Ken with a review of an adrenaline filled military sci-fi adventure novel titled TIMBERWOLF by Tom Julian.
Tom is a faithful AICN reader and reached out at an opportune time. I was without a book and rather than review DOCTOR SLEEP, which I still haven’t read but was a pretty fun movie, I gave it a go. I’m glad it did, so I could share it with you.
Would you like me to review older novels as I read them? Let me know in the talkbacks below if you do or don’t. I’m not sure that’s something you care about. I’m trying to stick to the new or newish titles until further notice.
NOBODY DOES IT BETTER: THE COMPLETE, UNCENSORED, UNAUTHORIZED ORAL HISTORY OF JAMES BOND by Mark A Altman and Edward Gross is next.
Then THE UNWILLING by John Hart. I’ll try and keep everyone up to date on what’s coming ahead of time, as long as I know.
For now, enjoy my review of TIMBERWOLF.
In Nemesis’s cargo bay, Thomas dropped hunks of raw meat into a slot in the cage. The beast within was a Sabatin, a bio-engineered killing machine that appeared to be halfway between a tiger and a salamander, but was made from alien DNA.
Set in 2265, humanity has finally expanded beyond earths gravitational borders. Religion has demanded one race in God’s image and the humans want to win that war.
The humans did what we do best and exterminated all life across the many different planets and species they found. The only species still putting up a fight are the Arnok, a group of psychic space spiders. Yeah, you read that right. They’re also enormous in size, which is a wretched though.
This war has waged the last 100 years. During one of the battles Timberwolf Velez ended up with a psychic link to the king of the Arnok. This made him rather indispensable to many shady characters and also gives him a splitting headache.
With the Arnok set to attack the planet Highland, a completely AI created planet, the humans are ready. Jude Izabeck and his itchy wrist, Salla Birdwing, the Vice Governor of Peace Enforcement and a true leader, Dr. Tier of the Department of Peace Enforcement a duplicitous character who may be good or evil, Cardinal Jacob a man trying to reclaim his position of power, Bishop Emmanuel Gray a man who has bigger ideas than his professed religion, who also has a connection to our main man, Timberwolf Velez is a straight talking, take no prisoners, badass you can believe in, who also has that spider connection no one else has.
There’s too many to mention here. Too many planets, aliens, characters and that’s what makes it such an enjoyable read. They all twist and turn and create a high energy, no letup, sci-fi escapist’s dream.
Will religion win out? It typically does, doesn’t it? Will the psychic spiders annihilate the human race in the ultimate disgrace? Will Timberwolf succeed as a link between those two worlds? Will the human race find a way forward without killing off nonbelievers? That’ll be the day!
I’m not your standard Sci-fi fan. I rarely enjoy space tales that aren’t dipped in horror. I think it shows how well Tom Julian’s tale was crafted that I rather enjoyed myself immersed in his imagination.
With all the time we now have at home with this coronavirus going around. I definitely recommend picking this one up if you enjoy fast paced, well written sci-fi then you can’t lose with this one.
There’s some good gore but mostly it’s full of action and a criss-crossing plotline that miraculously hold strong throughout.
I am hopeful that Timberwolf Velez’ story will continue along with that expansion of cool gadgetry that Tom Julian created. I find most Sci-fi feels like an overly explained Tom Clancy novel and this one couldn’t be further from that thought. It is nonstop action and great dialogue, mixed with truly deep thoughts on theology and what lights up the heart of man.
You can find the audiobook for TIMBERWOLF here. And the eBook here.
Read the prequel/sequel to TIMBERWOLF, titled BREACHER here.
Timberwolf rallying the survivors and rushing the attackers…attacking a mortar position with bayonets…running through the forest…more trees falling behind them…three Phaelon fleeing for their lives in front of them…
Til next time
Ken Lewis (AKA: Freddy Beans)
www.freddybeans.com
