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james young

Surprise! 😄 A new mecha short story from Jacob!

November 2, 2024 by hpholo 1 Comment

Hey, y’all! 😄 This short story’s been turned in so long that honestly, we forgot about it until Raconteur Press told us the anthology was out. 🤣 That said, if you’ve been jonesing for some giant robot action, check out Giant Stompin’ Robots, edited by our good author pal James Young.

READ GIANT STOMPIN’ ROBOTS HERE

It’s got a bunch of kickass giant robot stories in it, but it especially has a new short set in the Titan Mage universe I wrote as Edie Skye! (Be warned: The short’s not spicy, but the series is.) “Once a Titan Mage” basically boils down to “What if John Wick, but with a giant robot?” with all the epic action that implies.

Also, if you haven’t read it yet, I’ve got a story (as Edie Skye) in the companion volume Giant Freakin’ Robots:

READ GIANT FREAKIN’ ROBOTS HERE

“I’m in Love with a Helicopter” involves transforming helicopter mechs and epic battles with air pirates … but is ultimately inspired by that one Armored Core VI tutorial that kicked my butt so many times I developed Stockholm Syndrome and started to love it. 🤣

Speaking of which, I gotta show off this review from Tangent Online, which loved the entire anthology … but especially loved Rion, Sevas, and Jenny’s adventure.

If you’re into giant robots, we hope you’ll give both a look! 😄

Filed Under: Holo Books Tagged With: Anthologies, Edie Skye, Giant Freakin' Robots, Giant Stompin' Robots, james young, mecha, Raconteur Press

Aries’ Red Sky – Book Review

June 24, 2022 by hpholo Leave a Comment

Ok, I’ve gotta thank James Young for his patience, ‘cause he sent me an audio code for this book years ago and I’ve spent all that time and multiple listens trying to articulate a review for this thing.

Aries' Red Sky Audiobook Cover

Aries’ Red Sky is a grand, galaxy-spanning take of interstellar politics, war, and the humans that are tossed about in the resulting maelstrom. On one side is the Spartan Republic, which emerged after fleeing the earth in the wake of an oppressive empire. That empire has since been lost to the ages, but some of its spirit remains in The Confederation of Man, which is Earth-centric in manners beyond the mere location:

It holds that all people deriving from Earth belong to Earth—i.e. under the Confederation’s thumb.

And the Spartan Republic has no interest in belonging to anything but itself.

One of the things that made Aries’ Red Sky so difficult to review is, simply, how complex it is. This is not a pew-pew special effects vomit space opera. This is a “You meet characters from both the Spartan Republic and the Confederation and get to like them on a personal level before realizing, ‘Oh, sh*t … they’re gonna war, aren’t they’?” space opera. It’s also a “Yes, the Spartan Republic is generally more sympathetic because of its willingness to fight for its freedom, but there are some real scumbags among its political leaders, too, and here’s a look at how they’re willing to stab the rare competent politicians to benefit themselves, even if it’ll literally result in interstellar war” space opera.

There is tension in every single corner of this novel, and if you’re familiar with Young’s writing, you know he’s going to milk that for all the drama it’s worth. He has a talent for writing heart-wrenching heroic sacrifice and death scenes, and he knows it, and I imagine he allows himself a little devilish grin every time his readers notice.

The strength of this book, though, is that the drama is never restricted to one “good guy” side. Even if the reader is more inclined to root for the Spartans on a philosophical scale, the very human sufferings of both its and the Confederation’s individual characters bring a very realistic and wrenching perspective to the conflict—especially since the ultimate point of the book’s conflict isn’t to win a war, but to stop a war from happening. The amount of sacrifice that goes into merely avoiding galaxy-spanning war is much of the tragedy of this book, especially when one considers that some of the tension is derived from simple misunderstandings and conflicts of military standards. (One side, for example, has a stricter definition of how surrender works, especially with regards to how captured enemies are expected to behave, and when the other fights back without knowing that … unintended trouble ensues.)

Even though the characters’ goal is to prevent a war, the book carries a heavy theme of “War is hell, and it’s especially hellish in vacuum.”

All that said, it’s not a book you read at night for fun while nodding off to sleep. There’s lots to keep up with narratively, militarily, politically, and interpersonally, and the complexity of it is delicious for people who are looking for that sort of book.

But it’s not even close to an easy read.

Still, Young balances the heaviness of the darker conflict with some astute, intelligent, sometimes coy worldbuilding, and some fun easter eggs. (The Lin-Manuel Miranda fan in me was delighted to meet one character attending a Lin-Manuel Miranda Day performance … at a theatre thousands of years in the future on the other side of the galaxy.) There are also elements of the political worldbuilding that are clearly inspired by the frustrations of modern politics—there’s a limitation on how many people from the same political family are allowed to serve, for example, and formal duels are an accepted method of resolving grievances—but it’s never overbearing, and in general the political squabbles are unique to the context of the setting, rather than direct commentaries on modern politics.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t lavish some praise on Jennifer Jill Araya’s audio narration. She handles a variety of accents and characters—and songs—with aplomb, and while the basic text of Aries’ Red Sky is engaging, I have to say that she makes the audiobook my preferred version.

