The Iron Admiral Conspiracy by Greta van der Rol

Have you checked out the latest offering from Greta van der Rol? No... then boy are you missing out.

With a start like that, you'd expect the story to start with a bang. Greta doesn't disappoint, starting the action direct as the main character Allysha endeavours to flee her homeworld for one last job with her soon to be divorced husband. Just never mind that the soon to be divorced husband had managed to run afoul of the local crime lord. Managing to get on the transfer shuttle just in time, we see Ally and Sean be spirited away from danger and end up on the planet Tisyphor.

Tisyphor is a frontier planet, used predominantly for mining and once belonging to the alien Ptorix. The job was to be a single affair, or so Ally thought. However, she ends up with more then she bargained for. Then there is Chaka Sahraan, a disgraced admiral, and the rest. Well, I'd recommend you read it.

While the story carries you through an amazing and rich universe, where Greta lets you explore even the smallest of experiences, there were a couple of places where I felt the scene jumped too quickly - but quickly corrected herself. While not a major thing, as it hardly distracted me from the actual story. Now, I know you're asking why is a guy reviewing a science fiction romance, but the answer is pretty simple: it's not just sex in alien settings (merely a tale of two people falling for one another), as there is political intrigue that weaved a rollicking space opera adventure with a love story in a way that kept me reading.

Iron Falls

The 22nd century was to be a time of peace and prosperity, while
humanity moved out beyond its cradle that is planet Earth . . .

It was to be an era where lessons learned from an earlier time were to
be humanity's salvation to go forth . . .

It was a time for peace . . .

It was a time for unity . . .

It was a time new lessons to be taught, and old ones refreshed.

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The weekend was pretty busy for my friends over at e-Quill Publishing, as they were releasing three new titles at the start of this month. One of these titles was Iron Falls, a near futuristic military science fiction novella set in 2115 in and about the African continent. It's also one of those stories that had taken me on what had been an interesting journey that had me rediscover the joy of writing, relearn the basics and pick up new tricks of the trade. The fact that I was doing it with one of my favourite characters, Gene Bukowski, made it all the more fun.

Bukowski had been the star of many a story that I had written, and am glad to see him in print. So, what is the story about. This is what it says on my website:

September, 2115. Shock waves follow in the announced intentions of South Africa becoming incorporated into a neighboring continental union. Amid a media frenzy and general panic, as the country has managed to gain more displaced persons due to never recovering from the Third World War, the Afrikaner Freedom Front is determined to put a stop to this, and sends Emilio Heerdan out to test the resilience of emergency services throughout South Africa and neighboring Mozambique.

Sergeant First Class Gene Bukowski, a U.S. Army Special Warfare operator, and his team are uprooted from a mission in Mali when Heerdan's group kidnap the daughter of the NorSec Energy Secretary. Yet his mission proves more dangerous than his team can handle. Bukowski is therefore forced to seek aid against the Afrikaner's sinister plot. Aid that comes at a steep price.

Not bad if I say so myself.

Please go check it out and purchase a copy over at e-Quill Publishers, as it's only $2.50 in Australian currency.

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So, where to from here? That is a good question. I've started working on the sequel to Iron Falls, and there's the whole Project Lucky 13 thing I'm working on as well. So the rest of the month is going to keep me busy with two first drafts and rewrites. Tomorrow I have a job interview as well, so add to it nerves of waiting if I get it or not.