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Alien Game
With nothing to do but work or lose himself in the dubious digital pleasures of the Netrix, Sam Hammond finds himself bored beyond belief on the oppressive planet of New Princeton. And when he gets himself in trouble for a stupid act of vandalism, he has the choice of spending a year in prison or working off his time as an indentured servant for anyone who buys his contract.
He might have chosen the prison if he'd known that he'd find himself working security for a safari colony on a jungle world where the herbivores are the size of a stadium, the apex predators are vicious lizards that can turn themselves almost invisible, and the skies are filled with huge, acid-breathing fliers. And when New Princeton's Minister of Ecology arrives for a visit with a spaceship full of wealthy and powerful guests, Sam discovers that Man is the most dangerous animal on the planet.
Rod Walker is the New New Heinlein, and The Thousand Worlds marks the return of science fiction to its classical form and historical heights. Written in the style and tradition of Robert Heinlein's 12 classic juvenile novels published by Scribner, ALIEN GAME is an exciting tale of space, adventure, courage, independence, and the indomitable spirit of Man.
He might have chosen the prison if he'd known that he'd find himself working security for a safari colony on a jungle world where the herbivores are the size of a stadium, the apex predators are vicious lizards that can turn themselves almost invisible, and the skies are filled with huge, acid-breathing fliers. And when New Princeton's Minister of Ecology arrives for a visit with a spaceship full of wealthy and powerful guests, Sam discovers that Man is the most dangerous animal on the planet.
Rod Walker is the New New Heinlein, and The Thousand Worlds marks the return of science fiction to its classical form and historical heights. Written in the style and tradition of Robert Heinlein's 12 classic juvenile novels published by Scribner, ALIEN GAME is an exciting tale of space, adventure, courage, independence, and the indomitable spirit of Man.
233 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 20, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 30, 2017
Entertaining
Great summertime book, plenty of action, engaging story, overall a nice escape! Bravo to Rod Walker, I look forward to reading more of his books.
Great summertime book, plenty of action, engaging story, overall a nice escape! Bravo to Rod Walker, I look forward to reading more of his books.
October 13, 2016
A good quick read
A good action book for young adults whilst still being enjoyable for the rest of us. Enough twists to keep things interesting whilst still wrapping thing up satisfactorily at the end.
A good action book for young adults whilst still being enjoyable for the rest of us. Enough twists to keep things interesting whilst still wrapping thing up satisfactorily at the end.
January 18, 2017
Rod Walker ups his Game
Amazon ate my first, detailed review. Long story short, the minor second-act slowdown that marred the author's enjoyable debut, Mutiny in Space, is replaced with page-turning story-telling. There's the appealing voice of Sam, an older country kid trying to make a go of life off the farm and getting derailed by romance with a feckless city girl whose family connections get her off the hook for a shared prank, while Sam ends up in penal servitude on an alien planet. There's the fascinating monstrous setting where humans aren't the only apex predator. And, as I wrote before, the pitch-perfect pacing.
I'm taking the time to re-write this because this is one of the rare books written at the adult / older teen level that you can give to a precocious teen reader: thrilling SF action: no sleaze.
Amazon ate my first, detailed review. Long story short, the minor second-act slowdown that marred the author's enjoyable debut, Mutiny in Space, is replaced with page-turning story-telling. There's the appealing voice of Sam, an older country kid trying to make a go of life off the farm and getting derailed by romance with a feckless city girl whose family connections get her off the hook for a shared prank, while Sam ends up in penal servitude on an alien planet. There's the fascinating monstrous setting where humans aren't the only apex predator. And, as I wrote before, the pitch-perfect pacing.
I'm taking the time to re-write this because this is one of the rare books written at the adult / older teen level that you can give to a precocious teen reader: thrilling SF action: no sleaze.
September 30, 2016
Great adventure
Excellent book for adventuring young men. Shows what qualities can make you a valuable asset to others. Taste of what bad decisions can lead to, and most importantly learning from mistakes.
Excellent book for adventuring young men. Shows what qualities can make you a valuable asset to others. Taste of what bad decisions can lead to, and most importantly learning from mistakes.
January 6, 2022
Harkens to Hienlien
If you have read and enjoyed any of Robert H. Hienlien's "junvenile" books, you will like these books by Rod Walker. I promise. Give them a try.
If you have read and enjoyed any of Robert H. Hienlien's "junvenile" books, you will like these books by Rod Walker. I promise. Give them a try.
February 5, 2022
review to come, very similar to the first in term of writing style, characters and themes.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews