February 2021 - Gary David Gillen

Last Colony by John Scalzi

Last Colony by John Scalzi.

Last Colony by John Scalzi, Book #3 of The Old Man’s War series.

Introduction

Last Colony by John Scalzi is the third book in the Old Man’s War series. John Perry, the protagonist from Old Man’s War, has retired from the Colonial Defense Forces to the colony planet of Huckleberry. Jane Sagan joins him. She is another former member of the CDF and the clone of his deceased wife. They have taken in the orphan Zoe Boutin Perry as their daughter. It’s a good life. John is a farmer and an ombudsman, while Jane is a constable. Their former commander, General Rybibki, asks them to help settle a new colony on the planet named Roanoke. What they find at Roanoke is not what they expected. Can John protect the colony, or will the colony perish leading to the extermination of humanity?

Summary

Last Colony by John Scalzi starts with John Perry and his family fitting in on their adapted colony of Huckleberry. Huckleberry was first colonized by people from India. John is the ombudsman of his town and his assistant is Savitri Guntupalli. She helps him and keeps him in line. John must settle disputes between people of his town like the Chengelpet brothers about a troublesome goat. John’s family is his wife, Constable Jane Sagan, and his adopted daughter Zoe Boutin Perry. Zoe is the biological daughter of Charles Boutin from the previous novel, The Ghost Brigades.

General Rybicki, John and Jane’s former commander, asks them to lead a first colonization team to the planet named Roanoke. When they get to Roanoke, nothing is like it seems. John must lead the colony against an alliance of alien lifeforms named the Conclave. The Conclave wants to contain humanity or destroy it. John wants neither to happen. He must go down a dangerous path if he is to succeed.

Recommendation

Last Colony by John Scalzi is a great sequel to Old Man’s War. It was fun to see John Perry and his family again. John faces an impossible position and escapes a dire fate again. Scalzi is the master of idea and dialogue. A quick read, I wanted more. He sets up the next novel in the series at the end of this novel. I am looking forward to reading book four of the series, Zoe’s Tale.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Last Colony by John Scalzi.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/88071.The_Last_Colony

Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi is the second book in the Old Man’s War series. Jared Dirac is a clone with another man’s memories. He must save humanity from three allied alien races determined to destroy humanity.

Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi

Old Man’s War is the first novel in the Old Man’s War series. This is the link to my review.

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

Warriors Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold

Warriors Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold, Book #2 of the Vorkosigan saga.

Introduction

Warriors Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold is the second book of the Vorkosigan saga. It is the first book of many to feature Miles Vorkosigan as the protagonist. Miles suffers from brittle bones because of an assassination attempt on his mother when she was pregnant with him. 17-year-old Miles fails his test to enter the Academy. He visits his grandmother in the Beta Colony. A series of events results with him getting involved in another planet’s war. Does Miles learn enough as the Warriors Apprentice to escape the mischief he has started?

Summary

At the beginning of the Warriors Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles Vorkosigan takes the physical test for admittance to the Imperial Service Academy of Barrayar. He has passed the written portion of the test but must navigate an obstacle course to enter the Academy. He is the son of the former Regent of the Empire. Emperor Gregor has recently gained his maturity. When Miles’s mother was pregnant with him, an assassination attempt affected Miles’s health. His bones are brittle, and he is short. There are no exceptions to the physical test. He fails the test and must decide his next move.

Miles visits his grandmother in the Beta Colony. Beta Colony is a separate sovereign planet from Barrayar. Bothari, his strong and possibly psychopathic bodyguard, and Bothari’s daughter, Elena, accompanies him. Miles tries to help jump pilot Arde Mayhew and former Barrayran officer Bazil Jesek. Helping them leads to him forming a trading company and getting involved in a war on a planet revolving around Tau Verde IV. Events escalate to the breaking point. Miles is the Warrior’s Apprentice and must become a master to succeed. Complications occur at Barrayar, forcing Miles to return to save his father.

Recommendation

Warriors Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold is a space opera heist. Miles is a young protagonist out of his depth as events escalate like the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. I like Miles and want him to succeed. He fails and doesn’t give up like an optimistic young man. My favorite parts were the creation of the Denarii Free Mercenaries, resolving Elena Visconti’s story, and the fate of Miles. I’m looking forward to reading the next novel in the series, The Vor Game, which won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1991.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Warriors Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6057779-the-warrior-s-apprentice

In Barrayar (Book#7 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Lady Cordelia Vorkosigan faces assassination and the birth of her son. Will she survive the regency and give birth to her son?

Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold

In Shards of Honor (Book#1 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Barrayaran Captain Aral Vorkosigan takes Betan Commander Cordelia Naismith prisoner. They take a hike in the jungle. What happens when they fall in love?

Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold

In Falling Free (Book #4 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, space engineer Leo Graf must decide between retiring or risking his life protecting his students. The novel is a fun, self-contained space opera romp.

Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold

Writing Progress Report February 2021

Writing Progress Report February 2021.

This is my Writing Progress Report February 2021.

Another Sunday, another fire.

Writing Progress from January 2021.

I wrote three blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my writing progress report for January 2021 linked below.

Writing Progress Report January 2021

In July 2018, I completed the first draft of my novel Assassin in New Marl City, totaling 99,981 words and 36 chapters. Completed pre-second draft (30 chapters long) in December 2018 at 89,072 words. Finished the second draft edits in December 2019 to complete the second draft edit. I started writing a new Chapter 1 in February 2020 and finished it in April 2020. The third draft will have 32 Chapters, and I finished the third draft edits on Chapter 3 in July 2020.

No submissions to Writing Workshops in January 2021.

Writing Progress from January 2020 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in January 2021.

In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

The seven Flash Fiction Stories I have submitted in 2020 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, and Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue to magazines.

I submitted “Principled Rogue” to Apex in January 2021.

In January 2021, I submitted “Popular Mechanics Re-brewed” to Flash Fiction Online.

I submitted “Runs with Scissors” to Fireside Magazine in January 2021.

On February 1, 2021, I submitted “Wormhole Generator” to Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores.

Final magazine submissions for 2020 were 7 unique stories submitted 19 times with 0 accepted, 1 pending, and 18 rejections.

Magazine submissions for 2021 are 4 unique stories submitted 4 times with 0 accepted, 1 pending, and 3 rejections.

The Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores Magazine suggested the critters workshop to me. My new plan is to submit all stories to the critters workshop before sending the stories to magazines. With the workshop feedback, I will make a last revision before submission. I plan to send in stories starting in March 2021. In the critters workshop points are earned with adequate critiques of other workshop stories. To submit stories, the author must maintain a 75% critique rate. That means three critiques per month average.

http://critters.org/index.php

Events from January 2021.

The next conference I had planned to attend was ConFusion in Novi, Michigan, from January 15 to 17, 2021. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association is the sponsor for ConFusion. They cancelled the Conference for 2021 because of COVID-19. They plan to hold the next ConFusion in January 2022.

https://2020.confusionsf.org/

Writing Goals February 2021.

I plan to write three blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for February 2021.

The title of my next novel is Cuba Liberto. I plan to complete writing Chapter 7 in February 2021 and submit it to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

In February 2021, I plan to submit a story to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to complete third draft edits for Chapters 4 and 5 in February 2021.

Submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film noir, Sleeping Sickness, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, and Caliburnus. to other short fiction magazines. I plan one submission to the critters workshop in March 2021.

Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

Writing Goals for February 2021 continued.

In February 2021, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Put the novel, Assassin in New Marl City, into the writing program, Scrivener.

Buy an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.

Planned Events for February 2021.

Marcon Columbus has dates posted for May 7 to May 9, 2021. I have attended this con many times and would like to attend it in 2021. I plan to have my COVID-19 shot well before this date, so they may hold the con and I will attend.

http://marcon.org/

I attended the virtual Confluence Pittsburgh Con in 2020. They have not decided yet if the 2021 Con will be virtual or in person. Either way, I plan to attend.

https://confluence-sff.org/