended with the promise of a sequel, and sure enough, a second helping is available.
For those who like a somewhat predictable plot in the military science fiction genre, this comes recommended and will probably provide a good reading diversion.
December 23, 2012
Steven Hawk starts a little slow. Reminded me a little of reading a Sgt. Fury comic at first. But he doesn't let up. Nor does he go in any direction I thought he would. The pace is amazing. I plowed through this novel in less than a day, mostly reading it on my phone. I just had to know how Grant Justice will teach a society that's given up completely on any sort of violence to reclaim their heritage and kick some alien butt. It's not easy. They entire world of the future appears to have decided to create many more humans in some sort of public agency in which everybody gets along. Or at least that's what they say. Justice discovers once he's reborn by a team of scientists that people who don't live up to pacifist specs get dumped in prison. It's there that he finds what he needs to fight the bat-eared aliens that have subjugated this society of sheep and are raping the planet.
February 4, 2012
When I started to read this science fiction, I was hesitant at first because I only enjoy the best syfy stories. A good science fiction has to have three things: 1) It has to have an alien race from another world, and this story has the Minith, 2) it has to have fun high tech gadgets, and this story has a few, one is the knowledge mind probe machine in which the user can learn many things instantly such as foreign languages and be fluent in seconds... Pretty neat stuff. And 3) it has to have a hero who overcomes an obstacle to become the hero, and this story has Grant Justice! Enough said.
As science fictions go, this was a pretty good read and I enjoyed it.
As science fictions go, this was a pretty good read and I enjoyed it.
May 22, 2012
This was a great trilogy. The character development was good, the plot line interesting, a little unbelievable but hey, if I wanted believable it would be about a dude getting up and going to work 9 to 5 YUCK. Besides its free right now on Amazon... for free its a steal.
I purchased the other two in the trilogy and they get even better as they go. I would buy anything Mr. Hawk publishes and hope he continues to write and I would especially love continued expansion of this storyline.
There were some "preachy" moments on social issues but not enough to bother me.
The language in this book was "R" the sexuality was a strong PG the violence was a strong PG-13 maybe soft R
I purchased the other two in the trilogy and they get even better as they go. I would buy anything Mr. Hawk publishes and hope he continues to write and I would especially love continued expansion of this storyline.
There were some "preachy" moments on social issues but not enough to bother me.
The language in this book was "R" the sexuality was a strong PG the violence was a strong PG-13 maybe soft R
April 23, 2013
It was just above okay. It held my interest just enough to finish it. I found huge problems with the spacefaring race that was so advanced from us but had zero concept of defense, security, any helpful military gadgets after centuries of war, no airborne assault ships, no eaves dropping equipment, nothing at all like that. Are you kidding? Of course, if they had anything beyond handheld weapons or any sense of military strategy then a few muscular ex-prisoners wouldn't have stood a chance, would they? A sappy, convenient, lazy novel but not without its few moments of sparkle.
I expected more and having made it to the end, I have no interest in continuing the series.
I expected more and having made it to the end, I have no interest in continuing the series.
May 29, 2015
As soon as you start reading this book you are immediately thrown inside the mind of Sgt. First Class Grant Justice after he is savagely killed on a mission and his body ends up in the frigid waters of a lake.
This scene hooked me on the story. As luck would have it, this intense and interesting start was a good indication of what followed, and I can only say that I, for one, am going to buy the follow up book Peace Army as soon as I can afford it :D
This scene hooked me on the story. As luck would have it, this intense and interesting start was a good indication of what followed, and I can only say that I, for one, am going to buy the follow up book Peace Army as soon as I can afford it :D
February 12, 2011
I stumbled across Steven's book on the Kindle forums and was inspired to read it. The cover interested me, I downloaded the sample and had decided to purchase the entire book within a few pages.
I thought he has done a great job with the book and this is a very entertaining read. I can recommend this book to anyone who enjoys sci-fi or thrillers.
