Daggered Wings: Metatalta, Book 1

Metatalta #1

by David E. Kinney

When a universe of infinite probabilities collapses into a single shining reality

Incorporated into the mighty Jakarien Empire, Earths endless wars, hunger, and disease faded into historical footnotes. But peace and prosperity came with a cost. The Imperiums aggressive expansion requiring an inexhaustible supply of pilots, aliens from the furthest reaches of the galaxy, having endured the brutality of Star Corps' orbiting officer evaluation school, gather at SCB Slatereach vying for the right to be called a Hunter of the Imperium. Sam Becket, a human, is one such alien.

But Sam has a Secret.

Sworn to secrecy by his dying mother. Raised by a Jakarien prince on an alien world. Feared by some who believe his very existence threatens the foundational fabric of the Imperium. Sam, oblivious to a destiny orchestrated by forces beyond his understanding, embarks, along with his new friends, Bo and AJ, on the adventure of a lifetime.

A quest to earn Star Corps most coveted badge Daggered Wings.

Audible Audio

Published July 3, 2024

Reviews

[Paul J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crazy word substitutions, good story

Ya really want to jump into the world of this story but either poor editing or more likely deliberately choosing or creating corruption of word and phrases to show "alien" the reader keeps getting jerked out of the world of the story to figure out what is meant by the work or mangled spelling.
Good story kept from greatness by being aggravating to read

[Diane Gronas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding original plot

A well written future world explores multicultural alien relations within an Imperial military force. The human ideals of truth, respect for the dignity of all, and loyalty raises one young man through its ranks bringing his friends with him.
Though descriptions of military flight procedures and protocol were overly long at times, they painted a vivid reality that was entirely plausible.
Males, females, and aliens were treated as equal individuals with their own strengths and weaknesses. Thankfully, time was not spent on explaining negative personalities and politics to any great length.
The intriguing plot line follows and brings together two privileged orphans from different planets.
The highlight for me was the floating orb with self-awareness. This and other invented creations also made this story unique.
A good read not to be overlooked. Deuces forever!

[Juliet and Gino · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic story

Metatalta, Fathered Wings is a fantastic story, well written and rich with detail. The constructed world feels complete like a fine puzzle, and not like a franken-paste trope monster. The pacing is just about perfect. While the story doesn't stray from the bounds of modern science fiction, it doesn't leave you with a feeling that you've read this story before.

This publication does have one significant flaw unique to modern writing. It suffers from auto correct fails that haven't been found in editing. There are to many phonic homonyms sprinkled thought the text. While they can be a bit jarring when you stumble upon them, they do not detract enough to ruin what is an enjoyable read.

Oh, and the cover art is refreshing. I am so happy it doesn't look like it was bought from a Chinese sweatshop for $10.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ho hum, another series. Part Starship Troopers, part Star Wars, and a whiff of Kristin Hannah for cosmically improbable coincidences. The Jakarien made very short work of Earth's primitive defences. Subjugation into the Imperium seemed smooth, and a few generations later earth was more prosperous than ever. But......why was the inter planetary ship Jolly Roger destroyed? And the course of the destruction covered up? How did Sam end up in an escape pod with Jakarien noble? Why was Bill and AJ's mother, a Jolly Roger crew member killed? Is Billy and AJ's great grand father all or more than he seems? Why more than enough threads to follow!

[Veni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing

An intriguing and interesting start to the series. The plot doesn’t reveal immediately a lot about the mystery surrounding the main characters but by measured precision each chapter brings more out, creating a clearer picture going forward.
I couldn’t put down the book, reading page after page trying to find out more about the past and the various events that brought them together.
Looking forward to the following installments.

[Daniel Fedko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and will read the next in the series

I'm amazed that this author can write so many fantastic novels, I hope that he never stops writing. His books are some of the best Entertainment  I have read and worth the time to read them. Thank you for a very fun entertaining read.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cross between Ender’s Game and Dune this is moderately juvenile and very “I’ve read too many sci-fi novels to just write a good book”.
He focuses a tad too much on phrases and tech to develop a good story.
I’ll probably read the next one just to see if it sucks less but I am once again left searching for a decent sci-fi novel.

[Frank Kelso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Military Syfy at it best

Aliens and humans struggling to work and live together. Can they overcome their centuries of distrust and unite in a common cause or will old prejudices cause unsettling tension or even rebellion?????

[Dave Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Science Fiction

This was an outstanding science fiction read. Very much looking forward to the next book in the series… and hopefully many more after that!

[J F Dobbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

good read

Interesting story looking forward to reading the next book and seeing other books by this author I hope they are as interesting

[Oliver Kitchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

lots of typos in this one. They also keep throwing alien names at the reader without giving a clear picture of what they look like