Book Review: Was Once A Hero

Book Review by Toni G. Sinns
Book Title: Was Once A Hero
Author: Edward McKeown
About the Author: I've enjoyed a life-long love affair with science fiction. I write believable people in extraordinary situations, balancing romance, humor, adventure and reasonable extrapolations of science in stories that I believe people will want to return to. Whether it's in the short stories of my "Lair of the Lesbian Love Goddess series" or in the Fenaday and Rainhell novels, classic "Planet" tales of a crews of unlikely companions facing unknown dangers, my intent is to give the reader the sort of page turning, involving adventure that Andre Norton wrote and leaven it with the emotional complexity and ambiguity that CJ Cherryh brings to the field.

While the experiences of the SF Universe are out of reach of those unable to pay for a rocket ride, I use my own background to try for an underlying verity in my characters. I've parachuted, flown in gliders, hang gliders and strapped to the floor of military helicopters. I've been rated as an expert shot and carry a black belt in the martial arts. I've been paralyzed by fear, exhilarated by love and walked into fights, both literal and metaphorical, that I knew I could not win. I have the great good fortune to be married to the talented artist Schelly Keefer http://www.redskygallery.com/html/hom... and her products are available at www.zazzle.com/schellyBook Description: Reluctant privateer Robert Fenaday searches the stars for his lost love, Lisa, a naval intelligence officer whose ship disappeared near the end of the Conchirri War . He’s joined by the genetically engineered assassin, Shasti Rainhell, whose cold perfection masks her dark past. Both are blackmailed by government spymaster, Mandela, into a suicidal mission to the doomed planet Enshar. Leading a team of scientists and soldiers, they must unravel the mystery of that planet’s death before an ancient force reaches out to claim their lives.

My ReviewStory Line: A dead wife, no job, a government that knows all your illegal actions and can take you down, a vanishing race, and a mission that very well could be your death. In a pleasantly entertaining and decently quick read you get to follow the way Robert Fenaday went from being on top to being almost blackmailed into giving away possibly his life for a mission.
Characters: Lisa, Robert, Telisan, Shasti, and a whole ships worth of crew.
My Favorite Part: When Robert and Mandela have a conversation about wanting Robert to go on this suicide mission as it would appear. Mandela tells Robert of all the illegal actions that the government knows about but has not taken him to court on yet. I found the whole conversation hilarious.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. There were some parts in there that seemed to drag on for me which was a bit disheartened for a short story. HOWEVER, minus those few parts I really enjoyed this read. I don’t want to go too much into it because I don’t do spoilers. However I do recommend if you want a very enjoyable space adventure to sink into then you should pick up this book. Follow Robert as he watches his wife leave on a mission to find out 11 months later she will not be returning. Selling all he has to get a ship to search for her leaving him with no money, no work, and no wife until a request to go on a mission that may be his last.

Grab your copy today!Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Was-Once-Hero-Edward-McKeown/dp/1468181777/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337981631&sr=8-2
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Was-Once-A-Hero-ebook/dp/B006UMTBY8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337981631&sr=8-1