Gabriel's Redemption: Book 1 of the Evan Gabriel Trilogy

Excellent scifi page-turner!

Evan Gabriel is a top-notch decorated Navy Commander in the North American Federation in the Earth's near-distant future. When his special-forces team suffers catastrophic losses and a botched mission, he is dishonorable discharged. Gabriel retreats to the remotest part of the jungle he can find. Not remote enough, however. He is pressed back into service by Admiral McFarland to help stop the extermination of a native species on the ice-planet Poliahu. During the long space ride, he must bond with a new team and plan the mission tactics. But, things are not so straightforward; Commander Gabriel has not been told everything. There are criminal forces at work behind the mission who stand to benefit if the mission fails. Evan must figure out who is working against him before he loses another special-forces team under his command.

The author weaves a futuristic action-adventure story full of twists and turns. The world he creates is rich in detail and full of advanced technology: pulse weapons, neurotic brain implants, wormholes, inter-stellar travel, everything a scifi fan could hope for. We first meet Gabriel hiding out in a Jamaican slum. He is haunted by nightmares, reliving his failed mission over and over again. If only.has become his mantra.

He takes the new mission to prove he is a competent commander. But prove it to whom? The NAF? Or himself? I could feel Evan's pain, his sense of honor and commitment; kudos to Mr. Umstead for writing with such passion. I would have liked to see more of Evan's character revealed, but I guess I'll have to read the sequel. The other characters, Sowers, Jimenez, St. Laurent, Takahashi and Brevik, are nicely fleshed-out, but I have to say I have a soft spot for the sentient creatures, especially Isaiah, on planet Poliahu.

I highly recommend this story to anyone who likes science fiction, especially military scifi. With non-stop action, especially at the end of the book, it's a page-turner and a quick read.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Great read!

I just finished "Gabriel's Redemption," and I was captivated right from page 1. And this coming from a reader who is not generally a fan of space fiction! Umstead has created a dynamic, well-thought-out universe with a tightly woven history, timeline, and culture, and has peopled it with characters who are very far from the all-too-common two-dimensional action figures you often see in this genre. We genuinely care about his protagonists.

And along Evan Gabriel's journey toward redemption, we are met with several plot twists that absolutely took me by surprise. I love books that keep you guessing, and this one certainly did!

I give it a very high recommendation -- especially if you like futuristic military fiction, "Gabriel's Redemption" should be on your to-read list. And even if it's not your preferred genre, you'll find it a quick-paced, engaging read!

Kudos to Steve Umstead, and I look forward to his next novel!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Great Near Future Sci Fi Action! You have to check it out!

This story picks up speed early on and never slows down! He takes us into the near future with a fast-paced story filled with betrayal and political intrigue. His tech is completely integrated, compelling and believable! This is Umstead's debut novel, and although this is a self-published book it doesn't have the glaring errors typical of some self-published work. The editing is clean and doesn't have any holes in the plot or dialogue that you often see in poorly done self-published work. The pace is fast and the dialogue is snappy and interesting, and Gabriel is someone you can root for and the deeper you get into the story the more immersed you become. I didn't want to put it down! I highly recommend it if you like action, interstellar travel or near term science fiction adventure, it delivers and has a satisfying ending! I can't wait for book 2!

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Book Snob Recommends

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of Gabriel's Redemption from the author after I sent out a request for Indie Sci-Fi books to be considered for inclusion in my upcoming blog post on NYX Book Reviews. Umstead was not guaranteed inclusion in the article nor was a review even mentioned. However, after reading his book I would like to include it in my list of recommended reads.

Gabriel's Redemption is a near future science fiction work that includes all of the hallmarks of top quality sci-fi. Umstead has created a readable, accessible and highly engaging world where intrigue, aliens, drugs and intergalactic travel work together seamlessly. There is never a moment in this book where you think to yourself: well now that didn't make a lick of sense! Instead we are presented with a combination of real and imagined science that is so commonplace to the characters it never occurs to the reader to question it.

Evan Gabriel is a taciturn and troubled man who has buried so much of himself in order to survive the horrors and injustices he has witnessed that he has become a mere shell of the hero we come to know and love by the end of the book. Quickpaced, Gabriel's Redemption is an easy read. It flows from scene to scene and moment to moment flawlessly, always leaving the reader begging for more. By the third chapter I was so hooked I read the entire novel in one night.

Umstead deals with issues like honor, responsibility and human nature. While deep in thematic content the forward thrust of the story never stops. In this way Umstead has been able to create a rich, dynamic and believable world with a cast of characters who entertain and inspire. The bad guys are quality villains and the aliens are just strange enough to evoke the reader's inherent xenophobia. At the core of the story is one man's pain and regret and the opportunity to redeem himself.

