Review

Sword by D. Rebbitt

The novel “Sword” by D. Rebbitt was published for the first time in 2020. It’s the fifth book in The Globur Incursion series and follows “Redoubt”.

Rear Admiral Jones has been assigned to patrol a vast area of ​​space spanning two systems populated by many millions of humans. No one knows where the next Globur attack will occur, but Jones has been authorized to take the initiative if he sees a situation in which he has an advantage over the enemy.

Meanwhile, Grand Admiral Medici finds himself in the awkward position of having to answer questions from senators regarding various initiatives taken to strengthen the Imperial fleet. Several senators are hostile, and intend to do everything possible to conceal the severity of what they officially call Globur incursions. Some of them just care for their own interests.

Mindswap by Robert Sheckley

The novel “Mindswap” by Robert Sheckley was published for the first time in 1965 in the magazine “Galaxy” as a novella, later expanded into a novel published as a book in 1966.

Marvin Flynn reads a newspaper ad about a Martian willing to participate in a mind-swap with an Earthling. It seems like the perfect opportunity to escape his boring life, so he signs up to participate.

Everything seems to be going as planned, and Marvin Flynn finds himself on Mars, in the body of a native. He doesn’t even have time to adjust to his surroundings before he discovers he’s been the victim of a scammer who used mind-swapping to escape arrest. He’s ordered to return the Martian’s body, but his own body is still in the scammer’s possession, so he must quickly find another body or die.

The Driver by Mark Dawson

The novel “The Driver” by Mark Dawson was published for the first time in 2014. It’s the third book in the John Milton series and follows “Saint Death”.

John Milton seems to have found a certain peace of mind working as a taxi driver in San Francisco. One evening, he takes Madison to a luxurious party and realizes she’s a prostitute. If he’s stopped by the police, he could face legal trouble, while he must keep a low profile. He doesn’t want to abandon the girl on the street, so he takes her to her destination.

While waiting for the party to end, John Milton hears screams and, when he enters the house, sees the girl in a clearly altered state. He tries to help her, but she’s paranoid and runs away. Someone in the neighborhood has called the police, and John wants to avoid being seen by the cops, but when Madison goes missing, he decides he must do something, along with her boyfriend. His resolve is strengthened by the discovery of other girls’ bodies.

SEED by Matthew G. Dick

The novel “SEED” by Matthew G. Dick was published for the first time in 2020.

Nick Burke participates in a mission to Mars that aims to create a self-sustaining colony. This is the third attempt, but it’s fraught with problems that lead to its failure, exactly like the previous ones. The astronauts return to Earth, and Nick realizes that the path to colonization could be very different.

His father had involved Nick in an experiment to create a digital clone since his birth. When he manages to secure funding from billionaires in exchange for transporting embryos of their children or clones, Nick’s digital clone is loaded into a robotic body and launched to another star system. That project isn’t without its challenges.

Timewyrm: Exodus by Terrance Dicks

The novel “Timewyrm: Exodus” by Terrance Dicks was published for the first time in 1991. It’s No. 2 in the “New Adventures” range by Virgin Publishing.

The Seventh Doctor attempts to pinpoint the time period when the entity known as Timewyrm arrived, but it is difficult to obtain a precise result. The TARDIS transports the Doctor and Ace to 1951, to the Festival of Britain in London. The travelers soon realize they have ended up in a London ruled by the Nazis.

The comments Doctor and Ace exchange are overheard by someone who alerts the local authorities, and the two are arrested. They manage to escape, but the TARDIS is no longer where they left it. To understand when history was altered to help Germany win World War II, the Doctor finds himself in the awkward position of collaborating with the Nazis.