Todd Yunker's Shackleton's Folly was published in January 2015.
Information about Todd Yunker:
Todd Yunker is Oregonian and lives in Salem, Oregon. Todd is an award-winning author of the epic science fiction The Lost Wonder Series, book one Shackleton's Folly. Growing up, Sci-Fi permeated Todd's youth and adolescence. He was an avid reader. He devoured all the books he could find in the library. Todd relished classic Sci-Fi feature films and Japanese monster movies. He indulged his fancy and watched swashbuckler movies of the '30s and '40s influenced his vision of adventure. The raw cynical attitudes and sexual motivations of Film noir influenced his grasp of story over fluff. Todd's study of storytelling brought him to Joseph Cambell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces and Christopher Vogler's The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. This profound understanding of storytelling has advanced the quality of his work. He would like to know the why don't we have our flying cars?
Click here to visit the author's official website.
Information about Shackleton's Folly:
In a galaxy, ripped apart by feuding factions, one man emerges to save his people from 'Human Hunts' and the rancorous horde lead by a traitor to the human race, Wolfgang Gray. That man is Alec Shackleton. His mission is spurred on by a legend, a theory, his father taught him as a small lad: a human tribe, long before their time, had ventured to the stars in search of a new home. They were never heard from again. A mere 20,000 humans now remain, as a result of The Extinction Event of 2265. Somehow, this meager remnant's fate is inevitably tied to their brothers of old, and Alec knows it.
>>> Peril awaits Shackleton and his android partner,
Dancer, as they scour the galaxy in search of a peaceful homeland and ancient relics. The Eleven Wonders of the Universe, monuments of great treasure left behind by an extinct empire, are also in play, leading the duo to dangerous, inhospitable realms, where death seems all but certain.
Characters abound in this rollicking adventure, some bent on destroying the human race, even if it means killing millions of other beings. If it weren’t for a stroke of good fortune, Alec's quest, as well as mankind’s future, would have been nipped in the bud. However, the timely acquisition of a priceless map and curious slave girl helps Shackleton's team find the path to their destiny.
>>> The young slave, Electra, is stunning, but elusive.
She knows far too much to simply be a peasant girl taken hostage. Her shadowy past will eventually come to light, revealing a dark secret of a stolen technology that could ultimately destroy the world. The mysterious beauty's mission continues, but to what end, only time will tell.
>>> Another Headline To Use If You Want. You Get The Idea.
Follow writer Todd Yunker on a galactic adventure of a lifetime. Battle evil villains, play deadly games of cat and mouse, and save the universe... all without leaving the comfort of your easy chair. This is a story 11,000 years in the making... take sides, choose your heroes, but be wary of sudden death... for no one is safe.
A REVIEW OF TODD YUNKER'S SHACKLETON'S FOLLY
I recently read Todd Yunker's Shackleton's Burden, which was a prequel novella to Shackleton's Folly (Shackleton's Folly is the first novel in The Lost Wonder series). It introduced Alec Shackleton and his android friend, Dancer, to the readers. Because I enjoyed reading this novella, it was interesting for me to read Shackleton's Folly.
I was pleasantly surprised by Shackleton's Folly, because it surpassed Shackleton's Burden on many levels. It contained everything that the prequel novella had, but there was more depth and style in it. This novel turned out to be a surprisingly enjoyable and entertaining space adventure novel.
Because the synopsis of this novel tells quite a lot about the happenings and because it wouldn't be fair to reveal what happens to the characters, I won't go into details about the story. I'll only mention that this novel continues Alec and Dancer's story in an intriguing way. Alec and his android companion, Dancer, get into all kind of trouble as they try to find out information about the lost human race.
The premise for The Lost Wonder series is intriguing, because humanity is on the brink of extinction. As many experienced readers are aware of, there's actually nothing unique about humanity facing extinction, because many novels and stories have been written about it, but Todd Yunker manages to make it fascinating by concentrating on delivering a good and entertaining story to his readers. The author's approach to this well-known theme is delightfully entertaining.
Here's a bit of information about the characters:
- Alec is an interesting character, because he continues his father's work to prove that a lost human tribe exists. He's determined not to let the human race die.
- Dancer is also an interesting characer, because he's a cobalt blue android-centaur with tentacles. He helps Alec in his quest to find the lost human race.
- Wolfgang Gray is a traitor to human race and the only human ever to reach the bridge of a Koty ship. He's a fascinating character, because he helps the Koty. He's like a trapped animal among the Koty.
- Electra is an intriguing and stunning young slave who has her own secrets.
The author reveals interesting information about Alec and his life in this novel, because he continues to explore his character in a deeper way. For example, Alec has information about relationships between human beings, but he has no practical experience about them, so he wants to meet a real woman and see how the relationship progresses.
It was enjoyable to read about what happened between Alec and Electra, and how Alec thought about Electra. The author wrote about their relationship in a good way and examined it well.
I also enjoyed reading about Wolfgang Gray and his doings with the Koty. He was on a mission with the Koty. His interaction with Captain K'Dhoplon who despised human beings and wanted to crush them was handled well.
I was surprised by the author's writing style, because it was better and more confident in this novel than in the prequel novella. The author wrote surprisingly well about the characters and happenings and paid more attention to details, which was nice. This novel also contained more adult content than the prequel novella (for example, there were a few sexual scenes).
One of the best things about this novel is that the author knows how to keep the story flowing (the author has realized that entertaining readers is important and he knows how to do it). This novel is almost like a combination of Star Wars and Indiana Jones, but I think that the best way to describe its contents to new readers is to say that think of Indiana Jones in space and you'll know what to expect from the story.
When I think about the contents of this novel, it's easy for me to see that Todd Yunker has been influenced by sci-fi films and classic sci-fi adventure stories. There's something in this novel that reminds me of good old-fashioned space adventures (the author uses classic space adventure elements in a modern way). I think that this novel will most likely please many fans of space adventure stories.
There were a few minor flaws in this novel, but they're not worth mentioning, because the story was entertaining. I'll only mention that it would've been nice if the author had written more about the Koty, because I found them interesting.
If you're looking for something entertaining to read and enjoy reading science fiction stories, Shackleton's Folly is a good novel for you, because it's pure fast-paced entertainment from start to finish. It's good and harmless fun for readers who appreciate entertaining space adventure stories.
Good and fast-paced space adventure entertainment!