The Outer-Rim rebellion stumbles into its second day - and in the wrong direction. Can it survive a third?
The third generation residents of the resource-rich New Worlds are seeking to throw off the yoke of corporate rule. Ex-Resource War veteran, Sebastian Scatkiewicz and his colleague, Andrew 'Birdie' Goosen, have dared to take on the biggest company of them all. Hot from attacking the Lynthax Corporation head offices on Trevon and then on G-eo they're planning to attack a third. But there's friction in the rebel camp. Scat's ignoring the advice of colleagues. His personal beef with Jack Petroff, Lynthax's head of security, is affecting his judgement; his friends and political masters are doubting his motives; and the loyalty of the newest recruits is far from certain ...
Professional Reviews
Couldn't put it down
I really enjoyed reading this book. Well written, touch of humour, couldn't put it down.
Classic Sci-fi Survival Adventure
Birdie Down is Jim Graham's second novel and a science fiction version of what Rudyard Kipling would have called a "ripping good yarn." What we have here is high adventure of the best kind with a motley collection of crashed revolutionaries and hostages struggling to survive on a jungle planet rife with bad weather, deadly creatures, and hostile enemy forces. The odd dose of rank treachery adds even more spice to the rich mix.
The book opens with some solid foundation-laying. Birdie Down is an episode within the greater story told in Graham's first novel, Scat (see my review), and early chapters provide the tie-in. We soon reach the story's heart.
Andrew "Birdie" Goosen, the Birdie of the book's title, is flying a shuttle on a critical mission only days into a revolt against an oppressive corporate entity that dominates planets on the "outer rim," the region of known space farthest from Earth. At the start, he has only one small problem: he does not know how to fly. This soon becomes apparent and government fighters shoot his craft out of the sky. In the process, they also down a shuttle filled with former hostages.
Birdie (and company) survives, only now he has a whole lot of big problems. Bad weather keeps the enemy temporarily at bay, but torrential rain brings on the planet's feeding season, a frenzy reminiscent of the one on the much drier planet in Vin Diesel's, "Pitch Black." The story unfolds as the crash survivors try to reach safe-haven located miles away through a flooding jungle erupting with ravenous fanged fish and swarming man-eating vermin. This is definitely not a tale for the squeamish.
The jungle journey is a thrill in itself, yet there is more to come as the scene shifts to a flooding riverbank where huge monsters and enemy agents await the unwary. It all climaxes in a final shootout between rebel rescuers and corporate forces. However, as so often happens in Graham's work, the story takes a number of unexpected turns and some things are not what they appear to be.
Besides the suspenseful adventure, what makes this novel work so well is Birdie. He is an extremely likable character and comes across as the decent human being caught up in a nasty situation not of his making. He tries so hard to do the right thing that you cannot help but respect and admire him. Other characters are well drawn, interesting, and effective.
There are some minor indie glitches here and there, but none that impairs the pleasing classic-sci-fi feel this entertaining novel so consistently presents. If you enjoy desperate struggles to survive against long odds, this one is a winner.
Birdie Down by Jim Graham
The year is 2210, and things are just a bit different now. Earth has several planets and they are under corporate rule. The corporation then reports back to Earth. Lynthax is that company. As with many companies, Lynthax believe themselves to be above the law. They downsize and rearrange peoples lives in a careless way. Many found fault with Lynthax and decided to fight back. The rebellion is new and still unorganized, but willing to fight to the death to expose the ways of Lynthax. The rebels are looking for independence from Earth and they'll do anything to get it. They promised land to those who would join the rebellion and help them gain the independence. The first to join were ex-cops. They'd been fired from their jobs by Lynthax. Andrew "Birdie" Goosen is one of them. During one mission to shut down Lynthax information storage facilities, Birdie's shuttle is shot down. Now what? Read the book to find out more.
I am a geek fan if ever there was one for books such as this. I love 'seeing' into the future as to what others feel our world might include. Jim Graham didn't disappoint. His vision of Earth in 2210 seems to be right in line with where we are today. The story is age old, the oppressed fighting the oppressor. It's always been my habit to support the underdog and I'm no different in this instance. Birdie Down is a well crafted tale and action filled. You'll enjoy the way this story unfolds with no apology for what the rebels do in an effort to win freedom. It offers all the things a scifi fan would look for and includes some, to me at least, gory, horror film stuff too. Not over the top, just fits with the story.
See which way the winds have blown in the Winds of Time!!
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Author Bruce Alan Humphrey creates a fascinating world where medieval mores and cutting-edge technology converge. Winds of Time tells the gripping tale of Tarl
Michael, just Michael, simply wanted to live life his own way. He had no intention of becoming a revolutionary. Yet destiny calls even the uncertain and the arrogant to duties beyond themselves. Hidden agendas, false friends, and his own confusion le
