U-10 by Sam B. Miller II

U-10 is an exciting and suspenseful science fiction thriller by Sam B. Miller II.

While on a mission to remove Insurgents from dusty settlements on the hills of Afghanistan, Lt. Ty Lavender and the rest of the Orion Squad stand witness to the thundering crash of an unidentified flying object. After finding a strange satchel and a box of cards from the crash site and getting rid of a few Insurgents sneaking on them, Lavender and his men leave and get into position around the perimeter of the crash site. Shortly after, a group of people wearing full coverage combat gear arrives and takes over the crash site.

Meanwhile, the lone passenger of the UFO is watching from a distance, near where his escape pod has landed. Extremely confident that the inhabitants of this planet are too primitive and too intellectually inferior to understand advanced technology, the passenger feels apprehensive when he sees the U-10 draped over the shoulder of one of the humans. Little does he know that there are much more to the humans than he knows.

This is an exciting and suspenseful, fast-paced and easy to read science fiction thriller. The plot is unpredictable and offers a series of twists and turns making the book a real deal page-turner. Though the concept of an alien aircraft crashing down the desert seems quite trite and overused, the introduction of U-10, a survival tool with multiple uses involving single-use cards that produce advanced and sophisticated but disposable weapons, is enough to put sci-fi fans on the edge of their seats. Characters are provided with sufficient back stories to make them life-like which makes it easy to visualize them as real people. Moreover, the author creates the perfect protagonist in Lt. Ty Lavender, the smart, brave, compassionate, and loyal soldier and leader. More than the vividly described scenes, I love the depiction of human attributes including loyalty, concern, and compassion as well as zealotry, greed, and narcissism.

Congratulations to Sam B. Miller II (@SamBMillerII) for another great book! For more books by the author, click HERE!

Brooding City by Tom Shutt

Brooding City is an intriguing and exciting paranormal thriller and the first book in the Brooding City Series created by Tom Shutt.

Detective Arthur Brennan works at Odols Police Department. Unbeknownst to his partner and to everybody else, however, he is a former Sleeper. Sleepers are individuals who can enter the dream of others and drive them to madness. They are people with extraordinary gifts and live among ordinary people.

Meanwhile, young Jeremy Scott discovers something special, albeit scary, about himself. He can access other people’s memories. With his newly-found gift, he finds out something that shakes his being to the core.

This is an interesting, intriguing, and an easy-read book. It explores the dream realm and subtly integrates it to the waking world. The story has two main plotlines, one features Detective Brennan who is presented with a murder case involving drugs, and the other features Jeremy Scott with his newly-discovered gift. The author creates intriguing characters including Detective Brennan himself, Uncle Rick, and Old Benjamin.

However, though the plot is, understandably, vague with this book being the first installment, I still find it difficult to stay interested. It is just not easy to stay focused when the scene shifts every other chapter and the details are given in painstakingly gradual manner. Moreover, it is hard to connect with the characters. Despite the backstories, I still feel that something is being held back which makes connecting with the characters not easy. Finally, the ending is inconclusive which could mean the reader has to read the next book to enjoy it fully.

Still, this is a very intriguing book and some readers may find it enjoyable. Congratulations to Tom Shutt (@TomShutt) on such an interesting book. For more books by the author, click HERE.