William Manchee first introduced the alien world of Tarizon in his Stan Turner mystery,
Cactus Island (also
reviewed on Myshelf), and continued it in
Act Normal.
In the first book, Turner's defense of a teenager reveals a government treaty with aliens
from Tarizon that gives the US technology in exchange for the aliens' right to marry humans
and take their hybrid offspring to Tarizon. When Turner's own son, Peter, is abducted to
keep Turner quiet, the rulers of Tarizon don't realize that they have captured the seed of
their own destruction. This is the story that unfolds in Manchee's new sci-fi Tarizon
triology.
The first book in that trilogy, Tarizon: The Liberator, tells the tale of teenager
Peter Turner's arrival on Tarizon, and how he fits into an ancient prophesy of a Liberator
who will free Tarizon of the evil Videl Lai. After nearly being killed at the spaceport
minutes after landing, Peter is spirited away by members of the secret Loyalist Party and
taken under the wing of his humanoid guide, Lucinda, who soon becomes his lover and the
mother of his child. When he accidentally stumbles into an alien sector of the planet, he
meets Threebeard, a mutant genius who tells him of the prophesy and Peter's place in it.
Though Peter doubts his place in the prophesy, he joins forces with Councilor Garcia, the
leader of the Loyalist movement, and embarks on an undercover mission at a military boot
camp. What unfolds is high adventure, proving even to Peter himself that the prophesy is true
and he just might be the Liberator that has been foretold.
Tarizon: The Liberator is a fast-paced read that any sci-fi buff will enjoy. The
science is interesting, but it is the culture and geography of the alien world and its
inhabitants that I found most fascinating. Classic sci-fi aficionados will appreciate
Manchee's rendering of this new world, with its echoes of Heinlein's
Starship
Troopers and L. Ron Hubbard's
Battlefield
Earth. Manchee has created new aliens and a distinctive new landscape of his own,
yet there is still the treasured sci-fi tension of the battle of good versus evil. Bravo,
William Manchee. This series is a sure-fire winner!
The second book in the series,
Tarizon: Civil War will be out in August.