Book Jacket

 

rank 2181
word count 37189
date submitted 18.09.2009
date updated 21.02.2011
genres: Fiction, Science Fiction
classification: moderate
incomplete

Waste Space Heroes

Phil W. Clements

A wry but intelligent spacefaring adventure that examines the conflicting loyalties of a crew of reluctant heroes as they wangle through an absurd interplanetary war.

 

When decades of squabbling between the Jovian Admiralty and the Martian Commonwealth over the right to ravage Earth's corpse finally deteriorates into interplanetary war, a nervy Jovian communications specialist named Yarn is plucked from his asteroid miner and carted off to the front line. Reluctant to fight in what he considers a hollow political power play, he believes himself delivered when a fleet of disillusioned but determined stellar peacekeepers return from their long exile. But Yarn finds these Old Fleet captains have little sympathy for Jove, and he must redirect their ire before his home chokes on the Admiralty's just deserts.

Intelligent without being cerebral, WASTE SPACE HEROES is a spacefaring adventure that examines the camaraderie and conflicting loyalties of men and women fighting a gritty, unjust war. Never short on scrappy bravado, the protagonists flit through frenzied space battles and subversive political maneuvers in pursuit of peace, fully prepared to trample anyone who stands in their way.

 
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tags

action, action adventure, adventure, battlestar galactica, hi tech, high tech, military, military science fiction, military sci-fi, science fiction, s...

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10 comments

 

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smcint04 wrote 454 days ago

Hi Phil.

really enjoyed this one. The blurb is well written and grabbed my attention. The prolouge pulled me right in - very well developed characters and actions. Willingly backed.

Stanley
Castaway in Time

Andrew W. wrote 967 days ago

Waste Space Heroes

Hi Phil,

This has a great, epic feel to it. Star Trek but not in silly costumes and without the Hollywood glitz. I like this kind of science fiction extrapolating on the present to a future very different but still tantalizingly recognizable. What never changes for the bipedal ape is our instincts, whatever we're wearing, animal for to Gore-Tex and you have captured these instincts well in the modern setting. This is what I think of as grimy science fiction, real characters, in real situations with a future focus and it is as focused on character as it is on the menace of their current situation. I like the focus on character, it's what sets good writing and particularly good science fiction writing apart. I will keep coming back to read more but in the mean-time I will back this as I like the direction it is going on, Kim Stanley Robinson levels of realness balanced against an interplanetary politics that looks sadly all too human.

Best wishes and good luck, I would welcome your views on my book.

Andrew W.
(Sanctuary's Loss)

Pia wrote 971 days ago

Dear Phil,

Coming upon Waste Space Heroes, I read your pitch. A squabble over the rights to ravage Earth's corpse caught my attention, and your heroes reluctant to fight hollow political power plays. Your writing style is suited to the on-deck space-ship-interplay, and there're some striking phrases ... Al'jur watched a tendril flame curl up to the sea in a lover's embrace ... or, ... elegant latitudinal spirals ... or, teeth flashed ephemerally ... or apples, a contraband delicacy.
And words that delight, like shexy, or ... a tired bellicosity guttered inside him.
You could alternate the pace, some change of rhythm, a slowing down at times, like when Yarn reads a book (you could make it a James Bond), to endear us to Yarn earlier on.
Gotterdammerung, by the way, is not the doom, but the twilight of Gods. But you may intent to make it doom.

It's and interesting story and very accomplished writing.

Pia (Course of Mirrors)

Steve Ward wrote 975 days ago

Phil,
Now this is pro writing, some of the best I've seen, and it's a space odyssey! Very rare indeed, and everything sounds so real. Your writer's voice is out of this world. Actually there seem to be two voices, one very philosophical and arty in the Prologue and a light and easier going voice in the body. In both you are an artist with words. Great similes:
Like a canvas tarp flapping angrily in a Martian dust storm.
Lines that are so good they're a bit hard to read:
Potent memories preoccupied his protracted discontent.
Great metaphors:
Her leopard wounds wept atmosphere.
And that's just the prologue. How do you do it? I've been writing for years and I feel like a third grader. Blake looks to be a solid character and the competing space fleets promise action to come. This is a great read. Good luck with it. I've got to go do some asteroid mining.
Steve Ward
Test Pilot's Daughter: Revenge

Lorelli wrote 975 days ago

Hi Phil

This isn't my usual genre but i loved the title and couldn't resist taking a look.

Your prologue puts the reader straight into the action, the dialogue flows with each character distinct in their speech, and the narrative showing us the environment that they inhabit. You quickly show the reader this is not their usual world - if only we had silver lions too!

You use some great language and phrases that really grab the attention like 'time to deflower the crew' and 'juicy smirk' and (i think my personal favorite) 'multi-tiered hierarchy of bribery-ridden bureaucratic filters' - fab!

Shelved :-)

Best wishes
Lorelli (The Man Whisperer)

AMPsushi wrote 975 days ago

Started it, know I'll finish it... Great so far.

KevRogers wrote 975 days ago

good stuff and fun

Backed

Kev(Catherine Wheel Alley)

mmcdonald64 wrote 975 days ago

For Waste Space Heroes--

It's great to find some good military sci-fi. I just read the first couple of chapters, and love the voice of Yarn. Despite some of the techincal jargon, I found this easy to read. I'm kind of new to this genre, having just read my first half dozen books in the last year or so. I found that I love the ones like this that keep the characters real. Well done and I wish you the best of luck with this. I didn't see anything to nitpick.

Backing

mammalala wrote 975 days ago

i SO can't wait to finish this!!

Phil Clements wrote 975 days ago

Enjoy the read!

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