Also, a fun bit of trivia: Not only does Jacob’s name have a cameo near the end, but his character sings, and it’s a song about a unit called the Obstinate Otters. (There’s a reason these two magnets are prominent on my fridge.)

Obstinate Otters Magnets

All in all, Aries’ Red Sky is a great book, and for readers of complex military space opera, it’s a genuine treat.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Book Review, james young, Military Sci-Fi, Military Science Fiction, Obstinate Otters, Otters, Review, Science Fiction, Space Opera

Giveaway – Military Sci-Fi and Space Opera

April 20, 2021 by hpholo Leave a Comment

Time for another giveaway, y’all! 😀 This time, Jacob’s teamed up with 5 of our author pals to bring you a signed mini-library of Military Sci-Fi and Space Opera books, including:

  • The Dragons of Jupiter, signed by Jacob Holo
  • Tanager’s Fledglings, signed by Cedar Sanderson
  • Aries’ Red Sky, signed by James Young
  • Division One: Alpha and Omega, signed by Stephanie Osborn
  • Recruit, signed by Jonathan P. Brazee
  • Legend, signed by Christopher Woods

To enter, just follow this link and enter your mail address. The contest runs from now until Sunday, April 25th, at which point we’ll draw 3 lucky winners!

As always, if you want to increase your chances of winning, there are ways to earn additional entries! 😀

Once you enter, you’ll be sent a confirmation email. (Check your spam folder if you don’t see it in your inbox.) The link in this email will send you to a page of sharing buttons. If you share the giveaway through these buttons, then for every person who enters through your shares, you get 5 more entries! That’s 5 more chances to win!

Good luck! 😄

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Note: Holo Writing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and, as such, may earn a small commission from any product purchased through an affiliate link on this blog.

Filed Under: Giveaways and Contests Tagged With: aries' red sky, cedar sanderson, Christopher Woods, contest, contests, division one: alpha and omega, giveaway, giveaways, Jacob Holo, james young, Jonathan Brazee, jonathan p. brazee, legend, military sci fi, Recruit, signed book, signed books, Space Opera, stephanie osborn, Tanager's Fledglings, The Dragons of Jupiter

Giveaway – Mechs & Misfits & Explosions, Oh My!

February 21, 2021 by hpholo Leave a Comment

If you’re on this blog, chances are you’re a fan of giant robots and space adventure and general explosive mayhem, so here’s a giveaway just for you! 😀

We’ve teamed up with five of our #AuthorBuds to give away signed copies of The Messenger by J.N. Chaney and Terry Maggert, The Heaven’s Boxer by R.H. Tang, fLUX Runners by William Joseph Roberts, An Unproven Concept by James Young – and, of course, Jacob’s Bane of the Dead.

All you have to do to enter is click here and follow the directions on screen.

Want to increase your chances of being one of the three lucky winners? 😯 Be sure to check your inbox for a confirmation email. Inside that email will be several social media sharing links. For every person who enters this contest through the links you share from that email, you’ll get five additional entries, so share away!

Contest runs from now until Saturday, February 27th. Good luck! 😊

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Note: Holo Writing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and, as such, may earn a small commission from any product purchased through an affiliate link on this blog.

Filed Under: Giveaways and Contests Tagged With: Action, adventure, an unproven concept, AuthorBuds, Bane of the Dead, contest, fLUX Runners, Giant Robots, giveaway, giveaways, j n chaney, Jacob Holo, james young, mech, mecha, mechs, r h tang, signed books, space, space adventure, Space Opera, the heaven's boxer, the messenger, William Joseph Roberts

Authors Just Talk About History – Virtual Panel

December 10, 2020 by hpholo Leave a Comment

Hey, everyone! The next Authors Just Talk About… virtual panel is coming up soon on Thursday, December 17th @ 8pm EST! 😀

Join me and professional history nerds David Weber, James Young, and Terry Maggert as we chatter about…well, history!

As always, the panel will be streamed on Facebook, but here’s the Zoom link for those who’d prefer to watch there.

