Vixen

by Bud Sparhawk

When the Covenant entered the Thetti star system after a two hundred-year frozen voyage, her crew awakened to find a new world ripe for colonization. Meridian was everything they could have hoped for—a ripe, virgin world more than capable of supporting Terrestrial life.

Tam, the leader of the mission, suspects something is amiss when he glimpses a strange light over the planet... and a previously charted moon disappears. Sloppy work? Space anomalies? Or something new and sinister?

When an alien crystalline vessel appears, it spells the end of Tam's hopes and dreams. For the threat is real, and unrest is growing among the crew.

Two hundred years from their home world, the crew of the Covenant has no chance for help or rescue. They are on their own—to sink or swim... or find a third path to salvation!

Genres: Science Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published November 25, 2008

About the author

Bud Sparhawk is the author of the novels Distant Seas, Dreams of Earth, Shattered Dreams, Magician, and Vixen, as well as two print collections: Sam Boone: Front to Back, and Dancing with Dragons. He has three e-Novels available through Amazon and other channels.

Bud has been a three-time novella finalist for the Nebula award: Primrose and Thorn (Analog, May 1996), Magic’s Price (Analog, March 2001), and Clay’s Pride (Analog, July/August 2004). His work has appeared in two Year’s Best anthologies: Year’s Best SF #11 (EOS), David Harwell-Editor) and The Year’s Best Science Fiction, Fourteenth Annual Collection, (St Martins Press, Garner Dozois – Editor.)

His short stories have appeared frequently in Analog Fact/Fiction, less so in Asimov’s, as well as in five Defending the Future and other anthologies, publications and audio books. He has put out several collections of some of his published works in ebook format. A complete bibliography can be found at: http://budsparhawk.com.

He also writes an occasional blog on the pain of writing at http://budsparhawk.blogspot.com.

Reviews

[Hugo]

Couldn't finish this either. Reads utterly as if it was written 30 years before its 2007 publication, with a wholly insufferable protagonist and characters who stand around relating the plot to each other.

[Nick Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Space drama. Scout ship the Covenant awakes from a two-hundred year frozen sleep, arriving in the Thetti star system seeking a fresh planet to establish a new colony on.

Meridian is a perfect Earth-like planet, but Tam, the mission leader, suspects everything isn't as simple as it appears when, rubbing the ice from his eyes, he glimpses a strange light over the planet.

A few sentences were garbled. The editing isn't perfect, but the meticulous detail and deep characterisation make me interested to try more reads by this author. The open ending leaves scope for a sequel. What will happen when the main colony ship following the Covenant arrives with thousands of colonists?

The blurb of this edition has a significant plot spoiler. Which broadly answers the question: What is the cause of the strange observations in the new system? Are they real?. Questions which are open and a source of controversy between characters for much of the novel.

Inserting uncommon diacriticals in the spelling of common words (rendering an uncommon spelling) is unnecessary and undesirable. Diacriticals guide pronunciation. But the pronunciation of common words (unlike e.g. unique names) is not in doubt for most readers. Pronunciation can be confirmed from a word's dictionary entry in any case. The use of diacriticals didn't appear to be consistent.

[Hastiejk · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love books about generation ships, but this book fell flat in everything it attempted. The characters lacked distinct voices, the plot was repetitive and aimless, and the ending was totally pointless, resolving nothing. There was an attempt at world building with an odd caste system, but parts of this aspect were explored whole others were ignored.

Don't bother with this one.

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was ok, but the ending was rather abrupt. It seemed to stop in the middle of the action without any resolution.

[Samantha Françoise Dark Regions Press Proofreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this literary piece and had the pleasure of working on it with Crossroads Press. A must read! Another addition or two to add is " Dreams of Earth" and "Magician".