What do you think?
Rate this book
Once A Hero: Diaries of a Space Marine
Paroled from military prison, Dorothea wants to kick back and become a regular citizen with a regular job but the wrong people remember who she is, what she’s done, and who she's killed.
Those people want her dead, and they're willing to pay.
Welcome to the first novella in the Diaries of a Space Marine military science fiction series, a rousing tale of a warrior who's trying to fit in.
Buy this book and start the adventure.
Those people want her dead, and they're willing to pay.
Welcome to the first novella in the Diaries of a Space Marine military science fiction series, a rousing tale of a warrior who's trying to fit in.
Buy this book and start the adventure.
56 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 10, 2015
5 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Watson Davis
37 books47 followersI am a Texan living in Spain. I'm a computer programmer specializing in medical computing, but my degree is in Applied Mathematics. I've been a professional musician (guitarist, songwriter) from time to time in Texas and California, and graduated with honors from the Musician's Institute. I'm a 3D artist.
I discovered Isaac Asimov, Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Fritz Leiber, and Roger Zelazny at a young age and I knew I would write novels one day.
It just took me a few decades to actually get around to doing it.
I discovered Isaac Asimov, Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Fritz Leiber, and Roger Zelazny at a young age and I knew I would write novels one day.
It just took me a few decades to actually get around to doing it.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 6, 2017
4.5 stars.
I started to browse through the first pages of this book late one night, without knowing anything about it, and found myself reading on…and on…and lo! it was the final sentence. Although short –56 pages- there’s a compulsive feel to the tale, which starts with a bang and continues with a lot more bangs. The only let down I experienced was when it ended, trailing a number of tantalisingly loose ends. Heroine Dorothea, an irresistible blend of vulnerability and kick-ass determination (no whining about broken fingernails from her, she’s the kind who chews them off and spits them out), was setting off on an adventure that I wanted to know more about; in addition, there were things about her past that had been hinted at, begging for more detail. It felt as though the book was a beautifully rendered vignette; I was keen to see the big frieze.
Checking out the book description I discovered the author’s plan. This was to be a series, with more details emerging in the following books. The different works, the author tells us, are stand-alone, can be read in any order, but ‘the books fit together like a puzzle’ Aha! So it’s like a sort of tapas menu. This one was the spicy chorizo, another is the garlic mussels, after that, deep fried squid - each a small self-contained delight, but requiring the full menu to fully appreciate how each part complements the others. Some readers may find this a reason to grumble (cliffhanging?) but personally I liked the concept. Where else you can get a delicious spicy chorizo appetiser for 0.99 cents?
Back to the story. The quality of the writing was remarkably immediate and powerful, plunging us into the heroine’s disturbing dystopian universe where we shared every sensory aggression -‘the undercurrent of old sweat’…‘the yelling of obscenities’…‘the piecing wail of the siren’…‘the gunk and dirt bunched up in the window frames’…‘the hulking billboards’… ‘the burps of fumes from the bowels of the city’…‘trash taking flight in the stiff breeze rushing down the alley’.
The characters too are caught in minimalist but telling detail: the ‘fake joy and cheerleader rah-rah’ of Krishna; Dion’s eyes -‘brown pools of dangerous lies’; Darwin’s ‘ice-white skin, hair like distilled sunlight and a lower lip bending like a recurved bow’. As for the main protagonist, Dorothea, it’s easy to empathise with her, emerging from prison in her cheap suit with grease stain, hardly able to believe what’s happening - ‘tension seeping out of me, leaving me exhausted without having done a thing’, trying to figure out a plan for the future, and coming up against obstructions and setbacks before she’s even had a chance to enjoy her first burger and beer. The ‘Waste Management’ chapter was particularly gripping, and her revenge on her tormentors particularly satisfying. Let’s face it, there are quite simply times when the compassion fatigue sets in and the only response to someone who is trying to drown you in excrement is to deploy your multi-tool….
This is a story that will appeal to sci-fi adventure/action fans who enjoy a touch of black humour to relieve the pressure, as well as readers like myself who, hooked by an engaging heroine facing a world of woe, are ready to step out of their comfort zone, head off into outer space, and sign up for book 2.
I started to browse through the first pages of this book late one night, without knowing anything about it, and found myself reading on…and on…and lo! it was the final sentence. Although short –56 pages- there’s a compulsive feel to the tale, which starts with a bang and continues with a lot more bangs. The only let down I experienced was when it ended, trailing a number of tantalisingly loose ends. Heroine Dorothea, an irresistible blend of vulnerability and kick-ass determination (no whining about broken fingernails from her, she’s the kind who chews them off and spits them out), was setting off on an adventure that I wanted to know more about; in addition, there were things about her past that had been hinted at, begging for more detail. It felt as though the book was a beautifully rendered vignette; I was keen to see the big frieze.
Checking out the book description I discovered the author’s plan. This was to be a series, with more details emerging in the following books. The different works, the author tells us, are stand-alone, can be read in any order, but ‘the books fit together like a puzzle’ Aha! So it’s like a sort of tapas menu. This one was the spicy chorizo, another is the garlic mussels, after that, deep fried squid - each a small self-contained delight, but requiring the full menu to fully appreciate how each part complements the others. Some readers may find this a reason to grumble (cliffhanging?) but personally I liked the concept. Where else you can get a delicious spicy chorizo appetiser for 0.99 cents?
Back to the story. The quality of the writing was remarkably immediate and powerful, plunging us into the heroine’s disturbing dystopian universe where we shared every sensory aggression -‘the undercurrent of old sweat’…‘the yelling of obscenities’…‘the piecing wail of the siren’…‘the gunk and dirt bunched up in the window frames’…‘the hulking billboards’… ‘the burps of fumes from the bowels of the city’…‘trash taking flight in the stiff breeze rushing down the alley’.
The characters too are caught in minimalist but telling detail: the ‘fake joy and cheerleader rah-rah’ of Krishna; Dion’s eyes -‘brown pools of dangerous lies’; Darwin’s ‘ice-white skin, hair like distilled sunlight and a lower lip bending like a recurved bow’. As for the main protagonist, Dorothea, it’s easy to empathise with her, emerging from prison in her cheap suit with grease stain, hardly able to believe what’s happening - ‘tension seeping out of me, leaving me exhausted without having done a thing’, trying to figure out a plan for the future, and coming up against obstructions and setbacks before she’s even had a chance to enjoy her first burger and beer. The ‘Waste Management’ chapter was particularly gripping, and her revenge on her tormentors particularly satisfying. Let’s face it, there are quite simply times when the compassion fatigue sets in and the only response to someone who is trying to drown you in excrement is to deploy your multi-tool….
This is a story that will appeal to sci-fi adventure/action fans who enjoy a touch of black humour to relieve the pressure, as well as readers like myself who, hooked by an engaging heroine facing a world of woe, are ready to step out of their comfort zone, head off into outer space, and sign up for book 2.
August 2, 2017
I love novellas!
It's odd to have to say what a literary form is before reviewing it. However, I can't say how this novella works as a novella without saying what a novella is.
In its truest form, a novella a looks at a character, whose world is changing around them. Its a bit narcissistic as the plot is distilled down to how it effects the main character. Sub-plots and poetic purple prose have no place, it must be clear and intended to be read in a single sitting.
A good novella leaves you with a perfect picture of the main character, and how they deal with a major conflict in their life. The minor conflicts are shoved off, much like a holocaust survivor stops thinking about their high-school bully.
So when I say VILE MONEY-GRUBBER is a novella, it is not just identifying the literary form, it is high praise.
In its essence, it is the origin story of Dorothea, the protagonist of the authors other books (I assume as I haven't read them). How she tried to fit in the civilized world, but the civilized world wasn't civil when it came to her.
It reads as a stand alone. So much so, the only thing I didn't like about it was that it was tied into the other books. The way it is written makes that a minor quibble. I didn't need to know about the series it was tied to, and learning that it was tied to a larger series left the door open for me to find out more about Dorothea if I wished.
Originally, I was going to give it a four star, taking off for it being a opening to the bigger series, but the more I think about it, the more I realize taking a character out of a series and letting them shine on their own works beautifully with the novella form. Also, it still works nicely as a stand alone.
I believe the author has read this Asimov quote: "I made up my mind long ago to follow one cardinal rule in all my writing—to be 'clear'. I have given up all thought of writing poetically or symbolically or experimentally, or in any of the other modes that might (if I were good enough) get me a Pulitzer prize. I would write merely clearly and in this way establish a warm relationship between myself and my readers, and the professional critics—Well, they can do whatever they wish." He clearly follows that rule.
If you like novellas, not novelettes that are mislabeled, or short stories where the author didn't know how to condense their writing, then it is worth checking out.
It's odd to have to say what a literary form is before reviewing it. However, I can't say how this novella works as a novella without saying what a novella is.
In its truest form, a novella a looks at a character, whose world is changing around them. Its a bit narcissistic as the plot is distilled down to how it effects the main character. Sub-plots and poetic purple prose have no place, it must be clear and intended to be read in a single sitting.
A good novella leaves you with a perfect picture of the main character, and how they deal with a major conflict in their life. The minor conflicts are shoved off, much like a holocaust survivor stops thinking about their high-school bully.
So when I say VILE MONEY-GRUBBER is a novella, it is not just identifying the literary form, it is high praise.
In its essence, it is the origin story of Dorothea, the protagonist of the authors other books (I assume as I haven't read them). How she tried to fit in the civilized world, but the civilized world wasn't civil when it came to her.
It reads as a stand alone. So much so, the only thing I didn't like about it was that it was tied into the other books. The way it is written makes that a minor quibble. I didn't need to know about the series it was tied to, and learning that it was tied to a larger series left the door open for me to find out more about Dorothea if I wished.
Originally, I was going to give it a four star, taking off for it being a opening to the bigger series, but the more I think about it, the more I realize taking a character out of a series and letting them shine on their own works beautifully with the novella form. Also, it still works nicely as a stand alone.
I believe the author has read this Asimov quote: "I made up my mind long ago to follow one cardinal rule in all my writing—to be 'clear'. I have given up all thought of writing poetically or symbolically or experimentally, or in any of the other modes that might (if I were good enough) get me a Pulitzer prize. I would write merely clearly and in this way establish a warm relationship between myself and my readers, and the professional critics—Well, they can do whatever they wish." He clearly follows that rule.
If you like novellas, not novelettes that are mislabeled, or short stories where the author didn't know how to condense their writing, then it is worth checking out.
July 28, 2017
Military criminal struggles to re-adjust to life after prison.
“You’re a howitzer waiting to go off into a child’s birthday party.”
Dorothea was a special forces Major, but has been serving a five-year sentence in a hell-hole prison. She did not expect to get out as the charge against her was treason and she had killed the odd inmate and hospitalised the odd guard. But somehow all that seems to have been overlooked because she gets to walk free. But freedom is not so simple when you are a weapon on legs, widely hated by the public and with your own anger issues to deal.
This is a well-written novella with a lot of punch and a great deal to please any fan of military sci-fi - and any fan of sci-fi in general. The character of Dorothea is engaging and attractive and as a reader I came quickly to empathise with her, discovering the reason for her overly aggressive attitude. The story is cutting and has an edge of black humour too. The final reveal is one I did not see coming at all.
“Did you think you would go unrecognized in the Republic of Cymmeria? Major Dorothea Ohmie of the Hellas Military, Special Forces, HART, the Butcher of Argyre, the ‘Savior’ of the Meridani Brides.”
My one complaint is that we never do find out what went on in the past, why Dorothea was put in prison, what reason she committed or anything much about her life at all, which left the story hanging a bit in the void. But then this is a novella to start a series and perhaps all is revealed in the next book - I look forward to finding that out.
If you enjoy sci-fi, in particular with a military twist, or just enjoy a good short-to-read story, I would fully recommend this novella.
“You’re a howitzer waiting to go off into a child’s birthday party.”
Dorothea was a special forces Major, but has been serving a five-year sentence in a hell-hole prison. She did not expect to get out as the charge against her was treason and she had killed the odd inmate and hospitalised the odd guard. But somehow all that seems to have been overlooked because she gets to walk free. But freedom is not so simple when you are a weapon on legs, widely hated by the public and with your own anger issues to deal.
This is a well-written novella with a lot of punch and a great deal to please any fan of military sci-fi - and any fan of sci-fi in general. The character of Dorothea is engaging and attractive and as a reader I came quickly to empathise with her, discovering the reason for her overly aggressive attitude. The story is cutting and has an edge of black humour too. The final reveal is one I did not see coming at all.
“Did you think you would go unrecognized in the Republic of Cymmeria? Major Dorothea Ohmie of the Hellas Military, Special Forces, HART, the Butcher of Argyre, the ‘Savior’ of the Meridani Brides.”
My one complaint is that we never do find out what went on in the past, why Dorothea was put in prison, what reason she committed or anything much about her life at all, which left the story hanging a bit in the void. But then this is a novella to start a series and perhaps all is revealed in the next book - I look forward to finding that out.
If you enjoy sci-fi, in particular with a military twist, or just enjoy a good short-to-read story, I would fully recommend this novella.
August 3, 2017
Excellent, my dear Watson! Despite the odd, Archie Bunker-esque title I was surprised to find this a five star read. Although this novella is a funnel of sorts, into a larger narrative/series, that fact didn't annoy me as much as it usually does. I feel this is because the heroine and her reintegration into society, her attempts to survive and regain her footing on a constantly reeling deck and her overall chutzpah and unbreakable valor make this book riveting and vastly "watchable" for lack of a better word. Despite the genre this was a provocative character study that threatens to unmask this military sci-fi author as a masterful literary alchemist. But as long as sh*t keeps exploding and a good read is had by all I won't tell if you won't!
May 17, 2018
It was an okay story. I guess I was sort of expecting more. I should probably check if there is a series of other books or something though. Seems like there has to be more to Dorothea.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews