Gabriel's Redemption [NOOK Book]

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.

2 out of 2 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!

2 out of 2 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!

1 out of 2 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

1 out of 1 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!

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.

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.

Gabriel's Redemption

I'm new to reviewing, but I'm going to try to be thorough here because I think honest reviews are important for Indie authors. I gave Gabriel's Redemption by Steve Umstead three stars based on the following five points: 1. Willing Suspension of Disbelief (WSoD) 2. Story 3. Grammar (necessary for this review because it's a self-published work) 4. Style 5. Characters/character interactions Gabriel's Redemption pulled through on the first three points, which is why I rated it three stars. It was able to keep me in a willing state of suspended disbelief all the way through, which I think is really important in SciFi books. That's really just a fancy way of saying that the book follows the rules it sets up as far as believability is concerned. The advanced technology makes sense and, while imaginative, isn't too farfetched. The world's construction is sound and without glaring inconsistencies. The story was solid and easy to follow and kept me interested, even though it was predictable at times. The grammar was spot on as far as typos are concerned, which is refreshing in a self-published work. The style is where Umstead started to lose me. Gabriel's Redemption had a few recurring stylistic issues that had a jarring effect on the flow of the story and made it almost painful to read at some times. I'll go into detail if anyone is interested, but I don't want to turn this into a nitpicky bash or anything so I'll just leave it at that. The characters and their interactions also fell flat in my opinion. They often seemed cliché and the dialogue was pretty contrived at times. When I read a book, I like to picture the characters and events as if I were watching a movie. With Gabriel's Redemption, I often felt as though I were watching a movie with cool special effects but bad acting. On the whole I'd say that I enjoyed Gabriel's Redemption for its good qualities, but its two bad ones are enough to keep me away. I'll sample book two when it comes out, but if Umstead's style flaws haven't been sorted out by then I probably won't purchase it.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A heck of a lot of fun!

Think the super-soldier getting one last chance to clear his tarnished name by running a secret mission is a tired plot line? Think again!

Umstead weaves a gripping, action-packed tale brimming with nifty gadgets, roller-coaster plot twists, and futuristic technologies reminiscent of sci-fi greats. Gabriel's Redemption is an impressive display of talent and imagination that kept me turning pages.

I will definitely be reading the next one...

-Vlad Vaslyn

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