Technology Can Kill You: Attack on Valques

by James William Peercy

Attack on Valques. When an ordinary Universal Space Tech, Galaxy Class, finishes a job for the Farinians in a war-torn sector of space, little does he know he's a pawn in a much bigger arena. Armed with only his intelligence and his ship's AI, he must battle the agenda of a foe thought dead, defeat an enemy that does not exist, and save a group of colonists from extinction. But for Ivan, it's just another tech job in a mad, mad universe.Written in the light of the great space operas, Ivan was inspired by Edmond Hamilton's Starwolf trilogy. With hyperspace, energy guns, and AI's, its technology spans the gambit. But don't take our word for it, find out for yourself!

250 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 17, 2017

About the author

"You'll never make money being a writer." Those words were told to me in middle school. "Pick another career."

Not knowing any better, I did. I chose a major in computer science with a minor in math. After graduation, I went on to start my own computer company.

In 2011, I turned to my wife and told her, "I've done the computer thing and have been writing all these years. I could not stop. I am ready to be published."

I was about to go the self-publishing method when I was invited to a pitch the publisher event in Indiana. The publishers attending not only liked the books I presented, but they picked them up. I have been writing and publishing books ever since.

Some of the stories you will see were written years ago. A great story stands the test of time. Others have been freshly minted from my own mind.

So what was the book which first caught that middle school student's attention? 'The Red Planet' by Robert A. Heinlein. From that point on, I could not get enough. As the ideas filled my head, I had to find a way to let them out.

Whether it is Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, or Poetry, you'll see all kinds from me.

I hope you enjoy!

Reviews

[Jacqueline Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

James William Peercy has a way with endings.
I know, it seems like kind of a weird statement, but hear me out.
Technology Can Kill You is not my typical read. In fact, if I'm being perfectly honest, I wouldn't have picked it up had it not been written by one of my favorite authors. I can also tell you this, however. Speaking as a person who has literally never read a sci-fi book in her life (nope, never read Ender's Game), Ivan's story is an excellent one to start with! You don't have to be a sci-fi fan (or even understand it really), to be swept up in Ivan's intergalactic shenanigans or in Suzie's heartfelt journey. That is mostly due to Mr. Peercy's gift for description and setting.
As always, however, the true heart and joy of the story lies with its characters. Ivan, to me, is like a combination of Chris Pratt and Freddie Highmore (which might sound strange, but in my head, it works). He's smart, adventurous, quick-witted, but to me, he also seemed JUST nerdy enough to justify my Freddie Highmore dream-casting. He travels around the universe with his A.I., Suzie, to guide and assist him and keep him out of trouble. I don't want to say that I knew what was coming, but I'll admit, I kind of new what was coming, which is why I say that James William Peercy has a way with endings. I loved the ending. I loved it. And I can't wait to read the sequel. I simply have to know what happens.
Now, if you ARE a sci-fi fan, I doubt I have to sell you on anything. I can guarantee you will love every moment of this stellar adventure. It's full of fun space gadgets and new planets and weird species (speaking of which, I just remembered that I HAVE read sci-fi books before! I've read the Alienated series by Melissa Landers and the Dating an Alien Pop Star series by Kendra L. Saunders! To be fair though, both of those series are about Earth girls falling in love with hot alien guys. Technology Can Kill You is NOT that kind of sci-fi book). That may have completely just derailed my review, but you get what I'm saying. I'm not a typical sci-fi fan, but I still enjoyed this book. Actual sci-fi fans will LOVE it.
The end.

[Please Pass the Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Technology Can Kill You: Attack on Valques by James William Peercy is the first volume in the author's new science fiction series, Ivan, Universal Space Tech. The protagonist, Ivan, is an Earth-born human technical specialist, plucking at wires and fixing the unfixable among the cosmos as, when, and wherever he's needed. When Ivan ends up on a job that has him rehabilitating a system in hostile territory, he becomes an unwitting pawn in a raging conflict he's unprepared for. With the aid of a compatriate AI named Suzie, Ivan is forced to navigate corners of the universe, collaborate with other alien races and species, and fight battles that are infinitely more involved than his Galaxy Class pay grade should require.

Technology Can Kill You has all the right components to make for a brilliant space opera. The plot is strong enough to harness a reader on its own, but it's the highly character driven narrative that sets the kick-off to James William Peercy's adventure comfortably above the parapet. The banter between Ivan and Suzie is first rate, and the scenes that are built in a fully fleshed out universe are only made better by their presence. I genuinely enjoyed that the descriptions were detailed enough to engross a reader but not so gratuitous that they bog down its pacing. The host of ancillary characters and supporting cast are as diverse as they are interesting, but it's Ivan's humor, smarts, and quick action that make me keen to pick up the next volume in the series.

Review written for Readers' Favorite.

[JJ Broenner · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title does not explain well, the type of story contained; however it does come around to make more sense later. I found several parts of the book very exciting like the Plavadon - I couldn’t wait to see how Ivan and the others completed it and what it would mean. Also the first half of the book is full or heroic rescues and complications for the main character and his A.I. Aka Suzie. The author created many new species and brought some of them together peacefully during the story to help defend each other against the aggressor species. I am interested to find out what becomes of Ivan and Suzie as a team in future adventures.

[Pack Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really well-written adventure book. I bought it from the author at the Little Rock Comic Convention. Since I am a software developer, the book spoke to me, being a story of a space computer systems technician. So, I began reading it soon after I got it.

I really enjoyed it. It's a fast-moving book, and keeps your attention.

If you buy this, make sure you also buy the 2nd book. It seems that this book and the 2nd one were originally written as 1 book. This one seems to just cut off at the end, as if the author just split it into halves. That's OK, though. It just makes you want to start the 2nd book!

[Samantha Holtsclaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Technology can Kill You. It definitely deserves a place in the Science Fiction genre. The characters and setting are well developed, and I just couldn't put it down. Despite some Spelling errors and Grammar errors, I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. Great job, I would love to read the next book in the series.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were times when this book had a slight dystopian feel to it; as well as a slight fantasy element. I really enjoyed the story-line, and even though there was a little bit of jargon in the book, I appreciate that the author does attempt to keep everything else simple, which allows people who don't usually read sci-fi to easily follow along. I got a copy in exchange for an honest review.