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The Best Laid Plans: Birth of the Starclan
In two weeks, when the Fleet arrived at Earth, the man known to a quarter of the galaxy simply as “The Admiral” would officially retire at a great party at the Lunar Grand Ballroom Among The Stars. And then his most important assignment would begin. These were his best laid plans.
But others had very different plans involving Angus MacAlister, his Senator wife, and his assumed second career. Such were the plans they had made. What Admiral MacAlister faced was no where near his plans: Fierce battles in space above the Earth, with the planet's very survival hinging on the outcome.
Searching through the wreckage for survivors. Bloody fights for survival with bio-engineered warriors. A mysterious symbiosis revealing telepathic powers. Assassination attempts. Searching for his wife, stranded on some lifeless planet. Building a society from the shattered remains of humanity, only to discover that societies evolve along unforeseen lines. Costly attempts at vengeance.
A daring rescue into the last stronghold of the horrific alien menace that ultimately fails, yet brings new friends and new hopes as it reveals terrible possibilities. And a little romance. The reactions of Angus MacAlister to all of this fuels the birth of something much larger, and much more important, among the few million surviving humans.
But others had very different plans involving Angus MacAlister, his Senator wife, and his assumed second career. Such were the plans they had made. What Admiral MacAlister faced was no where near his plans: Fierce battles in space above the Earth, with the planet's very survival hinging on the outcome.
Searching through the wreckage for survivors. Bloody fights for survival with bio-engineered warriors. A mysterious symbiosis revealing telepathic powers. Assassination attempts. Searching for his wife, stranded on some lifeless planet. Building a society from the shattered remains of humanity, only to discover that societies evolve along unforeseen lines. Costly attempts at vengeance.
A daring rescue into the last stronghold of the horrific alien menace that ultimately fails, yet brings new friends and new hopes as it reveals terrible possibilities. And a little romance. The reactions of Angus MacAlister to all of this fuels the birth of something much larger, and much more important, among the few million surviving humans.
294 pages, Paperback
First published June 6, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 14, 2013
Warning: Baby spoiler
I would like to confess that I haven't read too many Sci-Fi novels: fantasy, fiction or otherwise. However, I'm open to reading different types of genres.
I was given this title to read as a member of Y. Correa's Read and Review. I was drawn in by the blurb. Who wouldn't be taken in by the fight for Earth, aliens, assassination, and sprinkles of romance here and there?
Yes, it is the blurb that draws the reader in, but it's all about the execution that keeps the reader there. If the execution in conveyance is not successful, the story will lose its' luster, no matter how exciting the blurb is.
I found myself experiencing "anticipation drenched" once I delved in.
Some of the chapters went into great details about the various ships, such as the USF Excalibur. I know the author's intent was to make me feel as if I was on the ship. Yet I felt the detail was so excessive; I almost forgot some of the purpose of some of the chapters. Example was Chapter One. It was about the crew coming home, yet the author went into such extensive detail about the USF Excalibur that I thought the Chapter was about detail specs of the ship.
The amount of time spent on describing the ships could have been invested in the physical and emotional development of certain characters, like the people who plotted against Admiral Angus as well as the depth of the love (the love story) between Admiral Angus and his wife. It was a missed opportunity to give life to the highlights of romance that were mentioned in the blurb.
In addition, the constant back and forth with the action and the recollection of events made me a bit dizzy. At times, I had to stop and re-read certain parts, even jot down side notes to make sure that I kept each crew with each ship to track the action properly.
My Best Laid Plans were to enjoy this read, but the pace and style of this work thwarted that goal.
My extended review can be found on The Review Board
I would like to confess that I haven't read too many Sci-Fi novels: fantasy, fiction or otherwise. However, I'm open to reading different types of genres.
I was given this title to read as a member of Y. Correa's Read and Review. I was drawn in by the blurb. Who wouldn't be taken in by the fight for Earth, aliens, assassination, and sprinkles of romance here and there?
Yes, it is the blurb that draws the reader in, but it's all about the execution that keeps the reader there. If the execution in conveyance is not successful, the story will lose its' luster, no matter how exciting the blurb is.
I found myself experiencing "anticipation drenched" once I delved in.
Some of the chapters went into great details about the various ships, such as the USF Excalibur. I know the author's intent was to make me feel as if I was on the ship. Yet I felt the detail was so excessive; I almost forgot some of the purpose of some of the chapters. Example was Chapter One. It was about the crew coming home, yet the author went into such extensive detail about the USF Excalibur that I thought the Chapter was about detail specs of the ship.
The amount of time spent on describing the ships could have been invested in the physical and emotional development of certain characters, like the people who plotted against Admiral Angus as well as the depth of the love (the love story) between Admiral Angus and his wife. It was a missed opportunity to give life to the highlights of romance that were mentioned in the blurb.
In addition, the constant back and forth with the action and the recollection of events made me a bit dizzy. At times, I had to stop and re-read certain parts, even jot down side notes to make sure that I kept each crew with each ship to track the action properly.
My Best Laid Plans were to enjoy this read, but the pace and style of this work thwarted that goal.
My extended review can be found on The Review Board
February 26, 2014
Wow, I can't get through two paragraphs of this. Admiral MacAllister (our author) of the Fortiter Starclan (author's publishing company) was bad enough prior to opening the sample on Amazon. The next three sentences made any hope for this die a very painful death.
Don't get me wrong, sci-fi space exploration is a major favorite of mine. I've been a trekkie since I was a kid (granted, that was TNG not TOS, but I've seen 'em all).
"...as obnoxious alarms fulfilled their purpose by agitating everyone on the bridge."
No one who would need those alarms would find that their only purpose. Warning alarms are there for a very important purpose, agitation is not one of them. (Though the pitch can cause it as a side effect.)
I wouldn't even give this an attempt as free at this point. This tried to be too technical from the first word, and really, that's not what draws people into the story. A lesson could really be learned from a few episodes of Star Trek. I mean, they didn't beat viewers over the head with the details of Data being an android. It was filtered in through plot lines where necessary. The Enterprise wasn't shown with details like "four kilometer long exploration vessel" as was done in this story. It was given an impressive view by little things like bits of conversation where Riker mentioned the size of the crew in relation to his last post or Beverly's comment about so many lives in her hands. I don't want beaten over the head with flat writing of details that block any connection to the story. It feels arrogant and as if readers are unwelcome to continue.
Don't get me wrong, sci-fi space exploration is a major favorite of mine. I've been a trekkie since I was a kid (granted, that was TNG not TOS, but I've seen 'em all).
"...as obnoxious alarms fulfilled their purpose by agitating everyone on the bridge."
No one who would need those alarms would find that their only purpose. Warning alarms are there for a very important purpose, agitation is not one of them. (Though the pitch can cause it as a side effect.)
I wouldn't even give this an attempt as free at this point. This tried to be too technical from the first word, and really, that's not what draws people into the story. A lesson could really be learned from a few episodes of Star Trek. I mean, they didn't beat viewers over the head with the details of Data being an android. It was filtered in through plot lines where necessary. The Enterprise wasn't shown with details like "four kilometer long exploration vessel" as was done in this story. It was given an impressive view by little things like bits of conversation where Riker mentioned the size of the crew in relation to his last post or Beverly's comment about so many lives in her hands. I don't want beaten over the head with flat writing of details that block any connection to the story. It feels arrogant and as if readers are unwelcome to continue.
noway-josé
February 26, 2014not for me at this time
February 13, 2014
You will not want to miss out on this action packed story. Mr. McAllister masterfully tells a tale that will grab your heart. The technology is believable and the characters are brought to life. Witness the honor, duty, and integrity as 'The Admiral' leads a courageous fight for survival. I often found it hard to to put down and needed to keep turning those pages to find out what was going to happen. When I did, something else took hold and led me down another great adventure.
I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, and fell in love with the characters. I highly recommend this read and I can't wait for more.
Great job Author, McAllister, just hurry up with the next one, please.
I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, and fell in love with the characters. I highly recommend this read and I can't wait for more.
Great job Author, McAllister, just hurry up with the next one, please.
April 24, 2014
While I give credit to the man for making the effort to create a world of his own, the writing needs a great deal of polishing and an updated philosophy of the relationships between men and women. It would be helpful for the book to be broken into numbered chapters, rather than a continuing string of dated sections. There was a great deal of information that needs to be cut, as this book was much too long, with the actual plot not even coming to light until nearly 1/2 way through. I would find it more interesting to have the attempted assassination appear first thing, then fill in the back story. The idea is credible, but the execution need practice.
June 25, 2013
A masterful use of the clan artifice to provide a vehicle of cohesion for a destroyed civilization. Brings hope for the future of Literature!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews