Starfleet Corp of Engineers (Book 3)

Some Assembly Required: SCE Omnibus Book 3: by Various
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the third collection of Starfleet Corp of Engineers stories we have four more adventures of the USS da Vinci commanded by Captain David Gold with his erstwhile crew of trouble shooters.



The Riddled Post by Aaron Rosenberg
The da Vinci is tasked with investigating a mining/research outpost that has gone silent.

Here There Be Monsters by Keith R.A. DeCandido
In the aftermath of the Iconian Gateways (see Gateway series of novels) some strange creatures appear on a Tellarite colony of Marglin.

Ambush by Dave Galanter & Greg Brodeur
Delivering equipment to a mining asteroid producing elements required by the Horta to combat a plague the da Vinci is attacked by three starships.

Some Assembly Required by Scott Ciencin & Dan Jolley
A world of artists and dreamers are partitioning for Federation membership, geologic instabilities are threatening their world and in desperation they acquire the components to a planetary computer system which turns out to be not what they expected. The da Vinci sends some officers to provide assistance but they soon find themselves attempting to save a world.

As we've seen in the previous collections the stories rely on continuity in the characters and circumstances of the world the SCE operate in, this gives the reader a very far reaching opportunity to invest in these people. All four stories were entertaining and it would be hard to pick one that stood out which shows a good balance when creating this novel. I've already purchased the next two collected works so looking forward to spending more time with the da Vinci.

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Star Brigade: Quartet by C.C. Ekeke

Star Brigade: Quartet by C.C. Ekeke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read the first Star Brigade novel a few years ago and then a collection of the short stories and a few weeks back noticed the promotion for a four novel collection, it was pretty much a no brainer to purchase and delve once again into the world of Star Brigade.
The galaxy as it stands is controlled by various empires and humanity is a major player in the Union however Earth has long since gone having been accidentally wiped of life by the Korvenites who then had their homeworld taken from them in recompense. Unbeknown to most the Korvenite survivors are now treated as a slave labour force and their mental abilities controlled by suppressors and a freedom/terrorist faction rises amongst them and battles for the return of their homeworld. Star Brigade a force in decline finds itself in the center of the battle to save a world and bring justice to a race. That is the very basic story of the first two novels (Resurgent and Maelstrom) and the third and fourth (Supremacy and Ascendant) sees Star Brigade sent to handle a burgeoning civil war which could have galactic ramifications. The collection also features a number of short stories set in and around the novels which add even more value to what is a superb collection of science fiction. The characters created by Charles are strong and complex and still sufficiently larger than life to allow their feats using their "maxim" abilities to ring true without falling into the realm of fantasy. The Political framework of the stories adds a little more structure to hang the plot elements on and also allows the covert and intelligence complications to have free reign.
I've been delighted to get back into Star Brigade and annoyed I lost track of the novels for a while but looking forward to their further adventures which given the growth of the military force within the novels and the relationships of the characters creating a wonderfully entertaining world will hopefully not be too long .

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Chronicle Worlds: B-Movie

Chronicle Worlds: B-Movie by Samuel Peralta
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My latest dip into the collection of anthologies under the Future Chronicles banner deals with the good old "B-Movie" genre and the authors who contributed work really let themselves have fun. This anthology contains nine stories with subjects covering the whole spectrum from Invading Aliens, Vengeful Spirits, Kungfu Mummies and of course Clowns. I enjoyed every single story and that has to be perhaps the best recommendation I can give, they were all different but entertaining and Samuel can be proud of putting together this anthology.

• Plagued by Matthew Stott
• Bubbles by Eamon Ambrose
• Friendship is Forever by Jessica West
• Gorillabot vs Mermaids from Neptune by Christopher J. Valin
• Nightmare by Stefan Bolz
• Attack of the Kung-Fu Mummies by Daniel Arthur Smith
• The Legends of Boone Ridge by Artie Cabrera
• Jeffboy at the Drive-In by Forbes West
• Drop Bears by S. Elliot Brandis

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