Category: Science Fiction Publisher: Sam B Miller II
Type: Fiction
Pages: 352
Copyright: Jun 24, 2015
ISBN-13: 9781311979889
Price: $2.99 (eBook)
Science fiction at its best. Humorous, sarcastic, adventure tale.
The first scout ships of the Chrysallaman Empire made contact in 1947. Their mission was simple: find a suitable planet for colonization. Earth—HG-281—was the perfect target. Rich with land, minerals, and water, the blue planet could boast only of a primitive race of defenders known as Humans, bugs who could be easily squashed by the might of a single Chrysallaman’s mind. When one of the scout ships is unexpectedly brought down, the advance party is forced to return to their home planet 30 light-years away to report and regroup. In their wake, they left behind a broken ship, dead crew members, and a young alien boy who would grow to become one of Earth’s greatest assets—and her greatest ally.
The lizard-like aliens would be back, and in force. Mankind must prepare a strategy capable of defending against not only superior technology, but superior psychic ability and strength. It will take an elite group of military personnel, brilliant scientists, a sombrero-wearing alien, and another generation to plant the seeds that will grow into a World Wide Defense, the likes of which the Chrysallamans have never known.
Every man blocking the gate nodded, their faces grim death masks. Lucy Smith had never been so terrified in her life. She couldn't understand a word of German, but she could clearly hear anger in the voices and the menacing weapons were unmistakable. Seven armed men against four. She knew she was of no use in a fight and poor Lt. Jenson was a desk jockey, not a fighting soldier. She reached out to the hood of the car to steady herself, feeling as if she was about to faint.
Without warning, the gang of seven advanced. Two men went after each of the Gutlang brothers, Manfred and Ernst. The remaining three, two with the knives and one with a metal pipe, went for the bigger brother, Hans. Lucy felt Jenson grab her right arm and pull. Glancing toward him, she saw one of the Chrysallaman ray pistols clutched in his hand. Her eyes wide and her lips forming an O, she allowed herself to be pulled back toward the warehouse wall as Jenson kept the pistol trained on the advancing group of men.
The middle sized Gutlang brother, Manfred, sidestepped the swing of a bat towards his head and swung his arm in a clothesline swipe across the adam's apple of his first assailant. There was a muffled thump, and the bat swinger's head snapped backwards. The blow was so hard the guy flipped in a backwards somersault and landed in a heap in the gravel. The second man took advantage of the distraction of the bat swinger and clubbed the back of Manfred's right knee as hard as he could with his steel pipe. The knee buckled and Manfred let out a groan as he dropped and rolled away from his attacker.
Lucy watched Manfred get hit by the pipe, and her eyes darted around the lot desperately seeking a way to escape the confines of the fenced trap. "Everything is happening so fast!" she thought.
The shorter brother, Ernst, crouched down and widened his stance, his head moving back and forth as he tried to keep an eye on both his attackers. The thugs coming at him bore a resemblance to brutish gorillas. Each man had oversized arm and shoulder muscles and inch long curly hair covered their arms all the way up to their shoulders and poked out from under their shirt collars. The ugly smiles on their faces and the confident looks in their eyes were clear indications they were bullies who enjoyed preying on smaller men. They spread out quickly to his right and left, trying to position themselves for a simultaneous attack. They looked very confident as they inched closer to him. Ernst crouched down and shuffled backwards against the car trying to use it to protect his back. As he did so, the height of the car hid him from view making it impossible for Lucy to see what was happening to him.
Manfred had managed to roll away from his attacker and reach his feet, but it was plain he was unable to put any weight on his right leg. Desperately trying to walk on his injured leg, he limped toward the side of the lot where the scrap wood and metal were piled. His attacker leisurely followed him, confidently whacking the pipe he held in his right hand against his left palm.
Hans was suffering the worst of the attacks. The two men with knives slashed at him, sometimes separately, sometimes together. The man with the pipe would jab towards Han's body, then swing mightily at Han's head, forcing the man to defend himself against all three attackers at the same time. Savage, deep cuts appeared on his forearms and one of the blades cut deeply into his thigh, causing him to stagger. It was obvious from their coordinated attack that the three men had worked together in the past against a victim.
Lucy felt a shiver of fear run down her spine as she realized the constant fighting and loss of blood had weakened Hans to the point that he was unable to fend off a swing of the metal pipe. With a sickening crunch, the pipe bashed the back of his skull, and Hans tumbled to the ground and lay still. The three attackers looked at each other, evil grins spreading across their faces.
