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The Last Spartan #1
Different Paths
IN THE YEAR 2212, IAIDO ‘ACHILLES’ SPARTAN IS A HUNTER OF MEN.
As a former Spec-Ops warrior, Spartan has found that the skills given to him by the Coalition government are well suited to his new occupation. After retrieving a lucrative bounty, Spartan returns to Terran space and finds that one of his oldest friends has been murdered. Vowing to track down the killer, he soon becomes the unwilling pawn in an interstellar power struggle between two old rivals, his former Omega Squadron Commander and the President of the Coalition.
When Spartan is forced to kill his mentor in self-defense, he is arrested by Galactic Marshals and detained. But when the Marshals kill a Federal Agent and pin the murder on him, he is forced to flee Earth with a small group of friends. Now the hunter becomes the hunted.
Spartan finds that having a bounty placed on his head to be troublesome as he evades the authorities, tracks down his old commander and struggles to clear his name. Unknown to all, an ancient evil has awakened and has plans of its own for mankind and they include death, destruction and chaos. Are the skills Iaido ‘Achilles’ Spartan gained over the years enough to save the day and clear his name?
The Last Spartan: Different Paths is the first book in a Sci Fi adventure novel series following a genetically engineered super-soldier on his quest for redemption and discovery of his purpose since leaving the service. Typically a loner, Iaido ‘Achilles’ Spartan learns the bittersweet truth that that no man is an island and nothing is more valuable than friendship. He might have been designed to be nothing more than a killer but in the end, he chooses to walk a different path. Carpe diem.
As a former Spec-Ops warrior, Spartan has found that the skills given to him by the Coalition government are well suited to his new occupation. After retrieving a lucrative bounty, Spartan returns to Terran space and finds that one of his oldest friends has been murdered. Vowing to track down the killer, he soon becomes the unwilling pawn in an interstellar power struggle between two old rivals, his former Omega Squadron Commander and the President of the Coalition.
When Spartan is forced to kill his mentor in self-defense, he is arrested by Galactic Marshals and detained. But when the Marshals kill a Federal Agent and pin the murder on him, he is forced to flee Earth with a small group of friends. Now the hunter becomes the hunted.
Spartan finds that having a bounty placed on his head to be troublesome as he evades the authorities, tracks down his old commander and struggles to clear his name. Unknown to all, an ancient evil has awakened and has plans of its own for mankind and they include death, destruction and chaos. Are the skills Iaido ‘Achilles’ Spartan gained over the years enough to save the day and clear his name?
The Last Spartan: Different Paths is the first book in a Sci Fi adventure novel series following a genetically engineered super-soldier on his quest for redemption and discovery of his purpose since leaving the service. Typically a loner, Iaido ‘Achilles’ Spartan learns the bittersweet truth that that no man is an island and nothing is more valuable than friendship. He might have been designed to be nothing more than a killer but in the end, he chooses to walk a different path. Carpe diem.
387 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 19, 2012
About the author
A.E. McCullough
11 books10 followersDrew, short for Andrew, was born in Munich, Germany while his father was stationed overseas with the US Army. Growing up a military brat, Drew became an avid reader with Fantasy, Science Fiction and Detective Thrillers being his favorite genres.
Drew served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1982-88 and began training in TaeKwonDo in 1985. After leaving the service, he moved back to his hometown of Chattanooga, TN and tried his hand at college. It wasn't for him but he did find that he had a knack (and love) for teaching TaeKwonDo. In 1994, he moved to Louisville Kentucky to open his own studio and taught for 11 wonderful years where he met (and married) his wife, Felicia.
However everything has a season and in 2005, he closed his studio and switched careers. He currently works as a Corrections Officer with Louisville Metro and writes in his spare time. Unable to live on the beach, he resides on a farm with his wife and animals: 6 cats, 3 dogs and 2 horses.
Drew served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1982-88 and began training in TaeKwonDo in 1985. After leaving the service, he moved back to his hometown of Chattanooga, TN and tried his hand at college. It wasn't for him but he did find that he had a knack (and love) for teaching TaeKwonDo. In 1994, he moved to Louisville Kentucky to open his own studio and taught for 11 wonderful years where he met (and married) his wife, Felicia.
However everything has a season and in 2005, he closed his studio and switched careers. He currently works as a Corrections Officer with Louisville Metro and writes in his spare time. Unable to live on the beach, he resides on a farm with his wife and animals: 6 cats, 3 dogs and 2 horses.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 14, 2017
Action, Adventure, and a bit of teaching The Way.
Achilles, a manufactured, crafted, honed, and tested Ultimate Warrior had outlived his intended use. But, incidents and mysteries multiply and snare him in a web of deception and deceit. Why does he have blank spots in his memory, and worse, why has he been given false memories to cover some of those spots? As the web tightens, and friends fall, and events are crafted to make Achilles look guilty, he needs to find the chess master behind all the moves.......But, only if he can survive.
A good read! I look forward to the next installment.
Achilles, a manufactured, crafted, honed, and tested Ultimate Warrior had outlived his intended use. But, incidents and mysteries multiply and snare him in a web of deception and deceit. Why does he have blank spots in his memory, and worse, why has he been given false memories to cover some of those spots? As the web tightens, and friends fall, and events are crafted to make Achilles look guilty, he needs to find the chess master behind all the moves.......But, only if he can survive.
A good read! I look forward to the next installment.
February 26, 2016
This was a decent book, good for an enjoyable read, but it wasn't groundbreaking. The author placed a lot of catch phrases from other stories and scenes. I, for one, noticed a lot of "Princess Bride" quotes. Additionally, there were many references to military jargon that are almost commonplace now given the current and recent wars and television shows that provide a primer to terms like SNAFU, FUBAR and AWOL. The characters were almost generic. I had a difficult time understanding the relationship of our hero and his assistant, then introducing our other female lead further muddied the situation. Had I read this when I was in my teens or twenties, it would have fit in well. Now, it seems overly juvenile in scope. That is not to say it's a bad book, just the fact that I was the wrong audience. There is a second book published, perhaps the author has applied some skill and experience to his writing in that volume. Unless he was going for the theme of which I have described.
June 7, 2014
This is your straightforward, elite warrior is confronted by his past when surviving members of his old team/unit need killing/rescueing. Highly unoriginal story but with a very nice flow to it. Mainly action and not much else. Light reading.
73/100
73/100
August 30, 2013
Really liked this book! Can hardly wait to get into the next ones!
April 21, 2015
Last
I definitely enjoyed this work. The characters, plot, and technology descriptors were all well flushed out. The editing could have been more concise.
I definitely enjoyed this work. The characters, plot, and technology descriptors were all well flushed out. The editing could have been more concise.
June 15, 2015
Fun read
Opened well, but seemed to meander. And the ending seemed a bit rushed. Predictable but enjoyable reading. I will be reading the next
Opened well, but seemed to meander. And the ending seemed a bit rushed. Predictable but enjoyable reading. I will be reading the next
April 1, 2017
Fairly good book
Other than some editing errors I thought this was a good book. Lots of action and nice imagination by the author
Other than some editing errors I thought this was a good book. Lots of action and nice imagination by the author
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews