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Star Lawyers Origins #1
Stardate
“Mark, I’m telling you. She’s an alien!”Mark Bricchetti is an ordinary, 21st century teenager attending Spirit Creek Middle School in Augusta, Georgia. Excitement means playing MMOs, reading about dinosaurs and munching pizza. That’s about to change. It starts when best friend, Aaron Hooper, warns him about Keshikka Grant, the new hottie in school. “Mark, I’m telling you. She’s an alien!”Well, she did have red-golden hair and yellow eyes. But when Keshikka whispers her phone number to him, Mark has no idea their date will take him to worlds he could not imagine, where the fate of planet Earth lands in his hands. Of course, he will encounter a vast array of aliens, starships, rampaging dinosaurs, and holographic MMOs where you can actually die. And eat pizza with a Miyosian princess.Stardate shanghaies readers from ordinary life into an action-driven, deep space adventure, punctuated with humor. For anyone who loves a good tale, middle school to retirement complex."If that girl is an alien, beam me aboard.”
193 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 8, 2018
About the author
Tom Shepherd
32 books41 followersTom Shepherd flew medical evacuation helicopters in Vietnam, where he received two Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Air Medal, and the Purple Heart. He has worked as a Japanese linguist, public school teacher, and graduate school instructor. Shepherd is originally from Reading, Pennsylvania, but lived in Alaska, Germany, Indochina, and the Republic of Korea. He spent the balance of of his professional career working with churches in the Deep South, California, and the Midwest and serving as Professor of Religious Studies at Unity Institute near Kansas City, Missouri. Author of a wide array of
articles and nonfiction books, plus more than twenty plays and two novels for the middle grades, Dr. Shepherd “retired” in 2016 to write novels full time.
Star Lawyers is his new series, which readers have described as “Star Trek meets Law&Order.” Tom Shepherd lives with his wife, Carol-Jean, and their genial pit bull, Riley, in Tucson, Arizona.
articles and nonfiction books, plus more than twenty plays and two novels for the middle grades, Dr. Shepherd “retired” in 2016 to write novels full time.
Star Lawyers is his new series, which readers have described as “Star Trek meets Law&Order.” Tom Shepherd lives with his wife, Carol-Jean, and their genial pit bull, Riley, in Tucson, Arizona.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 8, 2018
“Technology from any advanced civilization will seem like magic to someone from a simpler scientific culture.”
Arthur C. Clarke.
What an amazing and great read! I’ve had a wonderful time and so much fun reading this new book. From a down to earth life to being catapulted to whole new world of galaxy hopping, aliens, high technology only read about in SciFi books or seen in movies, I felt one with the protagonists. I even was envious, and yes, a little jealous! Lol.
Its an overflowing cauldron of leveling, world building, humor, and action. Ominously relevant, ferocious, hilariously warped and entertaining, unique and wonderful, a tongue-in-cheek dialogue. The humans are the typical true stereotype teens of our present day world, that makes us ask: are these Terrans going to represent and defend humanity’s worth and right for a place in the universe? (All said with the best of intentions of course). I love these characters, aliens included! It has been a wonderful journey, experiencing the awed and fantastic technology through the protagonists has been unique, like only a SciFi fan can feel, dreams becoming a reality! The teleportation, the dimensional displacement technology...I’d love that too! Tom Shepherd has my total admiration and is on my list of favourites with Asimov, Clarke..
This is An Exciting start to what I imagine can only be a brilliant series. I’m already impatient to read the next book! I’m highly recommending this series starter!
I am voluntarily leaving a review with no obligation of an advance copy I received from the author.
Arthur C. Clarke.
What an amazing and great read! I’ve had a wonderful time and so much fun reading this new book. From a down to earth life to being catapulted to whole new world of galaxy hopping, aliens, high technology only read about in SciFi books or seen in movies, I felt one with the protagonists. I even was envious, and yes, a little jealous! Lol.
Its an overflowing cauldron of leveling, world building, humor, and action. Ominously relevant, ferocious, hilariously warped and entertaining, unique and wonderful, a tongue-in-cheek dialogue. The humans are the typical true stereotype teens of our present day world, that makes us ask: are these Terrans going to represent and defend humanity’s worth and right for a place in the universe? (All said with the best of intentions of course). I love these characters, aliens included! It has been a wonderful journey, experiencing the awed and fantastic technology through the protagonists has been unique, like only a SciFi fan can feel, dreams becoming a reality! The teleportation, the dimensional displacement technology...I’d love that too! Tom Shepherd has my total admiration and is on my list of favourites with Asimov, Clarke..
This is An Exciting start to what I imagine can only be a brilliant series. I’m already impatient to read the next book! I’m highly recommending this series starter!
I am voluntarily leaving a review with no obligation of an advance copy I received from the author.
July 3, 2023
Entertaining space listening 🎶🔰
Mark and friends are going to school in Georgia and having a good time. Then they are transported to a space craft and the adventure of their young lives. There they must defend earth 🌎 to prevent it from being destroyed. I would highly recommend this series and author to 👍 readers of space opera novels 👍🔰. 2023 👒😀😡🏡
Mark and friends are going to school in Georgia and having a good time. Then they are transported to a space craft and the adventure of their young lives. There they must defend earth 🌎 to prevent it from being destroyed. I would highly recommend this series and author to 👍 readers of space opera novels 👍🔰. 2023 👒😀😡🏡
October 7, 2018
This is a really good Space Opera story. It relates to the young adult crowd as the main characters are teenagers. However,I am 61 and I enjoyed it, so I think you will too.
December 8, 2018
I have been a fan of Tom Shepherd since I discovered the Star Lawyer series and began devouring it! It is just so much fun, so awesomely well written, and has really well developed and interesting and engaging characters.
Stardate (Star Lawyers Origins Book 1) is no exception. Now, I have seen some reviewers comment that this is Young Adult (YA) or even juvenile fiction, but I respectfully disagree. Yes, the characters are teens, or even in some cases tweens, but they are the main characters and story tellers, the AUDIENCE is still in my opinion adult. Why do I say that? Well, true enough a tween/teen could enjoy it, no doubt. They would certainly relate. I think Tom did a great job capturing what it is like to be a teen in the world today, particularly in the USA.
But let’s just take a step back here. The premise of the book is the main character writing about what happened this one crazy weekend. That no one would believe. And it is intimated that years later there is a lot of significance in the Star Lawyers Universe and to M double II corp. about this “first contact” and what these youngsters experience. The whole premise of this book is catching a glimpse – in which the Earth is nearly obliterated, by the way – of how the greater SL universe came to be. It’s about origins. One reviewer mentions that he is 61 and still enjoyed it.
Well, I’m not far behind that person in years, and I really enjoyed it too. It was fun! It was rollicking. It had Dr. Tom Shepherd’s hallmark all over it where the characters just simply refused to do what you wanted them to do.
From two best young teen friends Aaron and Mark, one of whom falls for this hot new girl in school (spoiler alert: she’s an alien!) Keshikka (sounds like Chewbacca’s home planet, doesn’t it?) to the 4 x 4 pickup truck toting ex-marine Zach, the action is non-stop and the world building is outstanding. There are plot twists, surprises, and many, many references to Star Trek, Star Wars, and other just hilarious lines that in addition to all the exciting and pretty much non-stop action make this a really good read.
One of Tom’s hallmarks for sure is page turning adventures, and having to get by a sleeping dinosaur in a simulated world on a starship that is imminently going to be blown to bits by Keshikka’s dad creates quite the action and adventure. And of course the aliens are more advanced than the Earthers, they have their own problems both foreign and domestic, and mess with Mark and Aaron more than a little.
It all makes for a great, quick, page turning read. Just my style. I am really looking forward to the next SL: Origins title to find out what happens next that leads to a galaxy spanning giant corporation in the far distant future.
I highly recommend this excellent read.
Stardate (Star Lawyers Origins Book 1) is no exception. Now, I have seen some reviewers comment that this is Young Adult (YA) or even juvenile fiction, but I respectfully disagree. Yes, the characters are teens, or even in some cases tweens, but they are the main characters and story tellers, the AUDIENCE is still in my opinion adult. Why do I say that? Well, true enough a tween/teen could enjoy it, no doubt. They would certainly relate. I think Tom did a great job capturing what it is like to be a teen in the world today, particularly in the USA.
But let’s just take a step back here. The premise of the book is the main character writing about what happened this one crazy weekend. That no one would believe. And it is intimated that years later there is a lot of significance in the Star Lawyers Universe and to M double II corp. about this “first contact” and what these youngsters experience. The whole premise of this book is catching a glimpse – in which the Earth is nearly obliterated, by the way – of how the greater SL universe came to be. It’s about origins. One reviewer mentions that he is 61 and still enjoyed it.
Well, I’m not far behind that person in years, and I really enjoyed it too. It was fun! It was rollicking. It had Dr. Tom Shepherd’s hallmark all over it where the characters just simply refused to do what you wanted them to do.
From two best young teen friends Aaron and Mark, one of whom falls for this hot new girl in school (spoiler alert: she’s an alien!) Keshikka (sounds like Chewbacca’s home planet, doesn’t it?) to the 4 x 4 pickup truck toting ex-marine Zach, the action is non-stop and the world building is outstanding. There are plot twists, surprises, and many, many references to Star Trek, Star Wars, and other just hilarious lines that in addition to all the exciting and pretty much non-stop action make this a really good read.
One of Tom’s hallmarks for sure is page turning adventures, and having to get by a sleeping dinosaur in a simulated world on a starship that is imminently going to be blown to bits by Keshikka’s dad creates quite the action and adventure. And of course the aliens are more advanced than the Earthers, they have their own problems both foreign and domestic, and mess with Mark and Aaron more than a little.
It all makes for a great, quick, page turning read. Just my style. I am really looking forward to the next SL: Origins title to find out what happens next that leads to a galaxy spanning giant corporation in the far distant future.
I highly recommend this excellent read.
October 9, 2018
😈🛸👽💤⭐️ 5 stars 🌟
Started: 28 September 2018.
Finished: 30 September 2018.
Amazon: ? / I was just informed that it finally went live on Amazon, today 9 October 2018.
KyBook (1,2,&3), iBooks, Kobo, Amazon, among others.
Title:
An awesome first date :-D
The story opens with a gentleman recollecting a very eventful weekend {& letting the tale sweep you along for the ride.)
Two friends get into a discussion about where a new girl in school is from. One thinks France or Germany and the other thinks outer space. To find out what the answer is, the narrator asks her directly and ends up with her phone number.
The author lightly touches on the current belief that anything Einstein said is the absolute truth (wrong in so many ways (IMO)).
We have a great chance to see why Terra can be a really good addition to the Star Gate Universe {Some of the reasons: pizza, gamers, SciFi, young people — not hide bound by their degrees or age}.
They ve even came up with an universal translator the size of a button.
All in all, this book gives a whole new meaning to the term long distance relationships and going the distance for a first date!
When dealing with alien life forms on strange worlds, everything boils down to one simple strategy: ALWAYS PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS!
It s nice when aliens who live extra long lives seem to forget that at one time youngsters were treated like men — anything else was an insult. It s bad when it turns out to be someone who you d like to get to know better. It s even worse when the Terran ignores the insult because he thinks with something other than his brain.
When they meet the actual pirates {you just knew that they had to meet everybody, didn t you?}., they use a tool to rescue the girlfriend, and even used a lower form of technology (Terran) in the form of a 4 x 4 pickup truck to get the best of the pirates.
Started: 28 September 2018.
Finished: 30 September 2018.
Amazon: ? / I was just informed that it finally went live on Amazon, today 9 October 2018.
KyBook (1,2,&3), iBooks, Kobo, Amazon, among others.
Title:
An awesome first date :-D
The story opens with a gentleman recollecting a very eventful weekend {& letting the tale sweep you along for the ride.)
Two friends get into a discussion about where a new girl in school is from. One thinks France or Germany and the other thinks outer space. To find out what the answer is, the narrator asks her directly and ends up with her phone number.
The author lightly touches on the current belief that anything Einstein said is the absolute truth (wrong in so many ways (IMO)).
We have a great chance to see why Terra can be a really good addition to the Star Gate Universe {Some of the reasons: pizza, gamers, SciFi, young people — not hide bound by their degrees or age}.
They ve even came up with an universal translator the size of a button.
All in all, this book gives a whole new meaning to the term long distance relationships and going the distance for a first date!
When dealing with alien life forms on strange worlds, everything boils down to one simple strategy: ALWAYS PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS!
It s nice when aliens who live extra long lives seem to forget that at one time youngsters were treated like men — anything else was an insult. It s bad when it turns out to be someone who you d like to get to know better. It s even worse when the Terran ignores the insult because he thinks with something other than his brain.
When they meet the actual pirates {you just knew that they had to meet everybody, didn t you?}., they use a tool to rescue the girlfriend, and even used a lower form of technology (Terran) in the form of a 4 x 4 pickup truck to get the best of the pirates.
October 14, 2018
Keeping in mind that space scifi is my favorite kind, I have to say that this was an excellent book. Love the story, Love the world building, and love the way the conflict was handled. I'm definitely looking forward to more in the series.
If you like good character driven plotlines, and you enjoy your scifi with a bit of humanity thrown in, with the whole humans vs. aliens thing going on, even if it's a toss up as to whether the aliens want to help humans or wipe them out, then you're definitely going to love this story. I've never read anything by this author before, but I'm adding this guy to my must read list, so I don't miss anything else he makes. Great stuff here, even if it isn't quite as action packed as some fans might want, it's still good enough to recommend for reading, so have at it.
If you like good character driven plotlines, and you enjoy your scifi with a bit of humanity thrown in, with the whole humans vs. aliens thing going on, even if it's a toss up as to whether the aliens want to help humans or wipe them out, then you're definitely going to love this story. I've never read anything by this author before, but I'm adding this guy to my must read list, so I don't miss anything else he makes. Great stuff here, even if it isn't quite as action packed as some fans might want, it's still good enough to recommend for reading, so have at it.
June 25, 2020
While the story is about two teenagers and an older friend who is a vet, who meet up with a teenage girl for a date, the story feels younger to me. I have read some of Tom's other books and enjoyed them. I bought this series when it was all on sale for 99 cents each.I think of this as more middle school than young adult.
The premise is that the galactic nations want to judge us unfit as we are too barbaric and violent, but arrangements have been made by the general's teen daughter to have a local Earth boy address the assembly in the hopes of saving Earth. Then the adventure really begins. Some parts are tests and some scenarios are real. But, a lot of game speak and teen gaming takes place, some of which I can only guess as to the meaning being 60 and not 12.
If I had a 12 to 14 year old I could give the series to I would. I think this first one would be especially attractive to boys.
The premise is that the galactic nations want to judge us unfit as we are too barbaric and violent, but arrangements have been made by the general's teen daughter to have a local Earth boy address the assembly in the hopes of saving Earth. Then the adventure really begins. Some parts are tests and some scenarios are real. But, a lot of game speak and teen gaming takes place, some of which I can only guess as to the meaning being 60 and not 12.
If I had a 12 to 14 year old I could give the series to I would. I think this first one would be especially attractive to boys.
March 1, 2020
You Won't Believe The First Date
Mark an eighth grade student, gets an opportunity for a date with the very hot new girl. He can't believe his luck, but his friend thinks she is so hot that she must be an alien. The date starts off with a bang as he and his friends are taken into outer space to defend Earth in a galactic court. I like the action, humor, and romance. I look forward to another book.
Mark an eighth grade student, gets an opportunity for a date with the very hot new girl. He can't believe his luck, but his friend thinks she is so hot that she must be an alien. The date starts off with a bang as he and his friends are taken into outer space to defend Earth in a galactic court. I like the action, humor, and romance. I look forward to another book.
October 22, 2018
Most would say it's a kids book, but I personally think it is GREAT for all.
Is fast pasted, exciting and as close to the most fun I've had in reading in a long time.
Let's face it not every young man gets to meet a Princess from a different world and fly through putter space not only to save his world but to save the Princess too.
Read and enjoy!!
Is fast pasted, exciting and as close to the most fun I've had in reading in a long time.
Let's face it not every young man gets to meet a Princess from a different world and fly through putter space not only to save his world but to save the Princess too.
Read and enjoy!!
May 4, 2019
Summary: The series title made me think I would be reading a thoughtful SF book with some politics and action. The reality is unfortunately puerile nonsense, at least it was very light reading.
Plotline: Not thought out, felt completely made up as it went along
Premise: Needed a lot more thought than it got, not workable.
Writing: Light
Ending: Yes.
Pace: Never a dull moment!
Plotline: Not thought out, felt completely made up as it went along
Premise: Needed a lot more thought than it got, not workable.
Writing: Light
Ending: Yes.
Pace: Never a dull moment!
October 17, 2018
Young adult
Otherwise not too bad. I often wonder why books are so often labeled YA. This book is clearly YA and does not pretend to be anything else. If anything, I found it to be even less than YA. I would place this in a 9 til 12 year class.
Otherwise not too bad. I often wonder why books are so often labeled YA. This book is clearly YA and does not pretend to be anything else. If anything, I found it to be even less than YA. I would place this in a 9 til 12 year class.
July 1, 2019
Sorry, I just couldn't finish it.
It may be too young for me, though I usually enjoy stories with kids in them. I just got to the point where I didn't think I could take the jargon anymore. I hope I never have to hear 'hella' again in my life.
It may be too young for me, though I usually enjoy stories with kids in them. I just got to the point where I didn't think I could take the jargon anymore. I hope I never have to hear 'hella' again in my life.
January 30, 2023
Fun read
Tom Shepard has created a fun universe. Excellent characters and fun reality grounded in the contemporary world, with splashes of hard sci-fi added to keep it readable and interesting. I look forward to more adventures with this character set. Keep up the great writing.
Tom Shepard has created a fun universe. Excellent characters and fun reality grounded in the contemporary world, with splashes of hard sci-fi added to keep it readable and interesting. I look forward to more adventures with this character set. Keep up the great writing.
April 14, 2019
Good read
Tom Shepherd did a great job of “PG ing” this book for family availability. Nice storyline. Looking forward to the next Origins book.
Tom Shepherd did a great job of “PG ing” this book for family availability. Nice storyline. Looking forward to the next Origins book.
May 7, 2020
Outstanding
Whilst a great stand alone novel which eps you rivetted from page one, but also a great prequel to entice you into the rest of the series.
Whilst a great stand alone novel which eps you rivetted from page one, but also a great prequel to entice you into the rest of the series.
March 7, 2021
A very fun read!
This may be a teen focussed story but I really enjoyed it. Lots of action with quite a few twists to keep it interesting.
This may be a teen focussed story but I really enjoyed it. Lots of action with quite a few twists to keep it interesting.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews