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Zenophobia #1
Heretic
Where did the Zenomorphs come from?
Tigers, wolves, gorillas, and bears. Four planets at each other’s throats. But they have too much in common for it to be a fluke. Just mentioning the possibility that they descended from the same place gets one labeled as a Heretic.
When Sankar comes into possession of a religious text that hints at where they came from, he seizes the opportunity and makes it his mission to find the Truth.
But he needs help from all the races. With a stolen warship and a ragtag band, Sankar sets out to answer the question that is illegal to ask.
Zenophobia. Where fear of the other races started a religion and perpetuated a war.
It’s time for the worlds to embrace the future by learning their past. But the governments aren’t keen on upsetting the status quo and do everything in their power to stop Sankar and his team.
Island of Dr. Moreau meets Indiana Jones, in space, with cutting edge technology…
From two award winning science fiction authors, an archaeological space adventure that you’ll want to read today.
Authors’ note: We went with Zenophobia with a “z” vice xenophobia because the version with the “x” was too rooted in bad stuff that happens on Earth. This is a story set in space.
Tigers, wolves, gorillas, and bears. Four planets at each other’s throats. But they have too much in common for it to be a fluke. Just mentioning the possibility that they descended from the same place gets one labeled as a Heretic.
When Sankar comes into possession of a religious text that hints at where they came from, he seizes the opportunity and makes it his mission to find the Truth.
But he needs help from all the races. With a stolen warship and a ragtag band, Sankar sets out to answer the question that is illegal to ask.
Zenophobia. Where fear of the other races started a religion and perpetuated a war.
It’s time for the worlds to embrace the future by learning their past. But the governments aren’t keen on upsetting the status quo and do everything in their power to stop Sankar and his team.
Island of Dr. Moreau meets Indiana Jones, in space, with cutting edge technology…
From two award winning science fiction authors, an archaeological space adventure that you’ll want to read today.
Authors’ note: We went with Zenophobia with a “z” vice xenophobia because the version with the “x” was too rooted in bad stuff that happens on Earth. This is a story set in space.
260 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 6, 2021
169 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Craig Martelle
327 books7,884 followersVisit Craig's web page, craigmartelle.com for the latest posts and updates or find him on Facebook, Author Craig Martelle. Send an email to craig@craigmartelle.com to join his mailing list for the latest on new releases, information on old releases, and anything related to his books.
I see my other lives, a career in the Marines, those damn hand-written tests in law school, a business consultant, as if they're stories from a book. I see my books as if I lived there, as if I were friends with the characters. All things we remember are behind us, only those we imagine lie before.
I'm not sure which place I prefer, but I don't have to choose. They live together in my mind. My books have some award nominations, they have bestseller tags across multiple countries. I write about justice, honor, and loyalty because that's what I care about. My stories are mostly set within worlds that haven't been, but could be. We have to be ready for when those times come.
No matter where I went, I always had a book with me. Thanks to 21st Century technology, I now have hundreds of books loaded on my phone and always with me. This breakthrough allows me to binge read my favorites. How many books would I have read on deployments had I not had to have a physical book with me? I paced myself so I wouldn't finish too quickly.
We aren't encumbered like that now. I love the works of Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, JRR Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and so many more. I have been compared to Andre Norton and that is humbling - she was an incredible author with a huge list of novels to her credit. With every new book, I aspire to live up to those that you, the readers, have compared me to.
Through a bizarre series of events, I ended up in Fairbanks, Alaska. I never expected to retire to a place where golf courses are only open for four months out of the year. But that's the way it is. It is off the beaten path. My wife and I get to watch the northern lights from our driveway. Our dog has lots of room to run. And temperatures reach fifty below zero. We have from three and a half hours of daylight in the winter to twenty-four hours in the summer.
It's all part of the give and take of life. If we didn't have those extremes, then everyone would live in the sub-arctic.
I see my other lives, a career in the Marines, those damn hand-written tests in law school, a business consultant, as if they're stories from a book. I see my books as if I lived there, as if I were friends with the characters. All things we remember are behind us, only those we imagine lie before.
I'm not sure which place I prefer, but I don't have to choose. They live together in my mind. My books have some award nominations, they have bestseller tags across multiple countries. I write about justice, honor, and loyalty because that's what I care about. My stories are mostly set within worlds that haven't been, but could be. We have to be ready for when those times come.
No matter where I went, I always had a book with me. Thanks to 21st Century technology, I now have hundreds of books loaded on my phone and always with me. This breakthrough allows me to binge read my favorites. How many books would I have read on deployments had I not had to have a physical book with me? I paced myself so I wouldn't finish too quickly.
We aren't encumbered like that now. I love the works of Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, JRR Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and so many more. I have been compared to Andre Norton and that is humbling - she was an incredible author with a huge list of novels to her credit. With every new book, I aspire to live up to those that you, the readers, have compared me to.
Through a bizarre series of events, I ended up in Fairbanks, Alaska. I never expected to retire to a place where golf courses are only open for four months out of the year. But that's the way it is. It is off the beaten path. My wife and I get to watch the northern lights from our driveway. Our dog has lots of room to run. And temperatures reach fifty below zero. We have from three and a half hours of daylight in the winter to twenty-four hours in the summer.
It's all part of the give and take of life. If we didn't have those extremes, then everyone would live in the sub-arctic.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 11, 2025
This was a fun space romp in an interesting world, though it all felt a bit....flat
We have a cool set up with animal people all coming together. I liked the banter between them. I liked the nicknames. I liked the pets. I liked the action.
Something that was missing was the heretic-ness of it all. I didnt get the MC's crusade for knowledge. I didn't get the fact Sankar had chosen loneliness and giving up everything for this goal.
Plotwise it felt a little undercooked. I wanted a bit more of the main plot to happen in this book and less side missions.
I am definitely interested in the sequel though.
We have a cool set up with animal people all coming together. I liked the banter between them. I liked the nicknames. I liked the pets. I liked the action.
Something that was missing was the heretic-ness of it all. I didnt get the MC's crusade for knowledge. I didn't get the fact Sankar had chosen loneliness and giving up everything for this goal.
Plotwise it felt a little undercooked. I wanted a bit more of the main plot to happen in this book and less side missions.
I am definitely interested in the sequel though.
October 26, 2023
The first installment of the Zenophobia series by Craig Martelle and Brad R. Torgerson opens with the mention that two extraterrestrial races, Tigroids and Ursoids, the former being tiger-like and the latter being bear-like, have been conducting underground war despite open relations on the surface. Sankar, a Tigroid, battles an Ursoid fighter in space, then returns to his parents, the High Priest Zeon, and his wife, Actiosa. Zeon declares his son to be a Heretic, to be freely hunted, after which Sankar travels the Ursoid planet of Medvedgrad. His companions include the Ursoid Akoni, whose brother Koni runs a junkyard where Sankar seeks repairs for his fighter, the Four-Claw.
However, Sankar learns that he and his companions must steal the parts for repair. Thus, he, fellow Tigroid Junak, Akoni, the gorilla-like Goroid Gwarzo, and the wolflike Bayane embark on a mission to do so. They also steal lab animals, using some such as cattle for food, while trying to outfly the authorities that would otherwise arraign them. Other characters include Maglor, an enigmatic businessman who crosses paths with Sankar and company. Akoni also revisits his brother and goes tomb-raiding with the others, stealing a mummy that they analyze aboard the Bilkinmore, the mothership of the Four-Claw.
Overall, while I usually like stories starring anthropomorphic characters, Heretic somehow disappointed me, with the difficulty at times of keeping track of the races to which the characters belong, and Sankar’s branding as the eponymous heretic seeming not to play a significant role throughout the events. Some of the action is good, and I could visualize many of the various settings, although the ending feels abrupt. Furthermore, whichever planets are home to which species depends on the reader’s knowledge of animal names in other languages (for instance, Medvedgrad, an Ursoid planet), but I will still read onward.
However, Sankar learns that he and his companions must steal the parts for repair. Thus, he, fellow Tigroid Junak, Akoni, the gorilla-like Goroid Gwarzo, and the wolflike Bayane embark on a mission to do so. They also steal lab animals, using some such as cattle for food, while trying to outfly the authorities that would otherwise arraign them. Other characters include Maglor, an enigmatic businessman who crosses paths with Sankar and company. Akoni also revisits his brother and goes tomb-raiding with the others, stealing a mummy that they analyze aboard the Bilkinmore, the mothership of the Four-Claw.
Overall, while I usually like stories starring anthropomorphic characters, Heretic somehow disappointed me, with the difficulty at times of keeping track of the races to which the characters belong, and Sankar’s branding as the eponymous heretic seeming not to play a significant role throughout the events. Some of the action is good, and I could visualize many of the various settings, although the ending feels abrupt. Furthermore, whichever planets are home to which species depends on the reader’s knowledge of animal names in other languages (for instance, Medvedgrad, an Ursoid planet), but I will still read onward.
March 13, 2022
four and a half stars of fun and action.
A Tigroid is tasked by his preacher father to assist in confirming that their race and that of the wolfoids, goroids and ursoids have a common ancestor. The races are constantly bickering with each other and are often on the brink of war. Tigroids are humanoids with tiger features and claws, wolfoids likewise but with wolf features, goroids resemble apes and Urseoids bears. The tigroids are religiously fanatical about their religious beliefs and the preacher’s son is labelled a heretic and exiled on pain of death. He recruits members of each of the other races from a prison and enlists them in his cause.
A Tigroid is tasked by his preacher father to assist in confirming that their race and that of the wolfoids, goroids and ursoids have a common ancestor. The races are constantly bickering with each other and are often on the brink of war. Tigroids are humanoids with tiger features and claws, wolfoids likewise but with wolf features, goroids resemble apes and Urseoids bears. The tigroids are religiously fanatical about their religious beliefs and the preacher’s son is labelled a heretic and exiled on pain of death. He recruits members of each of the other races from a prison and enlists them in his cause.
January 26, 2023
Interesting and different…
The books starts out a bit slow and confusing. This was my second attempt at reading as I had stopped previously after chapter 1 some time ago. I decided to give it another read, and continued on past the first chapter. Slow start but a very good read. There are times it seems to go into too much detail on thoughts and such and then not enough into what is going on. I really like the story but found myself having to go back and reread a section as it seemed I missed something, I hadn’t, it just wasn’t there, hence my 4-star rating. Still, looking forward to the next book.
The books starts out a bit slow and confusing. This was my second attempt at reading as I had stopped previously after chapter 1 some time ago. I decided to give it another read, and continued on past the first chapter. Slow start but a very good read. There are times it seems to go into too much detail on thoughts and such and then not enough into what is going on. I really like the story but found myself having to go back and reread a section as it seemed I missed something, I hadn’t, it just wasn’t there, hence my 4-star rating. Still, looking forward to the next book.
July 27, 2024
Very Good, Almost Excellent.
Heretic is the story of Sanger, an ace military fighter pilot, and his quest to find the truth of the origins of his society. The Hinteran space has four species:you Ursoid, Goroid, Wolfoid and Tigroid. Different (bear, ape, wolf and tiger) yet all similar, possibly a fifth species. Sanger has secret orders to discover the Truth and bring back the evidence to prove that truth. He gathers a rather unorthodox crew and sets out on his mission. What could possibly go wrong?
Heretic is the story of Sanger, an ace military fighter pilot, and his quest to find the truth of the origins of his society. The Hinteran space has four species:you Ursoid, Goroid, Wolfoid and Tigroid. Different (bear, ape, wolf and tiger) yet all similar, possibly a fifth species. Sanger has secret orders to discover the Truth and bring back the evidence to prove that truth. He gathers a rather unorthodox crew and sets out on his mission. What could possibly go wrong?
December 14, 2021
They fight like dogs and cats
But they are not always fighting each other. Tiger people joining with bears and wolves and a gorilla to determine if they have a common ancestor. But in the meantime, they have to do some work for a criminal mastermind in return for his help in providing a safe haven and provisions for their space freighter and crew. A mixed crew is an understatement, but a great read.
But they are not always fighting each other. Tiger people joining with bears and wolves and a gorilla to determine if they have a common ancestor. But in the meantime, they have to do some work for a criminal mastermind in return for his help in providing a safe haven and provisions for their space freighter and crew. A mixed crew is an understatement, but a great read.
January 26, 2022
NoA good read ...
I wasn't sure if I'd like this book, as it's a little out of my usual choices, but I'm very glad I did.
The story caught me immediately, and I couldn't stop reading until the end.
I really love the relationship between the five crew members, especially considering that their species are at unofficial war with each other, and I'm anxious to read the next book of the series - thank heavens for such a prolific author! :)
I wasn't sure if I'd like this book, as it's a little out of my usual choices, but I'm very glad I did.
