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Under A Different Sun
In the near future, massive empires rule the stars, and west of the Reach, they are battling for control of new systems. In the no-mans land between the front lines, Captain Nate Meric and the crew of the privateer Lexington fight for prize money, and loyalty to their ship and their friends. Beneath it all, though, runs a hidden dream. To see America restored, and take her rightful place among the stars. *This is the second edition of this book, revised and about 30% longer. It tells a more comprehensive and complete story. Will not update prior purchases. Chapter 20 Zlatcov listened to Schmeltzer’s’ transmissions and gritted her teeth. She slammed the throttles forward, pressing her into the seat, not caring about the damaged engine. The shuttle passed through the exhaust of the frigates engines, coming up on the blind side. Her view screen melted and crackled, but held. Up and over the top, slamming her against the straps holding her in the seat. This elicited excited shouts and yells from the assault bay. She spun the shuttle around and applied full thrusters, bringing them to a dead stop relative to the ship, two meters above the deck. The ramp slammed down and six figures dashed out. “BLOW IT, HOLMES!” yelled Knight. The young apprentice demo man placed a cratering charge against the windows over the ship’s Bridge and they scrambled away from it. Before he stepped away, he could see the shocked expression through the windows of the French Captain and his bridge crew. Holding up his hand, counting down with his fingers. At two, every man in the squad dialed up the magnetic lock on their boots, holding them fast to the hull. At one, the charge erupted in a blinding flash, shattering the plastisteel armored windows. Air rushed out, followed by several bodies wearing the sky blue of the French Navy. They milled around for a few seconds as they flew out into space, then fell still, dying quickly from decompression. Bjorn Stenger grabbed the still hot, shattered window edges and swung himself into the Bridge, into the howling airstream. His right arm erupted, firing without discrimination at whatever figure was still moving in the disappearing air. Behind him the rest of the team swung in before metal shutters slammed downward, closing off the breech. “Shupe, get the engine controls. Shut this sonofabitch down. Cahr, Orr, you HOLD that passageway!” said Knight, pointing to an access way off to one side. “Do not let anyone through. Tank, main corridor, start clearing it. Yee, pull anything you can of Intel off their hard drive. Holmes, start placing demo charges at all stations, two minutes.” Yee started banging on keyboards through his gloved fingers. “Just because I’m a frigging Asian doesn’t mean I know computers, you know.” Knight ignored his grumbling, stepping over to the fire control panel and shoving aside the dead body there. He programmed an overload into the main 2cm battery, charging it but giving it no firing coordinates. A flurry of shots sparked off a bulkhead, soundless in the airless compartment, and Tank came bounding back onto the Bridge. He spun, fired, and then fell heavily backward as something crashed into his suit and then exploded with a sharp CRACK. A shaped charge round, used to penetrate armor, had caught him in the leg, shattering it. He sat back up and fired three grenades down the hallway, then started cursing, dragging himself out of the line of fire. “Time to go, Gentlemen,” said Knight, and they retreated back towards the metal shuttered windows where they had originally come in.
- GenresScience FictionEbooks
182 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 23, 2015
54 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
J.F. Holmes
77 books76 followersJ.F. Holmes is a retired Army Senior Noncomissioned Officer, having served for 22 years in both the Regular Army and Army National Guard. During that time, he served as everything from an artillery section leader to a member of a Division level planning staff, with tours in Cuba and Iraq, as well as responding to the terrorists attacks in NYC on 9-11.
From 2010 to 2014 he wrote the immensely popular military cartoon strip, "Power Point Ranger", poking fun at military life in the tradition of Beetle Bailey and Willy & Joe.
His books range from Military Sci-Fi to Space Opera to Detective to Fantasy, with a lot in between, and in 2017 two are finalists for the prestigious Dragon Awards. As of August 2017, Mr. Holmes has eighteen books and two novellas published.
Feel free to join Irregular Scout Team One on Facebook, and get a chance to influence the course and plot of his next book!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/15294...
From 2010 to 2014 he wrote the immensely popular military cartoon strip, "Power Point Ranger", poking fun at military life in the tradition of Beetle Bailey and Willy & Joe.
