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Shadow Gods Saga #3
A Whisper from Shadow
In old Mexico the gods were real, or so it was believed ... and they left a terrible heritage. Working on a remote dig, archaeologist Lauren Hopkins discovers an extraterrestrial craft buried in an ancient Mayan pyramid. Instead of being a boon to mankind, the discovery triggers a global confrontation. The country that can seize and control the alien technology can control the world. The Serrll Combine, embarrassed that one of their old scoutships got mislaid, knows that it must act quickly to avert open warfare on Earth. The newly promoted First Scout Terrllss-rr, and on his first mission as a Diplomatic Branch agent, is sent to destroy the craft and avert a global catastrophe. It should have been a simple mission, but Terr did not count on Lauren being in the ship when he planted the demolition charges. About to make his escape, Terr and Lauren are shot by patrolling guards. Lauren recovers, but Terr faces disciplinary action for bringing the humans to the Serrll Moon Base. For Lauren, the aliens turn out to be much more than the Mayan gods of old.
- GenresScience Fiction
289 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
69 people want to read
About the author
Stefan Vucak
35 books123 followersStefan Vučak has written twenty-one novels, which include eight SF books in the Shadow Gods Saga. His Cry of Eagles won the coveted Readers’ Favorite silver medal award, and his All the Evils was the prestigious Eric Hoffer contest finalist and Readers’ Favorite silver medal winner. Strike for Honor won the gold medal. He also spends time as an editor and book reviewer. Stefan lives in Melbourne, Australia.
To learn more about Stefan, visit his:
Website: www.stefanvucak.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/StefanVucakAuthor
Twitter: @stefanvucak
To learn more about Stefan, visit his:
Website: www.stefanvucak.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/StefanVucakAuthor
Twitter: @stefanvucak
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 18, 2019
An archaeologist Lauren Hopkins makes a great discovery, an extraterrestrial spaceship buried deep in an ancient Mayan pyramid in Mexico. I would love to have been by Lauren’s side when she placed her hand on the pad that opened the door of the spaceship. I would love to have seen the look on her face when the door opened and allowed her access to the inside of the ship. I can just see her walking up the ramp and taking a peep inside, standing in the door way as she took in her surrounding and observed everything on the ship.
After the conservation she had with the guy working the dig with her made his assessment and then deciding they need to inform the government in Mexico and the United States. I can just imagine how Lauren may have felt at that moment as her enjoyment drained away.
The Mexico and United States then made their agreements about the spaceship that would or so they hoped would benefit their own side without taking them into war. They agreed to keep the ship secret from the rest of the world but that didn’t last too long with spies among them as the word spread quickly.
A Whisper from Shadow is a very intense read with the discovery of the spaceship, the spices, the fighting, not to mention all the action to keep the pages turning. I would love to see A Whisper from Shadow on the big screen that would be so awesome to see the ships, the aliens, the fighting and all the weapons.
I would recommend A Whisper from Shadow to all fans of aliens, science fiction and anyone who likes movies like Star Trek or the Orville. One click yourself a copy today to begin the adventure into space.
After the conservation she had with the guy working the dig with her made his assessment and then deciding they need to inform the government in Mexico and the United States. I can just imagine how Lauren may have felt at that moment as her enjoyment drained away.
The Mexico and United States then made their agreements about the spaceship that would or so they hoped would benefit their own side without taking them into war. They agreed to keep the ship secret from the rest of the world but that didn’t last too long with spies among them as the word spread quickly.
A Whisper from Shadow is a very intense read with the discovery of the spaceship, the spices, the fighting, not to mention all the action to keep the pages turning. I would love to see A Whisper from Shadow on the big screen that would be so awesome to see the ships, the aliens, the fighting and all the weapons.
I would recommend A Whisper from Shadow to all fans of aliens, science fiction and anyone who likes movies like Star Trek or the Orville. One click yourself a copy today to begin the adventure into space.
February 18, 2021
It’s a terrible thing when the blurb gives away half the book. This happens so often I now mostly refrain from reading blurbs at all. I go by theme and recommendations in deciding whether to read a book; or by former good experience, like here. I didn’t read the blurb to this novel - and I’m so glad I didn’t. Because really it is a nearly complete summary of the main plot of the story!
But already before that, the blurb gives away a moment of major astonishment for me: there never was talk about Earth in the first two installments of the “Shadow God”-series, and there suddenly it is, the blue planet! I was so confused when I started reading the chapter where Lauren and her archaeological endeavours are introduced. The reader is enabled to explore how Earth fits into the universe of the Serrll Combine; it fits very well.
What I thought up until then: that the universe of the Serrll Combine is not ours, or ours in some very remote future. I never liked the protagonists of “The Chronicles of Narnia” stepping through the cupboard and suddenly turning up in another world; I so much preferred the heroes of “The Lord of the Rings” who always stayed in their own high fantasy world. But the archaeological dig in “A Whisper from Shadow” is the cupboard: by the space ship, the two worlds connect, and we find out, marveling, that they are contemporary to each other.
Terr, the hero of the “Shadow God”-series, moves in these two worlds with such a right to own them both, with such a naturalness, that I never saw a split; Earth blends neatly into the Serrll Combine - just another planet under the direction of the Bureau of Colonial and Cultural Affairs.
And this time, with the political scheming mainly set on Earth, it’s much easier for the reader to unravel. The arcane passages of backroom diplomatic talk I cannot understand are part of the greater Serrll Combine universe; for instance: “Marrakan did not bother to answer the obvious and stared thoughtfully at his glass.” I read the whole passage thrice, I still do not know what the obvious is. But these passages, in this novel, are very few and it’s hard to demand more clarity from the author here, as the less-obvious language makes up for part of the intrigue and charm of these backroom discussions. But, again, the politics of Earth are clear here, in the narrow frame of Earth, the backroom talk is lucid, even though the Chinese ambassador and the president of the USA do no less hinting and probing; so the reason for partial confusion about meaning might lay in the unfamiliarity of the greater Serrll Combine universe to the reader.
Of the three books of the series I’ve read so far, this is the least complicated one. For one, for the reason just given - but also because the plot structure is very straight. To be clear: this straightness does not preclude tension; to the contrary, so many things go wrong on Terr’s mission and tension levels are kept high throughout.
This is hard sci-fi and there is some technical talk which doesn’t help the fluidity of the action scenes; for instance: “Immediately, gray puffs bloomed from the aft section of the trailing Aegis cruiser as the twin rotary barrels of the Mk 16 Phalanx close-in defense system sent a stream of armor piercing discarding sabot slugs at 4,500 rounds per minute toward the shuttle in a pattern of parallel lines.” With my limited technical knowledge, plowing through such sentences disrupts the tension. Why this profusion of details in the midst of quick action? But, in all fairness, there are not many such sentences heavy with descriptive overload.
Like in my preceding reviews, I’m trying to find fault where there is not much fault to be found. Anyone who has enjoyed the first two installments, like I did, invariably will enjoy this one. Politics – earthly or alien – and action, friendship, character development and even romance fuse into a powerful story the reader is all too ready to be drawn into. The mission Terr takes on in this novel is just another stepping stone for him, an opportunity really for this superior to check his abilities, but the reader feels it’s another vital part of the hero’s development. It surely cannot be said about the mission what Terr thinks about Earth - “in the larger scheme of things, the place was irrelevant”. Though I still wonder whether, in the upcoming books of the series, Terr might not realise that his assessment was mistaken.
The reader shall see.
I wholeheartedly recommend this novel to anyone interested in sci-fi and also to those interested in contemporary political thrillers who do not mind a sci-fi background to the story. But don’t make the mistake of reading the full blurb before reading the book; you will regret it.
But already before that, the blurb gives away a moment of major astonishment for me: there never was talk about Earth in the first two installments of the “Shadow God”-series, and there suddenly it is, the blue planet! I was so confused when I started reading the chapter where Lauren and her archaeological endeavours are introduced. The reader is enabled to explore how Earth fits into the universe of the Serrll Combine; it fits very well.
What I thought up until then: that the universe of the Serrll Combine is not ours, or ours in some very remote future. I never liked the protagonists of “The Chronicles of Narnia” stepping through the cupboard and suddenly turning up in another world; I so much preferred the heroes of “The Lord of the Rings” who always stayed in their own high fantasy world. But the archaeological dig in “A Whisper from Shadow” is the cupboard: by the space ship, the two worlds connect, and we find out, marveling, that they are contemporary to each other.
Terr, the hero of the “Shadow God”-series, moves in these two worlds with such a right to own them both, with such a naturalness, that I never saw a split; Earth blends neatly into the Serrll Combine - just another planet under the direction of the Bureau of Colonial and Cultural Affairs.
And this time, with the political scheming mainly set on Earth, it’s much easier for the reader to unravel. The arcane passages of backroom diplomatic talk I cannot understand are part of the greater Serrll Combine universe; for instance: “Marrakan did not bother to answer the obvious and stared thoughtfully at his glass.” I read the whole passage thrice, I still do not know what the obvious is. But these passages, in this novel, are very few and it’s hard to demand more clarity from the author here, as the less-obvious language makes up for part of the intrigue and charm of these backroom discussions. But, again, the politics of Earth are clear here, in the narrow frame of Earth, the backroom talk is lucid, even though the Chinese ambassador and the president of the USA do no less hinting and probing; so the reason for partial confusion about meaning might lay in the unfamiliarity of the greater Serrll Combine universe to the reader.
Of the three books of the series I’ve read so far, this is the least complicated one. For one, for the reason just given - but also because the plot structure is very straight. To be clear: this straightness does not preclude tension; to the contrary, so many things go wrong on Terr’s mission and tension levels are kept high throughout.
This is hard sci-fi and there is some technical talk which doesn’t help the fluidity of the action scenes; for instance: “Immediately, gray puffs bloomed from the aft section of the trailing Aegis cruiser as the twin rotary barrels of the Mk 16 Phalanx close-in defense system sent a stream of armor piercing discarding sabot slugs at 4,500 rounds per minute toward the shuttle in a pattern of parallel lines.” With my limited technical knowledge, plowing through such sentences disrupts the tension. Why this profusion of details in the midst of quick action? But, in all fairness, there are not many such sentences heavy with descriptive overload.
Like in my preceding reviews, I’m trying to find fault where there is not much fault to be found. Anyone who has enjoyed the first two installments, like I did, invariably will enjoy this one. Politics – earthly or alien – and action, friendship, character development and even romance fuse into a powerful story the reader is all too ready to be drawn into. The mission Terr takes on in this novel is just another stepping stone for him, an opportunity really for this superior to check his abilities, but the reader feels it’s another vital part of the hero’s development. It surely cannot be said about the mission what Terr thinks about Earth - “in the larger scheme of things, the place was irrelevant”. Though I still wonder whether, in the upcoming books of the series, Terr might not realise that his assessment was mistaken.
The reader shall see.
I wholeheartedly recommend this novel to anyone interested in sci-fi and also to those interested in contemporary political thrillers who do not mind a sci-fi background to the story. But don’t make the mistake of reading the full blurb before reading the book; you will regret it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews