Thompson's Bounty: A Ship Out of Time

by Duane Gundrum

Lieutenant Stephen Thompson of the Coast Guard cutter Melbourne chases a strange ship into a strange rift in time that brings him and his crew to the 16th century, into the middle of a personal war between an English admiral and a pirate named Captain Stone who was once the admiral’s first officer. Once involved in the middle of a hostile exchange between the two sides, Thompson begins to realize that it is difficult to ascertain the difference between good and bad, between who is right and who is wrong, and more importantly, who to trust and who not to trust. Realizing he must rely on the elusive pirate captain who may hold the key to sending Thompson’s crew back to their own time, Thompson begins to learn the code of what it takes to be a pirate and that morality is not always as easy to understand.

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

I have been writing novels pretty much my entire life. Influenced early by authors like Stephen King, Clive Cussler and Daniel Boorstin, I was probably ten years old when I tried to write my first novel. And yes, it was pretty bad. I recently re-read it and laughed out loud for about an hour because I still can't figure out what I was trying to write back then.

I've evolved a lot since that first attempt.

My first published novel was INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY, which takes place in the corporate world of Los Angeles, involving a murder, a set-up and lots of action. It was written when I was in the Army, stationed in Germany and struggling to balance my writing life with a military career. As a counterintelligence agent, I then started moving into espionage fiction (DEADLY DECEPTIONS).

My genres cross all sorts of fields these days. I have a series of science fiction/fantasy novels about the world of Reagul (DESTINY) as well as a number of other science fiction novels (LOSER, THOMPSON'S BOUNTY). LOSER is the story of an Exterminator whose job it is to hunt down the failures of the future, called Losers, before he starts to suspect that the Losers may be more than what they appear and that the government may be hiding secrets that may change the course of humanity forever. THOMPSON'S BOUNTY is the story of a Coast Guard lieutenant who chases a ship into the past, finding himself in the world of pirates, privateers and a vindictive English admiral.

I was born in Santa Monica, California, where I grew up before finishing up high school in Moorpark, California. I attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and served in the US Army for a number of years in counterintelligence. After the Army, I became an investigator, a web page designer, and then a low level programmer for a software gaming company. I have designed numerous games over the years, including PRISONER OF Z'ANTH and US AIR FORCE'S STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND. I have completed degrees at San Francisco State University, Western Michigan University and the University of the Pacific. I hold master's degrees in communication and political science. My Phd work was in political science at Western Michigan University.

I currently work in the health care field, creating and maintaining web content for a large hospital system.

My latest completed novel is called THE AMERIAD, a humorous Greek epic about the founding of America by the survivors of Troy. It has not yet been published, as I am still searching for a publisher. It's amazing how hard it is to get humor published these days if you're not a well known stand up comic.

My current project is another Reagul novel (the first in a series) called A SEASON OF KINGS.

Reviews

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through a giveaway on Goodreads. I was thoroughly drawn in by the 2nd chapter! The beginnings of the mysterious adventure had captured me...and then I left the book somewhere! Those first 2 days I was pretty busy but I carried the book with me so that if I had even 5 minutes, I was reading. I was so upset! I couldn't get back to get it for several days...and it literally drove me nuts! When I finally got the book back, I didn't stop reading until I was done.

Thompson's Bounty has everything I love in a novel - adventure, mystery, and characters that I can cheer for. This book is a great adventure, with honorable military (coast guard), fearsome pirates, time travel, bad guys you can really hate, loyalty, honor among men even from different worlds (or time to be exact), treasure, and enough mystery that you just don't know how things are going to turn out until the end.

Thompson has the opportunity at the end, for many many more great adventures...which I truly hope the author is planning to follow up on. I can promise you, I will anxiously await for more of Thompson's Bounty adventures! I just hope future adventures will be longer, as I enjoy stories that keep me entertained long term.

I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys genres of military, fantasy, science fiction, and historical adventures. I have shelved this book in my Epic-Adventures shelf, where only my favorite books reside. To me there is nothing like getting immersed in a story of epic-adventure!

[Taresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this through Goodreads First Reads. I am looking forward to reading Thompson's Bounty: A Ship Out of Time, and will update my review after I finish reading.

update: 09/15/13
I found this adventure well worth the time invested in reading the story. Swashbuckling pirates and time travel made this a fun read. I am certainly hoping Thompson's story will continue in a future book.

[Duane Gundrum]

Hey, I bet this is a great book. snicker

[Gmassing · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book so many times. I'd read a few pages and then set it down again. I just couldn't get into it. I loved the premise I just couldn't seem to connect with the characters.