Review - The Wildcat's Burden by Christopher Hoare

The Wildcat’s Burden
Written by: Christopher Hoare
Science fiction / Fiction / Time travel
Rated: Very Good (****)

Gisel Matah is back! She has a public and powerful leadership role now that has her in the center of the action, but can she handle the responsibility and her personal life, too?

Gisel proved herself as a reliable and crafty soldier at a young age. She’s since been promoted in the ranks, and now has a governorship in her twenties. Being a woman in charge of an entire populous in a world where men rule and women obey causes conflict on its own. Creating alliances and dealing with men in powerful positions is a daily challenge for Gisel, as is having to keep secrets from her husband.

The Wildcat’s Burden is full of action. Allies and enemies and traitors and underground supports fill every page of this adventure that plays out over a handful of weeks. It’s hard to know who to trust, and when the reader thinks he has it figured out, another twist comes into play. It’s a personified chess game, where any move can be counter attacked in a moment and the final champion isn’t clear until all the dust settles.

This story takes off on the first page and doesn’t let up until the last word. So many characters in this novel bear a “burden” to help the cause they believe in, whether rightly or wrongly, but the reader can only admire their passionate stance and watch to see how the scenarios play out.

Author Christopher Hoare has created a unique world that mixes futuristic technology with a time before technology. It’s an interesting mix of a future world with a new world as Gisel and her people from the Iskander try to find a way to live on the young Gaian planet. Hoare has developed the female protagonist to be wise beyond her years. She’s intelligent, strategic, and yet still a woman. The entire novel is visual and intriguing. Never a dull moment.

This is Christopher Hoare’s fourth novel in the Iskander series. Arrival is the beginning of Gisel’s adventure, currently followed by Deadly Enterprise and continuing with The Wildcat’s Victory. The books don’t have to be read in order to enjoy the overall storyline, but allows for insight into characters that move with Gisel through time.

Chris Hoare writes full time and lives in Alberta, Canada at the eastern edge of the Rockies with his wife of almost 40 years, Shirley, and two shelter dogs.

I recommend reading The Wildcat’s Burden if you enjoy exploring old worlds with a modern twist, time travel, military strategy, and a bit of romance. The Wildcat’s Burden is a great story that gives the reader the scoop behind Gisel’s life.

Title: The Wildcat’s Burden
Author: Christopher Hoare
Publisher: Double Dragon Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-55404-729-1
Pages: 271
Price: $5.99

Available through www.double-dragon-ebooks.com

Kudos!! Arrival by Christopher Hoare

Back in March I reviewed Christopher Hoare's newest novel, Arrival.

On Aug 15th, the novel was announced as a science fiction finalist for the 9th Annual Dream Realm Awards. Here's the link to the full listing of winners.

Congrats to Chris,and I look forward to reading more about Gisel and her travels. :)

Review - Arrival by Christopher Hoare

Arrival
Written by: Christopher Hoare
Science fiction / Fiction / Time travel
Rated: Very Good (****)
Review by: Lisa Haselton

Gisel Matah is sixteen. She’s on a starship with her father, brother, and a small entourage of explorers no longer able to get back to their home world. Being female and the youngest on board are not complimentary attributes for this spitfire, but she has skills that no other crew member has and her importance becomes apparent to everyone.

Being on board the Iskander with supersmart engineers and scientists, Gisel is challenged to be a ‘typical teenager.’ She was brought on board as personal trainer because her father, the engineering chief, pulled strings and having high-level connections doesn’t win her any friends. She’s headstrong and persistent, and, of course, knows everything.

She finds a way to be a part of the first landing party to the planet passing below the starship, and although most of her adventure doesn’t go smoothly, the crew discovers that she is the only person able to communicate with the natives they have run into.

Iskander technology is years ahead of the planet they must rely on for survival. The crew quickly learns that no matter how advanced you are, when you only have the basics to deal with, you have to adapt or perish. Creating alliances when you don’t know if the people can be an asset to you or not is a tough political position to be in. Gisel finds herself front and center while the General of the Iskander works to create relationships with the people on the planet, and she enjoys it.

She may only be a teenager, but Gisel has an inner strength, the intelligence, and the youthful wit to survive in just about any situation she finds herself in. Sometimes survival turns out to be luck, but in a brand new world, as long as you can keep your wits about you, you have a great chance to succeed.

Arrival is fun to read. It’s interesting to see how Gisel’s start within the Iskander crew relates to the first two novels. Her energy is contagious and comes through the pages. The reader, at times, wants to reach out to protect the young girl from danger, but Gisel quickly figures out a solution so the reader can breathe a sigh of relief and continue reading.

Christopher Hoare’s third novel, Arrival, brings the reader into the past. It fills in the details of the time before Deadly Enterprise, the first book in the series featuring Gisel Matah. The story continues in The Wildcat’s Victory and now the reader can see how Gisel became a young military leader at such a young age.

I recommend reading Arrival to anyone who enjoys exploring old worlds through time travel, politics behind creating alliances, battles, strategy, survival, and a small dash of romance. Arrival is a great story that gives the reader the scoop behind Gisel’s life.

