Reviewed by Sarina

TITLE: Blackwelder 2164

AUTHOR: Christopher D.J.

PUBLISHER: NineStar Press

LENGTH: 147 pages

RELEASE DATE: January 1, 2018

BLURB:

When it comes to hitting his target, Spencer Blackwelder can’t miss. But when it comes to hitting the mark in other areas of his life, his aim is way off, which is definitely a problem when you’re a military sharp shooter preparing for war with an alien species.

As penance for past mistakes in friendship and in love, Blackwelder makes the bold choice to relocate to Fort Felix, a military base on Neptune’s moon, a decision that could end up costing him his life. Once there, he meets: Juan Miguel Arías, to whom he takes an immediate liking; Vernita Burton, a true friend; and the men and women of Brant Squad, a group of lovable losers that he eventually takes under his wing.

Blackwelder is surprised to discover he has something to live for again, but all of that is threatened when war finally arrives on Fort Felix’s doorstep. Can Blackwelder find the hero within in time to save his squad, his planet, and the man he loves?

REVIEW:

I have to say, this was a pretty decent read.  Spencer Blackwelder is one of the best, if not the best sharpshooters in the military but when it comes to matters of the heart, he pretty much does nothing but miss.  Starting a relationship with his best friend should’ve been easy but when said friend doesn’t consider it anything other than a mistake, and then gets engaged to Spencer’s other friend…well.  Tired of living half of his life in hiding and the other half lying to someone he cares quite a bit about, Spencer puts in for a transfer to the front lines where he figures he’ll have maybe six months to live. The thought of losing his own life doesn’t even matter to him as he has nothing else to live for anyway but before he goes he can at least train as many people as possible so they have a better chance of survival after he’s gone.  The last thing he expects is to find people to care for that care for him in return; more surprising is his instant attraction to the Fort’s resident Ambassador, Juan.  Just when things seem to be coming together for Spencer, events on base show that there’s more to worry about than just the reappearance of the aliens they’ve been fighting and if he isn’t careful, he’ll lose everything he didn’t know he wanted to keep.

This was a fairly fast paced sci-fi that made for a good couple of hours reading.  I liked the set up quite a bit and really enjoyed the characters introduced, including the poor Brant Squad that just can’t seem to catch a break.  While there were times I do wish I’d had a little more information to go on, mostly physical descriptions and a bit of background between Spencer and Macke, there was plenty given by the author that I got a good feel for the characters and the setting just fine.  Things between Juan and Spencer do move a little faster than I would’ve liked, especially since Spencer had just left to distance himself from his feelings for Macke, but the little glimpses of them together was a nice break from the training and overall preparations being made for war.

Most of the story kind of moves along at the same pace until the end where there was a nice bit of action, both on the ground and up in space, that made for a great finish to the book.   Sometimes you can get scenes like that that just come off as a bit chaotic but the author did a really good job with this one; it was clear and enjoyable to read so kudos there!  I’m not sure if there will be a sequel to this one or not but I really hope there will be; I liked the characters a lot and would love to see more of them.  There was also a good lead up towards continuing the overall story in regards to the war and the aliens they’re all fighting against so fingers crossed that something else will be released in the future.  If you enjoy sci-fi and are looking for something of a more relaxed read, I’d give this one a look.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

NineStar Press

Amazon