Gabriel' Return Reviewed

Okay, so I know I promised this for Monday, but as everyone has experienced life, the day job and other "stuff" happens. But I always deliver even if a little delayed.

So without further adieu here are my humble thought on Steve Umstead's Gabriel's Return.

                

NAF Navy Commander Evan Gabriel receives an interrupted message from a former mission team member. The only problem is that for years, Commander Gabriel believed he was the only survivor of the ill-fated mission to Eden. The message from Katoa speaks of a terrorist group and dangerous weapons, so Gabriel must take a new team back to Eden and to confront the terrorists and its strange, dangerous jungle. Can he lead this team to success or is it another trap?

                Gabriel’s Return is the second book of Steve Umstead’s Evan Gabriel Trilogy.

                Full disclosure: I know Steve Umstead well as a fellow member of PubWriteGroup. Our association with each other and our fellows in Pubwrite has been and will continue to be based on honest feedback that helps each other grow as writers.  There is no compensation, direct or indirect, for this review.

                Umstead brings back Evan Gabriel, the remaining members of the team assembled in Gabriel’s Redemption and new characters that intrigue and entertain. Umstead continues to deepen his characters, even secondary ones to create a cast that is as diverse and fascinating as the flora and fauna of the jungles of Eden. Speaking of the setting, the rich description of animals and plants that are just different enough from anything found on Earth to be unique but similar enough to create a visual image in this reader’s mind made this a treat. I am not generally a reader of science fiction, particularly the overly technical type.  Umstead’s worlds and technology are clearly alien and futuristic but at the same time accessible. Gabriel’s personal growth and is struggles with his warrior (destruction) nature and his peacemaker (community builder) nature reveals itself as his personal battleground.

                I initially read, Gabriel’s Redemption, the first book of the trilogy and enjoyed it.  This second novel by Steve Umstead is even better. Steve is a master of mechanics and Gabriel’s Return is no exception.  From a plot, pacing and structure perspective, Return is even better. The writing is tighter adding to the tension and fast paced action. Personalities are were drawn with even seeming secondary characters have a distinct presence and role in moving the plot and/or my understanding of Gabriel or his key antagonist, the mysterious man called only The Prophet. If I had one suggestion, it would be to continue to refine the Evan Gabriel character. He has the potential to be richly layered and worthy of more than just a trilogy.

                I look forward to watching both Steve Umstead, the author, and Evan Gabriel, the warrior politician, grow and change.

                 NAF Navy Commander Evan Gabriel receives an interrupted message from a former mission team member. The only problem is that for years, Commander Gabriel believed he was the only survivor of the ill-fated mission to Eden. The message from Katoa speaks of a terrorist group and dangerous weapons, so Gabriel must take a new team back to Eden and to confront the terrorists and its strange, dangerous jungle. Can he lead this team to success or is it another trap?

                Gabriel’s Return is the second book of Steve Umstead’s Evan Gabriel Trilogy.

                Full disclosure: I know Steve Umstead well as a fellow member of PubWriteGroup. Our association with each other and our fellows in Pubwrite has been and will continue to be based on honest feedback that helps each other grow as writers.  There is no compensation, direct or indirect, for this review.

                Umstead brings back Evan Gabriel, the remaining members of the team assembled in Gabriel’s Redemption and new characters that intrigue and entertain. Umstead continues to deepen his characters, even secondary ones to create a cast that is as diverse and fascinating as the flora and fauna of the jungles of Eden. Speaking of the setting, the rich description of animals and plants that are just different enough from anything found on Earth to be unique but similar enough to create a visual image in this reader’s mind made this a treat. I am not generally a reader of science fiction, particularly the overly technical type.  Umstead’s worlds and technology are clearly alien and futuristic but at the same time accessible. Gabriel’s personal growth and is struggles with his warrior (destruction) nature and his peacemaker (community builder) nature reveals itself as his personal battleground.

                I initially read, Gabriel’s Redemption, the first book of the trilogy and enjoyed it.  This second novel by Steve Umstead is even better. Steve is a master of mechanics and Gabriel’s Return is no exception.  From a plot, pacing and structure perspective, Return is even better. The writing is tighter adding to the tension and fast paced action. Personalities are were drawn with even seeming secondary characters have a distinct presence and role in moving the plot and/or my understanding of Gabriel or his key antagonist, the mysterious man called only The Prophet. If I had one suggestion, it would be to continue to refine the Evan Gabriel character. He has the potential to be richly layered and worthy of more than just a trilogy.

                I look forward to watching both Steve Umstead, the author, and Evan Gabriel, the warrior politician, grow and change.

                I award Steve Umstead’s Gabriel’s Return                   4-1/2 

               

For those who are wondering, that is a triskele, an ancient symbol thought to represent the three worlds of Druidry and the unity between the worlds.

               

     Both books are available for Kindle, Nook, in paperback. Visit Steve's website  or the PubWriteGroup site for more information          

               

    

                

Friday Firsts: Hanging out with Rebecca Clark

Today I have the pleasure of being a guest of Rebecca Clark on her Friday Firsts blog. There I share the first five sentences of my current work in progress, Ogham Court, my first date with my hubby and how the Salmon Run Inn fits in to that (key setting in Ogham Court) and my thoughts on farmhouses and chocolate body wraps.  Stop on over, say hi to me and meet Rebecca and her previous Friday First guests.

On Monday I'll be back with my review of Steve Umstead's Gabriel's Return.  That give you the weekend to get it and read it so you can comment.   What are you waiting for.....

Meet Evan Gabriel of Steve Umstead's Gabriel Trilogy

K.Victoria Smith:   Through the magic of time travel, we are here today with Evan Gabriel. Some of you already know him from the events on Poliahu as re-told in Steve Umstead’s thrilling novel, Gabriel’s Redemption. I’ve read Steve’s new novel, Gabriel’s Return. I am a big fan of you and Steve Umstead.  I think it’s time for your fans to get to know you better, Evan.  I can call you, Evan? 

Evan Gabriel:         I'm normally referred to by rank, but as you're a civvie, Evan is fine, thank you.

KVS:        Good.  So shall we begin? 

Evan:      Yeah, I've got a mission debrief to get to.

KVS:        Let’s start with the basics.  Tell us about yourself. Where were you born? Family? Childhood pets? What did you do for fun?

Evan:      I was born in Phoenix Arizona in June, 2148. Parents Scott & Ekaterina, both deceased. My mother…died of cancer when I was very young. My father was…he passed away during the aftermath of the Shanghai Event when I was twelve. Sorry…anyway. I've got a brother who after not seeing him for several years, turned up quite unexpectedly on my last mission. He's older, but more…academic than me, I suppose. I was always bigger and stronger than he was, so I was always sticking up for him in school. Go figure. Before my father died, we did a lot of traveling to the Caribbean, along with my uncle and my cousin. After the Shanghai asteroid, things…changed. That was the end of a lot of childhoods.  


KVS:        What attracted you to military service?

Evan:      My uncle was Special Forces, and I was always fascinated by his tales when he came to our house. He couldn't tell us everything, of course, but what he could was…thrilling. After my father died, I was sort of on my own - well, my brother and I. And when Zack went off to college, I fell in with what most would call the wrong crowd. Instead of college I enlisted, and found I was very good at what the Navy needed. I rose very quickly through the officer ranks, and into the Special Forces. Sort of saved my life.


KVS:        What is the hardest part of your job? Why? What keeps you going?

Evan:      Being SpecFor in the Navy means a lot of traveling, relocating, not a lot of settling down time. I guess that can be hard, not having friends outside the military. But the hardest part, by far, is watching people die. And sometimes feeling responsible for it. As a commander, I am ultimately responsible, and when a mission like…Eden. Damn. Sorry…when a mission goes wrong, and people die, it stabs at a man's soul. What keeps me going? This is my calling. I'm good at what I do, like I was meant for this. And I'm responsible for a new team now. They depend on me, and I cannot let them down.


KVS:        If we were to ask your team to describe Evan Gabriel, what words would they use?

Evan:      They'd better use good ones, or there'll be hell to pay. I'm no taskmaster, but I do expect results. Determined…driven…knowledgeable…trustworthy. Maybe a bit too easy on them, actually, now that I think about it...


KVS:        Is there something you won’t tell anyone?  I promise I won’t tell a soul.

Evan:      This is off the record, correct? I cannot have this showing up in some tabloid on Mars. There was an…incident. During the Ganymede Uprising a few years back, miners had taken control of an ore-producing facility on that moon. They had taken hostages, several of which were children. My team and I had gone in to ensure their safety during negotiations. I had come across a single miner who had taken a child and was holed up in an ore transfer dock. We were…under orders. No casualties, even the miners. But this guy…he was different. I saw it in his eyes. 

                I was alone, I tracked him down, and shut down my comms, powered off all weapons. I was off the official grid. He…refused to let the boy go, claimed he needed leverage. The boy wasn't more than twelve. Same age as I was when my father died. It's a very impressionable age. We struggled, I got him away from the miner and secure in a storage locker, then it was just he and I.  I used my neuretic brain implant to hack into the dock's controls, and opened the outer airlock door. I forced him back against the inner door, took a deep breath and squeezed my eyes shut, and ordered the inner door open, bypassing the safeties. I watched his body in my heads-up retina display fly through the door, then immediately closed the inner door. The boy was safe, and the miner's body was never found. It was off the record, and none of the other miners complained - apparently they all knew him as a piece of trash.

                Bottom line: don't mess with kids. 

-

KVS:        So Evan, for the ladies out there:  Are you single? If not, tell us about the lucky lady.

Evan:      Technically? Single. However, don't let Renay hear that. For five months or so, from shortly after the Poliahu mission, Lieutenant Renay Gesselli and I have been together. We, along with my team, were deployed to Mars for security, and, well, things just sort of happened. I've been away from Mars for over a week now, with this Eden mission, and I'm looking forward to sharing a cup of coffee with her back in Nuovo Portofino on Mars.


KVS:        So what’s next for Evan Gabriel?

Evan:      Apparently some political maneuvering has been happening on Mars while I've been away. Those South American Republic snakes always seem to be behind all the problems my team and I run into. I received a message from my good friend Governor Mubina Tarif in Arsia Mons dome that two domes now belong to the SAR, and that something of a personal nature happened. Something…I can't talk about. Not now. I've got to get this briefing over with, and get back to Mars as soon as I can. I just…I need to get there. It's important. It's…Revenge.


KVS:        It has been a real pleasure for me. I want to thank you for taking time away from your responsibilities. I hope you will continue to work with Steve Umstead. We all want to know what happened next.  

Gabriel's Return is available as an ebook by clicking the link for the :
 Kindle                          or            Nook           and at          Goodreads


 More information about Steve and his books can be found at his website: http://steveumstead.com/

Some previous stops on Steve's blog tour include the websites of:

Leah Petersen  and Shay Fabbro


Keep an eye out for future visits to other websites, including:

Al Boudreau    and  AJ Powers

Steve is giving away one set of the Books One and Two of Gabriel Trilogy.  Leave a comment or question here for Evan Gabriel to qualify.   A winner will be drawn at random.




Who knows, Evan or his avatar, Steve, may answer.

Taking Charge: Bob Mayer's "Write It Forward"

Just a quick post for today.

I am reading  Bob Mayer's book Write It Forward. In a changing writing and publishing environment it is a must read for those who want to take charge of their success as a writer.  Bob,(I hope I can call kim that) is a multi-pubbed author and the founder of Who Dares Wins Publishing. Perhaps more important is his military background in the Green Beret.  He learned his focus and ability to motivate himself and others there.

I have always been a person who took charge of my own future, but lately I have felt a loss of control. The economy has battered us all, publishing is shifting sands--nothing is as easy as it use to be.Bob Mayer's  Write It Forward is the shot in the arm I needed right now.  It reminded me to start with a strategic goal and build from there.  Having a goal that is specific and measurable was the piece I had lost.

I have written my strategic goal for my writing.  Have you?