My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the third in the Galactic Football League series, and Quentin Barnes and the Krakens are back for another season of football. This time, they are gunning for the Galactic Bowl and are determined to win the championship. As usual, it’s not a smooth road to victory and there are things surrounding the team and Quentin that threaten not only their season but the team as a whole, their friendships, and even their lives.
I love this series. I am a fan of American football (I say that to distinguish our beloved game from that other one the rest of the world knows as football). The Galactic League was born of football, now spanning a galaxy-wide array of teams and a variety of sentient beings, not just earth natives. The basics of the game are familiar but the brutality is ramped up quite a few notches. Deaths during games are not unheard of. The books aren’t excessively bloody or gory, but players get hurt, sometimes devastatingly so. The series is a futuristic homage to a game the author definitely knows and loves.
I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read it yet, but things don’t quite go the way Quentin plans them to, and the title might mislead some readers. The alien sentients are diverse and, well, alien. They have distinct societies and governments, although most are part of a greater empire, ruled by bat-like creatures who conquered and gave order and peace to the various worlds. They are also pretty universally hated. A few new characters are introduced and they fit in well with our known cast. More bits and pieces of the people we know from previous books are revealed. Quentin himself shows some glimmers of growth, but he (IMO) might be a bit more grown-up by now. Then again, I do see some things about him that remind me of certain celebrity types, both within the football world and without. He is still a bit of a spoiled brat, and lets his emotions and temper get away with him. I suppose that just makes him human (and he is one of the humans in the story). This book ends on a cliffhanger which is different for the series so far.
It’s a good book, with lots of action. The pacing is fast with small breaks in the action that let you catch your breath for a moment. It helps if you know at least a little about football since a lot of the book is set during games. Sports fan? Sci-fi fan? Action fan? These books will satisfy all of that.
======================================================
Available now :
After five years away, Kaili is coming home for the ceremony to install her sister as head of the family business. When an old rivalry threatens the family, Kaili and her partner need to use all their skills to save the sisters’ lives. Learn more here
A collection of six short fantasy stories set in varied worlds of magic and mayhem. Learn more here.
A short novelette set in a dystopian Earth after the final environmental collapse. Sam is a genetically engineered chameleon who may hold the key to mankind’s survival. Learn more here.
In a world reeling under the effects of severe climate change, food shortages are common, and arable farmland is scarce. Unscupulous distributors like Beni Oligowma take advantage of the shortages for their own gain. When a promising new technology for growing food even under the harsh conditions is unveiled, grocery store owner Frank is determined to see that everyone is able to benefit from the results, not just the Benis of the world.
Feed My People is a short story, set in a dystopian science fiction world, and is free. Learn more here
Demon hunters Johnny and Cerise travel to the small town of Carroll Fork where they find a demon-possessed thrift store, a sweet old lady who is more than she seems, and an army of underworld inhabitants. Can Johnny and his trusty yo-yo save the town from a devil of a problem?
Five and Daemon, the Yo-Yo Files #1, is a short novelette in an urban fantasy setting, with elements of the supernatural and humor. Learn more here
Things have been quiet. No demonic possessions, no otherworldly intrusions, nothing. And then Lucifer shows up in Johnny’s living room, claiming that two archangels are missing, and something is definitely not right in the heavenly- and other- realms. Saying he has nothing to do with it- this time- he asks Johnny and Cerise to help him find out what’s happening, and who is behind the disappearances. While they are trying to do just that, Lucifer is devilnapped by a larger-than-life serpent. He manages to get a clue to Johnny before he disappears. Johnny and Cerise are left to puzzle out the disappearances and try to find the missing angels. Oh, and stop what could mean the ultimate destruction of pretty much everything.
Snake’s Alive, the Yo-Yo Files #2 is an urban fantasy novelette with elements of the supernatural and humor. Learn more here.
And So On... 