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The Zygan Emprise #1-2
The Zygan Emprise: Renegade Paladins/Abyssal Redemption
Award winning 'Where Angels Fear to Tread/Renegades' and its sequel 'Redemption' are now available together in one exciting volume! Along with a bonus preview of Book 3, 'Renaissance'! Renegades begins the story of Shiloh Rush, star of the sci-fi TV series Bulwark, who's leading a double life. Haunted by the mysterious disappearance of her beloved older brother, Shiloh hopes to track him down by following in his footsteps as a secret agent for the Zygan Federation, an intergalactic empire hidden from Earth. During this quest, Shiloh and her British co-star William "Spud" Escott, also a Zygan agent, fly into space--for real--to stop terrorists and invaders who could destroy the Federation and kill millions throughout the universe. Sent back in time to Earth's Ancient Middle East to save the life of young prophet Yeshua Bar Maryam and prevent Earth's destruction, Shiloh and Spud stumble on a diabolical conspiracy and barely escape with their lives. Their assignment sabotaged, Shiloh and Spud discover the villains' real mission, face powerful enemy fighters from warrior planets and traitors from their own ranks, and race against time to save Earth. In Redemption, Shiloh, desperate to save her long-lost brother from the clutches of an intergalactic terrorist and his minions, enlists Spud to travel to a desolate dimension and mount a rescue, using the Golden Fleece she has borrowed from ancient prophet Yeshua Bar Maryam. On the trail, Shiloh and Spud risk their lives in the mysterious nebula, The Plegma, and face menacing demons, vampires, guerrillas, and Valkyries as they storm the gates of Hades. Returning to Earth, they find that their actions have caused devastating changes in the path of Earth's history, and that the society and the loved ones they left behind no longer exist. Will they have to sacrifice their lives to save Earth’s?
528 pages, Paperback
First published June 17, 2011
6 people want to read
About the author
Y.S. Pascal
3 books6 followersPhoto at left: YS Pascal and one of her fans.
Linda Reid is a pediatrician and author of nonfiction and fiction. She is the co-author of Dead Air, winner of the 2010 Royal Palm Literary Award, and its just published sequel, Dead Air. Her work has been published in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Woman's Day, Salon.com, and other print and broadcast outlets. She has been a staff writer for the TV series Family Medical Center, and medical reporter and broadcaster on national radio and TV. Linda Reid is also the author of "Where Angels Fear to Tread/Renegade Paladins", winner of a 2010 Mensa Sharp Writ Books Award, as Yolanda Pascal. She and her husband and their three wonderful teens live in Los Angeles.
Linda Reid is a pediatrician and author of nonfiction and fiction. She is the co-author of Dead Air, winner of the 2010 Royal Palm Literary Award, and its just published sequel, Dead Air. Her work has been published in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Woman's Day, Salon.com, and other print and broadcast outlets. She has been a staff writer for the TV series Family Medical Center, and medical reporter and broadcaster on national radio and TV. Linda Reid is also the author of "Where Angels Fear to Tread/Renegade Paladins", winner of a 2010 Mensa Sharp Writ Books Award, as Yolanda Pascal. She and her husband and their three wonderful teens live in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 9, 2011
The Zygan Emprise is not one, but two stories: Renegade Paladins and Abyssal Redemption. Which, when you think about it, both of these novels have been released in paperback and set at a much higher price, so getting both ebooks for only $0.99 is some major bang for your buck. Now let's get to the story.
The Zygan Emprise follows Shiloh Rush and William “Spud” Escott in their adventure around the universe, from Earth to Zyga and even back in time. In their adventures, they brush up against significant characters and events in man's history (or prehistory), and the author does it seamlessly. Shiloh, Spud and their friends race to uncover the destructive plans of Zyga's ultimate nemesis, Benedict. As they do, they discover that not all of their friends are loyal and Benedict's plan is more than what it seems. I could gush on about the story, but I don't want to give away any spoilers. It's too good. I had a difficult time tearing myself away from this incredible imaginary world. You'll just have to trust me and make the time to read it yourself.
If I could have any complaints about this pair of novels, it'd be only two, and very minor. I almost feel like I'm picking. At the beginning of Renegade Paladins, it's a little confusing until a few pages into the story. It's just the way that the author has set up the story. It shoots back and forth between a few scenes, and none of it makes much sense until you get a little further in. If you're one of those readers who gets easily confused and gives up, don't. Trust me, it's only a few pages and you'll get it. And believe me, the rest of the story is worth it.
The other complaint I could make is that the secondary characters aren't adequately described. I get that one of them is a giant crab-like being, and one was kind of a cloud something or other, but to tell a good story is to know all the players in that story, and I just didn't know them. I wish the author had given these secondary characters as much love and attention as Shiloh and Spud, or nearly as much. It would've made them all the more real. The storyline is so fantastic, there's so much going on, and introducing these fantastic populations from other worlds, it just doesn't give them justice to not fully describe them.
These two, minor complaints aside, the Zygan Emprise- Renegade Paladins was a wonderful book. I look forward to reading the next one, which fortunately for me, is sitting right here on my ereader.
Updated on 8-9-11.
Okay, now that I have had the opportunity to read Abyssal Redemption, let's get to it. Does anyone remember Ghostbusters II? How about Transformers II? Caddyshack II? Well, as sequels go, Abyssal Redemption falls short of its predecessor, too. That's not to say that it's a terrible read; it's not. It just did not live up to expectations.
Having invested a lot of emotion into getting to know Shiloh Rush and “Spud” Escott in the first novel, I was curious to know where their adventures would take them. I was happy to see that the secondary characters who had been so overlooked in the first novel were much more fleshed out in this one, and I commend the author for having done so.
I don't like to pick on ordinary formatting, but that's one of my major gripes with this novel. There were so many typos it was distracting. In a sense, I feel that this novel was rushed to get done, not only because of the lack of proofreading, but also with the plot. It's just not as complex as the first novel.
However, one thing that the author is very good at, which was also accomplished in the first novel, is putting a different spin on historical events. I really enjoyed the trip back to Golgotha. Without giving up any spoilers, the idea was well-crafted, and may have more than a few devout Christians up in arms.
A great loss is never wanted, but almost always necessary in good fiction. This loss, although a necessary part of the plot, was too great for Shiloh, and I feel that her reaction to it was not believable. She had no real time to grieve. She moved on with her life much too quickly.
These small points aside, I enjoyed reading Shiloh and Spud's adventures, and am curious to find out where they head to next. As series go, this second in the Zygan Emprise left many unanswered questions to pique my curiosity, and I look forward to the next one. Let's just hope it's not like Return of the Jedi.
The Zygan Emprise is $0.99 and can be found on Amazon and Smashwords.
The Zygan Emprise follows Shiloh Rush and William “Spud” Escott in their adventure around the universe, from Earth to Zyga and even back in time. In their adventures, they brush up against significant characters and events in man's history (or prehistory), and the author does it seamlessly. Shiloh, Spud and their friends race to uncover the destructive plans of Zyga's ultimate nemesis, Benedict. As they do, they discover that not all of their friends are loyal and Benedict's plan is more than what it seems. I could gush on about the story, but I don't want to give away any spoilers. It's too good. I had a difficult time tearing myself away from this incredible imaginary world. You'll just have to trust me and make the time to read it yourself.
If I could have any complaints about this pair of novels, it'd be only two, and very minor. I almost feel like I'm picking. At the beginning of Renegade Paladins, it's a little confusing until a few pages into the story. It's just the way that the author has set up the story. It shoots back and forth between a few scenes, and none of it makes much sense until you get a little further in. If you're one of those readers who gets easily confused and gives up, don't. Trust me, it's only a few pages and you'll get it. And believe me, the rest of the story is worth it.