I thought he has done a great job with the book and this is a very entertaining read. I can recommend this book to anyone who enjoys sci-fi or thrillers.
June 26, 2012
I quite enjoyed this classic tale of the not necessarily super soldier facing impossible odds but finding the inner strength to prevail. You can get this from smashwords for free, so you have no excuse for not checking out Steven Hawk's style.
January 11, 2014
The story is well written with almost non-stop action which will keep the reader engrossed. I was up later than I should have been finishing this well edited story. I am looking forward to reading the next installment in this well thought out story line.
June 17, 2011
It's OK. The author seems rushed at times to cram in extra details that it sometimes reads like a narration. The premise is great, but there are few points of suspense or anticipation.
January 28, 2012
Read the full review at http://sciyourfi.blogspot.com/2012/01...
July 5, 2012
This was awesome. Great read. The dialogue was completely believable. That is very important to me in a book. It really helps with immersion. I can't wait to start the next one.
October 21, 2012
good story. a little tough to get into, but once i did i was happy i stuck with it. i am looking forward to reading the next two books.
May 21, 2013
Kind of like a cross between the Eloi/Morlock part of HG Welles The Time Machine and Demolition Man if it had starred Stone Cold Steve Austin. I liked it.
June 4, 2022
.
“…Diekela Mamun, the Afc’n Culture representative, cleared her throat and looked to her diminutive counterpart from the As’n culture. Diekela was large, dark, and dressed colorfully, as was her Culture’s way. When she entered a room, heads turned. She exuded an exotic mixture of intelligence, pride, and gentleness…..”
“Randalyn Trevino, the N’mercan Representative, struck the top of the table with her pale fist...the members of the Council …taken aback at the show of violence.”
“…The Musl’n representative acknowledged the look with a slight nod, and … raised a hand to signal the Leader Elect….”
“… Randalyn Trevino, the N’mercan…Her quiet voice held a hint of anger and the other members drew back, surprised at the outburst. Randalyn often expressed strong emotion…and Esteval feared this latest news might push her into violence….”
“… The promotion of even the mildest form of violence by a Culture Leader was taboo and cause for immediate dismissal. The N’mercan was advocating fighting. She was crying for war. Esteval knew her words would either sway her fellow leaders or be her undoing. ‘I assert that violence… is the only way….’”
“… Diekela shook her head, clearly not agreeing with the N’mercan’s position. Quasan Alla merely stared at the table….”
“…Unfortunately for Tane [a human scientist], anyone who expressed emotions that conflicted with the norms of ‘patience’ and ‘peace’ were singled out as possibly being a Violent, and he was no exception. It made for an awfully lonely childhood, and one where he was constantly monitored and “re-counseled….”
“‘…They [Humanity] are a weak race, Zal,’ Brun complained [the aliens]. The pointed auricles of his overlarge ears, decidedly the most un-humanlike characteristic of their race, twitched. ‘They are not strong and have no courage. The The only benefit of human-sheep is their docility. They do as they are told and they do not protest…..’”
“… Zal [an alien] looked at the pitiful [human] beings, disgusted at what he saw. ‘They cannot even consider the prospect of violence or defense….’”
“…These animals [Humanity] are incapable of rebellion. Nay, they are incapable of violence of any kind. From birth, they are trained against raising their fists or their voices and are rebuked for the mildest outbursts. At least, that is what our historians and the humans tell us [the aliens]. As far back as they can determine, these animals have trained themselves to be sheep…..”
“‘…Yes, yes! Okay, uh… [says the human to alien] we, uh… violence is terrible!’ The [human] man cried out and raised a bloody hand to ward off a third attack. ‘Violence and… uh… aggression display character flaws, or, uh, insanity….’”
“Some early scientists theorized that it [humans now having two sets of eyelids] was a change precipitated by global warming or by the depletion of the ozone layer….”
“…Quasan Alla, the Musl’n Culture Leader, was not so contradictory to his past stance against any form of violence. ‘No! We must not lower ourselves to their level. Peace is the only way…!’"
"’Bah! You fool! There is no place on Earth for Peace now,’ the N’mercan leader spat. The anger Tane recognized a few moments before was raising its head now for all to see. Randalyn’s face churned with the emotion she felt. Her lips curled into an enraged snarl and spittle flew from them as she spoke….”
—so… “the N’mercan spat…anger…emotion…enraged…snarl…spittle flew,” BUT, “the Musl’n” said, “Peace is the only way!”
WHUT???
.
“…Diekela Mamun, the Afc’n Culture representative, cleared her throat and looked to her diminutive counterpart from the As’n culture. Diekela was large, dark, and dressed colorfully, as was her Culture’s way. When she entered a room, heads turned. She exuded an exotic mixture of intelligence, pride, and gentleness…..”
“Randalyn Trevino, the N’mercan Representative, struck the top of the table with her pale fist...the members of the Council …taken aback at the show of violence.”
“…The Musl’n representative acknowledged the look with a slight nod, and … raised a hand to signal the Leader Elect….”
“… Randalyn Trevino, the N’mercan…Her quiet voice held a hint of anger and the other members drew back, surprised at the outburst. Randalyn often expressed strong emotion…and Esteval feared this latest news might push her into violence….”
“… The promotion of even the mildest form of violence by a Culture Leader was taboo and cause for immediate dismissal. The N’mercan was advocating fighting. She was crying for war. Esteval knew her words would either sway her fellow leaders or be her undoing. ‘I assert that violence… is the only way….’”
“… Diekela shook her head, clearly not agreeing with the N’mercan’s position. Quasan Alla merely stared at the table….”
“…Unfortunately for Tane [a human scientist], anyone who expressed emotions that conflicted with the norms of ‘patience’ and ‘peace’ were singled out as possibly being a Violent, and he was no exception. It made for an awfully lonely childhood, and one where he was constantly monitored and “re-counseled….”
“‘…They [Humanity] are a weak race, Zal,’ Brun complained [the aliens]. The pointed auricles of his overlarge ears, decidedly the most un-humanlike characteristic of their race, twitched. ‘They are not strong and have no courage. The The only benefit of human-sheep is their docility. They do as they are told and they do not protest…..’”
“… Zal [an alien] looked at the pitiful [human] beings, disgusted at what he saw. ‘They cannot even consider the prospect of violence or defense….’”
“…These animals [Humanity] are incapable of rebellion. Nay, they are incapable of violence of any kind. From birth, they are trained against raising their fists or their voices and are rebuked for the mildest outbursts. At least, that is what our historians and the humans tell us [the aliens]. As far back as they can determine, these animals have trained themselves to be sheep…..”
“‘…Yes, yes! Okay, uh… [says the human to alien] we, uh… violence is terrible!’ The [human] man cried out and raised a bloody hand to ward off a third attack. ‘Violence and… uh… aggression display character flaws, or, uh, insanity….’”
“Some early scientists theorized that it [humans now having two sets of eyelids] was a change precipitated by global warming or by the depletion of the ozone layer….”
“…Quasan Alla, the Musl’n Culture Leader, was not so contradictory to his past stance against any form of violence. ‘No! We must not lower ourselves to their level. Peace is the only way…!’"
"’Bah! You fool! There is no place on Earth for Peace now,’ the N’mercan leader spat. The anger Tane recognized a few moments before was raising its head now for all to see. Randalyn’s face churned with the emotion she felt. Her lips curled into an enraged snarl and spittle flew from them as she spoke….”
—so… “the N’mercan spat…anger…emotion…enraged…snarl…spittle flew,” BUT, “the Musl’n” said, “Peace is the only way!”
WHUT???
.