My only complaints about Gabriel's Redemption are not reasons not to pick it up.

1. It's a military based fiction which I personally don't generally enjoy. Umstead does a phenomenal job of making the military jargon and topics accessible to non-military readers without sacrificing the details. It just doesn't speak to me. I was able to enjoy the story despite this which if anything speaks to the author's skill at weaving a compelling yarn.
2. It's not in paperback. This is one I'd love to have on my shelf.

Similar books you may enjoy:
Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000
Mr. Spaceman

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A VERY good entry into my favorite genre!

Gabriel's Redemption is a classic tale of espionage, deviant tactics and squad-level military suspense, all set in mankind's distant future. As a former military member, I was instantly taken in by the rich detail of the Naval backdrop for Commander Gabriel and his newly-formed special forces unit.

Straight away, Evan Gabriel is whisked into operation for the North American Federation and plunged into an intricately-sewn and twisted plot that reaches into the upper echelon of the Naval brass. Gabriel's Redemption instantly puts you into the action, and seldom is there room for a breather.

Interstellar travel, commensurate gunplay, backstabbing and good-old Gung-Ho military brotherhood (and sisterhood) pepper the story throughout, and I honestly did not want to put the book down. Steve Umstead keeps you guessing until the end, and the end is not one to disappoint!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great series

Just finished reading all three books and then read zero point. Great story plot and characters! I was hard pressed to put it down. I can't wait to read more.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

After I read this book I went and bought every Steve Umstead boo

After I read this book I went and bought every Steve Umstead book available at B&N. This guy is great. I hope to see a lot more from Steve.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good ol' fashioned Sci-Fi Adventure!

Disclaimer: I'm rather fond of Steve Umstead as a friend and fellow #pubwrite. We met at ReaderCON this year where he presented me with a signed copy of Gabriel's Redemption. That being said, if I didn't enjoy his writing and the SciFi thriller GR is, I would have sent him a quiet e-mail rather than posting a review.

This first of a series follows Commander Evan Gabriel of the near-future North American Federation. As the title suggests, this is a tale of a soldier's journey redeem himself, not only as a warrior, but as a man.

Umstead has created a futuristic world I look forward to exploring in further adventures. He paints a wide picture-a matte painting, if you will-that sets the tone both for humanities future and the far-off world of Poliahu. The character-rich story is non-stop adventure (think Jason Bourne travels the stars) and a completely immersive read.

Fantastic character development, "Lord of the Rings" style scenery and an attention to detail that was a pure joy to experience.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Slow Start To A Fast Finish

Gabriel's Redemption by Steve Umstead tells the tale of a man named Evan Gabriel. Evan's past haunts him, but the opportunity arises for him to make up for what happened. He accepts a mission to a far off planet, Poliahu, to find and capture a drug lord. And what he finds upon arriving at the planet, not only surprises him, but has the potential to change all human lives dramatically.

The Good: Gabriel's Redemption is a very well written book. The author's use of words is very easy to follow and not cluttered with too much information. I particularly like that the author uses colloquialisms more in the writing than proper grammar. This doesn't mean that the writing sounds unintelligent. Rather, you feel like a friend is relating the story to you. It's actually very pleasing to read this style of writing. And I can honestly say this is the first time I read a book that made me feel that way.

The Bad: This is a very minor gripe, because overall, the book does a fine job of explaining details about the characters. However, the main character, Evan Gabriel, doesn't appear enough in the book, in my opinion. I feel like there is more about him and his personality that the author should reveal but never does. I understand who he is as a character, but feeling more of that within the pages (or maybe I should say locations) of the book would have been nice. Although it is completely possible that this was the author's intent, since this book is part of a trilogy and the author my further develop the character in future books.

The Ugly: There is one thing about this book that would greatly improve it. Cut it in half and you have a great story! However, this is not the case. The book clocks in at around 66,000 words - which is a good length. However, the first half of the book is very slow. The author introduces many characters and their personalities, but I feel that it just drags. While there is a goal introduced in the beginning of the story, it takes way too long to get to that goal and introduce the next one. It is not until about halfway through the book that it really picks up and becomes interesting. I feel shortening this book would have made it better.

