John M. Vizcarra

Compelling bronze-age twist on the franchise

Revisado: 03-06-20

I've not read any of the Alien supplemental novels, but I have seen all of the movies in the franchise and I guess you could say I'm a fan. So when I heard Scott Sigler was writing a story in the Alien universe, I was very excited. I know his favorite movie is Aliens, and he had a very well-received short story that he wrote back in 2015 called Dangerous Prey - a story written from the perspective of one of the alien xenomorphs.

Generally, however, I'm not a big fan of Space Marines stories. I don't have anything particular against them, I just do not find the majority of the setting unique or interesting enough to invest much time in pursuing. What luck! This story is set in a bronze-age type of environment that has become overrun with xenomorphs, and has to learn how to survive against The Demons.

The story is one of terrified colonists trying to eke out a meager existence while the governing class is distracted by petty squabbling, jingoism and isolationism. Instead of working together against a common threat, they are stuck in "the way things have always been" and are uninterested in making change.

Some of the younger generation have discovered a weapon they want to use to eradicate the persistent and terrifying threat of the xenomorphs, but they need to convince the government to rise up instead of hiding.

The story is full of great character development, with many compelling - even if selfish - reasons to join one side of the argument or the other. The world-building is exquisite, if isolated. The scope of their world is limited to what appears to be a continent on a planet, with acknowledged outsiders to the North. So the story is not really a locked-room mystery, but with no way out the residents seem to have no choice other than to hide or die.

Enter the weapon. Once it has been discovered, it has the potential to change the entire dynamic of their society. But nothing can be done without the support of the government. The story flips between the terror of Alien encounters and the mundanity of government. But the storytelling is compelling and drags the reader along the emotional path of fear to frustration.

I really enjoyed this story and would love to read more by Sigler in this world, or see whether there are other types of Alien stories that move away from the colonial marines that are as compelling.

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Fun sequel to the GFL Novella that started it all

Revisado: 05-22-19

THE REEF is a sequel to TITLE FIGHT, and one of the novellas that supplement that vast, varied, and deeply diverse Galactic Football League (GFL) series. The story picks up about two years after Chaiyal North is exiled to The Reef, an ancient, formerly-alive carcass on the edge of known space. Essentially a frontier with accompanying lack of lawfulness, The Reef is a place where people go to escape their past and build a future.

The future that Chai, now known as Lash Kari, builds for himself is less than purposeful, as he wallows in self-pity and dejection until his own choices catch up to him and force him to make deliberate changes to the way he lives.

Essentially a tale of redemption, THE REEF takes Chai on a path he never would have considered for himself, but ends up fitting as well as the championship belt he left behind. Full of new characters, locales and creatures, along with familiar settings and a few recognizable faces, THE REEF is a fun and exciting sidebar to the larger GFL universe.

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Death lurks below!

Revisado: 11-14-18

The 2017 rewrite of Earthcore is a behemoth that gives readers more meat to the original story. There's tons of additional information that manifests as character development, making the overall story much stronger.

The story itself is one most fans of Scott Sigler are quite familiar with; after all, this is the one that started it all. The basic structure is the same, but the entire story has been shaped and molded into a more mature telling, reflecting Sigler's own matured writing style. The book has also been put into the modern Siglerverse Timeline, now having direct references to other events in the Siglerverse (the single universe in which all of Sigler's books take place). This makes the new story feel a bit more familiar to the rest of the canon.

The pace of the story is as inexorable as the underground mining company's excavation. There's plenty of kool (sic) tech that is bleeding edge to modern times. Sigler continues to integrate technology and science seamlessly into his storylines, giving them the hardcore Science Fiction lean that his fans appreciate and go crazy for. Sigler writes very cinematically, with big visuals that any movie fan can visualize.

Audiobook note: Top-shelf narrator Ray Porter takes the audio reins for this production, and is simply fantastic. Porter always gives a great performance, and he seems right at home with this genre and material.

#Violent #LostCivilizations #Suspenseful #Scary

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Strong Female character in an intriguing whodunit

Revisado: 11-14-18

The audiobook has just been released for this novella that came out a few years ago, and it was worth the wait. The story itself is gold. Gritty detective work and a great slot story that fits in between events that we've already read about in Scott Sigler's The All-Pro GFL novel. These GFL novellas are just loads and gobs of candy; they're well-written and expand on minor-er characters, even introducing great new ones.

This book is an investigate reporter whodunit with lots of plotting, scheming, murder, suspense, thrills, spills and just plain fun. Co-written by the inimitable Mur Lafferty and Scott Sigler, it's a great piece of work that even provides motivation and insight to the core novel from which it has spawned.

The audio production is top-shelf, with crowd noises and the familiar attention to detail found throughout all of Scott's GFL books. This is the second novella to get the audiobook treatment, and I hope the rest of them aren't too far behind. It's great to hear Sigler himself reading the story, with all of his great vocalizations that we've come to know and love.

#FemaleProtagonist #Forensic #Aliens #Funny #Underdog

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Dinosaur demolition derby! In Space!

Revisado: 11-14-18

The long-anticipated fourth GFL novella was well worth the wait. Expanding on a brief introduction in The All-Pro (book three in the Galactic Football League), The Rider follows the struggles of a burgeoning sport's rising star, Poughkeepsie Pete. The fascinating sport that has small riders riding big monsters in games of joust, capture the flag, tug of war and others gets a more fleshed-out treatment here, as we follow Pete and his team of riders as they struggle with day-to-day money issues and the complications of riding literal monsters into mock-combat.

This novella (in category only, as it's pretty much a full-length novel) pulls together elements from many other GFL stories as well as the rest of the Siglerverse, featuring sentients and creatures that have barely been mentioned in other stories. The story follows the closing of the 10th season of Dinolition as the sport's premier rider, Poughkeepsie Pete, has to deal with upstart attitudes, money problems, mount issues, and the ever-present threat of gangster financing.

Once again, Gredok the Splithead features in this storyline. He's such a great character - one of my favorites - and it seems that every appearance in every story adds more and more complex layers onto his personality.

If your appetite was whet by the peek into Dinolition from The All-Pro, this story will satisfy your craving and more. It's also a fine standalone work, with a gripping plot and a bunch of new characters to love. The game wheel is spinning, and we're all hoping it lands on 'Book Two' !

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Satisfying coming-of-age conclusion

Revisado: 11-14-18

Alone is Book Three in the Generations Trilogy. Book One dealt with mostly discovery of what was happening; Book Two dealt with unification of the Birthday Children to a common purpose. Now Book Three pits the united Birthday Children against their common threat, although it does explore the themes of discovery and unification in a different, but related direction.

This young adult series concludes with a literal bang. Sigler's work always has a certain cinematic quality to it, and his battles and climaxes in this book are no different. To the great delight of all his fans, it's finally revealed exactly how this series fits into the Siglerverse - the alternate universe in which all of Sigler's works exist. It's been hinted at for a long time, and now it is finally revealed.

I was fortunate enough to read an early draft of the book, and one of my comments at the time was, 'That was one of the most satisfying endings I have ever read.' There is definitely a nice sense of conclusion to this trilogy, and even enough of the door left open to be walked through at a later time, if Sigler decides to continue in this direction.

The book is not all fist-pumps and high-fives as one group triumphs over all obstacles, however. There is real conflict here, along with bad decisions, horrible consequences, and a fair load of heartbreak. Sigler masterfully ties plots lines together, providing a conclusion that will resonate will all readers, whether they are excited or repulsed by the dramatic elements that comprise it.

It's hard to come to grips with this series ending. I would love to see more of these characters, but I guess that's the mark of a good series, and especially of a good ending.

#Dystopian #FemaleProtagonist #Apocalypse #HiddenTalents #ComingOfAge

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