by Sam Barone ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 9, 2018
A rousing, if familiar, actioner that squarely hits its target coordinates.
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An international expedition to meet alien soldiers exposes Earth to the possibility of apocalyptic war in Barone’s (Jettisoned, 2014, etc.) sci-fi novel.
In 2052, astronauts watch in shock and awe as a wormhole near Jupiter disgorges a fleet of spaceships and a giant juggernaut in pursuit; during a spectacular dogfight, the latter destroys half of the smaller craft before they annihilate it. The mysterious winners of the battle head for the solar system’s inner planets, and Earth’s superpowers—the United States, Russia, and China, who are barely at ease with one another—launch a team of specialists to meet the potential threat. Brooklyn, New York–born U.S. Marine Capt. Joe Delano, a linguist and tactician, is tapped to intercept and interpret for the invaders, and the humans open tentative lines of communication with what turns out to be two related alien species. The hirsute, tough Tarlons (imagine Star Wars’ Wookiees, with long ears) and the Halkins have fought running battles with the marauders in the bigger ships—the Ktarrans, described as an empire of sadistic predators. The newcomers gravely inform Delano and his comrades that Earth should expect a savage Ktarran attack and enslavement. But are these aliens telling the truth—and what can humanity do about it? Some readers may expect a few twists involving characters from Barone’s previous novella, but they figure little in the big picture. Overall, though, this is a wildly entertaining riff on the old Flash Gordon idea that, when multiple species confront a powerful menace, only earthlings have the nerve and cooperative ability to rally and go on the offense. And, indeed, the combat finale, with its long-shot strategies, unfolds cinematically, like a well-told caper film. Barone’s prose sometimes recalls that of a Cold War–era techno-thriller: “These are not basic Glocks....These are modified, match-quality weapons with longer barrels. The extra length increases the bullet’s velocity. The armor-piercing +P ammunition is quite powerful as well.” Also, Delano’s multiple relationships with foreign women puts him in James Bond/Matt Helm territory. However, even genre fans who are well-acquainted with these formulas will salute this yarn’s finesse.
A rousing, if familiar, actioner that squarely hits its target coordinates.Pub Date: July 9, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-692-98300-3
Page Count: 372
Publisher: Eskkar Enterprises
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by J.D. Salinger ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 15, 1951
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.
A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen) has a compulsive impact.
"Nobody big except me" is the dream world of Holden Caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab English of the pre-collegiate. For Holden is now being bounced from fancy prep, and, after a vicious evening with hall- and roommates, heads for New York to try to keep his latest failure from his parents. He tries to have a wild evening (all he does is pay the check), is terrorized by the hotel elevator man and his on-call whore, has a date with a girl he likes—and hates, sees his 10 year old sister, Phoebe. He also visits a sympathetic English teacher after trying on a drunken session, and when he keeps his date with Phoebe, who turns up with her suitcase to join him on his flight, he heads home to a hospital siege. This is tender and true, and impossible, in its picture of the old hells of young boys, the lonesomeness and tentative attempts to be mature and secure, the awful block between youth and being grown-up, the fright and sickness that humans and their behavior cause the challenging, the dramatization of the big bang. It is a sorry little worm's view of the off-beat of adult pressure, of contemporary strictures and conformity, of sentiment….
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.Pub Date: June 15, 1951
ISBN: 0316769177
Page Count: -
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1951
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by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2006
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
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