Tag Archives: books

Jun 25 2025

Missing Author?

Recently, I re-read the Thomas DePrima novels I had purchased as eBooks, namely, the first nine of twelve titles in the “A Galaxy Unknown” series. Gosh, I had forgotten much of the detail, but I remembered that I really enjoyed them. As certain television series benefit from “binge watching”, such as Breaking Bad, I realized that reading those nine novels back to back was great fun, so I sought the other books in the series and found them on Apple’s reading app. I just finished the 12th book, which, darn it, ends with a cliff-hanger. Thus, I have two mysteries. First, how do Jenetta and Space Command once again save the known galaxy, and, second, what happened to Thomas DePrima? According to the end of book 12, The Invasion Begins, the adventure will continue, but that book was published almost a decade ago. According to my web research (thank you AI) DePrima hasn’t published anything since 2019.

For those who haven’t read this nifty space opera series, I reviewed some of these novels when I first read them, and those entries are summarized earlier in this blog.

Thomas DePrima’s A Galaxy Unknown series is a classic space opera infused with modern indie flair. Spanning twelve main novels (plus spin-offs like the Border Patrol and Colton James sub-series), it follows the meteoric rise of Jenetta Carver, a sharp, disciplined young Space Command officer whose destiny is nothing short of galactic. The series has an action packed beginning, with a few flaws in the writing, but nothing that keeps most readers from swiping those electronic pages to find out what will happen next. There’s enough science fiction to keep fans of that genre entertained, but the writing is not so technical that every day readers who enjoy a strong female character can’t enjoy each book. As the series goes on DePrima’s universe is ever more expansive and detailed. From the political tensions between Galactic Alliance sectors to the looming threats of alien species and interstellar crime syndicates, the author builds a rich backdrop for military intrigue and diplomacy.

The series isn’t without some minor imperfections, especially as the series progresses: some plotlines feel recycled—Jenetta foils yet another plot, saves the day, and gets another promotion. Her near-infallibility can reduce the suspense. Not since the video game version of Lara Croft has a female lead seemed so invincible. However, if you’re a fan of David Weber’s Honor Harrington, any early iteration of Star Trek, or any tale of righteous command in deep space, A Galaxy Unknown and its eleven sequels offers a satisfying and immersive experience. 

That said, I wonder what happened to Thomas DePrima. According to Goodreads, he has over 20 books available, and most of them rate above 4 (out of 5) stars, with thousands of reviews of the earlier books, and hundreds for the later titles, which is amazing for an indie author. Various sources speculate that DePrima is a pen name (not so unusual) so maybe he has passed. Or, maybe he got tired of writing. Maybe he pivoted to another name and a new set of books. I have no idea, but I do wish that the series had some sort of denouement. Jenetta Carver and company are too cool to just leave hanging.

Where are you, Thomas DePrima?

Jun 20 2024

The Lady by Anne McCaffrey

Quite a while back, I decided to avoid writing reviews of living authors’ books, unless the author was either very famous (too famous to care what I thought) or dead. Anne McCaffrey is both super famous and dead. I’ve read several of her books, including some co-authored, but generally in her typical genre: science fiction. However, my daughter found this novel in her quest to find nifty vintage books, so she’s the reason I read The Lady.

I rather liked the retro feel of the novel, from the cover art to the characterizations to the plot. The novel is set in 1970, but according to the flyleaf, this book was originally published in 1987. The style seems more 70s than 80s, and that might be “off-putting” for modern readers. This is more of a “saga” than a typical novel, which was popular in the days of the mini-series on television.

Another aspect of the story is that it is about people who are seriously into horses. McCaffrey helps the reader with a glossary in the beginning of the book, which covers some Irish terms and some horse related terms, which helps a bit. The cast of characters (both human and horses) is sweeping, along with the names of the various horse shows. There’s a lot to keep up with, but the reader is rewarded with being able to escape into another time, when the telly was only briefly mentioned, and phones were attached to a wire.

The point of view character is Catriona Carradyne, a thirteen year old girl, who loves horses, which is both a blessing, because her father breeds, shows, and trains horses; and a curse, because her mother loathes horses and wants Catriona to grow up into a young lady. The setting, as I mentioned previously, is Ireland in 1970. One of the clients that boards her horse with the Caradynes, is Selena Healey, a stylish younger woman, who befriends Catriona, and mentors her through a very eventful time in her young life.

No spoilers here, I hope, but this novel is not just about horses, or about coming of age, although both of those are central to the story. There’s also loveless marriages and expectations of society and family. Some of the characters are well drawn, while others are mostly stereotypes, and the novel doesn’t move swiftly, nor is it filled with twists and turns. Nope, it is fairly predictable. The reader can figure out what will happen fairly early, so it is more “how” is the plot going to turn out rather than “what” will happen.

I can’t say this is the best book I’ve read lately, but it certainly kept me turning the pages. And, there’s that nice vintage feel about it, like listening to music from the 70s and 80s.

Aug 11 2020

The Night Manager (television series)—a brief review and commentary

managerOften, the best stories begin as, well, stories. Before The Wizard of Oz was a groundbreaking film, it was a book by L. Frank Baum. Before 2001 A Space Odyssey was an influential science fiction film, it was a book by Arthur C. Clarke. Television series have also been book based, including such diverse stories as Little House on the Prairie, based on a series of books by Laura Ingles Wilder, and Game of Thrones, which was based on a series of books by George R. R. Martin. There are literally dozens of others, but I’m going to discuss one that you might have missed: The Night Manager, based on a book by John Le Carré. A friend recommended this six part series, and we usually enjoy the same sorts of stories.

The Night Manager is currently on a streaming service offered by a large online reseller, the one that starts with an A. Originally, however, the series was made for British television and shown in the states on AMC. As I don’t subscribe to cable, I missed it there, but my hubby and I saw this winner of three Golden Globe awards recently. The plot, although updated a bit from the 1993 novel, is intricate enough to puzzle, but not nearly as confusing as modern teleplays tend to be. The direction is subtle but sure. The acting is simply outstanding, with a star cast including Hugh Laurie (who starred eight seasons in House M. D.) and Olivia Coleman (who dons The Crown in seasons 3 and 4 over on Netflix.) The main character is brought to life by Tom Hiddleston, who has several Marvel movies as well as a video game in his resumé. This series was rather expensive to make, by BBC standards anyway, and was filmed in Egypt, Morocco, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

Here’s a bit of plot summary: A former soldier for the British army, Jonathan Pine, is portrayed as the night manager of a Cairo hotel as the story begins. He gets involved with a mysterious guest who is the girlfriend of a local gangster. Through her relationship with the gangster she has acquired information linking illegal international arms sales with Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie), an English billionaire. Just after leaking information regarding the illegal arms, she is found murdered.

(Minor spoilers ahead)

Fearing for his own life, Pine flees, and is next seen, a few years later, doing the same job at a remote hotel in Switzerland. When super villain Roper visits the Swiss hotel, Pine longs to have some revenge, and soon he is enlisted by British Intelligence to spy on Roper. Before long, he has a new identity and an opportunity to infiltrate the small network of arms dealing. Getting information out, while staying alive and undercover is quite a challenge.

One reviewer called it a “classy thriller.” That nails it, but do check out this amazing bingeable series.