Galactic conspiracies.
Every science-fiction fan has heard of them. But how many of
them have heard of a galactic conspiracy so epic that it takes not one, not
two, but three full length novels to cover it?
The novels I’m referring to are The Degan Incident, The
Cassini Mission, and The Degan Paradox, all best-sellers, written by an incredible
writer, Rob Colton.
The first book in the Galactic Conspiracies series is The
Degan Incident.
Blurb:
Lonely spaceport worker Devin McSmith
meets Bastian Drago, an exotic and beastly alien from the planet Dega, and
begins an adventure that takes him to the stars and beyond.
While working at Earth's Spaceport
Prime, Devin McSmith meets Bastian Drago, an exotic and beastly alien from the
planet Dega.
Devin and Bastian get to know each
other and their relationship quickly heats up. Just as they begin to fall in
love, Bastian disappears without a trace.
When Devin's encounter with Bastian
triggers a startling change in his body, he is taken captive and held in a top-secret
research facility.
Will Bastian find Devin before it's too
late?
Excerpt:
I stepped
off the magtrain and made my way up the concourse pushing my way through the
crowds of people. I looked up at one of the wall displays and noted the time. I
was cutting it close, but I still had a few minutes before the start of my
shift.
While
weaving between a trio of blue-skinned aliens speaking in a foreign tongue, I
reached into the pocket of my uniform and pulled my headset out. I looped it
over my ear and pressed the silicone nub into my ear canal. I pulled my comPad
from the side leg pocket, then slid my finger across the razor-thin flexi-glass
screen. The screen came to live with colorful graphics, waiting to scan my
thumbprint to log me in. Pressing my thumb against the indicated area flashing
on the screen, it dinged with a chime that indicated success, and automatically
linked up my headset and signed into the Spaceport network. After the chime,
the pleasant female computer voice announced into my ear, Devin McSmith; login successful.
With
another swipe of my finger, I flipped though my day’s manifest and headed to
the first gate on my list to start work.
~~~~~
Review:
The blurb and the excerpt pretty much say it all. What
neither of them say is how captivating and real the characters are.
Through Rob’s incredible writing it’s very easy to feel
Devin’s terror at being kidnapped, poked and prodded, helpless to do anything
about it.
It’s just as easy to identify with Bastian’s ultimate anger
when he learns what has happened to the person he loves more than life
itself…Devin.
Politics, intrigue and suspense, along with a huge dose of
familial love and bonding come together to create an absolute must read story.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give The Degan Incident a definite 10 and put it on
the ‘You have to read this book!’ list.
~~~~~
The second book in the Galactic Conspiracies series is The
Cassini Mission.
Blurb:
The adventure continues in this
action-packed sequel to The Degan Incident!
Dr. Aron Adler is ordered to take part
in a rescue mission to a research colony located on an uninhabited planet in
the outer rim. He is to immediately report to the U.S.C. Cassini, which
will take Aron, two other scientists, and a unit of Union Marines to the
colony. Once there, they are to assess the situation and retrieve any data or
specimens.
Formerly a scientist in the Union Navy,
Aron was dishonorably discharged following a court-martial for failing to obey
orders. Stepping foot on the Cassini brings up old feelings he would
rather forget. Shunned by the crew of the Cassini, Aron finds comfort in
the arms—and bed—of Marine corporal Kane Robertson.
Upon reaching the colony, it becomes
apparent that not everything is as it seems. Once again, Aron is faced with a
difficult decision: follow orders or
follow his heart.
Excerpt:
Doctor Aron Adler;
access granted.
As the computer’s pleasant announcement, the security lock
disengaged and the door opened with a swoosh.
Not looking up from my comPad, I made my way to my lab’s
main workstation. Once seated, I transferred control from the pad to my
workstation and activated the scanner. I had just gotten the electron scanner
calibrated and it was not streaming bio-chemical data to the large computer
screens mounted on my lab wall.
“Yes,” I said in triumph as I skimmed over the new data.
Everything looked to be in order.
~~~~~
Review:
We first meet Dr. Aron Adler, exobiologist, in The Degan Incident as he was discussing
Devin McSmith’s unusual medical condition with Devin’s doctor, Dr. Flynn. This
sets up a chain of events leading up to the The
Cassini Mission.
Research colony RC-8460 has gone silent. The USC Cassini,
carrying Aron, Geneticist Kenji Kanataka and cyberneticist Bradley Brimley
along with a unit of Marines is dispatched to investigate.
What they find there
horrifies them.
Rob does an awesome job weaving suspense, suspicion, fear,
lust and jealousy together to create an awesome page turner, one that is
difficult to put down.
He cleverly links The
Cassini Mission back to The Degan
Incident through flashbacks and conversations.
After reading both
novels, I found it easy to figure out who subjects H1 & D1 are, but who are
subjects H2 & D2? I have my suspicions, but I’ll keep quiet on them until
Galactic Conspiracies 3 comes out.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give The Cassini Mission a
definite10 and put it on the ‘You have to read this book!’ list.
~~~~~
The third book in the Galactic Conspiracies series is The Degan
Paradox.
Blurb:
The adventure continues in this
action-packed follow up to The Degan Incident and The
Cassini Mission.
Peri McSmith is aboard the U.S.C. Cassini,
en route to the Degan Homeworld. A routine medical examination reveals a
startling yet impossible link between Peri and the Cassini’s last
mission.
Beshel Drago, Chief Investigator for
the Degan Federation, searches for leads on the rogue scientists conducting
illegal genetic experiments using Degan citizens. He hits yet another dead
end—until the rescued embryo’s human parent is identified.
When the Degan Science Institute is
attacked, and the embryo stolen, it’s up to Beshel and Peri to not only recover
the child, but to prevent all-out war between the Degans and the Galactic
Planetary Union.
Excerpt:
Perin McSmith picked up the last item on top of his dresser.
Instead of immediately packing it away in his box, Peri stopped and took a good
look at it. He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. It was a
picture of him and his best friend, Devin. Taken when they were younger, it was
one of his favorites.
He remembered the day like it was yesterday. It was the
night before his high school graduation. They’d gone out to celebrate one last
time before school was out, just him and Dev.
That next week Peri would start his brand new job at
Spaceport Prime, the largest port on the North American continent servicing
flights bound for space travel. Dev had been working as a docking gate
technician for the past year and was able to get Peri an interview. Dev put in
a good word with the supervisor, and Peri got the job.
Review:
In this third installment of the Galactic Conspiracies
series, Rob brings the gang back together. Devin. Bastian. Peri, Martan, Aron,
Kane, Kenji and Brian. The specimen discovered in the illegal research colony,
RC-8460 turned out to be a something created from subjects D2 & H2 (we find
out who they are in this novel). The specimen is delivered to the Degan Science
Institute. This is where the story starts to twist and turn, leading the gang
to discover a new cybernetic horror.
How will they overcome seemingly unbeatable odds to defeat
these new cybernetic abominations and rescue the embryo? You will just have to
read The Degan Paradox to find out.
Once again Rob brings the three books together. One of the
great things about the Galactic Conspiracies series is you don’t have to read
previous books in the series in order to understand what’s happening in each
book. However, you will have a much more enjoyable reading experience if you do
read each book in succession. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
I must point out that there are a couple of sentences in The
Degan Paradox which I believe, and this is my own personal belief based on what
I read, is an easter egg pointing to a 4th book in the Galactic Conspiracies
series.
As with The Degan Incident and the Cassini Mission, on a
scale of 1 to 10, I give The Degan Paradox a definite 10 and put it on the ‘You have to read this book!’ list.
Well done, Rob; very well done.
After reading The
Degan Incident, The Cassini Mission
and The Degan Paradox, if you hunger for more of Rob’s incredible
storytelling (and I’m sure you will), be sure to check out Timber Pack Chronicles and Enforcers: Timber Pack Chronicles book 2. I’m
absolutely positive you won’t be disappointed.
Author bio:
Rob Colton is a software
developer by day, and avid reader of romance novels at night. A romantic at
heart, he loves stories that feature big, burly men who find true love and
happy endings.
Rob grew up in northern Michigan and currently lives in the Atlanta area with his very supportive husband and their very spoiled miniature schnauzer.
Rob grew up in northern Michigan and currently lives in the Atlanta area with his very supportive husband and their very spoiled miniature schnauzer.
Cover art, blurbs, excerpts, and author bio copyright © Rob
Colton, all rights reserved.
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