In the Mood for a Great SciFi Read?

So last week, while the wife was away, she received an envelope from a friend of hers by the name of Darren Campo. I knew what was inside: a galley copy of his sci-fi novel, Alex Detail’s Revolution.

After getting permission from Susan, I ripped it open and stared at it with that weird mix of emotions I’m sure all writers get when confronted with a friend’s work (or a friend of a friend’s work).

1. How dare you write a book too? I’m the novelist around here.
2. Man, I hope this doesn’t suck because boy is that going to be awkward next time we meet.
3. Well, I hope it’s not TOO good, because then I’ll just be jealous.

At any rate, I started in on the manuscript and, well, holy shit. It’s been awhile since I’ve read science fiction. I don’t know why this is, because I generally enjoy it – when it’s good. And this was good. If I had to blurb it, it would go something like this.

Alex Detail’s Revolution starts out as if Douglas Adams had decided to write Ender’s Game. But what develops isn’t a cosmic lark as much as a riveting thriller that delves into examinations of time, space and, interestingly, the human capacity for faith – or the lack thereof.

That’s my blurb, right there.

What’s it about? From Amazon: “Seventeen-year-old Alex Detail has been kidnapped and sent off to fight in a hopeless war against The Harvesters, an alien force that is trying to extinguish Earth’s Sun. Unfortunately for Alex’s kidnappers (and the world) he has lost the mega IQ that allowed him to win the last war with The Harvesters ten years ago when he was just 7 years old.”

And there’s more! Including a star turn by former planet Pluto.

I read it in a day. I think you should, too. It’s out next month, but you can preorder it on Amazon right this very minute. I suggest you do so. You’ll end up with a great book and you’ll give him a bump in the old Amazon ratings (which, for obvious reasons, I’ve become obsessed with as of late).

And yeah, I did become a little jealous. But that’s a good thing.