Gabriel’s Return: Evan Gabriel is Back!
Amazingly dedicated science fiction author Steve Umstead has recently put the spit and polish on his latest book, Gabriel’s Return. Evan Gabriel, Lieutenant Commander in the North American Federation Navy, is a complex individual. You can read my review of book 1 in the Evan Gabriel series here, in which I describe his character a bit more, but suffice it to say that Evan is a tough-as-nails, intelligent and highly-proficient military commander. His reluctance to deal with the politics, backstabbing, corruption and hubris of the military in the first book set a very vivid stage against the backdrop of space and interstellar travel. If you’re a fan of extremely well-written science fiction and suspense, please read on.
The year is 2176 and once again, Evan Gabriel finds himself unable to resist helping out for the greater good despite his wariness in dealing with the military institution. He and his team of Navy special forces operatives, fresh from a major engagement involving political subterfuge and evil intentions on planet Poliahu, are assisting Mars defense forces with their ever-difficult task of planet security when they’re asked to perform a special, “off-the-books” incursion back on the planet which nearly cost Gabriel his life years before.
Eden.
The word rings horrific and haunting to Gabriel each and every time he hears it. His last mission to the planet resulted in the rescue of many school children being held by terrorists, but also in the deaths of his entire team; or so he thought. This time, Gabriel takes on another mission to Eden to rescue a Governor’s son; but plots are never that easy, are they? In this second installment, Gabriel comes face to face with his past and even he isn’t prepared for what he’ll find.
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This second book was much like the first in that the formula for suspense and the vivid imagery capture you early-on, and hold out through to the end. This time around, however, we’re not discovering so much who Evan Gabriel is (as in the first book), but instead trying to figure out which direction the deception against him and his team is coming from. Plots interweave beautifully (as with book 1) to form the landscape Gabriel and his team have to traverse, and I was eager to go on to the next page in order to satiate my desire to get answers. Each page and chapter concisely help to further the plot, and I found it a pleasure to read large chunks before forcing myself put it down to accomplish other tasks such as feeding the children or doing laundry!
Steve Umstead also adds another dimension to his writing in that he is very meticulous about his inclusion of military customs, equipment and general life. As a former Navy Corpsman attached to a Marine Corps unit and, subsequently, a Military Policeman, I found it extremely easy to follow along with the military jargon in both books. But, you certainly don’t have to have a military background to follow along in either book because all the plot points and details flow without the need for any outside reference. Steve’s accuracy with military equipment and terminology are spot-on. There are also some easter eggs for those into military history or military reading in general and those are certainly nice gems to find (Marcinko, I’m looking at you!).
So without just completely giving every bit of the plot of Gabriel’s Return away, I’ll summarize by saying there is definitely subterfuge, there are explosions, and there are twists within twists. Steve Umstead has painted an extremely rich universe on a very dimensional canvas. I was kept guessing until the last chapter, and that’s not easy to do in a book of this nature. As Evan Gabriel and his team of seasoned-veterans progress through their trials on Eden, you’ll find yourself wanting to look behind every steelroot tree and in every hide in the jungle to find out what happens next.
As I’ve told others regarding book 1, Gabriel’s Redemption, if you’re a fan of science fiction, you owe it to yourself to read both of these books and see for yourself what a detailed and interesting universe Steve Umstead has created in the Evan Gabriel series. I can’t wait for the next book!