His books range from Military Sci-Fi to Space Opera to Detective to Fantasy, with a lot in between, and in 2017 two are finalists for the prestigious Dragon Awards. As of August 2017, Mr. Holmes has eighteen books and two novellas published.
Feel free to join Irregular Scout Team One on Facebook, and get a chance to influence the course and plot of his next book!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/15294...
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 24, 2018
A new sky!
Lots of excitement and action! Makes one think of the old pirate movies. Capt Blood and such. The United States can be wiped out, but the idea and dream stays alive! If you pick up this book you can read it without putting it down. Please make sure you know some history though. This is one of those books that lives in the world of Mil Sci-fi! I need more, please?
Lots of excitement and action! Makes one think of the old pirate movies. Capt Blood and such. The United States can be wiped out, but the idea and dream stays alive! If you pick up this book you can read it without putting it down. Please make sure you know some history though. This is one of those books that lives in the world of Mil Sci-fi! I need more, please?
May 28, 2018
This is the updated second edition of this book, and supposedly 40% larger. I've got the original as well, but haven't read it as yet. Maybe one day.
This was a book that wanted to be two different things, but only really succeeded in one. It's the tale of the Privateer Nate Meric, who fights against the French for money 200 years into the future, where space colonies have been established through known space. We get to meet his crew, all with their own reasons for fighting, and see them in action against a French corvette and frigate that have been sent to ambush the Lexington, Nate's ship. They lose some crew, and discover one of them has been captured. They succeed in a daring rescue, but Nate gets injured. The epilogue has them finding the new America.
The other story is not so well filled out, about Americans, secretly searching for a new homeland to call their own, after Earth has been devastated after a cyberwar. It never really explains why they want to do so.
One nitpick, and it's a small one, is that during the daring rescue of the ensign, the French legionnaire commander sets a mine hiding on the space station they are on, to explode in 5 minutes as a distraction to him escaping. Immediately after, the gunfight breaks out, the good guys win and rescue the ensign, rushing to get Nate back on the ship. At no time is the mine mentioned. I'd assume it blows up the station, except there is literally no mention of that either. I'm sure it's not a deliberate error, but it is something that should have been spotted, as it spoilt the following battle a little for me.
It's a good book, and it needs a sequel, or at least some more adventures with the crew, because as w=usual, John's created a group of interesting and unusual people I want to know more about.
This was a book that wanted to be two different things, but only really succeeded in one. It's the tale of the Privateer Nate Meric, who fights against the French for money 200 years into the future, where space colonies have been established through known space. We get to meet his crew, all with their own reasons for fighting, and see them in action against a French corvette and frigate that have been sent to ambush the Lexington, Nate's ship. They lose some crew, and discover one of them has been captured. They succeed in a daring rescue, but Nate gets injured. The epilogue has them finding the new America.
The other story is not so well filled out, about Americans, secretly searching for a new homeland to call their own, after Earth has been devastated after a cyberwar. It never really explains why they want to do so.
One nitpick, and it's a small one, is that during the daring rescue of the ensign, the French legionnaire commander sets a mine hiding on the space station they are on, to explode in 5 minutes as a distraction to him escaping. Immediately after, the gunfight breaks out, the good guys win and rescue the ensign, rushing to get Nate back on the ship. At no time is the mine mentioned. I'd assume it blows up the station, except there is literally no mention of that either. I'm sure it's not a deliberate error, but it is something that should have been spotted, as it spoilt the following battle a little for me.
It's a good book, and it needs a sequel, or at least some more adventures with the crew, because as w=usual, John's created a group of interesting and unusual people I want to know more about.
September 21, 2018
Refreshing
Credible, well written mil SciFi. Enjoyed dialogue and characters — human, alien, AI.
Tempo throughout was great with or without action. Didn’t fall asleep nor skim, held my interest throughout. Just an observation — for some reason I didn’t engage nor emotionally invest w MC’s as much as I would have expected. Per my earlier, there was some great dialogue and the chuckles were a big plus.
Most authors have PC, SJW agendas and this story was basically free of all the misleading nonsense that most have. No evil, corrupt social issue of today harped on — government, politicians, corporations, elites, etc — beating me up for ruining the future. Big plus for me.
Enjoyable, faster type read
Credible, well written mil SciFi. Enjoyed dialogue and characters — human, alien, AI.
Tempo throughout was great with or without action. Didn’t fall asleep nor skim, held my interest throughout. Just an observation — for some reason I didn’t engage nor emotionally invest w MC’s as much as I would have expected. Per my earlier, there was some great dialogue and the chuckles were a big plus.
Most authors have PC, SJW agendas and this story was basically free of all the misleading nonsense that most have. No evil, corrupt social issue of today harped on — government, politicians, corporations, elites, etc — beating me up for ruining the future. Big plus for me.
Enjoyable, faster type read
February 16, 2018
Engaging and hard to put down.
John does an amazing job of painting a world that I would love to explore more of. Almost every character we're introduced to is well developed, with plenty of room for additional storytelling to explain their pasts. If you've read his other books, there are a few familiar faces, which gave me a chuckle. This is definitely a book to pick up, and I am eager to see more in the series.
John does an amazing job of painting a world that I would love to explore more of. Almost every character we're introduced to is well developed, with plenty of room for additional storytelling to explain their pasts. If you've read his other books, there are a few familiar faces, which gave me a chuckle. This is definitely a book to pick up, and I am eager to see more in the series.
January 16, 2019
A first class space opera.
A top flight military sci-fi thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am excited to see this series play itself out. The author has great skill and uses it to great merit. The plot captures your imagination, the characters are relatable and the action is intense. This book is a great escape and what more could you ask for?. Recommended.
A top flight military sci-fi thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am excited to see this series play itself out. The author has great skill and uses it to great merit. The plot captures your imagination, the characters are relatable and the action is intense. This book is a great escape and what more could you ask for?. Recommended.
November 8, 2018
Great Space Opera!
I have read both the first and second editions of this book,the second is clearly the better edition. Pirates with a purpose, the crew of the Lexington fight the forces of darkness, including the French. Great Space Opera, I highly recommend this book.
I have read both the first and second editions of this book,the second is clearly the better edition. Pirates with a purpose, the crew of the Lexington fight the forces of darkness, including the French. Great Space Opera, I highly recommend this book.
May 16, 2018
Another great read!
John F Holmes delivered another great novel, this time set in a retro-future with privateers and the Great Powers at war. Highly recommended.
John F Holmes delivered another great novel, this time set in a retro-future with privateers and the Great Powers at war. Highly recommended.
January 18, 2019
Excellent
This was so enjoyable to read . I felt like I was a part of the story .can't wait to read the next story .
This was so enjoyable to read . I felt like I was a part of the story .can't wait to read the next story .
May 3, 2019
Great read
Loved the storyline. Thoroughly enjoyed the characters and loved the ending. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
Loved the storyline. Thoroughly enjoyed the characters and loved the ending. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
May 23, 2015
Okay sci fi
The "history of the future" explaining the current setting was interesting, if a little hard to believe. Unfortunately, compared to the excellent Zombie Killers series, the characterizations here seemed thin and underdeveloped. The whole thing felt written in a hurry, and the numerous editing errors reinforced that sense.
The "history of the future" explaining the current setting was interesting, if a little hard to believe. Unfortunately, compared to the excellent Zombie Killers series, the characterizations here seemed thin and underdeveloped. The whole thing felt written in a hurry, and the numerous editing errors reinforced that sense.
May 2, 2016
5 Stars This is a book that was hard to put down
Rich well thought out storyline combined with unique characters of depth that interact well. Battle scenes were topnotch. This is an author to keep an eye out for!
Rich well thought out storyline combined with unique characters of depth that interact well. Battle scenes were topnotch. This is an author to keep an eye out for!
April 25, 2015
Wow.
By far my favorite book by John. I can't wait for the story to continue. Hopefully I won't have to wait long.
By far my favorite book by John. I can't wait for the story to continue. Hopefully I won't have to wait long.
February 28, 2017
Under-rated! Quick read!
Like the author's other books, this was an enjoyable read with a likeable cast of characters. I definitely recommend it.
Like the author's other books, this was an enjoyable read with a likeable cast of characters. I definitely recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews