Thursday, October 4, 2012

Spotlight : Award Winning novel Predation by SJ Parkinson


Today's Spotlight is on Author S J PARKINSON and his Award Winning Science Fiction Novel PREDATION

From the Author's Desk :  Predation will be free on Amazon October 4 - 5, 2012 through KDP Select and I invite you to download a free copy by clicking here.

Awards:  Predation is the first science fiction novel to be unanomously voted "Outstanding in Genre" by Red Adept Select. http://redadeptselect.com


Twitter: @SJ_Parkinson

Book name: Predation
Genre: Science Fiction
ISBN: (Kindle) - 978-0-9857899-3-0  (Paperback) - 978-0-9857899-5-4
Amazon Link: Free Download on Oct 4-Oct 5 , 2012


Synopsis: Two hundred years in the future, human beings have traveled to the stars, settled colonies on fifty worlds, and finally discovered intelligent life: the Drakk'Har—large, cold-blooded reptilian creatures who see human beings not as equals, but as food. War was unavoidable. Ill-prepared for the sudden and vicious conflict, humanity finds itself on the losing side.

After three years of retreating from the onslaught to gain time, humanity has dug in its heels, built up their forces, and begun to fight back. When intelligence identifies the distant Mindon star system as a source of Drakk’Har warships, a major engagement begins. Star Command Fleet Nine strikes the first blow in a new offensive campaign.

During combat operations on Mindon-2, the plan goes horribly wrong. Casualties mount on both sides. The men and women on the raid find themselves in a merciless crucible that threatens to change them forever. The Drakk'Har know victory can only come by overwhelming the humans with savage brutality.

Predation – Sample excerpt

Staff Sergeant Julio Mendez of the 121st Special Forces Detachment lay in his hillside listening post in total silence. His CKP-12 automatic rifle lay cradled on the narrow berm of earth before him. The CKP-12 was standard issue to all Special Forces troops. The rifle was designed to operate in all environments, including total vacuum and even underwater to a limited degree. Mendez thought about that as he lay there. From the amount of rain that had fallen, the weapon may as well have been underwater. The falling moisture had been continuous for three days and had varied from drizzle to downpour in unpredictable swings. 
Mendez ignored the cold dampness that was his constant companion. The shallow camouflaged position he occupied had been constructed six days previously by his section. Since then, it had been manned continuously. Three listening posts surrounded a Special Forces base camp sited in a minor depression on top of a densely overgrown hill. The hill was designated as number 237—its height in meters.
Hill 237 overlooked two strategic river junctions, one to the northeast, and the other to the west. Mendez could see neither of those junctions from his location. However, his position was the most important of the three. A crude, sprawling town lay two kilometers away across a narrow river bordered by dense swamp on both sides. The town itself was half in the swamp, resulting in algae-infested water being present throughout many of the streets. This didn’t seem to upset the occupants, who moved through the water with ease.
The homes of the town occupants looked like hollowed-out trees. They were stubby, without leaves, and covered by thick lichen and fungus. All of the structures appeared identical in shape, but each was a slightly different size. Mendez estimated the town population to be approximately eight thousand.
A short distance beyond the town lay a sprawling complex of one-story structures. They were arranged around several hundred immense constructions of various sizes. Details were impossible to discern, as the constructs were liberally covered with a thick, fuzzy, green and brown growth. Mendez used the word “constructions” because he was sure that they were not natural. Yet, he had never seen any of the complexes' workers add anything to them.
Several tunnel entrances lay at the edge of the town. They appeared to head under several of the largest constructions. Mendez had seen many creatures from the town report to these tunnels on a regular schedule. He deduced over time that the occupants worked beneath them on regular shifts.
The complex and surrounding area had been the focus of his special forces team for almost a week. They were ordered to observe and make note of any patrols, construction facilities, defenses, or unusual activity in this area, along with any traffic on the river below.
Mendez’s view of the town improved as the rain finally stopped. With the most subtle of movements, the soldier slowly placed the town in the center of his rifle scope and selected full magnification. Few town occupants were visible, as their green color matched the surrounding foliage perfectly. Earth scientists classified the creatures as reptilian. Few live specimens had been collected because of their ferocity. Mendez had been told they called themselves Drakk'Har.
After three years of fighting them, the humans had built up basic knowledge about their history. An adaptive and cunning race, the Drakk'Har were capable of interstellar travel. Over seven hundred years, the Drakk'Har had conquered seventy-three worlds. The inhabitants of the conquered worlds were placed in one of two categories—for consumption or eradication. Those marked for consumption were shipped back to Drakk'Har colonies. They selected the healthiest of each species for breeding purposes to ensure future food stock. Any determined to be unsuitable for breeding were exterminated. Drakk'Har were cold-blooded, both physically and emotionally.  
Mendez watched one of the Drakk'Har as it left its home and moved toward one of the tunnel entrances near the complex. The creature walked on its thick hind legs, propelling itself in a slow, upright waddle. Mendez knew that the slow walk was deceptive. On all fours, an adult could sprint up to thirty kilometers an hour for very short distances. They were all excellent swimmers and spent a good portion of their time in water. Although they were air breathers, they could remain under water for periods of up to half an hour. More precisely, thirty minutes was the longest anyone had ever observed them underwater. No one really knew the creatures’ limits. 
His observations were interrupted when the tactical contact lens he wore in his right eye flashed red three times. Something had just crushed several nanosensors that had been spread on the adjacent trails. He knew that “something” weighed more than twenty kilos, as that was the minimum weight required to set them off. A loud rustling sound to his left confirmed that, and he focused his attention on that area. Only his eyes moved. The noise was too regular and consistent; something large was moving through the thick vegetation. Then he heard a branch snap. Mendez knew it could not be his troops making the noise. His people would approach only from the rear after tugging twice on a piece of staked commo wire to announce their presence. Moving nothing but his jaw, Mendez keyed the COMM switch between his teeth twice. He paused and then keyed it five more times. The signal traveled down the commo wire toward the camp behind him. 


Author Bio:  Mr. Parkinson was an Air Force avionics technician, a decorated veteran of the Persian Gulf War and several United Nations peacekeeping missions. He has lived overseas in numerous countries and travels extensively. He has written a newspaper column on computers and been published in several magazines.

Author webpage:  http://sjparkinson.com/

Awards:  Predation is the first science fiction novel to be unanomously voted "Outstanding in Genre" by Red Adept Select. http://redadeptselect.com

Info:  All of my novels, regardless of genre, are based on a solid story. I do not use profanity, extreme violence or sex as I feel the characters and their interactions should be the focus of any tale. Predation was composed over several years and is my contribution back to a genre that inspired me throughout my life. Predation will be free on Amazon October 4 - 5, 2012 through KDP Select and I invite you to download a free copy.
I hope you enjoy Predation and my other novels. Thank you for your interest and support.


                                     

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