October 13, 2020
Read it in 6 hours (fewer discounting interruptions)
After too many vicious wars, Earth finally turns its efforts toward peace...to the extent where even a mild curse word is considered a form of violence, one that will get you "re-educated," and if that fails, put into the Violent's Prison, a massive fortress like structure with a center ring and outlying concentric rings, where the strongest prisoners get the best while the ones in the outer ring get barely enough to keep body and soul together...not even shelter. Not only that, but women and children can be sent there as well, and many children are born there knowing little else but violence. No matter how minor your infraction, you are in there with far more, genuinely violent inmates once you failbre-education, for life. There is a mile wide acid filled moat that presents escape. Fights for dominance and a larger share of the supplies dropped in monthly are a constant feature.
Everyone else is docile (with the "or else" implied). Many are hopelessly brainwashed into a lifestyle of "peace at any cost." There is respect for all cultures, religions, and customs; there is a common language; and there have been many awesome scientific advances. Obviously, a lot of good has come from Peace.
Except that sometimes, war is necessary. This, humans slowly begin to realize when a warlike race from another planet takes over theirs, rapes the land of its minerals, gems, etc., and enslaves its people. At first, things seem manageable. The demands for workers amd the planet's resources are doable, despite the fact that, with all their advances in other fields, humans are farming using 18th century methods. There are 60 billion people, each family has just one room; cities are wall-to-wall humanity; and larger families may get 2 rooms instead of one. It appears that birth control and housing technology have taken a hit just as agricultural methods have. That amount of people with those farming methods mean any farm destroyed means more people starve; thus, disobedience of alien directives means farms are destroyed.
One scientist in the region of North America is working on the revival of a 600 year old soldier whose limbs were blasted off by the enemy, one by one, and who decided to find some way to shimmy himself into a whole blasted into a frozen lake, to die on his terms, not theirs. They clone limbs for him and bri9ng him around. Ten years of slavery with ever increasing demands for more production that means less food frown and more starvation has finally convinced them they have to do something. And so, an elite soldior from 600 years ago is equipped -and equips himself - to find a way out of slavery, to recruit and train an army from people who swoon if someone utters a curse word.
This is sort of like a reverse post-apocalyptic book, where peace reigns, and war is needed, rather than war reigning when peace and cooperation is needed.
It's a very good book. It is also the first in a trilogy, and can, IMO, stand on its own...though you may not want it to.
After too many vicious wars, Earth finally turns its efforts toward peace...to the extent where even a mild curse word is considered a form of violence, one that will get you "re-educated," and if that fails, put into the Violent's Prison, a massive fortress like structure with a center ring and outlying concentric rings, where the strongest prisoners get the best while the ones in the outer ring get barely enough to keep body and soul together...not even shelter. Not only that, but women and children can be sent there as well, and many children are born there knowing little else but violence. No matter how minor your infraction, you are in there with far more, genuinely violent inmates once you failbre-education, for life. There is a mile wide acid filled moat that presents escape. Fights for dominance and a larger share of the supplies dropped in monthly are a constant feature.
Everyone else is docile (with the "or else" implied). Many are hopelessly brainwashed into a lifestyle of "peace at any cost." There is respect for all cultures, religions, and customs; there is a common language; and there have been many awesome scientific advances. Obviously, a lot of good has come from Peace.
Except that sometimes, war is necessary. This, humans slowly begin to realize when a warlike race from another planet takes over theirs, rapes the land of its minerals, gems, etc., and enslaves its people. At first, things seem manageable. The demands for workers amd the planet's resources are doable, despite the fact that, with all their advances in other fields, humans are farming using 18th century methods. There are 60 billion people, each family has just one room; cities are wall-to-wall humanity; and larger families may get 2 rooms instead of one. It appears that birth control and housing technology have taken a hit just as agricultural methods have. That amount of people with those farming methods mean any farm destroyed means more people starve; thus, disobedience of alien directives means farms are destroyed.
One scientist in the region of North America is working on the revival of a 600 year old soldier whose limbs were blasted off by the enemy, one by one, and who decided to find some way to shimmy himself into a whole blasted into a frozen lake, to die on his terms, not theirs. They clone limbs for him and bri9ng him around. Ten years of slavery with ever increasing demands for more production that means less food frown and more starvation has finally convinced them they have to do something. And so, an elite soldior from 600 years ago is equipped -and equips himself - to find a way out of slavery, to recruit and train an army from people who swoon if someone utters a curse word.
This is sort of like a reverse post-apocalyptic book, where peace reigns, and war is needed, rather than war reigning when peace and cooperation is needed.
It's a very good book. It is also the first in a trilogy, and can, IMO, stand on its own...though you may not want it to.
July 1, 2022
Good escapism, but lacks a convincing narrative!
There is no doubt that individuals can be herded and seek the path of least resistance, but unitary leadership even when confronted with its own folly, rarely, if ever admits error. People in power would not stray from the path. They would double down.
If they decided a course correction was necessary, a single outsider could not lead the opposition. I understand the premise, but leadership becomes leadership by exercising hubris. Hubris demands leadership be arrested from those in control.
While outside control can unite those held in bondage. This scenario is too steeped in escapism to invite real thought.
Too bad. It is a missed opportunity to discuss the true issue. Education necessary to avoid group think.
There is no doubt that individuals can be herded and seek the path of least resistance, but unitary leadership even when confronted with its own folly, rarely, if ever admits error. People in power would not stray from the path. They would double down.
If they decided a course correction was necessary, a single outsider could not lead the opposition. I understand the premise, but leadership becomes leadership by exercising hubris. Hubris demands leadership be arrested from those in control.
While outside control can unite those held in bondage. This scenario is too steeped in escapism to invite real thought.
Too bad. It is a missed opportunity to discuss the true issue. Education necessary to avoid group think.
March 27, 2017
Fun weekend sci-fi adventure weekend reading!
It's been a while since I read a book, just too busy with life. However I liked the description and decided to give it a go. It was a lazy weekend and I plowed through it eager to see where it would take Grant Justice. Great start, smooth well written story, and satisfying conclusion. I would recommend it for anyone who likes a quick sci-if read, without being a brain burner.
It's been a while since I read a book, just too busy with life. However I liked the description and decided to give it a go. It was a lazy weekend and I plowed through it eager to see where it would take Grant Justice. Great start, smooth well written story, and satisfying conclusion. I would recommend it for anyone who likes a quick sci-if read, without being a brain burner.
April 26, 2018
Good reading.
Enjoyed reading this sci fi novel. It held my interest throughout. Although the idea of nasty, barbarian aliens is fairly common today (Independence Day etc.) I think it makes sense to say that if a civilization is intelligent enough to overcome interstellar travel it is intelligent enough to not waste its resources on warfare. At least the probability is good that they would act more like FDR than Hitler.
Enjoyed reading this sci fi novel. It held my interest throughout. Although the idea of nasty, barbarian aliens is fairly common today (Independence Day etc.) I think it makes sense to say that if a civilization is intelligent enough to overcome interstellar travel it is intelligent enough to not waste its resources on warfare. At least the probability is good that they would act more like FDR than Hitler.
March 8, 2019
Man v. Alien
This one is interesting. The main character is very well developed. Others may be developed in subsequent books-I suspect that others are planned or written or already published. The ending seemed abrupt but probably lends to the "sequelling" of other tales. The premise is strong, the implementation was very good. I know felt the ending was a problem. I will look for other books by this author.
This one is interesting. The main character is very well developed. Others may be developed in subsequent books-I suspect that others are planned or written or already published. The ending seemed abrupt but probably lends to the "sequelling" of other tales. The premise is strong, the implementation was very good. I know felt the ending was a problem. I will look for other books by this author.
May 23, 2020
This novel is very much in the tradition of the movie "Soldier" and Heinlein's novel "Starship Troopers". We have an Earth that has created a peaceful utopia - war and conflict have been eliminated. So what do humans do when aliens invade? They go to war - but they need someone to teach them how. Well, any soldier will tell you that the sergeants actually run the army. Who expected Sgt. Grant Justice to actually have to prove it?
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