Commander Henry Gallant
by H. Peter Alesso
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GENRE: Sci-fi
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BLURB:
He
thought Alaina loved him, but now she’s found someone else. A tidal wave of
loss and grief swept over Henry Gallant, leaving him undecided about what to do
next, or how to move forward.
Despite his sorrow,
he goes on a dangerous mission to an invading aliens’ home world in the
Gliese-581 star system. There he uses a neural interface to penetrate their
communication network and steal a high ranking alien’s identity. Through this
artifice he learns about their history and society, and discovers a way to
hinder and possibly defeat them.
A side-effect of
linking into the alien network—which was created for autistic savants—is that
Gallant’s mind was stimulated and enhanced to the point where he begins to
experience superintelligence abilities.
Upon returning from
his mission, there is concern that Gallant might pose an even more serious
threat than the aliens. While he struggles to fend off those who doubt his
loyalty, he fights to win back Alaina.
This is the fourth
book of The Henry Gallant Saga, but it can be read as a standalone story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
Alaina Hepburn strolled across the walkway, smack-dab in the
middle of Halo’s well-trimmed verdant garden park, lavish with diverse foliage
and a flowing water fountain glistening under a brilliant summer sun. Several
bronzed statues adorned the area attracting a glanced from pedestrians as they
passed while an occasional car flew overhead. However, it was Alaina’s
eye-catching outfit and radiant youthful vitality that captured the most
attention of those around her, not merely because she was attractive—though her
blond hair, blue eyes, and well-tanned skin accented her appealing figure—and
not because her behavior was so unusual so as to stir excitement. Everyone who passed
offered her a warm greeting—for she was well-known to the people of Elysium.
No, what attracted the curiosity of those nearby was her bearing—with shoulders
back and head held high, she led one to wonder what adventure she was just
returning from—or, better yet, was just about to embark upon.
When Gallant entered the park on his way to a meeting at the
town hall, the impact of seeing Alaina again struck him like a shock wave. His
reaction was unlike what might be expected from the methodical logical captain
who so recently fought a battle from the bridge of the Warrior. Now he was
simply a man rediscovering his lover—filled with the joy of her presence, the
relief of her safety, and the sensuality of her being—the emotional tizzy
seething beneath the surface was enough to cause the fringes of his vision to
grow hazy, excluding all others from sight. He felt a sense of well-being flood
over him, creating the desire to seize and hold her. Despite his wish to run—he
walked toward her along the intersecting walkway.
When she noticed him, she came to an abrupt stop and turned
to face him. The surprise on her face couldn’t have been more pronounced. He
could only guess that her emotional state was as heighten as his own.
Any passerby might have assumed that they were two old
acquaintances meeting casually to exchange friendly greetings, but his heart
was pounding and his palms were moist. A gust of wind blew a tangled lock of
his hair across his forehead causing him to swipe it away mindlessly.
“Henry!” she said, biting her lower lip.
Her exclamation was short and sharp, giving Gallant a start.
As it invariably happened, he was mesmerized by her. He stammered, “I . . . I
said, ‘I’d be back.’”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
As a
scientist and author specializing in technology innovation, H. Peter Alesso has
over twenty years research experience at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
(LLNL). As Engineering Group Leader at LLNL he led a team of scientists and
engineers in innovative applications across a wide range of supercomputers,
workstations, and networks. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy
with a B.S. and served in the U.S. Navy on nuclear submarines before completing
an M.S. and an advanced Engineering Degree at M.I.T. He has published several
software titles and numerous scientific journal and conference articles, and he
is the author/co-author of seven books.
You can visit
his Web site at: http://www.hpeteralesso.com/Default.aspx
_______________________________________________
Author Social
Media:
Author Web
site at: http://www.hpeteralesso.com/Default.aspx
Goodreads
Address: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/413852.H_Peter_Alesso
YouTube
trailer for Henry Gallant Saga: http://youtu.be/2eciKOBFBSM
Facebook for Henry Gallant Saga:
https://www.facebook.com/TheHenryGallantSaga/
Amazon link
for the Henry Gallant Saga:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011M9O9RC/ref=series_rw_dp_sw
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the excerpt. Thank you for the post and the giveaway!
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