I’ve enjoyed all three novels in this series and look forward to more novels from this writer. I think any of the three novels would be great on the big screen.

Title: Arrival
Author: Christopher Hoare
Publisher: Double Dragon Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-55404-620-1
Pages: 354
Price: $16.99

Review - The Wildcat's Victory by Christopher Hoare

The Wildcat’s Victory
Written by: Christopher Hoare
Science fiction / Fiction / Time travel
Rated: Very Good (****)
Review by: Lisa Haselton

Gisel Matah is back! Still in her early 20s and now a Major, she’s still an Iskander operative to be reckoned with. Her hands are full with balancing a love life, dealing with an operative’s murder, and preparing soldiers for battle.

The Iskanders have an alliance with the Felgers, a Gaian merchant and banker family. Yet there are still areas where the trust wanes. Gisel’s engagement to Yohan Felger hasn’t helped matters. Each has to balance duty to their people with their desire to be honest with each other. The challenges they face on a daily basis test their limits. How can she fully trust Yohan, when he’s loyal to the Baron who has yet to accept her? What drew Yohan to Gisel is now the same thing he has the hardest time accepting, especially when her newest assignment has her directly reporting to her former lover.

Life on Gaia has improved and progress is being made, but with the murder of an undercover operative and a radical movement that needs tempering, Gisel is not bored. In addition, she is asked to command a cavalry to support the rear of a battle line which has recently lost its commander. She hesitates to accept, but is pulled into the role and quickly learns the challenges ahead of her. A sadistic Skathian prince uses the battlefield for his own enjoyment and strives to learn how to defeat both sides in order to obtain total control.

The story is engaging and intriguing. I liken it to an intense chess match. It’s interesting to see how actions cause reactions and know that there is a third party lingering on the sidelines about to blow all the strategies off the board. Gisel trains her young cavalry men as best she can with the limited time they have. At the climax, their lives hang on her quick thinking, negotiating skills and ability to remain calm under pressure.

Christopher Hoare’s second novel, The Wildcat’s Victory, picks up eighteen months after Deadly Enterprise. The strong female protagonist, Gisel, is solid and well-crafted. The author manages to keep the character’s voice true to a young female officer with a lot of responsibility in a male-dominated field. She comes off feminine yet also a strong warrior. The tight writing and focused attention to detail keeps the reader engaged.

I recommend reading The Wildcat’s Victory, especially if you are a strategist, chess player, or war enthusiast. The battle scenes are succinct, yet detailed enough to appreciate a commander’s skill needed for success. The pacing is quite in tune with the scenes so the reader feels part of the action, whether it’s calm or full of motion.

Title: The Wildcat’s Victory
Author: Christopher Hoare
Publisher: Double Dragon Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-55404-539-6
Pages: 320
Price: $16.99

Review - Deadly Enterprise by Christopher Hoare

Deadly Enterprise
Written by: Christopher Hoare
Science fiction / Fiction / Time travel
Rated: Very Good (****)
Review by: Lisa Haselton

Lieutenant Gisel Matah is resourceful, daring, and from a future earth. She’s also beautiful and rebellious–a wild cat. At 20, she’s the Iskander’s top operative. She thrives on the adrenaline rush of each assignment. Able to stay focused, in character, observant and determined, Gisel may not always follow orders to the letter, but she always gets the mission accomplished.

Iskander technology is well-advanced of Gaia, the older earth which the Iskander’s find they must adapt to. With battles raging between the Emperor and other factions, the Iskanders are interested in finding peace and making allies. To that end, they choose to approach the Felgers, a successful merchant and banker family, to assist them with their trading and production plans.
Gisel must convince Yohan Felger of the benefits to him and his family business if they join forces. It’s not an easy task. She has to share enough information about their technology to convince him of their worth, but not too much information which he could use against them.

In a world where women are required to be under the care and supervision of men, Gisel must remain disguised as a man in order to accomplish her mission. Complicating matters are rumors on Gaia about a female agent named ‘Wildcat’ who is nothing but trouble, and who is being sought by Zargdorf, his troopers, and hired local forces.

The story is intriguing and entertaining. Deadly Enterprise is a page-turner. The reader is naturally curious to see how Gisel will manage to keep her identity and heart disguised while escorting and protecting Yohan through the warring territories in order to make alliances for a peaceful and prosperous future for everyone. Logic can sometimes be overruled by emotions and plans don’t always go as expected, especially when innocent people are put in harm’s way. Gisel must make a lot of tough decisions.

Christopher Hoare’s strong female protagonist in Deadly Enterprise is well-crafted. The descriptive scenes and tight writing keep the reader engaged and turning the pages. Deadly Enterprise contains elements of time travel, past worlds, future worlds, politics, battles, strategy, survival, and a small dash of romance. After all, Gisel may be a soldier, but she also has a heart.

I solidly recommend reading Deadly Enterprise for the pure enjoyment of a well-written novel containing strong and clearly defined characters, clear, crisp details that propel the story forward, and an enticing glimpse into a new world. I look forward to more novels from this writer, especially if they include Gisel Matah.