Defenders of Tyrie

by Mark Paul Jacobs

A heroic tale of perseverance, bravery, loss, betrayal, and redemption… Defenders of Tyrie is an epic science fiction adventure like no other... set on a harsh alien world where triple moons draw eerie shadows over vast mountainous landscapes laden with horrific natural dangers. Quintar is a natural-born leader of men. For generations, his tight-knit guild of Yaakriders have partnered with the giant hairy bipeds to connect Tyrie’s rugged and remote human settlements. Thrust suddenly into politics by his indomitable commander Carathis, humble Quintar emerges as the people's champion following a brutal winter bravely defending Tyrie's settlements from an invasion of monstrous snow-creatures. But Quintar realizes his true destiny only after he stumbles upon a wrecked metal structure while hunting in the high mountains and he dreams of the mythical Thrimara. Encouraged by the scholars of Adair and inspired by sketchy reports of uncontacted outsiders living beyond Tyrie's borders, Quintar volunteers to lead a small but colorful group of companions on a harrowing journey into the unknown wilderness on a quest to unravel Tyrie's greatest mystery.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy

426 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 2010

About the author

Mark Paul Jacobs lives in lovely Dauphin, Pennsylvania. He enjoys fishing the Canadian north, poker, and annoying his wife. He has authored two novels: How Teddy Roosevelt Slew the last Mighty T-Rex, a Historical Science Fiction tale set in 1914, and the hard science fiction novel: The Yaakmen of Tyrie, a powerful and mysterious tale of bravery, loss, perseverance, betrayal, and redemption. He is also quite proud of his awe-inspiring short story: The Day God Winked and his chilling novelette with the provocative title: The Watchers from within Moments Revealed, an almost universally well reviewed work for which he has written a screenplay suitable for an ‘Outer Limits’ episode. These and several other works are available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Sony, and Smashwords.com. How Teddy Roosevelt Slew the last Mighty T-Rex and The Yaakmen of Tyrie is available in paperback via Createspace.com. Mark is working on a movie screenplay tentatively called Stain which is a gritty murder conspiracy based in Central Pennsylvania similar to the movie ‘Fargo’ or ‘Reservoir Dogs’. Please enjoy his works and don’t be afraid to tell him what you think on his Facebook page, twitter account, or by email. And lastly, please take the time to leave him a review of his work; it doesn’t have to be long or long-winded, but it does make him feel that his hard word has touched someone’s life in some way. You can leave a review wherever his books are available.

Reviews

[Mark Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of a series of reflective, critical reviews of my own works listed on Goodreads. If you think about it, who better than the author himself/herself understands the weaknesses and the strengths of the material they produce? I promise to be brutally honest with my assessments, but always remember that I am the author.
“The Yaakmen of Tyrie” is my full length novel written over a period of over 20 years or so. This is a very difficult review to write because I love the story so very much, but it suffers from the one of the biggest flaws in a lengthy novel: a slow start. Add to that some early stilted dialogue, the introduction of too many characters, and not properly projecting the main characters’ motivations (although I’ve mopped this up with subsequent revisions), I cringe thinking of all who may start Yaakmen, yet give up before the story actually gets properly into gear.
That being said, I think I’ve created a unique and wonderful adventure/mystery story. The last half of the book is my best writing to date; this is confirmed by the almost 100% positive feedback I’ve received from those who have finished this book. My greatest regret is that I began this novel before I acquired at least some skills in novel writing, but still the beginning is not really that bad.
A unique Sci-Fi adventure mystery that suffers from a slow start, but quickly gains steam toward a fascinating and satisfying conclusion. (3.8 or 5 stars, but only for the sluggish start)

[Sammy Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading several books by Mark Paul Jacobs, I have to say, he has won my deepest respect as an author. Mark’s work is profound, intelligent, and wonderfully imaginative. The Sci-Fi Channel should take a serious look at his fascinating stories.

The Yaakmen of Tyrie, layered in dichotomies, is worthy of the big screen. This tale is a treat for the fantasy buff as well as the archeological fiction fan. The alien world presented from within the pages is no less than brilliant. Mark meshes fantasy, and familiar history into a clever page-turning fantasy.
The brutal winter and war will provide great reading for cold winter nights. This is a fresh new story with familiar and unfamiliar struggles. Just keep the brandy to a minimum for the deep secrets of the past are revealed with skillful design. No doubt, you won’t want to miss a single clue as the layers of plots and subplots unfold in the Alien land.
Prepare for a complex adventure filled with dynamic characters enriched with personality. The fantastical monsters and humanlike beings are fabulously entertaining. A Giant Thumbs up for The Yaakmen of Tyrie.

[Fred Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, pretty good. One thing I wonder about is the sparse descriptions of alien wild life. He described the terrain in vivid detail, the weather was always in the forefront, you got some idea of what the people were built like and looked like and all the emotion. It just seems funny that the animal in the title is only vaguely defined. Was it a fuzzy tyrannosaurus? A cross between a Yak and an allosaurus? And there was an animal called pinthra, the name is suggestive of panther, but who knows? The giant squid thing in the swamp had only one appearance but got more descriptive text. Plant life was similarly neglected. Also, there was only one type of fish in all the lakes and rivers?

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-imagined world, strong characters. Jacobs weaves together many personalities and subplots into a fine story. This only gets 4 stars because some of the transitions are abrupt, and some bigotry continues to exist in characters actions long after a reasonable person would have modified the belief. The characters develop in other ways, so this really sticks out.

[Brian Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the northern most continent of a strange alien world live a group of humans. As they battle to survive during a rough winter that only seems to be getting tougher as time goes on, they discover clues to their past, clues pointing southward into a strange new territory. Quintar is a high ranking Yaakrider, Yaaks are huge beasts that seem to form an affinity with their riders, is thrust into politics unwillingly and after a winter of fighting against terrifying snow beasts begins a journey southward through uncharted territory filled with magnificent wonders, treacherous dangers, snobbish warlords and new technology, all to discover a lost secret about their unknown past.
In The Yaakman of Tyrie Mark Paul Jacobs has invented a fresh new world and a culture with very believable characters, intriguing subplots and a mystery that will have you guessing till the end. I would recommend this book to you if you enjoy science fiction adventures on strange new worlds