If you don’t know, NaCl has a science fiction book in print and it’s one that I think you ought to give a read. It’s titled The Last Human War. A while back I ordered two copies, one for myself and one for a friend. Before I go into my comments, I’ll tell you what my friend, Jeff, said: “That Last Human War book you got for me. Was pretty good, and heavy as a brick. Let me know if he gets anything else published.” I think what Jeff said indicates a few things. He liked it and would read something else by D.S. Sault (NaCl)—willing to purchase it himself. The ‘heavy as a brick’ comment is because the book is heavy for its size (between Mass Market Paperback and Trade Paperback), owing to the quality of the paper used. Third, some folks disparage self-published books. Jeff didn’t recognize that it was, and figured it was picked up at some bookstore (which I think it is available at some Barnes & Noble stores). Okay, now my thoughts: The novel was a good story that kept me reading. The universe that the remaining humans inhabit and the aliens that dominate it works well, and it’s not a cheap ripoff or mirror of some other author’s, or movie’s, or television show’s universe. The plot moves along at a decent pace. I found it dragging only once (during a long escape section—I don’t want to give away too much of the plot), but even in that I found bits of things that interested me. While not every character had great depth, the ones that mattered did. Even with the aliens, you could see where they were coming from, despite the fact it wasn’t from a human perspective or based on a human culture. There was plenty of action, and I appreciated the space combat and tactics, both at the fleet and ship to ship level. I did have one comment about the technology and tactics that I brought up with NaCl after reading which I found interesting—and hey, that’s the advantage of being able to PM the author. Beyond that, Sault’s novel held my interest because although sometimes I guessed where things were going, other times I was surprised—yeah it made sense, I just didn’t see it coming. There are some minor typos and occasional formatting concerns that I suspect will be corrected in the second printing, but that is the English teacher coming out in me, I suspect. My friend Jeff is a Math professor and majored in Physics in college, so he probably overlooked that stuff. To help you gauge what my tastes in SF are, I’ve also read and enjoyed John Ringo, Harry Turtledove, and Roger Zelazny. I don’t think you have to be a hardcore SF fan to enjoy The Last Human War. If you like Stargate SG1 or Star Trek or even Babylon 5, it might be up your literary alley. Anyway, if you’re looking for a good read, consider giving Sault’s The Last Human War a try and post here what you think. Here’s the website: The Last Human War by D.S. Sault Terry
Having seen NaCl's helpful and intelligent posts on here, I would definitely want to give this a go. However, no internet orders are available from outside the US
A2theDre I suspect if you contact NaCl via a PM here on writingforums something could be worked out. Terry
I'd be thrilled to have a reader in Australia. Contact me by PM or email and we can work out the details. Thank you both. FYI - a local independent bookstore (Book Lovers Bokstore) scheduled me for a book signing this coming weekend (June 20). They purchased a small quantity of books to put on display for a few weeks before the signing. I dropped by yesterday to confirm the signing and noticed that all but three of my books were gone. They told me to bring twenty more for Saturday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Dean
Wow, I didn't your book was out. Congrats! I'm going to go to Barnes and Nobles tomorrow and see if they have it. I saw it on their website, so I'm hoping my local B&N has a few copies. Hopefully, they aren't sold out. It seems like your book is going fast. Also, do you know if your book is going to be sold through places like Amazon?
Contracts are in the works for Amazon, Borders and an organization of independent bookstores. If your local B&N doesn't have it in stock, you can order it because a new shipment went out to them recently. Thank you so much for your interest and support. ps I don't know where you live but I am doing a book signing on Saturday in the Book Lovers Bookstore in Sacramento, CA beginning at noon. A free, signed poster will be given to every book purchaser at the event.
I bought Dean's book earlier this year and loved it. Compelling characters and plot. Also, I have weak eyes, and like Terry said, the paper and print quality is so excellent that I didn't have as many issues with reading it for an extended amount of time. I agree with all of Terry's comments. I would also like to add that my overall impression of the book was that it was written by someone who wasn't just writing for a paycheck. He truly put his heart and soul into the writing of it. When you buy the book, be prepared to get so totally immersed that you'll look up and notice hours have slipped by and so has several hundred pages. This rarely happens to me anymore. You might want to set an alarm if you have somewhere to go.
Garmar69, I have to agree with you--Once for example, I looked up at the clock and realized I was going to be 15 minutes late for donating blood at my church. Of course, I took the book with me and read a little while I waited. Terry
I finally got a chance to read this book, and I must say I liked it. I liked the overall structure of the plot and how the universe was set up. I also appreciate the time and effort NaCl put in in making the aliens have their unique military, government, etc. I think TWErvin pretty much said everything else that needed to be said in his first post. And yes, it is addicting. I finished the whole thing in two days. I'm looking forward to your next book, NaCl.