The other complaint I could make is that the secondary characters aren't adequately described. I get that one of them is a giant crab-like being, and one was kind of a cloud something or other, but to tell a good story is to know all the players in that story, and I just didn't know them. I wish the author had given these secondary characters as much love and attention as Shiloh and Spud, or nearly as much. It would've made them all the more real. The storyline is so fantastic, there's so much going on, and introducing these fantastic populations from other worlds, it just doesn't give them justice to not fully describe them.
These two, minor complaints aside, the Zygan Emprise- Renegade Paladins was a wonderful book. I look forward to reading the next one, which fortunately for me, is sitting right here on my ereader.
Updated on 8-9-11.
Okay, now that I have had the opportunity to read Abyssal Redemption, let's get to it. Does anyone remember Ghostbusters II? How about Transformers II? Caddyshack II? Well, as sequels go, Abyssal Redemption falls short of its predecessor, too. That's not to say that it's a terrible read; it's not. It just did not live up to expectations.
Having invested a lot of emotion into getting to know Shiloh Rush and “Spud” Escott in the first novel, I was curious to know where their adventures would take them. I was happy to see that the secondary characters who had been so overlooked in the first novel were much more fleshed out in this one, and I commend the author for having done so.
I don't like to pick on ordinary formatting, but that's one of my major gripes with this novel. There were so many typos it was distracting. In a sense, I feel that this novel was rushed to get done, not only because of the lack of proofreading, but also with the plot. It's just not as complex as the first novel.
However, one thing that the author is very good at, which was also accomplished in the first novel, is putting a different spin on historical events. I really enjoyed the trip back to Golgotha. Without giving up any spoilers, the idea was well-crafted, and may have more than a few devout Christians up in arms.
A great loss is never wanted, but almost always necessary in good fiction. This loss, although a necessary part of the plot, was too great for Shiloh, and I feel that her reaction to it was not believable. She had no real time to grieve. She moved on with her life much too quickly.
These small points aside, I enjoyed reading Shiloh and Spud's adventures, and am curious to find out where they head to next. As series go, this second in the Zygan Emprise left many unanswered questions to pique my curiosity, and I look forward to the next one. Let's just hope it's not like Return of the Jedi.
The Zygan Emprise is $0.99 and can be found on Amazon and Smashwords.
August 30, 2011
Fortunately, The Zygan Emprise is in two parts. Otherwise, I wouldn't have finished reading it. I found the first part, "Renegade Paladins" very hard to follow. The storyline was choppy, the characters and settings undeveloped. The basic story premise and the separate scenes had a lot of promise, but everything seemed quite rushed. I felt the ideas would be better served by expanding into a longer format. As it was, the book read like a comic book (not a graphic novel) without pictures.
The second part, "Abyssal Redemption" read a lot better. There was one main storyline, with comparatively few settings for the action. The author gave us a better view of the characters, with more focus on emotions instead of just actions. The book ended with a lead-in for more sequels. I suspect the next volume will be even more of an improvement over "Renegade Paladins" as the author gains writing experience. I do not intend reading it to find out.
I received a complimentary copy of thhis book in order to review it.
The second part, "Abyssal Redemption" read a lot better. There was one main storyline, with comparatively few settings for the action. The author gave us a better view of the characters, with more focus on emotions instead of just actions. The book ended with a lead-in for more sequels. I suspect the next volume will be even more of an improvement over "Renegade Paladins" as the author gains writing experience. I do not intend reading it to find out.
I received a complimentary copy of thhis book in order to review it.
March 23, 2012
A wonderful book. I read it after seeing my two teenagers devouring it, and loved the humor, romance, and surprising thrills and twists and turns that had me staying up all night to get to the end. I found that the glossary and headers were helpful in the beginning, but it didn't take me long to immerse myself in the unique world and appealing characters. Shiloh is a dynamic 21st century young heroine, and Spud reminds me of a young Sherlock Holmes. Better than the Hunger Games.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews