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Alvar's Spear
Gold Medal Winner- Best Sci Fi Novel of 2018. Next Generation Indie Book Awards
Thirty years after dancing with the dead, half-Terran, half-Antal, Gar has just one desperate last chance to save the Antal hive from immolation at the hands of its own mother, the sentient moon-world, Alvar. He must do this before a mutant conspiracy turns Alvar into a fetid swamp, and enslaves the Antal. Alvar has sworn to hurl herself into the gas giant she orbits before she allows that to happen.
To become the planetary savior, Alvar’s Spear, Gar must confront enemies, assassins, a traitor, and a beautiful, brilliant, Terran geneticist. He must travel into the mysterious Forbidden Mountains of the vild, from which no one has returned. If successful, he will save Alvar.
But the danger of creating a savior is that he will be his own person. He will do what he will, and whether his acts are judged good or bad will only be known in the unrolling of time. Time is not on gar’s side. But time does unroll. What it reveals may not be to everyone’s liking.
A new novel in the Seven Worlds series
From the award-winning author,
Charles Freedom Long
Thirty years after dancing with the dead, half-Terran, half-Antal, Gar has just one desperate last chance to save the Antal hive from immolation at the hands of its own mother, the sentient moon-world, Alvar. He must do this before a mutant conspiracy turns Alvar into a fetid swamp, and enslaves the Antal. Alvar has sworn to hurl herself into the gas giant she orbits before she allows that to happen.
To become the planetary savior, Alvar’s Spear, Gar must confront enemies, assassins, a traitor, and a beautiful, brilliant, Terran geneticist. He must travel into the mysterious Forbidden Mountains of the vild, from which no one has returned. If successful, he will save Alvar.
But the danger of creating a savior is that he will be his own person. He will do what he will, and whether his acts are judged good or bad will only be known in the unrolling of time. Time is not on gar’s side. But time does unroll. What it reveals may not be to everyone’s liking.
A new novel in the Seven Worlds series
From the award-winning author,
Charles Freedom Long
- GenresScience FictionFantasy
473 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 15, 2017
4 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Charles Freedom Long
4 books82 followersCharles Freedom Long, a psychologist who is also a medium, talks with deceased people all the time. So, with the help of some friends on both sides of the veil called death, he began writing speculative fiction from a spiritualist point of view.
He writes about what might be on this or other worlds. Awareness and ongoing communication between the living and the dead as a fact of daily life, and how that might affect the life and philosophy of a world are a centerpiece of his award-winning work.
He writes about what might be on this or other worlds. Awareness and ongoing communication between the living and the dead as a fact of daily life, and how that might affect the life and philosophy of a world are a centerpiece of his award-winning work.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 12, 2017
Alvar's Spear by Charles Freedom Long is the second book in the series. I read the first book and loved it and loved this one too. It has a bit of things of our world and bits of an alien world. It has action, adventure, suspense, mystery, and more. I loved the world building and characters. I really enjoyed the way the author presents the information also, his style is different and enjoyable. Great job!
December 8, 2017
Very enjoyable! As this book is set thirty years after Dancing With The Dead, I expected it would be a sequel. Happily, while it does have a couple of characters from Dancing with the Dead, this is a standalone novel set in the same Seven Worlds universe with a very different story line. No reader will feel lost if this is the first of the Seven Worlds book they read – I love when an author can pull that off!
This book (again) reminds of CJ Cherryh’s writing in that Cherryh often writes science fiction that doesn’t contain any (or contains very few) humans. Instead, the characters are all aliens, and the setting is on an alien world (or worlds). In Alvar’s Spear, the entire story takes place on Alvar, inhabited moon of a gas giant system and all the characters are aliens, except for two humans.
In this book, the moon of Alvar and all of its inhabitants are on the verge of destruction. This is because of a “Bermuda triangle” intersection of the loss of initiative on the part of the species who makes Alvar their home, the megalomaniac intentions of a tyrant and the evil machinations of a different, off-world species.
Enter Gar, son of Quenby (who was my favorite character from the last book), who must discover the various plots conspiring to destroy the planet, and lead a rebellion to save his people. With help from the beautiful, genius geneticist human, Mbali, the “consciousness” of the moon, Alvar, and various parts of the flora and fauna of the moon, he wages a war against destruction. The war is quite a literal one in that the book is full of battle scenes, weapons, blood, death, and will definitely keep your blood pumping (without being graphic and disgusting). At the same time, there is something very philosophical and spiritual about the book.
As with the last book, the ultimate message relates to tolerance and acceptance of the “different” as the only way to grow and move forward.
Highly recommended to those who enjoy books set in alien settings and who enjoy science fiction battle scenes!
This book (again) reminds of CJ Cherryh’s writing in that Cherryh often writes science fiction that doesn’t contain any (or contains very few) humans. Instead, the characters are all aliens, and the setting is on an alien world (or worlds). In Alvar’s Spear, the entire story takes place on Alvar, inhabited moon of a gas giant system and all the characters are aliens, except for two humans.
In this book, the moon of Alvar and all of its inhabitants are on the verge of destruction. This is because of a “Bermuda triangle” intersection of the loss of initiative on the part of the species who makes Alvar their home, the megalomaniac intentions of a tyrant and the evil machinations of a different, off-world species.
Enter Gar, son of Quenby (who was my favorite character from the last book), who must discover the various plots conspiring to destroy the planet, and lead a rebellion to save his people. With help from the beautiful, genius geneticist human, Mbali, the “consciousness” of the moon, Alvar, and various parts of the flora and fauna of the moon, he wages a war against destruction. The war is quite a literal one in that the book is full of battle scenes, weapons, blood, death, and will definitely keep your blood pumping (without being graphic and disgusting). At the same time, there is something very philosophical and spiritual about the book.
As with the last book, the ultimate message relates to tolerance and acceptance of the “different” as the only way to grow and move forward.
Highly recommended to those who enjoy books set in alien settings and who enjoy science fiction battle scenes!
June 4, 2017
In Alvar's Spears written by Charles Freedom Long, I was readily attracted by the great many diacritic mythical names throughout the book. So much so that it took me to another realm of existence. This realm is governed by six other moons, including a twin moon. It is where sophisticated life thrives, but bleed blue when they are hurt; ancient spirits touch their souls in need of solace. It is not our world, yet another who are just as advanced in scientific knowledge as we are. Aware of the DNA and deadly diseases such as cancer. When their world is in jeopardy, they reach out to each other, negotiate intergalactic deals, play politics and try to win wars to establish peace. They too fight to live above greed, selfishness and self-absorption, although their weather pattern may be quite different as their moons are.
July 17, 2017
Gar is a respected scientist on the Antal homeworld of Alvar, despite his status as a despised goldeneye. Favoured by Queen Hakan and working in an area of genetics dear to the silvereye ruling class, he is protected from much of the class hatred festering in the Antal race. However, underneath the veneer of the respected and respectable geneticist lies the leader of a revolution; a leader on a deadline to prevent the eradication of his entire race at the goddess Alvar’s hands. The Antal hive has become contaminated and stagnant, and to survive, they must change or die.
Alvar’s Spear is a powerful story of revolution, love, and acceptance, weaving themes that will resonate with every reader into its plot. The book is replete with conflicts, driving the story forwards: between the goddess Alvar and the direction of her people; between the factions of Antal society; and not least between Gar and the eminent Terran geneticist whose help he must have to save his race. Author Charles Freedom Long’s personification of elements of nature and of the world of Alvar itself is an intriguing way of integrating the wild environment, and it contrasts sharply with the protocol-bound Antal society living in isolation from the world it inhabits. In many ways, understated as it is, the theme of the walls that people build between themselves and other people and things is in some ways the most powerful single element of the book. Like its predecessor, Dancing with the Dead, Alvar’s Spear is a book guaranteed to make you think, layered with concepts to uncover.
Reviewed for By Rite of Word.
Alvar’s Spear is a powerful story of revolution, love, and acceptance, weaving themes that will resonate with every reader into its plot. The book is replete with conflicts, driving the story forwards: between the goddess Alvar and the direction of her people; between the factions of Antal society; and not least between Gar and the eminent Terran geneticist whose help he must have to save his race. Author Charles Freedom Long’s personification of elements of nature and of the world of Alvar itself is an intriguing way of integrating the wild environment, and it contrasts sharply with the protocol-bound Antal society living in isolation from the world it inhabits. In many ways, understated as it is, the theme of the walls that people build between themselves and other people and things is in some ways the most powerful single element of the book. Like its predecessor, Dancing with the Dead, Alvar’s Spear is a book guaranteed to make you think, layered with concepts to uncover.
Reviewed for By Rite of Word.
May 6, 2018
What would you do if your sentient planet/god tasked you with a quest to stop a planetwide catastrophe imminently approaching within a few months? For Silvereye scientist and freedom fighter Gar, this question is more than academic. It’s wonderful to see how Charles Freedom Long weaves together Gar’s journey with a cast of great characters and a fascinating world in Alvar’s Spear.
Long’s writing instantly stands out to me. He paces his description and dialogue well to make a flowing story that draws me in bit by bit. Learning about the world and characters was fun and seamless. Gar’s planet and people were the perfect balance of alien and familiar that makes for a good sci fi read. From the story to the way it was delivered, to fun additions like quotes at the beginning of each chapter and a ‘welcome to Alvar’ information pamphlet, Alvar’s Spear was an entertaining journey to another part of the galaxy that I’d gladly take again.
Long’s writing instantly stands out to me. He paces his description and dialogue well to make a flowing story that draws me in bit by bit. Learning about the world and characters was fun and seamless. Gar’s planet and people were the perfect balance of alien and familiar that makes for a good sci fi read. From the story to the way it was delivered, to fun additions like quotes at the beginning of each chapter and a ‘welcome to Alvar’ information pamphlet, Alvar’s Spear was an entertaining journey to another part of the galaxy that I’d gladly take again.
June 8, 2017
Alvar’s Spear, by Charles Freedom Long, a sci-fi fantasy, is Star Wars quality action. Alvar’s Spear takes us into the future where sentient races are at odds, where the ultimate fate awaits entire worlds unless one person, Gar, a hybrid, can find a way to save his world before it is too late. Wonderfully written, elaborately detailed, filled with engaging dialogue, heated passion and action.
Synopsis: Gar, a hybrid of more than one race, is given a mission to save his home world from being eviscerated. Sentient factions from different worlds are verging on conflict, and in the center of it all is Gar, who must find a way to restore stability and peace. Gar is up against a ruthless and power-hungry man, Noksun, a senior official who sees him as his only real obstruction to his plans to become the ultimate ruler. Gar calls for the help of the greatest geneticist in the known Universe, Mbali, a beautiful Terran who can help him, but who seems to oppose him at every turn, not trusting his words, until… The dynamics of power, the power-plays, the introduction of mutants and genetically modified sentients, all of it becomes a space-operatic war on a scale and with passion and violence that keeps one reading to find out how, with only a small faction of men and women behind him and the Snow Wolves, Gar can possibly go up against the organized military might that Noksun has prepared to launch in order to take control of the planet.
This story has lots of well-written dialogue between the players, scripted with a unique language of its own, with a touch of romance, conflicted jealousies, back-stabbing and of course, lots of action. You get it all!
There is also a message, the timeless message of unity, equality and humanity built into this story – where the good are fighting against the evil who want to keep the camps divided, keep hatred and division alive – a theme which is all too-real in our contemporary times.
This review is also available at International Writers Inspiring Change
Synopsis: Gar, a hybrid of more than one race, is given a mission to save his home world from being eviscerated. Sentient factions from different worlds are verging on conflict, and in the center of it all is Gar, who must find a way to restore stability and peace. Gar is up against a ruthless and power-hungry man, Noksun, a senior official who sees him as his only real obstruction to his plans to become the ultimate ruler. Gar calls for the help of the greatest geneticist in the known Universe, Mbali, a beautiful Terran who can help him, but who seems to oppose him at every turn, not trusting his words, until… The dynamics of power, the power-plays, the introduction of mutants and genetically modified sentients, all of it becomes a space-operatic war on a scale and with passion and violence that keeps one reading to find out how, with only a small faction of men and women behind him and the Snow Wolves, Gar can possibly go up against the organized military might that Noksun has prepared to launch in order to take control of the planet.
This story has lots of well-written dialogue between the players, scripted with a unique language of its own, with a touch of romance, conflicted jealousies, back-stabbing and of course, lots of action. You get it all!
There is also a message, the timeless message of unity, equality and humanity built into this story – where the good are fighting against the evil who want to keep the camps divided, keep hatred and division alive – a theme which is all too-real in our contemporary times.
This review is also available at International Writers Inspiring Change
December 4, 2017
A blend of sci-fi and fantasy on an endangered far off world...
The story starts as the protagonist, Gar, spots a group that is messing with the ecosystem of Alvar, a populated moon in a far off solar system. After a fight and being chased by giant snow wolves, Gar is contacted by the sentience of Alvar, telling him that only he can save the moon by becoming Alvar's Spear. Thus starts a tale that is about 80% sci-fi and 20% fantasy.
The sci-fi contains some great action with spaceship battles, laser beams, genetic engineering, and mechanized warfare with hovercraft, and aliens (Gar's semi-humanoid race and evil insectoids). Gar's study of Earth's wars provide him with tactics that assist those who follow him in various WWI and WWII style flying and land battles. The fantasy includes mentally communing with the Gaia-like Alvar and the giant snow wolves, and Gar's somewhat vision quest that thransforms him into the "Spear" with great powers.
Of course, there are bad guys, a human geneticist love interest (enhanced by Gar's people apparently periodically going into heat en-mass), and extreme tension between the silvereyes, goldeneyes, and mutants that form Gar's race.
Overall it is a great escapist adventure that is worth a try.
The story starts as the protagonist, Gar, spots a group that is messing with the ecosystem of Alvar, a populated moon in a far off solar system. After a fight and being chased by giant snow wolves, Gar is contacted by the sentience of Alvar, telling him that only he can save the moon by becoming Alvar's Spear. Thus starts a tale that is about 80% sci-fi and 20% fantasy.
The sci-fi contains some great action with spaceship battles, laser beams, genetic engineering, and mechanized warfare with hovercraft, and aliens (Gar's semi-humanoid race and evil insectoids). Gar's study of Earth's wars provide him with tactics that assist those who follow him in various WWI and WWII style flying and land battles. The fantasy includes mentally communing with the Gaia-like Alvar and the giant snow wolves, and Gar's somewhat vision quest that thransforms him into the "Spear" with great powers.
Of course, there are bad guys, a human geneticist love interest (enhanced by Gar's people apparently periodically going into heat en-mass), and extreme tension between the silvereyes, goldeneyes, and mutants that form Gar's race.
Overall it is a great escapist adventure that is worth a try.
June 22, 2017
"Alvar's Spear" is an epic science fiction adventure of the highest quality. Charles Freedom Long has written an epic science fiction book filled with truth, failure, hope, danger, life, love, death, redemption, and enough twists and turns to create a rollercoaster of literary satisfaction. He paints another world, with a few shocking similarities to our own, with the same sort of ambition with which Isaac Asimov wrote the foundation trilogy. This is not a quick read. Alvar's Spear is a big book. The world Mr. Long creates is truly one of magic, and, in the end, redemption at the highest level. Solid 5-star writing. — Temple Emmet Williams, former editor at the Reader's Digest
October 9, 2017
Alvar’s Spear by Charles Freedom Long is full of intrigue and adventure. Some of the concepts are so well imagined that they confront the reader and cause them to consider things which they might not have considered before.
The world the author builds is a place of alien strangeness, but the characters that inhabit the book come across as having all the attributes (and all the flaws) of humanity. Ego, deceit, revenge and ambition are all there, in ample amounts.
It is not my intention to ruin the book for you by giving away the plot. If you are interested in reading a great book by an accomplished writer, do yourself a favour and get your hands on Alvar’s Spear.
Highly recommended. I have no hesitation in giving it five stars.
The world the author builds is a place of alien strangeness, but the characters that inhabit the book come across as having all the attributes (and all the flaws) of humanity. Ego, deceit, revenge and ambition are all there, in ample amounts.
It is not my intention to ruin the book for you by giving away the plot. If you are interested in reading a great book by an accomplished writer, do yourself a favour and get your hands on Alvar’s Spear.
Highly recommended. I have no hesitation in giving it five stars.
May 21, 2019
Gar is a goldeneye, 5-fingered in a world of 3-fingered silvereyes, moved from the collective to Uupstaal - essentially a goldeneye internment camp - where Gar researches a mutation that perhaps is preventing goldeneyes from reproducing. Moon Mother Alvar needs to have this solved for the peaceful future of the Hive before She suicides into the galaxy's sun. Obliteration is preferable to the dissolution caused by agencies unknown. Tick tock, world.
I've been reading speculative fiction written by women almost exclusively for a few years; hoping for - and finding - a connection to all sentience. Minus the ill-written depiction of women (looking at you GoT.) Psionics is a new word for me, introduced by Freedom Long in his bio, and the word feels nestled in the realm this novel inhabits. Technology is a tool; sentience is the craft-wielder.
The story is excellent; the characters flawed and heroic in equal measure, and the women are written as capable, fallable and enduring as the men.
The novel gives me some hope that earth will let us know what's on her mind one of these days.
I've been reading speculative fiction written by women almost exclusively for a few years; hoping for - and finding - a connection to all sentience. Minus the ill-written depiction of women (looking at you GoT.) Psionics is a new word for me, introduced by Freedom Long in his bio, and the word feels nestled in the realm this novel inhabits. Technology is a tool; sentience is the craft-wielder.
The story is excellent; the characters flawed and heroic in equal measure, and the women are written as capable, fallable and enduring as the men.
The novel gives me some hope that earth will let us know what's on her mind one of these days.
September 8, 2017
The sequel to Dancing with the Dead lives up to my high expectations. Like the first book, it combines tense sci-fi action with deep spiritual and philosophical musings on social and environmental justice, individualism, community, and more.
This volume is connected to the first book through several characters but can be enjoyed as a stand-alone story. The main character, Gar, is a goldeneye, an Antal/Terran hybrid with the tall bipedal feline looks of an Antal but with the five-fingered hands and individualistic—sometimes violent—tendencies of Terran humans. This has put them at odds with the pacifist, communal silvereyes, but something is rotten at the heart of the hive.
A geneticist, Gar has been tasked with solving the problem of infertility among the silvereye population but is secretly looking for the source of a troubling mutation. To solve this problem, he involves Terran geneticist M'bali Peebles, who turns out to be more than he bargained for. Meanwhile, the spirits of his world Alvar and of its flora and fauna communicate with him about his destiny as Alvar's Spear. He has the chance to literally save the world and everything on it, but time is running out.
This story has everything: space battles, gross alien bugs, a nasty would-be autocrat, unlikely alliances, sweet romance, steamy sex, invisible wolves . . . and somehow it all works.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This volume is connected to the first book through several characters but can be enjoyed as a stand-alone story. The main character, Gar, is a goldeneye, an Antal/Terran hybrid with the tall bipedal feline looks of an Antal but with the five-fingered hands and individualistic—sometimes violent—tendencies of Terran humans. This has put them at odds with the pacifist, communal silvereyes, but something is rotten at the heart of the hive.
A geneticist, Gar has been tasked with solving the problem of infertility among the silvereye population but is secretly looking for the source of a troubling mutation. To solve this problem, he involves Terran geneticist M'bali Peebles, who turns out to be more than he bargained for. Meanwhile, the spirits of his world Alvar and of its flora and fauna communicate with him about his destiny as Alvar's Spear. He has the chance to literally save the world and everything on it, but time is running out.
This story has everything: space battles, gross alien bugs, a nasty would-be autocrat, unlikely alliances, sweet romance, steamy sex, invisible wolves . . . and somehow it all works.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
June 23, 2017
This book is an epic science fiction adventure that hits on so many levels. It is action packed with hard-core science fiction adventure, sensuality, mysticism and a feel I rarely get outside of reading the classics. If I could compare the reading experience I would have go with Dune and Blade Runner based loosely on some parallels, but mainly on the writing and the feel of the book. The originality of the book goes w/o saying though; the Universe created by Long is fascinating and I look forward to reading more about the Antal, Kreig, Terrans and Kuldorians in the future.
January 13, 2018
Excellent Sequel, An enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews