OT: Check out my good friends 1st book! Sci-Fi fans Unite!

[cincyreds]

My good friend BJ Bennett has had his first novel published.

I am very proud of him! He did it!

I recommend the books guys. Very creative.

My book should be out some time in 2005!

Please support him guys if you are Sci-Fi reader.

Thunder In Space (http://http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/SearchCatalog.aspx)

[cincyreds]

http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/SearchCatalog.aspx

[SackAttack]

$11.50 for a paperback? Is this one of those self-publishing houses?

[SackAttack]

That grammar is atrocious. It must be.

[Franklinnoble]

My good friend BJ Bennett has had his first novel published.

I am very proud of him! He did it!

I recommend the books guys. Very creative.

My book should be out some time in 2005!

Please support him guys if you are Sci-Fi reader.

Thunder In Space (http://http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/SearchCatalog.aspx)

No offense, but he did what? Published his own novel through a vanity press?

[Franklinnoble]

http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/ItemDetail.aspx?q3=H2nsj5FdUvA%253d

Free preview:

Free Preview

Less than a light year away, traveling nearly 200 times the speed of light, on a direct course for Earth’s Solar System, was the main body of the Imperial Zidian 3rd Fleet. Thirty battle cruisers, 350 attack ships, 50 transport ships, and Commander Akdon’s Flagship the “Krusha” which means “black soul” in Zidian. And on its bridge on his platform overlooking his view screen was Fleet Commander Akdon. He stood 7 feet tall, the average height for Zidians. He wore a gray, black, and silver armored uniform with many decorations commemorating his past victories. Like all Zidians he had rough, dark brown skin, a tall hard narrow forehead and powerful jaws that resembled the beak like mouth of a triceratops dinosaur, only it did not protrude as much.

The lights were dim and the air hot. Below his platform on the main floor was the bridge crew operating the controls of the mighty warship. The view screen was huge: 15 feet by 30 feet, it took up the whole back wall of the bridge. On the view screen: a map of Earth’s solar system. Akdon studied it carefully.

Another Zidian climbed up to the platform and stood next to Akdon. It was Sub Commander Kaydan, Akdon’s 2nd in command. He was ruthlessly efficient and highly intelligent. Unlike most Zidians he was a scientist as well as a warrior. Akdon always valued his insight. “So this is our target.” said Akdon. “Yes sir, a mere nine planets orbiting a single star. Only their home world is inhabitable.” replied Kaydan. “What’s it worth?” asked Akdon. “Once we strip mine it of it’s natural resources it should yield quite a profit in minerals, oxygen, slave labor, and most especially water.” “And what of the inhabitants?” “Mentally and physically inferior to us, we doubt they’ve even reached space yet.” “Good.” “Commander Akdon sir.” said a crewman below. “The first report from our forward scouts has arrived.” “Transfer it onto the main screen.”

The map filled up with new information. “It seems our intelligence was somewhat incorrect.” said Akdon. “What do you make of this?” “Well sir our scouts’ long-range scanners have picked up installations on and around many of the other planets, plus multiple other contacts that appear to be spacecraft.” “Their ships and installations will have to be destroyed before we take their home world.” stated Akdon. “But commander we aren’t adequately equipped to engage an enemy fleet. Shall I contact fleet headquarters and ask for re-enforcements?” “No need to bother headquarters and throw ourselves off schedule, we can handle it. Their technology can’t be that high other wise they would have detected our scouts. Alert the fleet of our latest intelligence. We’ll rendezvous with our scouts right outside the frontier of the enemy star system.”

Hours later the fleet dropped out of hyper-light drive at its destination outside the solar system next to it’s forward scouts. “Commander our latest data indicates the closest enemy installation is a primitive mining colony on one of the moons of the sixth planet.” “Let us test them. Order two of our attack ships to head for that moon, this will give us an idea of their capabilities.”

Two attack ships zoomed across into the solar system on coarse for Titan. The humans didn’t detect them until they came in range of an unmanned monitoring station around Neptune. It relayed the information back to an orbital launch platform around Titan.

In the control room of the platform the scanner watchman was caught off guard to see two unidentified blips on his screen. After all the last pirates were supposed to have been defeated months before. The watchman alerted his superior. “Commander sir.” “What is it Corporal.” “Sir we’ve got two unidentified contacts passing Neptune headed this way. ETA two hours.” “Who could they be?” wondered the platform commander. “Only one way to find out!” He pressed the all compartments switch on the intercom controls. “Code orange, all pilots to your Star Swords. Launch a single squadron, keep the rest on stand by.” Minutes later five Star Swords set out on an intercept coarse with the two Zidian attack ships.



Kaydan spotted the human ships on the view screen. “Commander! Multiple contacts on coarse for our ships!” “What are they?” demanded Akdon. “The computer is processing the data now.” The map on the screen was replaced by a detailed diagram of a Star Sword fighter. “They appear to be a squad of small fighter craft about five times smaller than one of our attack ships. Simple maneuvering engines, basic plasma weapons, no force field technology of any kind, and each seems to have only one operator.” “Did they launch from the moon?” asked Akdon. “No Commander. They launched from a primitive base orbiting the moon.” “I see. Order our two ships to close on the enemy squadron but don’t attack them. I want to see if they’ll shoot first.”



The five Star Swords were headed at their full speed toward the two Zidian ships. “Flight leader to home base come in.” said the pilot of the lead fighter. “Go ahead flight leader.. Over.” replied the base. “I have good scanner lock on contacts. Both appear to be space craft of unknown configuration and origin.” “Copy that flight leader, will inform command.” “Each of the unknown ships is about two times the size of a Star Sword and traveling just as fast as one.” The ships drew closer and closer. “Now entering communications range. Unidentified Crafts this is Star Sword one, identify yourselves. No response.”



“Commander Akdon the enemy’s lead ship just signaled our ships.” “How long before we can communicate with them?” “Our translator computer is just starting to process their language. We’ll continue to monitor their transmissions. It appears to be a simple dialect. It should not take long to decipher.” “Excellent.”



“Home base we now have visual contact over.” “Rodger flight leader maintain your distance, make no provocative action, observe contacts only for now.” “Copy that.”



“They’re maintaining their distance Commander Akdon.” “Then lets give them a reason to attack us. Destroy one of their ships!”


No comment.

[Glengoyne]

Steps cautiously away from the thread.

I'm thinking if this gets too ugly, I might lose a post here shortly.

[JeffNights]

Thats fucking hideous, i'm not even going to try and be nice. My fucking creative essay in 10th grade would sell better than this book.

[SackAttack]

Thats fucking hideous, i'm not even going to try and be nice. My fucking creative essay in 10th grade would sell better than this book.

You wrote a creative essay on fucking in the 10th grade?

Did your English teacher give you some pointers?

[JeffNights]

You wrote a creative essay on fucking in the 10th grade?

Did your English teacher give you some pointers?


Yes, she made me stay after for "Extra " credit...

[Crapshoot]

Steps cautiously away from the thread.

I'm thinking if this gets too ugly, I might lose a post here shortly.

What Glen said...

[cougarfreak]

Reminds me of that TV commerical where the guy tells the professor anyone can get published..........I commend your friend on his endeavor, but he needs a new editor/publisher.

[sovereignstar]

Saxamaphone!

[sachmo71]

tools

[Raiders Army]

Reminds me of that TV commerical where the guy tells the professor anyone can get published..........I commend your friend on his endeavor, but he needs a new editor/publisher.
/agree

[cincyreds]

Man you guys are just mean, flat out mean!

I am not going to get involved in a flame war. You guys are entitled to your own opinions.

Peace!

[sachmo71]

Man you guys are just mean, flat out mean!




Yes, they are.

[sabotai]

I'm all for people going the "self-publish" route if they so wish to. And since I'm a "failed-to-get-published" (nonselfpublisher) myself, I can understand people wanting to just self publish a book or two to just get their name and stories out there. So I won't critisize anyone for doing that.

However...

“Commander Akdon the enemy’s lead ship just signaled our ships.” “How long before we can communicate with them?” “Our translator computer is just starting to process their language. We’ll continue to monitor their transmissions. It appears to be a simple dialect. It should not take long to decipher.” “Excellent.”

If that's how it appears in the book......damn. I'd suggest your friend go buy a couple of writing books. I don't mean that as a knock on him. But that's just simply not how you write structurally or...anything. That's just horrible. The whole excerpt is just so badly written structurally that if he really wants to try to be a writer, then this is going to destroy his career before he even has one.

Not trying to sound mean as I know first hand how hard it is to write, but it's hard not to when commenting on something like that.

[SackAttack]

I'm all for people going the "self-publish" route if they so wish to. And since I'm a "failed-to-get-published" (nonselfpublisher) myself, I can understand people wanting to just self publish a book or two to just get their name and stories out there. So I won't critisize anyone for doing that.

However...



If that's how it appears in the book......damn. I'd suggest your friend go buy a couple of writing books. I don't mean that as a knock on him. But that's just simply not how you write structurally or...anything. That's just horrible. The whole excerpt is just so badly written structurally that if he really wants to try to be a writer, then this is going to destroy his career before he even has one.

Not trying to sound mean as I know first hand how hard it is to write, but it's hard not to when commenting on something like that.

What he said. And if that's /not/ how it was originally written, he needs to get on that publisher's case about getting that excerpt cleaned up, pronto. It could be a wonderfully written book, but with an excerpt like that, you're going to get the kind of reaction you saw in this thread.