The story caught me immediately, and I couldn't stop reading until the end.
I really love the relationship between the five crew members, especially considering that their species are at unofficial war with each other, and I'm anxious to read the next book of the series - thank heavens for such a prolific author! :)
April 28, 2023
Awesome story line!
Really loved all the initial buildup in the beginning chapters! Definitely explained why book one is called Heretic!!! Lots of action, both in space and on the ground, with quite a bit of humor thrown in for some hilarious conversations! I would highly recommend this series for anyone who enjoys space drama with a feel good comradeship between different species of what may be ‘uplifted’ animals!
Really loved all the initial buildup in the beginning chapters! Definitely explained why book one is called Heretic!!! Lots of action, both in space and on the ground, with quite a bit of humor thrown in for some hilarious conversations! I would highly recommend this series for anyone who enjoys space drama with a feel good comradeship between different species of what may be ‘uplifted’ animals!
March 7, 2023
enjoyed the read
This has been a fun read. Got science fiction, space travel, a motley crew of misfit characters that have more personality than should be allowed. The book is well tied together and well written. I have read these authors in the past and they have always delivered a good read. And their imagination has been unbridled; I have already downloaded the next book
This has been a fun read. Got science fiction, space travel, a motley crew of misfit characters that have more personality than should be allowed. The book is well tied together and well written. I have read these authors in the past and they have always delivered a good read. And their imagination has been unbridled; I have already downloaded the next book
January 13, 2022
Awesome Space Adventure
This is an awesome book with a storyline that will keep you glued to the pages. The characters are great and easy to identify with. I really like this book and I highly recommend it.
This is an awesome book with a storyline that will keep you glued to the pages. The characters are great and easy to identify with. I really like this book and I highly recommend it.
January 16, 2022
Other than some editing mishaps, very good.
The Hero quest story but with a twist or three. Space opera furries and interesting premise of how they got there. Character's are the good guys, but they have to do bad things to accomplish their goal.
So an interesting tale.
The Hero quest story but with a twist or three. Space opera furries and interesting premise of how they got there. Character's are the good guys, but they have to do bad things to accomplish their goal.
So an interesting tale.
January 31, 2022
Great start to an interesting series!
A tiger, a wolf, a bear and a gorilla team up for a common cause. What do they have in common? Friendship and loyalty! Will they reach their common goal - finding their roots? Keep reading! Can't wait for the next sequel!
A tiger, a wolf, a bear and a gorilla team up for a common cause. What do they have in common? Friendship and loyalty! Will they reach their common goal - finding their roots? Keep reading! Can't wait for the next sequel!
February 6, 2022
A space history hunt
I enjoyed the characters, and their adventure. Some tomfoolery but mostly A good story. I am sure you will like the book.
I enjoyed the characters, and their adventure. Some tomfoolery but mostly A good story. I am sure you will like the book.
February 17, 2022
Great !
Loved reading this one. Well thought out plot and characters. Enjoyed the humor added in their interactions.looking forward to the next.
Loved reading this one. Well thought out plot and characters. Enjoyed the humor added in their interactions.looking forward to the next.
May 19, 2022
A very enjoyable book
This was a very enjoyable book. I liked the characters, there was lots of action, and can’t wait to see what they all get into next. I recommend this book.
This was a very enjoyable book. I liked the characters, there was lots of action, and can’t wait to see what they all get into next. I recommend this book.
October 28, 2022
Totally different
This story started a little, but picked up momentmantum as it went. Hard time putting it down, looking forward to next book!
This story started a little, but picked up momentmantum as it went. Hard time putting it down, looking forward to next book!
December 8, 2022
Great story
A different but really good book with lots of humour amongst the action.
I look forward to the next in the series.
A different but really good book with lots of humour amongst the action.
I look forward to the next in the series.
December 10, 2022
Truth?
I thought I was going to be bored, but....I wasn't. Characters are intriguing, and the storyline is intriguing. Stay tuned for more.
I thought I was going to be bored, but....I wasn't. Characters are intriguing, and the storyline is intriguing. Stay tuned for more.
April 10, 2023
Excellent
What a ragtag bunch of misfits. A crew made up of different animal races. They are searching for the truth of their creation and taking side jobs on the way.
What a ragtag bunch of misfits. A crew made up of different animal races. They are searching for the truth of their creation and taking side jobs on the way.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews