Title: Gunlords — The Sapphire King
Author: Russell A. Reball
Publisher: PageTurner Press & Media, LLC
ISBN: 978-1638713500
Pages: 350
Genre: Science Fiction
Reviewed by: Susan Brown
Hollywood Book Reviews
The relationship between man and machine is about dominance, generally by man. But in this action-packed science fiction novel the tables get turned when the soldiers of Bravo Company come up against a superior robotic killing machine.
Set in a cataclysmic future after a Second Civil War, the landscape of the United States is rife with obstacles, from pockets of uninhabitable areas to wandering marauders to post-war killing machines … a human Gunlord and the robotic Sapphire King.
The story follows the efforts of Bravo Company, charged with transporting a group of prisoners to a secure site. Hollis, one of the prisoners is the son of a Gunlord, a genetically enhanced soldier created in a top-secret government project, who has inherited his father’s fighting skills. When Bravo company’s transport breaks down near a spot dubbed Dark Alley they come up against an automaton that brings with it an unbeatable reign of terror, killing everyone it it’s one-eyed sight. But what is motivating it? What is its mission?
That’s the intrigue at the heart of this novel. This robot, the Sapphire King, is connected to another, the Ruby Queen. Both are entwined in the lives of a small cadre of war survivors holed up in a deserted town, presided over by a young woman. This princess, as she is known, is waiting for her prince to appear. And in walks Hollis. The story is too compelling and engaging to divulge much more of the plot.
The author hit a number of high points for me of what makes a good sci-fi novel. The characters were well-crafted, each with a complexity and uniqueness that made them credible. The world they all inhabited was interesting and I felt transported to a much different time and place. The future the author writes about is believable, albeit frightening. The science made sense to me. It wasn’t so farfetched that I had trouble believing, or understanding it. And the ending was unexpected and, yet, so fit the progression of the narrative. There are, also, some thought provoking themes about the human ego, mental frailty and the repercussions of war on all involved that give this novel an insightful perspective on the fallibilities of the human race.
For newcomers to the sci-fi genre, this novel is a perfect fit. Not only is it a gripping story, it is also an ideal balance of authenticity, merging contemporary military action with the complexity of fighting nonhuman warriors. For the sci-fi enthusiast, this page turner is a welcome addition to any collection.