A fan of this humble blog, J.P. emailed me a week or two ago and asked if I would be interested in reading some VSF fiction he wrote this year. Does a stout chap shout hurrah and dash toward the enemy with sword drawn and a cry for Queen and Country on his Lips? Good show indeed! And so here are my thoughts on his short (30 pages or so) VSF novella, In the Shade of the Ishtar Trees.
I enjoyed this short tale of VSF derring-do, which is set in the rarely trodden jungles of Venus. It is a fast paced "column against the horde" scenario which reminded me of the Zulu war, but with a US Colonial slant to it. The "young officer loyally supported by the veteran NCO" formula works nicely in the short format where there isn't the room for very detailed character development. I quite liked the opening scenes as the column moves into a foreboding position and you don't know what's coming next, but guess it wont be good...
An action packed and fun tale filled with pluck, adventure and cold steel which I recommend to any VSF fan. I'm looking forward to reading more of J.P.'s work.
PS J.P. tells me this book will be free on Amazon from December 25 through the 29th
http://www.jpmedved.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18245767-in-the-shade-of-the-ishtar-trees
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