A new book and series by a new author. This is always an adventure, you just don’t know what you’re going to get. For this book, I have mixed feelings. I really enjoy the premise of finding something that you didn’t know existed in your wildest dreams. Gunnar McConnell is out cave exploring and for a purpose. He’s just inherited his Uncle Philip’s ranch including a large plot of land and a shooting range. On that land were several caves that he and his Uncle had explored during their live together. Uncle Philip had raised Gunner from the age of about 12 when his parents had both died in an airplane crash into the ocean.
Now, with a map his Uncle had willed to him upon his death, Gunnar was back in Cave Thana searching for something his Uncle said he definitely needed to find. Gunnar had no idea what his Uncle might have been talking about. They had explored a lot of caves on the property, but this one, not so much. He managed to follow the cave until it began shrinking down where he was forced to start crawling on his knees. Then he was on his stomach but the map said the cave would open up just ahead. As he managed to crawl to the opening, he heard some strange noises. It sounded like people were in this cave ahead of him but the lighting wasn’t great so he crept slowly forwards. What he saw shocked him like nothing ever had.
There were some strange creatures that appeared to be clawing away at the soil and rocks of the cave. They seemed to have long arms with very long claws that made their excavating fairly easy. Others were picking up the rocks and dumping them in wheelbarrows and hauling the stuff off. These “aliens” were talking amongst themselves and Gunnar certainly couldn’t understand what they were saying. Yet, they were taking what he felt was rightfully his lands minerals without permission. So, he was going to put a stop to this and find out just who they were. He crept along in the cave but since it was dark he was not sure of his way ahead. Unfortunately, he stumbled and fell down a very deep hole and caught his leg in a crevice dangling upside down. His light had fallen out of his hand so he was basically in the dark a long ways away from anyone or anything that could help. He started yelling for help knowing that it wouldn’t do much good and he was going to die this day in this cave. He soon passed out from hanging upside down.
The next thing Gunnar realizes is that he’s awaken with a lovely young lady looking down at him. He’s lying on a bed with nothing but a light blue gown on trying to figure out what happened. This is where the story really takes off. The creatures he had first seen were “Terronites” an alien species that were genetically created for mining. They worked for wages just like anyone else and had their own language and civilization. They were the ones that found Gunnar and brought him to where he was now recuperating. The young lady said she was expecting Gunnar but he had come a day early so that’s why she hadn’t been there to greet him. Once he finally felt well enough to move about, he insisted on going back to his ranch, but he also wanted to know what this lady and these Terronites were doing on his property. To Gunnar’s surprise, his broken leg was now healed as though it have never been broken. That’s when the young lady name “Brina” told him that she was what his Uncle sent him to find. She also had a lot more to tell him and now was the time to do so.
Gunnar found out that the room he was recovering in was built inside the cave he had been exploring. In fact there had been a lot of construction inside this cave. Brina told him that she was a transporter which meant she took the ore that the Terronites mined back to her planet or to wherever her current contract told her to deliver the product. Of course Gunnar insisted she was just stealing minerals from his land until she showed him a document on her tablet-like device that had the names of his family members all the way back to his Great Grandfather. This document was a contract allowing the mining they were doing. This was but a small part of the story.
She soon takes Gunnar to another part of the cave which is huge. It also has two huge doors leading to somewhere. Brina tells Gunnar that his DNA is the only thing that will open the doors. He’s to put his hand in the handprints on the door which looked like the handprints of his Father, Grandfather and possibly his Great Grandfather. Once his places his hand as instructed, the doors open. Inside he finds another huge cavern and a very large spaceship. Brina welcomes Captain Gunnar McConnell to his starship!
I kind of liked the story, but Gunnar McConnell is kind of irritating. He doesn’t believe anything anyone tells him even though it’s right in front of his face. He has the time to learn about his starship but apparently he doesn’t do that as he should. Then, while seemingly not even liking this Brina lady, he goes off chasing her when she doesn’t come back to Earth as expected. I just didn’t care for his character all that much. There also a lot of situation where the obvious solution wasn’t done. This is also not much of a military science fiction story so that might have slanted my opinion of the book.
The story does continue in book 2, “Godwalker” now available on Amazon.