The Clone Alliance (Ace Science Fiction) [Paperback]

Steven L. Kent (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ace Science Fiction | Publication Date: October 30, 2007

Third in the national bestselling series-military science fiction on the edge.

Rogue clone Wayson Harris is stranded on a frontier planet-until a rebel offensive puts him back in the uniform of a U.A. Marine, once again leading a strike against the enemy. But the rebels have a powerful ally no one could have imagined.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in California but raised in Hawaii, novelist/video game fanatic Steven L. Kent turned a life-long joystick addiction into a 15-year gig writing for publications like MSNBC, Boy’s Life, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, and Japan Times. After publishing the 600-page The Ultimate History of Video Games, Kent satisfied his Pac-Man-angst and set his sights on fiction. Having just submitted The Clone Elite, the fourth book in his “Wayson Harris Trilogy,” Kent is currently writing a standalone sci-fi novel while he develops a new series based on the Unified Authority.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Ace (October 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441015425
• ISBN-13: 978-0441015429
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #203,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steven L. Kent has published several books dealing with video and computer games as well as a series of military science fiction novels about a Marine named Wayson Harris.

Born in California and raised in Hawaii, Kent served as a missionary for the LDS Church between the years of 1979 and 1981. During that time, he worked as a Spanish-speaking missionary serving migrant farm workers in southern Idaho.

While Kent earned a Bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in communications from Brigham Young University, he claims that his most important education came from life.

Many of the lessons he learned from the Mexican field workers in Idaho have appeared in his stories. Later, from 1986 through 1988, Kent worked as a telemarketer selling TV Guide and Inc. Magazine. His years on the phone helped him develop an ear for speech patterns that has been well-reflected in dialog in his stories.

As a boy growing up in Honolulu in the 1960s, Kent developed a unique perspective. He spent hours torch fishing and skin diving.

In 1987, Kent reviewed the Stephen King novels Misery and The Eyes of the Dragon for the Seattle Times. A diehard Stephen King fan, Kent later admitted that he pitched the reviews to the Times so that he could afford to buy the books.

In 1993, upon returning to Seattle after a five-year absence, Kent pitched a review of 'virtual haunted houses' for the Halloween issue of the Seattle Times. He reviewed the games The Seventh Guest, Alone in the Dark, and Legacy. Not only did this review land Kent three free PC games, it started him on a new career path.

By the middle of 1994, when Kent found himself laid off from his job at a PR agency, he became a full-time freelance journalist. He wrote monthly pieces for the Seattle Times along with regular features and reviews for Electronic Games, CD Rom Today, ComputerLife, and NautilusCD. In later years, he would write for American Heritage, Parade, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune and many other publications. He wrote regular columns for MSNBC, Next Generation, the Japan Times, and the Los Angeles Times Syndicate.

In 2000, Kent self-published The First Quarter: A 25-year History of Video Games. That book was later purchased and re-published as The Ultimate History of Video Games by the Prima, Three River Press, and Crown divisions of Random House.

During his career as a games journalist, Kent wrote the entries on video games for Encarta and the Encyclopedia Americana. At the invitation of Senator Joseph Lieberman, Kent has spoken at the annual Report Card on Video Game Violence in Washington D.C.

In 2005, Kent announced his semi-retirement from video games so that he could concentrate on writing novels. Though he still writes a monthly column for Boy's Life, he has mostly concentrated his efforts on writing novels since that time. His first efforts in science fiction, The Clone Republic and Rogue Clone were published by Ace Book in 2006.

Despite his "retirement," Kent continues to write the occasional game article or review. His sixth novel, The Clone Empire was released in October, 2010, and a seventh novel is due in 2011.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful Read, December 29, 2007

By 

Lizzie Chang (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Clone Alliance (Ace Science Fiction) (Paperback)

Semper Fi, Marines...
Colonel Wayson Harris and his partner Ray Freeman return to Earth as representative from Hinode Fleet to pledge allegiance to the U.A.
Harris (demoted from spite) is one of the kind Liberator clones that have been outlawed because of their aggressive behaviors and bloodlust, found himself enlisted to the U.A Marine as a Master Sergeant that entrusted with a secret mission to infiltrate Morgan Atkins stronghold. Once again Harris and his kind were used as a pawn, dispensable soldiers, of highly political game by high-ranking U.A officers.

Personally, I thought the third book did better than the second one. Harris is becoming more mature, finally holding his personal grudge against the U.A when he and his platoon were betrayed by Admiral Brocious, left to die in the hearth of Mogat territory along with 200 million Mogat followers.

Wayson Harris is a likeable character. The dialogues are well-crafted and flow naturally. The story narrated from his point of view, simple and yet, highly addictive.I usually don't like novel written in first person point of view, but with this one, I found myself immerse deeply into the character.

On the down side, I wonder why Harris is distracted from his personal mission to avenge the death of Admiral Klyber and instead, working with Adam Boyd clones that once were sent to eliminate him? Still, I'm curious to see what Steven L Kent has on his sleeve for the fourth installment of the series. I definitely will buy the next book, which I hope, coming out soon...

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Satisfying Action, June 3, 2008

By 

A. Lee (L.A., CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Clone Alliance (Ace Science Fiction) (Paperback)

This book picks up where the last (ROGUE CLONE) leaves off. War has broken out and the United Authority's broadcast system has been destroyed, stranding all non-broadcasting ships in local space--and stranding Wayson Harris and the mercenary Freeman on a back-water planet they are trying to escape from with absolutely no hope whatsoever. But Harris, the only Liberator Clone left alive, is one lucky devil in some respects. People are watching him and sometimes they want him alive instead of dead. This time out he's in for a lot of action (as usual), but first he's on what could be a hazardous mission to deliver a message to Earth, then off to try to figure out a way to stymie or defeat the enemy Mogats; on a mission with the deadly Adam Boyd clones, going solo and leading UA marines.

Harris can't help but aid the UA against the Mogats. He's a clone and programmed to survive and to follow UA orders. Once again, he's a pawn--whether leading the way and showing initiative, or not. It's frustrating for him, but at least he gets a (programmed) rush from all the action. As a reader, it's a similar situation: there's action and adventure to satisfy and we don't worry too much about Harris ignoring his own agenda of revenge against those who have killed his men and his sponsors and his friends and have tried to kill him.

In some ways, this was the most exciting book yet, with a number of different missions and the fate of a world and the war with the Mogats in the balance. Harris is doing what he's been created for, and he's good at it. And the ending makes sense, given all that's come before in this series.

Harris's world has changed, making things harder and harder for even a simple military clone (something Harris is not). Things look like they will continue to change--and in rather negative ways. Although there are no huge bells and whistles in this fairly standard far-future world, I remain curious about Harris's fate and will continue to look for any future installments in this series.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid series, good author, November 12, 2007

By 

LT "Sci Fi fan" (Fayetteville, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Clone Alliance (Ace Science Fiction) (Paperback)

I like this author and this series. He does a good job in building his characters - he leaves few that are 2 dimensional of worse - and just writes well. His action sequences are well choreographed.

He has maintained the interest and story line through 3 books now and there is a least a fourth in the future from the ending. There are just too many loose edges left for there not to be another in this series.

It will be interesting to see if the author delves into the legal and societal status of clones in future books. Perhaps he will stay with the personal journey of the laster Liberator clone. I am looking forward to the next book.