The leader with the tattooed neck had been holding his knife so he could slash and cut upwards. Now he casually flipped the knife into the air and grabbed it in a stabbing hold. Kneeling down next to Hans, he raised the blade to stab down and complete the kill.
Professional Reviews
Grady Harp - 5 Star
Tennessee author Sam B. Miller II makes his literary debut with this book, THE ORIGIN OF F.O.R.C.E. Sam received his education from the University of Tennessee - Bachelor of Science degree in Finance, and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance. There is no evidence form his biographical data that he has published articles or short stories on the genre he has chosen for this book - science fiction - but it is evident that he has a keen interest in fantasy and how fantasy can prophecy possible reality! He lives in Northeast Tennessee with his wife and five children.
Science Fiction tales, be fantasy, require strange names for creatures from planets other than our own. Some writers stumble on these strange names, making them almost hieroglyphic, and that is one of the first signs that Sam is heading in a successful direction with this projected series. His names from the `other planet' are well considered manipulations of letters - DrrTrr, Zennk, WrrNrr, Chrysalis etc - and they add a note of light to even the opening Prologue.
Another aspect of success in sci-fi writing is relating the created story to facts and real places - something that gives the reader the opportunity to get involved readily. Sam knows this and makes his opening chapter offer a bit of real unsolved mystery with which most of us are acquainted. For example, Chapter 1 - Roswell, New Mexico `There is a widely held belief that on the evening of July 8, 1947, a disc shaped space craft crashed in the desert near Roswell, New Mexico. Just look up the references yourself. What really happened was one of the most closely guarded secrets the U.S. Government ever kept. The key word in that last sentence is `was'. Now that the cat is out of the bag so to speak, it is up to me to chronicle events spanning a time period of more than 6 decades. John Paul Moon Seeker was born Navajo and after 35 years in the New Mexico desert felt comfortable with his Native American heritage. Constant exposure to the sun had already begun etching the permanent dark creases at the corners of his eyes and mouth despite his young age. He had grown up a cowboy at heart and had spent way too much of his hard earned cash on the huge steel belt buckle engraved with his initials currently wedged between his stomach and saddle and on the spurs strapped to the well-worn leather boots pushed into the stirrups of his equally well worn saddle.' In this way Sam has piqued our interest and glued our imagination to the tale he is about to unfold - from the Roswell flying saucer incident on.
Sam offers a tidy synopsis for this story: `Ever wondered about the real purpose behind the polio vaccine? How about what really goes on at the secret military base 135 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada? Ever met a tall, enigmatic person wearing a dark green trench coat, a fancy sombrero, and dark sunglasses? The Chrysallaman Empire has colonized every habitable planet in the galaxy, ruthlessly exterminating any sentient race that dared object to their benevolent conquest. Now they have completed a six month exploratory mission on Earth and found it to be an ideal colonization planet with a temperate climate, vast water reserves, lush vegetation, and a ruminant population of semi-intelligent animals called humans who pose no threat to the superior technological, mental, and physical strengths of the mighty Chrysallamans. In fact, when ground into a gritty paste, the humans are quite tasty. By sheer luck, the humans disable one of the Chrysallaman spacecraft in 1947 at Roswell, New Mexico, and capture a Chrysallaman youngster vacationing with his father. Now, with only 65 to 70 years until the Chrysallamans return to Earth with an immense invading fleet of warships and millions of colonists, humans have to prepare mentally, physically, and technologically, for the battle that will determine whether every human lives or dies. A special group of men and women are chosen to save humanity from the impending invasion. An eccentric scientist, red-headed hellion specializing in reverse engineering, DNA specialist, Xenobiologist, and an assortment of specialized military commandos are assembled by the Pentagon into F.O.R.C.E., the Federal Organization for Response to Celestial Enemies. The Chrysallamans just may have met their match!'
This is an especially fine debut novel, blending fact, possible fact, humor, mystery, high-class fantasy and human interest into one very successful novel. Doubtless we'll be seeing more from Sam B. Miller II! Grady Harp, July 15
Best Sci-Fi Book Ever
This book was, in a word, astounding. I loved it. Absolutely loved it, and usually my first love is romances and generally all things sappy, but this is a sci-fi book that would appeal to anyone capable of reading. In other words, if you're literate you'll love it. I thought the prep time for the humans to become battle ready was a stroke of genius. Obviously developing technology sufficient to be a threat to the invading aliens is going to take some time, and you might think that sixty years of prep time for preparing humans physically, mentally and technologically would be a boring thing to read about. Not so. It was so engrossing, I simply couldn't put the book down.
I enjoyed reading about how Dr. Heinbaum and MacPherson worked together to study the alien craft and weapons, understanding the governing principles behind the technology and then improving upon it. Their volatile relationship only added to the greatness of the experience with some awesome zingers from MacPherson meant drive the doctor crazy. That was a great working relationship that developed into something even greater over time with clear-cut characters behaving according to their personalities and end goals. I kept wondering how the author knew so much about the subject matter he covered because his degree is in finance. Of course, I'm not at all familiar with the terminology or scientific concepts so he could have been fabricating the whole thing, and I never would have caught on, but either way it seems like a lot of research went into this aspect of the book.
On the other side of the coin we get to enjoy the journey that Diane Hoffman and Blunt take in tweaking humans and their genetic make-up in order to be able to stand up against the aliens both physically and mentally. Once again, I have no idea how much research went into this aspect of it, but it was so engrossing, and I loved seeing how Blunt's physical and mental powers grew as a result of the successful gene enhancements. The author takes time to develop personal relationships, enhancing the overall experience and helping you become attached to the characters and their firm resolve to prepare themselves for the pending invasion.
Whatsit was my absolute favorite. You cannot help but fall in love with this young Chrik. His compassion for the humans and devotion to Blunt is so touching. They work well together, something I wouldn't have expected from the way his fellow Chriks were so intent upon the destruction of the human race, but the author does something so smart with this character and humanizes him. He may be an overgrown lizard, but he behaves socially like any twelve-year-old boy scared out of his mind with his situation and circumstance. His loving interactions with the humans who captured him give this entire narrative credibility and an intense connection with Whatsit. You can't help but hope that he and his human friends succeed in defending themselves and our planet.
The ensuing battle and the tactics used to fight back are seriously awesome sauce. I want this made into a movie. It would be epic to see it on the screen. The combination of a certain timeline for the battle, the hurdles these humans have to overcome, and the way we're also allowed to jump into the minds of the leaders of the alien force really up the stakes and create so much tension and immediacy for the reader. I just...yeah...I will never have enough room to talk about how much I loved this book. I can't wait to read about Whatsits adventures in the next one.
The Origin of F.O.R.C.E. reads like one awesome C.I.A. thriller and makes you feel as if you just experienced a new and seriously improved version of the movie Independence Day. I highly recommend this book to anyone capable of fogging up a mirror, especially fans of sci-fi.
C. J. Anaya Author of the Healer Series
Fantastic Sci-Fi Read with An Alien Character You Can't Help But Adore
The Origin of F.O.R.C.E The Federal Organization for Response to Celestial Enemies is a brilliantly written sci-fi novel that any fan of the genre is going to love. It's entirely unique in its storyline- I've honestly never delved into anything quite like this (and I've read quite a few sci-fi books in my day). This tale follows the story of a young alien named Whatsit, who was raised on earth. His 'parents'? Human scientists and Special Forces members. When the Chrysallaman Empire threatens to overtake earth in the hopes of turning mankind into an organic food source, it's Whatsit that can ultimately save his beloved human counterparts. But will he have what it takes to win the battle, fighting side by side with the humans that have become his best friends?
I've read a few books about alien/human relationships and for some reason they always really intrigue me. Maybe it's my 'Men In Black' generational thing, but I love stories that incorperate a non-human supernatural character and mankind. The biggest mistake most books that try to accomplish this task is that they don't often make the 'alien' character relatable enough. The Origin of F.O.R.C.E didn't make that mistake. Whatsit, the alien character, captured my heart from the beginning of the story and immediately jumped away from the 'alien' stereotype and became a character that you could appreciate beyond the confines of his supernatural make-up.
The book is paced in a way that kept me reading and reading and reading until I reached the last chapter. It moves at the perfect pace. Not so fast that you get lost and miss key parts of the storyline, but fast enough to keep you pushing forward- incurably curious of what could happen next. The action of the story is fantastic, and I could see many teen boys falling madly in love with the intensity of the book. It's written in a way that I know most adolescent boys I work with would avidly enjoy reading. I'd definitely recommend this book to parents and teachers looking for book recommendations for their sci-fi loving teen boy.
Everything about this book was way more than I expected. It took me to a world entirely different from my own- and yet, the world felt so so real. Sam B Miller II brought Whatsit and the celestial enemies of the Chrysallaman Empire to life in such vivid detail. It was way more than I expected in a sci-fi novel, and I cannot way to delve into more of Sam B Miller's work.
Dawn Dolly Webb, Top 500 Reviewer
5 Stars *****
Tennessee author Sam B. Miller II makes his literary debut with this book, THE ORIGIN OF F.O.R.C.E. Sam received his education from the University of Tennessee - Bachelor of Science degree in Finance, and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance. There is no evidence form his biographical data that he has published articles or short stories on the genre he has chosen for this book - science fiction - but it is evident that he has a keen interest in fantasy and how fantasy can prophecy possible reality! He lives in Northeast Tennessee with his wife and five children.
Science Fiction tales, be fantasy, require strange names for creatures from planets other than our own. Some writers stumble on these strange names, making them almost hieroglyphic, and that is one of the first signs that Sam is heading in a successful direction with this projected series. His names from the `other planet' are well considered manipulations of letters - DrrTrr, Zennk, WrrNrr, Chrysalis etc - and they add a note of light to even the opening Prologue.
Another aspect of success in sci-fi writing is relating the created story to facts and real places - something that gives the reader the opportunity to get involved readily. Sam knows this and makes his opening chapter offer a bit of real unsolved mystery with which most of us are acquainted. For example, Chapter 1 - Roswell, New Mexico `There is a widely held belief that on the evening of July 8, 1947, a disc shaped space craft crashed in the desert near Roswell, New Mexico. Just look up the references yourself. What really happened was one of the most closely guarded secrets the U.S. Government ever kept. The key word in that last sentence is `was'. Now that the cat is out of the bag so to speak, it is up to me to chronicle events spanning a time period of more than 6 decades. John Paul Moon Seeker was born Navajo and after 35 years in the New Mexico desert felt comfortable with his Native American heritage. Constant exposure to the sun had already begun etching the permanent dark creases at the corners of his eyes and mouth despite his young age. He had grown up a cowboy at heart and had spent way too much of his hard earned cash on the huge steel belt buckle engraved with his initials currently wedged between his stomach and saddle and on the spurs strapped to the well-worn leather boots pushed into the stirrups of his equally well worn saddle.' In this way Sam has piqued our interest and glued our imagination to the tale he is about to unfold - from the Roswell flying saucer incident on.
Sam offers a tidy synopsis for this story: `Ever wondered about the real purpose behind the polio vaccine? How about what really goes on at the secret military base 135 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada? Ever met a tall, enigmatic person wearing a dark green trench coat, a fancy sombrero, and dark sunglasses? The Chrysallaman Empire has colonized every habitable planet in the galaxy, ruthlessly exterminating any sentient race that dared object to their benevolent conquest. Now they have completed a six month exploratory mission on Earth and found it to be an ideal colonization planet with a temperate climate, vast water reserves, lush vegetation, and a ruminant population of semi-intelligent animals called humans who pose no threat to the superior technological, mental, and physical strengths of the mighty Chrysallamans. In fact, when ground into a gritty paste, the humans are quite tasty. By sheer luck, the humans disable one of the Chrysallaman spacecraft in 1947 at Roswell, New Mexico, and capture a Chrysallaman youngster vacationing with his father. Now, with only 65 to 70 years until the Chrysallamans return to Earth with an immense invading fleet of warships and millions of colonists, humans have to prepare mentally, physically, and technologically, for the battle that will determine whether every human lives or dies. A special group of men and women are chosen to save humanity from the impending invasion. An eccentric scientist, red-headed hellion specializing in reverse engineering, DNA specialist, Xenobiologist, and an assortment of specialized military commandos are assembled by the Pentagon into F.O.R.C.E., the Federal Organization for Response to Celestial Enemies. The Chrysallamans just may have met their match!'
This is an especially fine debut novel, blending fact, possible fact, humor, mystery, high-class fantasy and human interest into one very successful novel. Doubtless we'll be seeing more from Sam B. Miller II! Grady Harp, July 15
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