I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own. 

A comic book writer and artist who suffers from a disability finds herself thrust into an intricate plot when she is given an exoskeleton to take to another country in author Chris Stevenson’s “Force Nine.”

The Synopsis

Twenty-nine-year-old Diane Nine, a nationally famous comic book artist and writer, has been a paraplegic since the age of five. Her life is upended when she meets the mysterious Chester “Chet” Strauss.

Chet is a brilliant freelance engineer who has created a revolutionary combat exoskeleton capable of reshaping global military warfare. But he is also a nefarious traitor. Through deception, he manipulates Diane into smuggling the suit out of the country and into the hands of a ruthless communist triad.

Accompanied by her massage therapist and her caregiving secretary, Diane finds herself stranded in Cuba, fighting for survival against terrorists and a Category Five hurricane. Bound to the exoskeleton, she becomes a walking weapon of mass destruction—driven by a single goal: escape the island with the suit.

Her only hope lies in a curious CIA weapons analyst who literally stumbles into her path and joins the melee. As the U.S. military closes in, deploying overwhelming force just short of declaring war, the situation spirals into chaos. The ultimate dilemma remains: the military must find the foursome before it can help them—if it’s not already too late.

THE REVIEW

The action picks up immediately, from the very start of the book. The author quickly finds a balance between action and rich storytelling, taking readers on an adrenaline-fueled ride. The visceral imagery the author brings to life on the page is very engaging, as it feels like the reader is transported into a sci-fi adjacent Jason Bourne-style film that plays out perfectly on the page.

What really resonated in this book was the way the author blended Cold War-era political intrigue and spy thriller elements into a more modern cyber-suspense narrative. The book also does a great job of exploring subtler themes, such as life with disabilities, through characters like the protagonist, Diane. The level of detail in the military jargon and its balance with the very relatable cast of characters will keep readers engaged every step of the way through this narrative.

THE VERDICT

Compelling, thrilling, and entertaining, Author Chris Stevenson’s “Force Nine” is a must-read cyber thriller-suspense novel with a slight sci-fi twist. A story filled with espionage, heartfelt characters, driven storylines, and a remarkable cast of characters that readers can really root for and against allows the twists and turns to have much more weight and keep readers on the edge of their seats as the story progresses. If you haven’t yet, please be sure to grab your copy of this amazing book today!

Rating: 10/10

About the Author

PUBLICATION HISTORY

BOOK CREDITS: 

Auto Repair Shams and Scams (Forward–Ralph Nader), 1990, Price Stern & Sloan, Los Angeles–226 pages, non-fiction, consumer warning and repair book. 

Garage Sale Mania, 1988, Betterway Publications, Crozet, Virginia–190 pages, non-fiction—1988. 

Word Wars, a SF novel, to Rain Publishing, Canada—May, 2007. 

Once Upon a Goddess, a Fantasy novel, to Rain Publishing, Canada—January, 2008 

Planet Janitor; Custodian of the Stars, a SF novel sold to Engage Books, May 2009

The War Gate—paranormal thriller to Pen and Press—August, 2012

Gate Walker, a Paranormal Fantasy, sold to Lyrical Press—January, 2009. 

The Wolfen Strain, a fantasy thriller sold to LBF Books, February 2009

The Girl They Sold to the Moon, a YA dystopia, to Intrigue Publishing 2014

Planet Janitor, Omnibus Edition Reprint, Engage Books, March 2016

Blackmailed Bride, erotic romance to Melange Books, Jan 2018

Screamcatcher: Web World, Book 1, Melange Fire & Ice YA—March 2019 

Screamcatcher: Dream Chasers, Book 2, Melange Fire & Ice YA—March 2019

The Beast of Wheeler Ridge, fantasy/thriller, Winged Publications—March, 10, 2020

Earth Angel, Supernatural thriller, Winged Publications—March 23, 2020

Dispossessed Inc. Time-travel—ghost thriller—Winged Publications—April 23-2020

Screamcatcher: The Shimmering Eye—fantasy/thriller, Melange Books—July–2020

MAGAZINE—SHORT FICTION:

“Stella” by Starlight, to Amazing Stories, 1988.

The Lonely Astronaut, to Amazing Stories, 1988.

Temperamental Circuits, to Gordon Linzner of Space & Time, 1989.

Things that go Clump in the Night, to Richard Fawcett of Doppelganger, 1989.

Dance the Macabre and Dance it Well, to Erskine Carter of Ouroborous, 1989.

Future School, to Chris Bartholomew of Static Movement, January 2006.

The Incredible Mr. Dandy, to Not One of Us.

Planet Janitor: The Moon is not Enough, to Enage Books, 2012

Planet Janitor: Journey Interrupted, to Engage Books, 2012

Other magazine appearances from 1988 to 1991 include, Alpha Adventures, Small Press Writers and Artists Organization and Sycophant. 

RADIO PLAYS:

The Summit, 15-minute horror play to Night Sounds, Embassy Cassette Inc, Santa Ana, California—1990

Night of the Moa, 13-minute horror play to Night Sounds, Embassy Cassette Inc, Santa Ana, California—1990.

AWARDS:

Finalist in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest for Temperamental Circuits, 1987. 

First place, grand prize for The Girl They Sold to the Moon—in the Entranced YA novel writing competition—cash prize and publication. 

Winner for best Young Adult Book of 2019 in the N.N. Light Book Awards Contest for Screamcatcher: Web World: 12-18-2019. 

Bronze medal winner (Web World) in the Reader’s Favorite International Book Awards Contest for 2020.

5-Star Review and badge (Web World) in the Reader’s Favorite Awards. 

JOURNALISM AND MAGAZINE ARTICLES

350 newspaper profiles, stories, and interviews to Sunset Publishing, Anaheim, California, appearing in The West Coast Jewish News, The Senior Citizens Reporter and The Military Review. From 1988 to 1991. Seven automotive and home and garden articles to Dollar Stretcher Magazine, from 12-2-2011 to 2-28-2012. Eight science articles to Xiauduo Media, for Chinese translation( 8 -14 year-old audience)—Astronomy, new transportation technology, space, exoplanets, future spaced ship drives, big bang theory and inflation. 

CONTENT AND CLIENT

I have written and published over 1,750 non-fiction automotive, aircraft, marine, home. garden and science articles for Demand Media Studios under the Beta-Automotive and E-How stations. Six automotive articles to Examiner.com—6-2012. Published. 440 automotive and general articles to TextBroker–2014—plumbing, gardening, home improvement, home utilities, electricity–Content writing for a total of three years.

ORGANIZATIONS/POSITIONS:

Served as content editor for Sunset Publication (see above) for three years. Responsible for all writing assignment content, filler and artwork. 

President and founder of Heartland Writers Group, Huntington Beach, California, from 1987 to 1991.

AGENTS:

Past agent–Richard Curtis Associates, from 1988 to 1991.

Past agent—TriadaUS (Dr. Uwe Stender), from 2005 to August 2009

Present agent—Sara Camilli Agency

CURRENT FINISHED BOOKS (AVAILABLE):

Iron Maiden an adult military espionage thriller. (Agent’s top pick)

Sky High—YA Distopian/apocalyptic adventure

Valley of the Mastodons, a non-fiction book involving the Ice Age megafauna discoveries in Hemet, California, during the Diamond Valley reservoir dig in 1994–1997. Proposal, chapter outline, and 100 pages available upon request

The Omega Wars—SF, apocalyptic alien invasion (Sequel to Planet Janitor)

The Wonders of the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits—a children’s chapter book about the Ice Age and the megafauna entrapment—told in a nonfiction/storytelling format. 

Word Wars (Reprint candidate)—Rain Publishing—2007—rights returned

Once Upon a Goddess (Reprint candidate)—Rain Publishing—2007—rights returned

Amazon Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Chris-Harold-Stevenson/e/B001K8UUBK

Christy’s Website:  https://christysyoungadultfabuliers.com/

Blog:  http://guerrillawarfareforwriters.blogspot.com/