The Clone Republic [Mass Market Paperback]

Steven L. Kent (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 28, 2006 | Series: Clone (Book 1)

Earth, 2508 A.D. Humans have spread across the six arms of the Milky Way Galaxy. The Unified Authority controls Earth’s colonies with an iron fist and a powerful military—a military made up almost entirely of clones…

Private first-class Wayson Harris was raised in a U.A. orphanage among thousands of clones born and bred to be the ultimate soldiers. But Harris isn’t like the other Marines: he has a mind of his own. He figures he’s paying for that independent streak when his first assignment out of boot camp is the smallest Marine outpost in the whole U.A.

When a rogue general surfaces, the remote desert world Harris thought was a dead-end posting becomes anything but. Fighting off the general’s raid gains Harris a promotion. But it also brings him to the attention of some unfriendly U.A. leaders. They have their own plans for the military—plans Harris disrupts by his very existence. For in an army of clones, the one unforgivable sin is to be different…

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

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Ace (March 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780441013937
• ISBN-13: 978-0441013937
• ASIN: 0441013937
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,823 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.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A novel worth taking a chance on ... April 17, 2007

By Gail Reed

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I am not sure how I came to this book - probably through someone's Amazon List. I am fairly certain I am not in the book's target demographic though. If that describes you too, do not miss the chance to thumb your nose at "target demographics" and give a new genre a try. This book is worth the risk. It has a likeable and able hero who goes on a journey of discovery about the world and his place in it. There are several well-drawn secondary characters who assist him. There is plenty of action, but it's never mindless. The action definitely moves the plot along. There's even a little romance thrown in, which does the same. The story never grows tiresome. I never found myself impatient as I often do with less well written books. This story has depth - it gives you a reason to think, and it's very well constructed. The author deftly assembles all the elements needed for an enjoyable read, good plot, interesting characters, believable settings, etc., whilst also whetting your appetite for more to come. "The Clone Republic" looks like entertainment and reads like literature - what more could you want? One of the best things you can say after finishing a novel, so long as you say it thoughtfully, is "I can't wait to read the next one." Well ... I can't wait to read the next one.

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read if you like Military Sci-Fi December 6, 2006

By K. Maxwell

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Wayson Harris grew up a natural-born orphan in school of military or clones - or so he believes. In the earth of the future the lower rank military soliders are all clones and seen as expendable, while the officers are all natural-born humans. Earth has an impressive fleet with which it patrols a galaxy whose only enemies are other humans - and this is the story of a foot solider and how the wars he's in change both him and the galaxy he knows.

This story is told in the first person - and because the central character is so likeable and the story flows well this is an easy and enjoyable read. This would have to be one of the better military SciFi novels I have read this year - the other ones that stand out being OLD MANS WAR and THE LOST FLEET. I'm looking forward to the sequel to this book, ROGUE CLONE.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is my kind of science fiction book. April 29, 2007

By Sharilyn

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Apart from the Star Wars novels, I'm not much of a science fiction reader. Over the years, I've waded through a few volumes by various authors but never found anything that truly captivated me. "The Clone Republic" however had me hooked from the first page. I finished it in three days--which is quite a feat for a slow reader like me.

This book avoids all of the things I have disliked in other sci-fi works. There are no invading bug-eyed aliens. There are no mutant/advanced humans with strange powers. There is no babbling on about theoretical science and advanced technology. And there is no plodding plot.

Instead, the author gives us likable characters and a storyline that starts strong and keeps building to a climax that is satisfying yet also leaves one wanting more.

I look forward to getting the next book in the series. In the meantime, I may just have to read this book again. It really is one of the best books I've read in a long time.