See you next week! 😄

***

UPDATE: The YouTube archive is here (and below)! Though, of course, if you’d like to watch on Facebook, you can do that here, too. 😄

Filed Under: Authors Just Talk About... Tagged With: against the tide imperial, an uncertain concept, author chat, Authors Just Talk About..., David Weber, Halfway Dead, history, Honor Harrington, james young, panel, Panels, safehold, Starcaster, Terry Maggert

An Unproven Concept – Book Review

August 16, 2017 by hpholo 1 Comment

James Young is another of those authors whose books I bought at LibertyCon years ago and subsequently forgot to read because I tell myself that I’m not going to buy new books until I finish my current pile and, unfortunately, I am a terrible liar. Which results in old books getting hopelessly buried under new books.
An Unproven Concept suffers from an uninspiring title, which is another of the reasons why it sat on my to-read pile for so long. What it should really be titled is “MFing TITANIC IN SPACE!” or some equivalent, because truly, this is a book for people who watched Titanic and thought “You know what this movie needs? Starships and a higher body count.”
unprovenconceptAn Unproven Concept’s Titanic is a starliner that is the best of its type, but the iceberg on its horizon is the persistent advancement of ship technology, which threatens to obliterate the Titanic’s illustrious place in the echelon of starships. Company executives are breathing down the captain’s neck to keep his ship relevant and insist that a trip into uncharted – and illegal – space might just be the shot in the arm that Czarina Lines needs to stay at the top of the game.
Turns out that technological advancement isn’t the only iceberg in this Titanic’s way. When it makes first contact with not one, but two hostile alien species in this territory, it’ll need all the help it can get to save what remains of its passengers and crew.
Nearby are only two ships – the Constitution, a new, experimental ship that everyone expects to fail, and the Shigure, a dinosaur of a ship with a few surprises hidden up her sleeve (in both cases, the unproven concepts of the title). They’d better make it in time, because in this area of space, they’re the Titanic’s only hope.
An Unproven Concept is an entertaining piece of military sci-fi, especially for readers who are Titanic nerds and who like mounds of detail and numbers mixed in with their action. It isn’t so much a retelling of the Titanic disaster as a “What if the Titanic wrecked in space?” exploration, though it does keep some of the tropes that follow the Titanic story – namely, someone in power over the ship insisting that it go faster or, in this case, be more interesting. I initially found that one repetition frustrating; by this point in the far future, after inevitable centuries of Titanic retellings, the captain of a ship with the most unlucky name in transportation should know to answer any orders of that nature with “LOL u so silly. 😛 ” But on the flip side, it’s an obnoxious company exec doing the insisting, threatening livelihoods until he gets his way, etc., and when it comes down to it, a dumb, arrogant, disastrous exec is not that unbelievable. (Plus readers get to enjoy one of the most satisfying comeuppances in the history of executive idiocy when this character gets his due, so it’s worth it just for that.)
Despite its level of detail, too, it’s also fairly easy to read for even casual military sci-fi readers. Personally, when I encounter ship statistics in books, they sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher in my brain – I don’t read for the math. I read for the KABOOM. – but they’re so structured in this book that you can glance over them and still understand what’s going on around them.
Of course, no military sci-fi book – or disaster book, for that matter – is worth anything if you don’t care for the people fighting and dying, and An Unproven Concept’s characters are believable and sympathetic (except for that one exec, whom I’d call a dick if it wouldn’t be an insult to Richards and manly bits everywhere). Abraham Herrod, captain of the Titanic, is one of the easiest to relate to, as he’s just a guy trying to do a good job but being thwarted at every turn by the higher ups. Marcus Martin is one of the best and most badass; as chief security officer on the Titanic, he’s got an obvious bone to pick with everyone who allowed the ship to go into dangerous space, but until he can pick that bone (and maybe break a few) he’s determined to keep as many alive as he can – even if this sometimes involves letting others die.
See, this is a complex book where characters find themselves in situations where there are no good solutions, just some solutions that are slightly less bad than others. But if that’s what you’ve got to work with, you work with it. (It is a military novel, after all.) It also makes the losses even more catastrophic, for the characters who survive have to live not only with their personal losses, but the question of whether their actions were legitimately the right ones. The novel spends a significant amount of time after the conflict’s resolution wrapping up these emotional ends, which on one side, makes for a slow ending, but on the other, makes the end more relevant. It’s not a “Rah-rah! We beat the aliens!” win, because when it comes to any kind of military conflict, there’s rarely a “Rah-rah!”-style ending. There’s always tragedy among the victory, and An Unproven Concept captures that well. However, at its heart, it does allow itself to have some fun with its situations. I mean, characters don power armor and mech suits more than once, after all, and there’s plenty of tough soldier sass to go around.
My only real complaint about the book is that the aliens’ motives aren’t explored much at all; they’re present pretty much exclusively to wreak the havoc that causes the disaster. I would have liked to learn more about them, especially since two separate civilizations were involved, but then, that’s not the story this book wanted to tell. There are also enough typos to notice, but not enough to distract; the story was engaging enough that they didn’t matter as much to me as they would have in other books.
If you’re into military sci-fi, then, An Unproven Concept is well worth your time.
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Note: Holo Writing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and, as such, may earn a small commission from any product purchased through an affiliate link on this blog.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: explosions, james young, military sci fi, Science Fiction, titanic

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