Overall, I liked Gabriel's Redemption. I see great potential within the world the author has created and hope that the next book in the series improves upon some of the aspects mentioned above. If you're into trilogies, give this one a shot, because the ride is just getting started.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A well Written Enjoyable Read

Gabriel's Redemption takes us into a highly believable glimpse of mankind's not too distant future. The story revolves around a dishonored North American Federation Naval special forces commander Evan Gabriel, called back into active duty for a special mission. He is enticed with promises of redemption for past convictions. The Story takes place in a distant galaxy on a desolate ice-covered planet. The story is well written, and the characters are brought masterfully to life by the author. You are pulled quickly into the story and the pace never let's up until the very end. The world of this future is both believable and interesting. The author took great care covering the smallest of details to make this world perfect. The plot has finely woven twists and turns to keep you on your feet. The technology portrayed through out the story is both interesting and believable. Enough for any Sci Fi junkie.

I found this book a thoroughly enjoyable read. I could not put it down. This is a very well written Sci Fi action adventure. I highly recommend it to any age.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent Series: Science Fiction meets Military Thriller

Gabriel's Redemption is the first book of a trilogy focusing on the exploits of Even Gabriel, a commander in the space navy of the North American Federation. Gabriel leads a ground team into a special ops mission on an ice world where nothing turns out to be as it was expected.

Umstead successfully blends the genres of sf and military thriller with fleshed-out characters and a believable military atmosphere. Don't miss this adventure, the opening of a series that continues to impress.

Good start

Great lead to the trilogy. The main character is tightly defined and believable but throughout the series you are left asking what happened before this? Great start for this author.

Entertaining

Bought all three of series at the same time after reading reviews. Very entertaining.

A spellbinder and believable.

Totally captivating as Gabriel finds his inner strength and outer command. Well worth a read.

Satisfying; brilliant

Strong characters; engaging plot

If you John Ringo Ian Douglas,you will love this book.

If you John Ringo Ian Douglas,you will love this book.

I don't have the eloquence of some of the other reviewers (even

I don't have the eloquence of some of the other reviewers (even with ma college edumacation :), but I do know how to say BRAVO Steve!.. with that said, here's my review.

I started my journey into Evan Gabriel's world with a free copy of Gabriel: Zero Point. I found it well thought out and beautifully executed. I always thought if at the end of the story you want to know more about the main character/s then the author did his/her job. After Zero Point (which I seriously enjoyed) I moved on to Gabriel's Redemption out of wanting to learn more about Evan Gabriel than anything else. The character really interested me and I hoped Redemption would answer some questions I came away from ZP with. I also hoped it was going to be a good read.

At first I wasn't really "grabbed" by Redemption. As a long time sci-fi reader (45+ yrs) I'm pretty good at seeing where the plot-line of a book is going to lead and after the first 6 or so chapters I sat thinking to myself, ha! I got this figured out already...uh yeah..WRONG! While I expected twist and turns I did not expect the direction this story took. This was by far one of the best books I've read in quite a while. In a world where sci-fi writers think throwing lots of techno babble at readers will impress them I found Steve Umstead to be a breath of fresh air. In Gabriel's Redemption there's enough tech stuff to make it a good sci-fi but more important it has well written characters and a killer plot-line and that makes it a good book!

I like a good space-marine romp - who doesn't? - and Gabriel's R

I like a good space-marine romp - who doesn't? - and Gabriel's Redemption is just that. The titular character, Evan Gabriel, is a disgraced Special Forces soldier given the chance to clear his name and, if not undo his bitter past, at least find some peace about it. Tasked with shutting down what appears to be an illegal and deadly drug operation, Gabriel strikes out across the galaxy to prove to himself that he's still a good man. I enjoyed the futuristic tech ideas and the smooth story-telling style that together made this an easy and fun read.

Aside from a couple of details I won't quibble about here, my problem with this book is that it attempts nothing fresh. Gabriel's Redemption is riddled with cliches and stereotypical characters, but that's not necessarily a bad thing: just because the cake came out of a box doesn't mean it doesn't taste good, but one at least hopes for some icing to make it stand apart from others. I had no problem guessing the outcome of the story, the specific fates of each character (including which would live or die), the nature of the conspiracy, that the bad guys would get their comeuppance, and that everything would be coming up roses for Gabriel by the end. Infusing darker elements or trying for a better plot twist would have done much for this story.

Again: a fun space-marine tale and I will go on to read the next in the series, but nothing particularly stands out for this story.

Stealthy page turner

About 2/3 of the way through and I plan to buy the next two tonight! This story sneaks up on you! You do not even recall turning pages until many, many have gone by. An intriguing story with characters well developed enough that you take their actions, or inaction, personally....well worth a read!

Great blend of hard sci-fi, well written characters, good passio

Great blend of hard sci-fi, well written characters, good passion and depth.