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Cosmic Sparks #1
Alien Velocity
EPIC Award Finalist 2011 - Best Science Fiction
Charlie Thorpe-Campbell is the greatest RAM-runner the world has ever seen--and he knows it. On the verge of retirement from the sport, he is defending his title as champion of the annual orbital race one final time when he's suddenly hurtling away into deep space.
Charlie's unscheduled voyage through a wormhole ends with a crash-landing on a most unusual planet, with scores of spacecraft from all corners of the universe in orbit. Seeking help, he heads toward what appears to be civilization, unaware of the horrors waiting for him there...
Once inside the great, orb-covered city, Charlie is thrust into intergalactic competition by a bloodthirsty alien race. When he discovers he can use his unique abilities to save not only himself, but the entire galaxy, will he face up to the challenge--or run from it?
Previously published as Charlie Runs Rings Around the Earth, newly revised by the author.
39,000 words
Charlie Thorpe-Campbell is the greatest RAM-runner the world has ever seen--and he knows it. On the verge of retirement from the sport, he is defending his title as champion of the annual orbital race one final time when he's suddenly hurtling away into deep space.
Charlie's unscheduled voyage through a wormhole ends with a crash-landing on a most unusual planet, with scores of spacecraft from all corners of the universe in orbit. Seeking help, he heads toward what appears to be civilization, unaware of the horrors waiting for him there...
Once inside the great, orb-covered city, Charlie is thrust into intergalactic competition by a bloodthirsty alien race. When he discovers he can use his unique abilities to save not only himself, but the entire galaxy, will he face up to the challenge--or run from it?
Previously published as Charlie Runs Rings Around the Earth, newly revised by the author.
39,000 words
- GenresScience Fiction
162 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 7, 2009
16 people want to read
About the author
Robert Appleton
61 books71 followersRobert Appleton is a British science fiction and adventure author partial to tales of survival in far-flung locations. Many of his sci-fi books share the same universe as his popular Alien Safari series, though tend to feature standalone storylines. His rebellious characters range from an orphaned grifter on Mars to a lone woman gate-crashing the war in her biotech suit. His sci-fi readers regularly earn enough frequent flyer miles to qualify for a cross-galaxy voyage of their choosing. His publishers include Harlequin Carina Press, and he also ghost-writes novels in other genres. In his free time he hikes, plays soccer, and kayaks whenever he can. The night sky is his inspiration.
His work has been nominated for several awards, and in 2011 he won the EPIC Award for Best Historical Fiction.
Be sure to follow Robert on BookBub for the latest on sales: https://bit.ly/3qLWVHu
His work has been nominated for several awards, and in 2011 he won the EPIC Award for Best Historical Fiction.
Be sure to follow Robert on BookBub for the latest on sales: https://bit.ly/3qLWVHu
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 29, 2018
Charlie, "reigning world champion RAM-runner, undefeated in eight years", gets humbled. He spins off to strange world with cyborg-ish kids, monster gladiator-style fights where co-operation wins, temporarily.
May 19, 2012
I have never read the original version of Alien Velocity so I did not know what changed in this book.
I think the story was slow-paced at first, then, as it reaches the climax, the pace increases. The story became more interesting and catchy, that I flipped through the pages in one sitting. The adventures were absolutely thrilling.
Negatives? There was too much profanities and that really ticks me off. Charlie sounded very immature despite his age. Since everything was told from his perspective, at some points I get really annoyed and listening to his thoughts was very frustrating.
I also didn't understand the plot, the setting of the story and what Charlie’s career actually is. At first, I thought Charlie was a pro and alien runner from one alien planet that runs laps around another planet. Other time, I thought he was a racer that runs laps around the planets in the galaxy in his spaceship. I didn’t know where ‘running’ comes in then.
Another thing was the use of big words. I mean, I know Alien Velocity is a sci-fi and focused mainly on the galaxy, spaceships and suchlike, but honestly, all those flowery stuffs confused me. Details were also not properly explained. Only later in the book did I finally understand the author’s writing style.
On the plus side, however, I really loved the plot. It was original, unique and addicting. The excitement builds up (dramatically, i might add) as the story went on. In contrast to the statement above, the setting was also very fascinating and intriguing in its some way. I admit, the beginning was a bit too slow and there wasn’t much happening other than Charlie being mighty annoying. Yet somehow it worked perfectly: that fact made Charlie’s change later in the book even more obvious.
Personally, I love Sorcha’s part in the story. Even though her appearances were brief, I could tell how much she cared for Charlie and vice versa. It was also mentioned that she stayed by Charlie’s side for a long time, which proved how strong she is.
Alien Velocity is addicting in a way. It’s not exactly the kind of book that I normally would pick up. However, it is the adventure and obstacles that Charlie faced that made it very hard to put down. Overall, Alien Velocity is a fascinating read which I would recommend to (hardcore) sci-fi lovers. Great read!
I think the story was slow-paced at first, then, as it reaches the climax, the pace increases. The story became more interesting and catchy, that I flipped through the pages in one sitting. The adventures were absolutely thrilling.
Negatives? There was too much profanities and that really ticks me off. Charlie sounded very immature despite his age. Since everything was told from his perspective, at some points I get really annoyed and listening to his thoughts was very frustrating.
I also didn't understand the plot, the setting of the story and what Charlie’s career actually is. At first, I thought Charlie was a pro and alien runner from one alien planet that runs laps around another planet. Other time, I thought he was a racer that runs laps around the planets in the galaxy in his spaceship. I didn’t know where ‘running’ comes in then.
Another thing was the use of big words. I mean, I know Alien Velocity is a sci-fi and focused mainly on the galaxy, spaceships and suchlike, but honestly, all those flowery stuffs confused me. Details were also not properly explained. Only later in the book did I finally understand the author’s writing style.
On the plus side, however, I really loved the plot. It was original, unique and addicting. The excitement builds up (dramatically, i might add) as the story went on. In contrast to the statement above, the setting was also very fascinating and intriguing in its some way. I admit, the beginning was a bit too slow and there wasn’t much happening other than Charlie being mighty annoying. Yet somehow it worked perfectly: that fact made Charlie’s change later in the book even more obvious.
Personally, I love Sorcha’s part in the story. Even though her appearances were brief, I could tell how much she cared for Charlie and vice versa. It was also mentioned that she stayed by Charlie’s side for a long time, which proved how strong she is.
Alien Velocity is addicting in a way. It’s not exactly the kind of book that I normally would pick up. However, it is the adventure and obstacles that Charlie faced that made it very hard to put down. Overall, Alien Velocity is a fascinating read which I would recommend to (hardcore) sci-fi lovers. Great read!
September 13, 2013
Barely OK. Shallow, undetailed, a fairy tale in the guise of the science-fiction. There was no real science there to begin with, and fiction was competent, but very predictable and schematic. Like I said - a fairy tale. Instead of the Ice Queen or the Evil Stepmother we have Evil Overlords of the Universe (governing said Universe from one city on one planet) and instead of the Snow-White or Knight on the white horse we have a sportsman/spaceship pilot, but the principle is the same. Don't look for any sort of the reasonable solutions or probable endings. Don't look for even minimal world/universe building. Don't look for any explanations (ruling the Universe from ONE CITY??? REALLY???) This narrative is based on fairy dust and magic spells. Overall I think it's possible to put a fairy tale in a science fiction guise and pull it off, but this book is not it. The only thing saving it is competent and smooth writing - I can't say that it was actually painful to read this book - it was only painful to think about what you're reading. In the beginning I was even contemplating reading the rest of this series, but by the time I was 2/3 into this I decided that life is too short.
September 26, 2013
I didn't even know there was an earlier version of this book so I can't speak to it. I bought this from Audible as an audio book.
The voice actress did a spectacular job, particularly with the mechanical voices. She adjusted her presentation to each character instead of just reading the story. Excellent work.
I thought the story was good. It had adventure and unique aliens. Charlie did start out selfish and immature but grew into a more rounded adult in the end. There was tech, and a little humor, and the background characters were good. I liked that Charlie didn't always save the day. He had to rely on others part of the time.
There wasn't that much cussing, to me. The entire story was well-written.
There was a hint of romance, but not enough for me to really call this an SFR. The worldbuilding was good. I thought the "running" idea was unique in its execution.
Overall, the story was good. Why'd I give it 3 stars? I liked it, but I never fell in love with the story or Charlie. That's just me.
The voice actress did a spectacular job, particularly with the mechanical voices. She adjusted her presentation to each character instead of just reading the story. Excellent work.
I thought the story was good. It had adventure and unique aliens. Charlie did start out selfish and immature but grew into a more rounded adult in the end. There was tech, and a little humor, and the background characters were good. I liked that Charlie didn't always save the day. He had to rely on others part of the time.
There wasn't that much cussing, to me. The entire story was well-written.
There was a hint of romance, but not enough for me to really call this an SFR. The worldbuilding was good. I thought the "running" idea was unique in its execution.
Overall, the story was good. Why'd I give it 3 stars? I liked it, but I never fell in love with the story or Charlie. That's just me.
March 17, 2012
I haven’t read Charlie Runs Rings Around the Earth, so I can’t comment on how much of the original book has been changed. What I can comment on is how much I liked this book.
I enjoyed the description of the alien planet and the people. It is detailed enough that you can imagine it well, but not too detailed, so you won’t be bored.
Charlie is the main character. At the beginning of the book he’s is not a really likable character. This changes though and he becomes a hero. In a way he grows up. When Charlie starts the race he is like a teenager, arrogant and very sure of himself. Later, he realizes that he is responsible for many people's lives and that he cannot survive the competition alone.
The alien creatures Charlie has to save are interesting. As alien as they are, they behave like people. They are a bit scary at first, but once you know their motives they’re not that different from human children.
The story is fast-paced and not too long. Good to read if you don’t have much free time. It will leave you wondering how Charlie can succeed until the very end.
If you’re looking for an interesting, fast-paced science fiction novel, then Alien Velocity is for you.
I enjoyed the description of the alien planet and the people. It is detailed enough that you can imagine it well, but not too detailed, so you won’t be bored.
Charlie is the main character. At the beginning of the book he’s is not a really likable character. This changes though and he becomes a hero. In a way he grows up. When Charlie starts the race he is like a teenager, arrogant and very sure of himself. Later, he realizes that he is responsible for many people's lives and that he cannot survive the competition alone.
The alien creatures Charlie has to save are interesting. As alien as they are, they behave like people. They are a bit scary at first, but once you know their motives they’re not that different from human children.
The story is fast-paced and not too long. Good to read if you don’t have much free time. It will leave you wondering how Charlie can succeed until the very end.
If you’re looking for an interesting, fast-paced science fiction novel, then Alien Velocity is for you.
July 29, 2013
Charlie is such a jerk at the beginning of this story, lol. It was fun seeing him finally become the man he was destined to be, though, gosh, I wanted to kick his butt in the early part of the story.
Story was very reminiscent of Edgar Rice Burroughs for me: pulpy, action-oriented, and just fun.
3.5 stars.
Story was very reminiscent of Edgar Rice Burroughs for me: pulpy, action-oriented, and just fun.
3.5 stars.
July 17, 2015
This was ... A bit weird. It reminded me a little of a Peers Anthony, but with a slightly more fowl-mouthed lead. It had that weird, dissociative feel of some of Anthony's works, but it did at least take an old motif and do something unusual with it.
August 15, 2018
Couldn't finish. Got 54%. Too much logical leaping and info shortcutting, if that makes sense.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews