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The Ephialtes Shorts Collection by [Gavin E Parker]

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Gavin E Parker

The Ephialtes Shorts Collection Kindle Edition

by Gavin E Parker (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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The Ephialtes Trilogy chronicles the conflict between Earth and Mars, triggered by Mars' secession from the USAN in the aftermath of World War IV. The stories of The Ephialtes Shorts Collection make up the connective tissue between books one and two of the trilogy. The collection comprises all four previously released shorts together with the exclusive Ephialtes Short V: Why Am I So Clever?

Why Am I So Clever?

Dr Daniel Kostovich, head of R&D at Venkdt Mars Corp and Special Adviser to the MSS, has always been a smart cookie. When he starts speculating on the provenance of his abilities he finds more questions than answers.

As various possible solutions come and go Kostovich works on the pressing issues facing Mars - food production, defence equipment, and the unresolved conflict with the USAN. Is the ultimate answer to his question unknowable and, given the storm clouds gathering on the horizon, shouldn't his undivided attention be elsewhere?

Be All You Can Be

When MSS Officer Kristen Stahl is seriously injured in the Battle of Allentown Spaceport the stability of her old life is thrown upside down. Along with her injuries she has to cope with a failing relationship and the possibility there is no longer a place for her in her beloved Martian Security Service.

An uncertain future awaits all of Mars, but it seems the fates are determined to test Officer Stahl to the very limit of her capability. Can she fight her way back to where she needs to be, or is the simple act of survival victory enough?

Son of New York

The USAN isn't the place it used to be. The Martian deuterium embargo is causing huge economic damage, and the public is restive. Student Adam Wilson believes in his country but is reluctant to voice his feelings in light of the burgeoning protest movement's belligerent attitude.

Following his own brush with authority Adam has to reassess his beliefs. Could it be that their once great president has stepped over the line? With a huge schism looming Adam is going to have to pick a side, but in a world filled with uncertainty it will be no easy choice.

A Cold Wind Blows

The huge biodomes in southwest Marineris supply Mars with food. Landing a job there is a dream come true for Kimberly Gooding, whose ultimate goal is to save enough money to emigrate to Earth.

When she's called on to do some work outside the domes an urban legend about the ghost of a dead commander gives her pause. The conflict between her rational mind and some baser instincts takes centre stage, and her trust in her workmates is called into question. Is the problem lurking somewhere outside the domes or is it buried deep in Kimberly's subconscious?

See the Worlds

Joining the army is simply a way out for a young person from the backwaters of the USAN, and landing a plumb posting at the garrison on Mars seems to be the icing on the cake. However, the trip of a lifetime coincides with the Martian bid for independence.

As the cushy posting turns into something far more harrowing our narrator reflects on the events that took him to Mars and casts a fearful eye on what the future might hold.

The Ephialtes Shorts look back to the first book of the trilogy and forward to the second, exploring characters and events from each in new and unexpected ways. Does the ghost of a lost commander really roam the Martian outlands? How would it feel to be a patriotic young American coming to realise it may be necessary to reassess your values? As a trooper injured in the episode depicted at the close of Ephialtes, how would you cope with your rehabilitation? Just why is Kostovich so damned clever?

Book two of the Ephialtes Trilogy was released autumn 2017.

Length: 222 pages	Word Wise: Enabled	Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Page Flip: Enabled

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Parker's writing is as highly political and war-ready as space wars fans would expect, as well as following its genre's classic touches with a lot of space tech details that sci-fi readers will enjoy. He clearly has a very intimate knowledge of his creations, and has furnished all possible elements of this world thoroughly and with passion. The Ephialtes Shorts Collection is a highly interesting and entertaining addition to the Ephialtes universe." Self-Publishing Review, ★★★★

About the Author

Gavin E Parker is from the Isle of Thanet in southern England, where he has lived and worked his whole life. He has dabbled in music, film and video in the past and is currently writing novels, short stories and blogs. Inspired by the rapidly expanding possibilities open to publishers in the twenty-first century, in 2014 Gavin set about writing his debut novel, Ephialtes. Ephialtes is the first of a trilogy of books chronicling the war between Earth and its former colony on Mars. A series of short stories - Ephialtes Shorts - set in the same fictional universe complement the main trilogy. Having worked in healthcare, local government and education he has a mildly jaundiced view of the human condition, but still maintains good humour about it. Things could be worse, right? --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN : B06XDD7ZNJ
Publisher : parcom entertainment (May 16, 2017)
Publication date : May 16, 2017
Language : English
File size : 568 KB
Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 222 pages
Lending : Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #1,768,899 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #4,732 in Literary Short Stories
- #5,358 in Colonization Science Fiction eBooks
- #5,661 in Space Marine Science Fiction eBooks

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Winston J. Phillips

Solidly interesting......

Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2017

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There are five stories in the Ephialtes Shorts Collection. . The first story tells of Mars seceding from its colonizer, USAN (read Earth). The writer tells about the evolution of a loose Mars Security System established by Earth on Mars, and how it and its main characters evolve into a military service. The story signals the theme of revolution, takeover and independence of a distant country from its distant colonizer.
The second story tells of a Research Assistant on Mars Venkdt Agronomy. Kim is asked to plant some plants outside the dome. There are stories of strange things going on. She has a supernatural experience being touched, apparently by a ghost. A big problem is to develop plants which can be resilient to low pressure.
The third story centers on a dystopian USAN, with a dictator at the helm and protests involving killing by the armed forces. A strong anti-protest male character rants against protesters until he finds out that the killing of several protest leaders by Government forces was deliberate.. He has to dig deep for information; and in himself to deal with his father’s death ‘in the line of duty”; and with the protest movement, which he joins. Values do change in the face of information and death. Such persons go on to be heroes and martyrs (!?).
The fourth story (set on Mars) is the fullest and best of the lot. Pride, strength, character, determination; loss of limbs; pain; love; and other experiences coalesce around this female character (Kris) which for me makes her a major character. She mixes superhuman effort with the human failing of being afraid of her fear, as she moves from one stage to another trying to regain her place in the military unit, despite her physical deficiencies. She falters but she moves on, and gets her job back. She still must wait two years to see if the necessary procedures on her are completely successful; but she is ready. I love this story, and with confidence, I see her a star character placement.
The fifth story is about a legendary scientist wondering whether his well-known cleverness is the result of genes or gene editing. In the story, he does not find out. But he is a top researcher, and no doubt in some book he will.
The author says he wrote these stories so that they look forward and backward to the trilogy. The stories are cast within the wider story of interplanetary war between Unites States and Nations (USAN) and Mars. The author says the wider story (books) is probably essential to the stories, but not vice-versa. So he advises to read Ephialtes before reading the shorts.
I must admit to be somewhat confused about the connection. I guess that this may be because the stories themselves (notwithstanding the overall contest of inter-planetary war) have no individual context. So there are questions: Were the stories born out of incidents occurring in the books, or are they précis versions of book content? Were they extensions of minor actions of minor characters of the books? Each story contains content that would be a welcome diversion from the main theme of war - the human element. I believe that Kris’ story would star in any ‘military experiences’. Her behavior is ‘Medal of Honor’ category, as she becomes and creates a legend. Having said all this this, I think that the literary quality of the stories (and I presume the books) is quite solid, and the stories are interesting.

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Helpful

Billy O.

Do you think that leading a Martian life sounds too far-fetched?

Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2017

Verified Purchase

When I was a kid, my dad used to define weird people like being “fallen from Mars”. What seemed like a far-distant (if ever) future then, now seems like something that is actually taking a life of its own. When I think that a life on Mars sounds crazy, I just remember that I thought the same about speaking with other people over video, and now I have it as a routine, in more ways than one.

Gavin Parker seems like he has thought about it a lot, as he transfers a story of the 23rd century with confidence, presenting an astounding talent to keep you interested in the story, playing with grounded as well as with wacky language, creating an incredibly readable and palpable intro to the Ephialtes saga. His novelettes are structured to hint at the longer novel and interwoven with characters - they jump from one short story to another.

It is the 23rd century, interplanetary World War IV is going on between USAN (Earth) and Venkdt (Mars). U.S (AN) President Cortes is the ruler for over 13 years without an election and Martian renegades decide to claim independence and strike a revolution from the dictatorship. Their power is deuterium - needed for energy on Earth, and USAN is not willing to leave this in their hands. The main means of warfare are not longer face-to-face battles but manipulating drones, cyberwarfare and alternative information networks.

That doesn’t mean that humans are not involved though, and Parker tells the military saga through the personal meaning the conflict has for its heroes - two stale war gunmen who don’t expect to be found in the middle of a revolution, a junior research assistant who lands a job in a Martian biodome, a high-school student whose dad is a cop and works for Cortes government, a MSS security officer whose personal wishes for marriage and children take a new turn once she founds herself in the new job, and a genius scientist with quirky social demeanor who has a key role in Venkdt development.

If you are a fan of the military science fiction with politics interludes, don’t miss it. It’s convincing and bold.

Helpful

Pearl Angeli

sci-fi is sure to be one of the most must-read genres that I would love to read more

Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2017

Verified Purchase

As a reader who wants to explore more themes in books, sci-fi is sure to be one of the most must-read genres that I would love to read more. Delving into “The Ephialtes Shorts Collection” was a good decision I’ve made because the adventure I experienced here was one heck of a ride. I loved the world building, the plotline, and the characters. Although there times when I felt so lost, I still had a great time reading this book because of the creativity that author was able to perform.

I loved that the story happened during the 23rd century after World War IV. This timeline is a very challenging timeline for a story but the author was able to pull it off as the events seemed realistic enough. I loved the details of the setting (Mars) and the characters, too. The way the story was portrayed was also gripping. Stories that will make me feel connected to the plot and disconnected with the reality is a worthy read for me so I was glad to be entertained by this novel. For fans of science fiction, this will be hard to miss.

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