THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE SECOND EDITION. THIRD EDITION REVIEW COMING IN JANUARY 2015.
Here is a list of the redactions and edits:
EDIT LIST FOR 3RD EDITION
1) Removed all change scene icons and replaced with ***, except for one bear paw introducing SGT Roanhorse. Kept cross pistols icon denoting end of chapter.
2) The chief engineer Ba-Torah was found to be a Jewish word, so it was changed to Ra Tokai.
3) Navajo errors in first chapter: removed “twenty” in reference to years Joseph Yazzie working in uranium mine, removed comment made by one of them “looks like something in a science fiction movie” – not likely, TVs not too common on the reservation in 1959, removed Paul Jones’ breakfast – not relevant, removed Navajo language of Navajo shepherd’s song, changed explanation of how Begay’s got surname, changed Ben’s direct address to Uncle George as “Little Father”, corrected metaphysical explanations about Yeii to be more accurate, included in two places where the white contacts tried to persuade Jones to give up the dead bodies of the aliens.
4) Eisenhower made reference to worrying about the Soviets developing a nuclear device, 10 years after the Soviets had already built the H bomb.
5) In testimony of his own beginnings in ASDC, CPT Paul was said to have left the Navy, when Luna was a “Marine only” post at that time.
6) 2nd edition in “Passing the Torch” has quite a few meetings, calls, memorandums and letters. In 3rd edition, I deleted 7 letters. That chapter was reduced in word count by 18.6%.
7) Removed reference to Americans having collected info for 10 yrs, when it was just 2 years.
8) Redefined Alloy-x and element x more clearly.
9) Added artificial gravity to transport shuttle America, setting precedent that all transports have artificial gravity.
10) I mistakenly referred to time in MST/Zulu. It is either one or the other, not both. “Zulu” is GMT time. Mountain Standard Time is GMT- 6 hours. They are not the same thing.
11) LTC Judgment Day was watching a Tigers/Cubs game. This was not possible. There was no interleague play at that time. I corrected it to show a Cubs–Orioles which was correct for league play and time/date, and made it a radio transmission-more plausible.
12) Added some updated physics for howitzers and sniper rifles on Luna, noting that bullets needed to be self-lubricated because the vacuum sucked all the lubrication out and that a barrel chilled to -170 degrees F needed to be warmed before firing.
13) Corrected reported location of Wood Crater.
14) Noted that trigger guards on hand held conventional weapons have to be large to accommodate space suit gloves.
15) Changed Vietnam time in opening scene of VN chapter.
16) Corrected number of SEALs on op.
17) In Vietnam piece, was referenced to French Indonesia as the part which included Vietnam. Was supposed to be Indochina.
18) Removed the following references to tech not available at the time being written: PC, email, DNA, GPS…
19) Removed virus attack on Soviet comm. satellite as unnecessarily stretching plausibility.
20) Did not move greenhouses as per previous by treaty, changed it…
21) Added steel oxygen cylinder to rebreather outfit.
22) Corrected Kahless’ reciting his lineage to COL SEAL’s family in more correct Navajo terms.
23) Cindy Mandina was 11 years old in 1982, and was not at that time the manager of Mandina’s restaurant in New Orleans.
24) Removed unneeded details of cross country trip, like which roads they took.
25) Spelling and capitalization errors corrected.
26) There were multiple repeated sentences and a couple repeated paragraphs, mostly in the eBook, has been corrected.
27) Changed at least 6 formatting errors in eBook, making curley quotes appear as &rsquo.
28) Corrected methods by which men receive promotions to be correct by military protocol.
29) The marathon poker game count of the two player’s chips at the end was wrong.
30) Removed alien telepath stuff, replaced with verbal speech
31) Changed Ivy League school to Cornell University
32) Corrected some more errors in the baseballs games
33) Corrected protocols by which loved ones are informed about a death
34) The part where Crazy Mike was cooking off rounds and the following description was corrected.
35) Comment that as Kahless’ rage subsided, then started showing mercy to the Soviets instead of killing them. When the accord was signed, there was only one prisoner. I corrected that.
The space race was a lie, and the cold war wasn’t as cold as you thought. While we were playing spy versus spy, conducting an arms race and a space race on Earth, things were heating up in the solar system.
In 1959, an alien vessel crashed on the Navajo reservation, ushering forth a colonial space race in the solar system between the two superpowers. The prize is the mysterious metal known only as alloy-x and the alien technology that promises to make one nation or the other the dominant superpower in the arms race. The American commander finds himself fighting with the toughest antagonist of his career. He had finally met his nemesis. The stakes are high. Losing the struggle could tip the balance of power on the Earth, giving the Soviets the advantage in Earth’s cold war.
Morris E. Graham took inspiration from a video game, of all things, and turned it into one of the most interesting science fiction/war novels out there today.
Video games have some of the best stories around. If you don't play, you might think I've lost my mind, but it's true. The creators create a grand story to support the carnage and wartime violence the player experiences.
In this book, it does read very visually, switching off between prose and letters to tell what is probably the most realistic war novel. You feel like you're in the middle of it all as war wages in outer space, before even the first moon landing.
Readers who like war stories will like this, readers who like sci-fi will like this and video game fans will eat this up with a spoon!
4/5--great work!
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