S.W. Lothian – Author

OMEGA RISING (OMEGA FORCE #1)
by Joshua Dalzelle
Kindle Edition purchased from Amazon

Jason Burke was a man hiding from himself in a small cabin high in the American Rocky Mountains when his simple, quiet life was shattered one night by what he first assumed was an aviation mishap. But when he investigates the crash, what he finds will yank him out of his self-imposed exile and thrust him into a world he could have never imagined.

He suddenly finds himself trapped on a damaged alien spacecraft and plunged into a universe of interstellar crime lords and government conspiracies, along the way meeting strange new friends… and enemies. As he struggles to find his way back home he is inexorably drawn deeper into a world where one misstep could mean his death. Or worse. He desperately wants to get back to Earth, but it may be the end for him. … or is it just the beginning? – GOODREADS

My Review

Omega Rising is an interesting account of a guy, Jason Burke, who has moved away from the big city (and his problems) to a solitary existence of an isolated cabin. It’s not the setting you would expect when you pick up a science fiction book. It’s not long before he sets off to investigate an unexpected event, and stumbles aboard an alien spacecraft. His life takes a major turn as the cargo bay doors close and he finds himself trapped and then launched into the depths of space. It’s an adventure that he had no choice but to accept.

Jason soon meets a lone synth named, Deetz, who runs the ship. He’s a mysterious fellow who quickly accepts his new stowaway (or is he a captive?), after recognizing there was potential to gain benefit from him. The plot is a switch on the standard – who is the alien question. Normally it’s those other than human who are alien, but in this book, Jason the human is the alien.

After agreeing to help Deetz with a ‘job’ in exchange for being returned to Earth, they head to the far reaches of space. Things are going well until they’re attacked when collecting a mystery cargo from a distant planet. In the process, another alien is wounded and saved by Jason, and ultimately ends up onboard the ship just before they escape.

Just imagine being thrown into something completely different to your normal environment. You’d need to learn how to use and react to everything you come into contact with. Dalzelle has covered that off with some clever ways to get past the communication barrier, and there’s a rather ingenious method of giving Jason the skills required to function in his new environment. Tick.

With an escape under their belt and bonding underway, Deetz still has some debts to settle, so they take on a mission to deliver a cargo to a place called The Vault. It’s a place where things can get very dangerous. Jason and his new alien buds soon discover that not all friends are really friends. There’s an overthrow, then there’s a plan, which leads to another plan etc. (Trying not to reveal too much here).

We are hit with some teasers about something that spells doom for the future, and there’s promise of plenty of dramas for the crew to solve. It’s enough to spark interest for readers to jump on-board for future instalments of the series.

This first Omega book is an origins story of how a bunch of random beings are brought together. With their initial mission completed, they realise that they all have a common past and a common goal for the future. So… Omega Force is born.

An entertaining book that propels us through some white knuckle adventures in the depths of space with a haphazard crew. I’d describe it as the A Team in space (without the comedy). I’m keen to read book 2.

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Note: I don’t claim to be a pro-reviewer, I am a reader. My reviews are based on my personal thoughts around the story that the book is trying to tell. I try to focus on the story (which is the reason I read) rather than dissect the book

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