Article 23

Star Voyager #2

by William R. Forstchen

As a plebe at the Academy, Justin Bell was on the path to making his dreams come true: traveling in space. But, even in the 22nd century, cold hard reality has a way of frustrating dreams. There was tension between Earth and the far-flung colonies in the solar system. The colonists had demanded more freedom than Earth was willing to grant -- and so Mars declared its independence. No other colonies had broken away, and war had not broken out -- yet -- but the situation was dangerous. To make things worse, contact had just been made with extraterrestrials -- very unfriendly contact....
The times were the sort that made for exciting reading when they were safely embalmed in the history books, but were less than comfortable for those living through them. But Justin had the stuff of heroes -- which was fortunate for him, and for Earth...

Genres: Science Fiction, Collections

269 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 1998

About the author

William R. Forstchen (born 1950) is an American author who began publishing in 1983 with the novel Ice Prophet. He is a Professor of History and Faculty Fellow at Montreat College, in Montreat, North Carolina. He received his doctorate from Purdue University with specializations in Military History, the American Civil War and the History of Technology.

Forstchen is the author of more than forty books, including the award winning We Look Like Men of War, a young adult novel about an African-American regiment that fought at the Battle of the Crater, which is based upon his doctoral dissertation, The 28th USCTs: Indiana’s African-Americans go to War, 1863-1865 and the "Lost Regiment" series which has been optioned by both Tom Cruise and M. Night Shyamalan.

Forstchen’s writing efforts have, in recent years, shifted towards historical fiction and non fiction. In 2002 he started the “Gettysburg” trilogy with Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich; the trilogy consists of Gettysburg: A Novel of the Civil War, Grant Comes East, and Never Call Retreat: Lee and Grant - The Final Victory. More recently, they have have published two works on the events leading up to Pearl Harbor and immediately after that attack Pearl Harbor, and Days of Infamy.

In March 2009, Forstchen’s latest work, One Second After, (Forge/St. Martin’s books) was released. Based upon several years of intensive research and interviews, it examines what might happen in a “typical” American town in the wake of an attack on the United States with “electro-magnetic pulse” (EMP) weapons. Similar in plotting to books such as On the Beach and Alas Babylon, One Second After, is set in a small college town in western North Carolina and is a cautionary tale of the collapse of social order in the wake of an EMP strike. The book has been optioned by Warner Bros. and currently is in development as a feature film. The book was cited on the floor of Congress and before the House Armed Services Committee by Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R.-MD), chair of the House Committee tasked to evaluate EMP weapons, as a realistical portrayal of the potential damage rendered by an EMP attack on the continental United States.

Forstchen resides near Asheville, North Carolina with his daughter Meghan. His other interests include archaeology, and he has participated in several expeditions to Mongolia and Russia. He is a pilot and co owns an original 1943 Aeronca L-3B recon plane used in World War II.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/willia...

Reviews

[Wenzel Roessler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though the series is about space travel in the future, this story is less science fiction and more about protocols, oaths, adhering to rule, and when to take the rules into your own hands. Underneath this all is a Mars separating from Earth plot that feels like the North and South during the Civil War. If science fiction is not your favorite type of story I would still suggest reading this book, because the political and moral compass of people is the main plot of the story.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Star Voyager trilogy by William R. Forstchen. The Star Voyager series is essentially a Sci-Fi Young Adult novel. It is written in the spirit of Robert A. Heinlein's juvenile novels. This book however takes a dark turn and pushes the boundaries of what is considered Young Adult. It deals with mutiny and has graphic violence.
In this one, a young man, Justin Bell, goes to the prestigious Star Voyager Academy. In his first year as a plebe, he and his entire class are assigned to go with a ship headed for Mars as a learning experience. Thor Thorsson, the commander of the academy is warned that the ship's captain is unstable and the student's safety could be a concern. He ignores this warning because of the Captain's previous record in the space service. This is a warning he should have heeded. Justin and his classmates will be in a fight for survival and even if they do survive their actions might mean the end of their careers.

[Russ Holthaus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questionable Mutiny?

I enjoyed this second part of this novel series with characters development and actions from their development ending with the characters moving forward with learning gained through hard knocks and life skill boosts. I look forward to new experiences in this story.

[Freyja · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're action-hungry, like politics, or like suspense, you will like this book. He's known for rather hard SF.

[Matt Kurjanowicz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Article 23 continues the story of Justin Bell, Matt Everett, Thor Thorsson and gang as they return back to the Star Voyager Academy. William R. Forstchen continues his world building of the near future. We haven't conquered faster than light travel yet, there are still remnants of 2014-era political and security problems that plague the universe, and the military is still the military.

William R. Forstchen's background as a historian comes through quite clearly in Article 23. His references to the British Royal Navy add depth and credibility to the story he tells.

I enjoyed the story told in Article 23, the warnings foretold, and the growth of the characters. Sometimes the story appears simplistic, which is a natural outcome of adapting magazine-sized short stories for a novel. None of these points got in the way of me enjoying the book.


As happens too frequently in novels like this, everything was wrapped up far too nicely at the end. I look forward to reading the next book, William R. Forstchen's Prometheus, to see what happens and if yet more depth of character is provided.

[Jennifer Robb · Rating 3 out of 5]

The continuing saga of Cadet Justin Bell and friends. I liked that there were fewer long diatribes about politics in this book than there were in the first. I liked that Justin stood up for his friend even though it might cost him everything. I liked that Justin tried to be honest in his testimony even though what he said might not be what the brass wanted to hear.

It did bother me that so many things on the ship were not according to protocol and that senior officers who had the opportunity to stop it chose to look the other way rather than risk their careers.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Star Voyager Academy for years, but somehow missed that it was a series. This is book two, and I enjoyed it. It does not dissapoint. Forstchen brings out politics, faithfulness to orders and oaths, and moral dilemmas with creative juice. This book fairly grabs the reader and takes you on a ride. I read the last half of the book in one sitting.

[Brad Theado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book. Has a Harry Potter in space kind of vibe to it.

[Keira F. Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kid-cadets dealing with space-mutiny. If I'm remembering it right. Its been a looooong time.

[Jose Soares · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reading but quite predictable.
Looks like Harry Potter in a sci-fi world.