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I've read a quite a number of first novels from authors who have previously specialised in short fiction. A fair amount of these do not work, with the full length work often resembling a short story that has been padded out to novel length without anything of importance or relevance or interest being added. I've also read first novels that are in effect a number of linked short stories joined together to form a continuous narrative. This book is an example of the latter. A journalist is given permission to interview Frank "Buzzer" Buzzito, the best of the Guarder regiment - a futuristic black ops/SAS type unit of soldiers, the elite fighting men of the galaxy - and Buzzer describes some of the missions he has completed during his twelve years as a Guarder. This is fairly militaristic stuff although nowhere near as I had first expected when I began reading this novel. The feeling in this is more adventurous. Madison writes like a slightly more gory Mike Resnick, setting up his galaxy backdrop to be used in many future stories with characters and references appearing throughout many different works (as Resnick did with Santiago, Dark Lady etc). They both have a knack of throwing in a simple one liner or short paragraph to greatly enrich the fabric of his universe and to flesh out the worlds and history without excessive descriptive passages. This is a universe in which I would love to read more tales, finding out what happens on some of these outpost worlds that have all-too-brief mentions upon in this work. There is a history here, with wars, treaties and exoduses to the stars that I'd like to explore with the characters. In short I want more! Thankfully there are sequels and other works planned - get writing Shawn!

Steve & Lesley Mazey ~ The Eternal Night Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Fiction Web Site

I loathe reading books on a computer. I find them hard to balance on the breakfast table, difficult to bring along to a Motor Vehicle waiting line and forget about what my Barber would say if I arrived con PC. But because a good 3 or 4 percent of the reading public favors such manner of publication I at least take a peek at the offerings, and most of the time the hassle is not worth the reward. If you're getting the clue that it is team-of-wild-horses-time to get me to agree to read and review something from Adobe Acrobat Reader (and what in heavens name does a pueblo dwelling and a gymnast have to do with anything anyway?), then you understand a scintilla of how much I hate the things. I started reading Guarder Lore with at half a hope of finishing it because I know that Mr. Madison excels in the full-length story arena, and I came to the clicking end of his tale feeling far better for having let him take me along for such a nice ride. "...an official history of the highly secretive Guarder Squadron...has been sanctioned by the United Earthian Nations..." And these are the stories therein. And who or what are Guarders? "For most of the 21st Century, the largest threats to political peace were the warlike acts of expansion committed by the Red Union (which later became the United Soviet States), the hardcore communist Superpower that arose from the ashes of the former Soviet Union. The U.E.N. owes its very creation in 2045 to the worldwide effort to fight the Soviet war machine as it toppled nation after nation across the globe, resulting in a death toll which numbered in the tens of millions..." The Guarders, you see, are the folks that do the down and dirty work. Forget for a moment the details, forget the nicely done hard-science genre, and focus if you will on the talent of someone who can flat-out create action sequences that are believable and interesting. This is an action-packed book, kids, so the squeamish and the laid back need not apply. But even if you aren't a devotee of space-opera-shoot-em-ups...the guy can write. His characters are real, their dialogue tough yet fresh, and they take on a semblance of reality that goes a long way towards suspending that darn old disbelief. If I were writing or directing an action movie, I'd ask Shawn's opinion, and that's more praise than I should be allowed to give anyone. The downside? The gentleman needs to work on heroic names, as Buzzer as a surname of the protagonist is too reminiscent of Toy Story, but that is scant dissention and would be genuine nitpicking if Buzzer were not so prominent a character.

Bob Yosco ~ Shadowkeepzine.com


	Reviews \| home Excerpt \| Reviews I've read a quite a number of first novels from authors who have previously specialised in short fiction. A fair amount of these do not work, with the full length work often resembling a short story that has been padded out to novel length without anything of importance or relevance or interest being added. I've also read first novels that are in effect a number of linked short stories joined together to form a continuous narrative. This book is an example of the latter. A journalist is given permission to interview Frank "Buzzer" Buzzito, the best of the Guarder regiment - a futuristic black ops/SAS type unit of soldiers, the elite fighting men of the galaxy - and Buzzer describes some of the missions he has completed during his twelve years as a Guarder. This is fairly militaristic stuff although nowhere near as I had first expected when I began reading this novel. The feeling in this is more adventurous. Madison writes like a slightly more gory Mike Resnick, setting up his galaxy backdrop to be used in many future stories with characters and references appearing throughout many different works (as Resnick did with Santiago, Dark Lady etc). They both have a knack of throwing in a simple one liner or short paragraph to greatly enrich the fabric of his universe and to flesh out the worlds and history without excessive descriptive passages. This is a universe in which I would love to read more tales, finding out what happens on some of these outpost worlds that have all-too-brief mentions upon in this work. There is a history here, with wars, treaties and exoduses to the stars that I'd like to explore with the characters. In short I want more! Thankfully there are sequels and other works planned - get writing Shawn! Steve & Lesley Mazey ~ The Eternal Night Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Fiction Web Site I loathe reading books on a computer. I find them hard to balance on the breakfast table, difficult to bring along to a Motor Vehicle waiting line and forget about what my Barber would say if I arrived con PC. But because a good 3 or 4 percent of the reading public favors such manner of publication I at least take a peek at the offerings, and most of the time the hassle is not worth the reward. If you're getting the clue that it is team-of-wild-horses-time to get me to agree to read and review something from Adobe Acrobat Reader (and what in heavens name does a pueblo dwelling and a gymnast have to do with anything anyway?), then you understand a scintilla of how much I hate the things. I started reading Guarder Lore with at half a hope of finishing it because I know that Mr. Madison excels in the full-length story arena, and I came to the clicking end of his tale feeling far better for having let him take me along for such a nice ride. "...an official history of the highly secretive Guarder Squadron...has been sanctioned by the United Earthian Nations..." And these are the stories therein. And who or what are Guarders? "For most of the 21st Century, the largest threats to political peace were the warlike acts of expansion committed by the Red Union (which later became the United Soviet States), the hardcore communist Superpower that arose from the ashes of the former Soviet Union. The U.E.N. owes its very creation in 2045 to the worldwide effort to fight the Soviet war machine as it toppled nation after nation across the globe, resulting in a death toll which numbered in the tens of millions..." The Guarders, you see, are the folks that do the down and dirty work. Forget for a moment the details, forget the nicely done hard-science genre, and focus if you will on the talent of someone who can flat-out create action sequences that are believable and interesting. This is an action-packed book, kids, so the squeamish and the laid back need not apply. But even if you aren't a devotee of space-opera-shoot-em-ups...the guy can write. His characters are real, their dialogue tough yet fresh, and they take on a semblance of reality that goes a long way towards suspending that darn old disbelief. If I were writing or directing an action movie, I'd ask Shawn's opinion, and that's more praise than I should be allowed to give anyone. The downside? The gentleman needs to work on heroic names, as Buzzer as a surname of the protagonist is too reminiscent of Toy Story, but that is scant dissention and would be genuine nitpicking if Buzzer were not so prominent a character. Bob Yosco ~ Shadowkeepzine.com