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Green Charisma Chronicles #1
The Holovid Hero
He’s not built for heroics. He’s just trying to survive reality TV.
Cinematographer Ian “Mac” MacIntyre’s career is dead in the water. His last-ditch lifeline? Directing The Adventures of Captain Charisma, a cheesy, B-list reality serial starring Joseph Drake—an ex-military adrenaline junkie playing a galactic hero.
When the network sends the crew to a derelict space station to film the "Captain" smashing a highly dangerous alien bug for views, Mac is the one sweating. He’s a paunchy, balding guy staring down middle age, not a space marine. But the producer wants blood, sweat, and ratings.
Things go from terrifying to personal when Mac's ex-wife shows up directing a rival series on the exact same station. Now, with the station’s power failing and a literal monster in the dark, Mac has to push his fake hero—and himself—right into harm's way. If he fails, he loses the ultimate ratings war to his ex. If he really fails, they all end up as bug food.
In 2018, the Holovid Hero won a Royal Palm Literary Award from the Florida Writers Association for unpublished science fiction novels
Cinematographer Ian “Mac” MacIntyre’s career is dead in the water. His last-ditch lifeline? Directing The Adventures of Captain Charisma, a cheesy, B-list reality serial starring Joseph Drake—an ex-military adrenaline junkie playing a galactic hero.
When the network sends the crew to a derelict space station to film the "Captain" smashing a highly dangerous alien bug for views, Mac is the one sweating. He’s a paunchy, balding guy staring down middle age, not a space marine. But the producer wants blood, sweat, and ratings.
Things go from terrifying to personal when Mac's ex-wife shows up directing a rival series on the exact same station. Now, with the station’s power failing and a literal monster in the dark, Mac has to push his fake hero—and himself—right into harm's way. If he fails, he loses the ultimate ratings war to his ex. If he really fails, they all end up as bug food.
In 2018, the Holovid Hero won a Royal Palm Literary Award from the Florida Writers Association for unpublished science fiction novels
329 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 28, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 7, 2025
Well now, where do I even begin? I'll admit when I first saw this book, I thought, sci-fi? Not my cup of tea. I'm more of a good old-fashioned fantasy or a well-spun historical tale kind of fellow. But the cover caught my attention and I thought, why not?
So with my spectacles perched on my nose, I threw myself headfirst into the life of Ian "Mac" MacIntyre. He isn't your typical suave hero, though. He's a cinematographer, past his prime, with a bit of a paunch and a receding hairline. His new gig is directing and filming a reality show.
Honestly, the premise itself had me chuckling. The idea of a reality show set in space, starring a preening actor felt somewhat far-fetched, even for me :) But Mac, bless his heart, he's the one I really rooted for.
The real meat of the story, though, kicks in when the producer sends the group to deal with an alien bug infestation on a space station. This is real danger, and Mac is right there in the thick of it, sweating it out. I really felt for the poor fellow.
But there's more. Mac's ex-wife Rose shows up to add even more drama, upping the stakes higher than a warp drive :) This is where the book really gripped me. I loved the human part drama, the rivalry, the pressure to succeed - very relatable.
Give this book a try. It's more than just spaceships and aliens, it's really worth it.
So with my spectacles perched on my nose, I threw myself headfirst into the life of Ian "Mac" MacIntyre. He isn't your typical suave hero, though. He's a cinematographer, past his prime, with a bit of a paunch and a receding hairline. His new gig is directing and filming a reality show.
Honestly, the premise itself had me chuckling. The idea of a reality show set in space, starring a preening actor felt somewhat far-fetched, even for me :) But Mac, bless his heart, he's the one I really rooted for.
The real meat of the story, though, kicks in when the producer sends the group to deal with an alien bug infestation on a space station. This is real danger, and Mac is right there in the thick of it, sweating it out. I really felt for the poor fellow.
But there's more. Mac's ex-wife Rose shows up to add even more drama, upping the stakes higher than a warp drive :) This is where the book really gripped me. I loved the human part drama, the rivalry, the pressure to succeed - very relatable.
Give this book a try. It's more than just spaceships and aliens, it's really worth it.
July 23, 2024
I won Mr. Pearce’s book from Goodreads, and decided to give it a try last night. This was such an enjoyable mix of action, comedy, and plot twist that I finished it last night as well. It was a great start to the series! I must commend the author in his ability to keep the story moving and keep the reader interested. I highly recommend you give this one a try!
September 4, 2024
I won the Kindle version of this book off Goodreads. Thank you to the giveaway sponsor!
Take this review with a grain of salt. I haven't read much Sci-fi before, so this was new territory for me.
I had a lot of trouble getting into the story. It felt like this was not geared towards me, a new reader of sci-fi. I had a lot of trouble understanding the character descriptions and trying to picture them. A lot of different species of characters were introduced very quickly. I had trouble keeping up and remembering who was who.
The main character, Mac, was kind of whiny. He got hurt and then spent pages complaining about it. He got hurt a lot. He was a clumsy character with little self esteem. And my goodness - enough about the ex wife.
I can't believe I spent so long reading about chasing a bug. It's almost funny. I enjoyed the character's banter. Overall, it was an okay read. I'm thankful to have tried it.
Take this review with a grain of salt. I haven't read much Sci-fi before, so this was new territory for me.
I had a lot of trouble getting into the story. It felt like this was not geared towards me, a new reader of sci-fi. I had a lot of trouble understanding the character descriptions and trying to picture them. A lot of different species of characters were introduced very quickly. I had trouble keeping up and remembering who was who.
The main character, Mac, was kind of whiny. He got hurt and then spent pages complaining about it. He got hurt a lot. He was a clumsy character with little self esteem. And my goodness - enough about the ex wife.
I can't believe I spent so long reading about chasing a bug. It's almost funny. I enjoyed the character's banter. Overall, it was an okay read. I'm thankful to have tried it.
June 26, 2024
I really enjoyed this entertaining, action-packed first-in-series!
While I felt a little overwhelmed initially with all the unfamiliar places and alien species, the premise of the book had me hooked from the get-go, and I had a lot of fun following Mac and Joe along on their first mission. It was easy to empathize with Mac, who had his work cut out for him (or eaten by giant space bugs…) and to root for Joe, who couldn’t resist hamming it up as Capatin Charisma.
The vivid descriptions truly brought the story to life, and I could totally see this being made into a TV show or movie.
More, please?
While I felt a little overwhelmed initially with all the unfamiliar places and alien species, the premise of the book had me hooked from the get-go, and I had a lot of fun following Mac and Joe along on their first mission. It was easy to empathize with Mac, who had his work cut out for him (or eaten by giant space bugs…) and to root for Joe, who couldn’t resist hamming it up as Capatin Charisma.
The vivid descriptions truly brought the story to life, and I could totally see this being made into a TV show or movie.
More, please?
February 9, 2025
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. This was a fun little read with lots of action. I enjoyed the dynamics between Mac and Joe. It was a nice palate cleanser between some of my heavier scifi and fantasy reads. As I tend towards heavier scifi and fantasy, this didn’t really stand out to me. It was an enjoyable read if you aren’t looking for anything serious.
February 18, 2025
A film crew is en route to a location in deep space and finds themselves helping to control an unlikely invasion of bugs on the spacestation.
March 24, 2025
If you want non-stop action, Holovid Hero delivers! The story follows a reality galactic tv show director and his new actor as they try to rid a remote space station of its bug problem. Of course, nothing goes as planned, but our narrator and hero are two capable dudes that handle each crazy bug adventure with wisecracks and unexpected solutions. Along the way, they pick up a lizard-lady sidekick.
I liked the mix of alien species. It reminded me of the slap stick humor of Galaxy Quest (1999). I laughed out loud several times.
With that said, I did find myself easily putting the story aside. I think it's because I never really connected with the main character. Still, it was an entertaining read.
I liked the mix of alien species. It reminded me of the slap stick humor of Galaxy Quest (1999). I laughed out loud several times.
With that said, I did find myself easily putting the story aside. I think it's because I never really connected with the main character. Still, it was an entertaining read.
February 8, 2025
This was such a fun and entertaining read! Fast paced, lots of action, fun dialogue, and all the sci-fi! Everything that I could have hoped for. I won this in a goodreads giveaway, best book yet!
December 18, 2024
A fun read. Great sci-fi with lots of action, aliens, monster bugs, space ships, ray guns, and a generous dose of humor. One of the surprises was that one of the main protagonists is a middle age, balding man who is out of shape. I could almost identify (LOL). Have some fun - read this one.
July 30, 2024
1995 Grade B+
2010 Grade B+
2024 Grade B+
I've wanted a copy of this book for my bookshelf since I first read it under the title Bug Hunt on the editing service Scribophile. Writing and publishing a book can take quite a while as you can see. It is available on Amazon now.
The story is just plain fun. It is a bit like reading a SciFi action movie with many interesting characters and species. It often reminded me old SciFi monster bug movies, updated to Starship Troopers or Japanese animation levels. If it has any cons they would be that it is about 25% too long (I wanted to get to the climax earlier) and rather graphic on the gore in places. On the movies I keep in my collection, that have the same problems, I often edit out those parts. (This includes A budget films like Mission Impossible.) If the gore bothers you, well you decide if you want to read it. Otherwise it is a fun and pretty fast read. It has many places to stop but is easy to pick up again and makes you want to pick it up again.
2010 Grade B+
2024 Grade B+
I've wanted a copy of this book for my bookshelf since I first read it under the title Bug Hunt on the editing service Scribophile. Writing and publishing a book can take quite a while as you can see. It is available on Amazon now.
The story is just plain fun. It is a bit like reading a SciFi action movie with many interesting characters and species. It often reminded me old SciFi monster bug movies, updated to Starship Troopers or Japanese animation levels. If it has any cons they would be that it is about 25% too long (I wanted to get to the climax earlier) and rather graphic on the gore in places. On the movies I keep in my collection, that have the same problems, I often edit out those parts. (This includes A budget films like Mission Impossible.) If the gore bothers you, well you decide if you want to read it. Otherwise it is a fun and pretty fast read. It has many places to stop but is easy to pick up again and makes you want to pick it up again.
August 8, 2026
Good bad action film with aliens in a novel
I got this book from a giveaway on goodreads. i never would have heard/read this book. If not. I was glad i did read it, though. It was cheesy and lots of grotesque deaths that made it super fun to read. It was a very slow start, but I appreciate that it made the payoff in the end well worth it. Nothing so bad for me to complain about giving this a solid 4 stars. Fun and exciting read. It is truly a hidden gem.
I got this book from a giveaway on goodreads. i never would have heard/read this book. If not. I was glad i did read it, though. It was cheesy and lots of grotesque deaths that made it super fun to read. It was a very slow start, but I appreciate that it made the payoff in the end well worth it. Nothing so bad for me to complain about giving this a solid 4 stars. Fun and exciting read. It is truly a hidden gem.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews