EDITORIAL REVIEWS:

★★★★★ Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers’ Favorite

Shockwave: The Battle for Earth (Journal One) by Hammer Trollkin is a compelling science fiction story packed with action and features a phenomenal conflict, one that is about to annihilate the entire world. It is a crisis moment and the aliens that attack the earth are not just evil, but ruthless. They bring with them technology that is far more advanced and allows them to dominate. The earth has suffered much from civil wars, the clash of civilizations, and other conflicts. Faced with the evil that confronts them now from the outside, can they unite to present a single front? A ragtag team of fighters is the only hope for humanity, but can they survive the superior military might of the aliens?

Highly imaginative and written in a unique style, Shockwave: The Battle for Earth (Journal One) opens with tension, introducing readers to earth already splintered by conflict, and the action grows in magnitude, transporting readers into an interstellar war that is as powerful as it is defining for the future of mankind. The characters are well-written, some feisty, like Rock and Roll, Muncle, and Mr. T. Each character is given a unique background and I enjoyed how they complement each other as a team.

There is hilarity in the action and the author shows a good sense of humor, weaving it into the conversations between the characters and in the unusual manner in which the events are described. Hammer Trollkin writes in beautiful prose and explores themes of war, teamwork, terrorism, and the struggle for survival. The writing is highly descriptive and the narrative voice is strong and confident. Shockwave is filled with action, fast-paced, and exhilarating. A fun read, indeed.

Shockwave: Invasion. Review by: Entrada Publishing.

The third installment in the Shockwave series, Invasion continues the exciting and occasionally frightening story of what happens when the earth is forced into an intergalactic war. Author Hammer Trollkin has created an imaginative science-fiction adventure withplenty of action, mixed with a bit of theological examination.

The third book, Invasion takes place ten years after the first alien invasion. Mankind thought it couldn’t get any worse, until now. Another invasion is here, and these aliens make the others seem like child’s play.

It is a miracle humans still exist. Reverse engineering the recovered alien technology has given humanity a chance. New branches of science are making it possible for humans to take their fight into the stars. Traveling between the stars is now possible, and humans can manufacture weapons that rival the aliens. Along with major science breakthroughs, the alien invasion has also brought humanity closer together. When everyone on earth is working together towards the same goal, marvelous things can happen.

Shockwave: Invasion reads more like a journal than a science fiction novel. Keeper of the Record for team Shockwave, Viz keeps readers current on events. It is an interesting format for a series, but author Hammer Trollkin’s writing allows readers to feel like they are part of the action. The journal-style formatting only emphasizes this.

Since the novel is written as a journal, character backstories are lacking. Readers that prefer action to drawn-out character descriptions will appreciate this. It doesn’t mean Trollkin’s characters are one-dimensional. The author has fleshed the characters out without adding unnecessary words to the story.

Another aspect that sets Shockwave: Invasion apart from other sci-fi novels is the story’s contemplative nature. It’s not often readers find a novel about an alien bug invasion that takes the time to question how other life forms in distant galaxies fit into human’s traditional ideas regarding religion and the creation story. Who was the snake in the Garden of Eden? Was it one of the aliens launching a preemptive strike against ancient humanity?

“In my vision, a beautiful dawn shown forth along the horizon, battling against the darkness, making steady headway. I looked high, expecting the darkness all around to brighten, and fade away in the blazing light of a new day. Instead, the darkness persisted, and I saw a great war being waged among the stars, engulfed by an unnatural darkness. As I watched, the awful gloom took shape, appearing as an enormous serpent, or maybe a serpentine dragon. It was similar to the shape I had seen in my earlier vision, the one I had at the close of the very first invasion.”

Readers that are looking for something fresh and new in the science-fiction genre will appreciate everything the Shockwave series brings. The story is filled with action, along with enough violence parents of younger readers may want to consider. Catch up with the Shockwave strike team in Invasion and find out how humanity attempts to save itself and planet Earth.