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The Sightseers Agency
The Sightseers Agency picks up with Richard Pencil leaving the government position he took up at the end of the previous book. With the new world order well underway, the big three-letter agencies are breaking up, and Richard is going back to work with Joe Fraser and the man known as the Inlooker. Richard also has an impressive upgrade to his extra-sensory detective powers. He’s joined by a new remote-viewer, Miss Plum Duff, whose talents were honed by alien intervention. Fraser hires them to launch the the Sightseers Agency, reporting to him and their mysterious benefactor. Their mission is to oversee the behavior of elected officials, and another secret goal is revealed later. Seb Cage, who is now a talented computer security specialist (along with the skills he gained from the Sombrella Syndicate), joins the agency as well.
The Sightseers soon discover that the greatest threat to earth isn’t just from rogue officials and politicians, but also hostile aliens who have been planning an attack for some time. Complications arise because some of the aliens on Earth are friendly, while some are more like tourists who take on human form just to experience something different. Ms. Plum Duff comes into her own here, since she, like Seb, has a long history with regard to aliens.
Like the previous agency novel, there is an overarching plot that is played out in several different investigations. While the book is described as a series of whodunits set in the future, each case is a link in a chain that ultimately brings conflict on both a personal and global scale. I was glad to see more about the use of psychic mind-reading to ferret out lies and criminal activity, and the manipulation of auras and even the soul itself. There’s also the fascinating angle of this “new world” society, run on a democracy-on-demand system with a goal toward a true meritocracy. While some of this society’s social practices seem dystopian, others, like the use of Tesla’s wireless transmission of energy, offer a utopia of readily-available power.
One of the things I’ve enjoyed throughout the Dreadnaught series is the author’s vivid imagination. His notes at the beginning of the books give real-world tales of psychics and UFO phenomenon that act as the launch pad for his stories. His humor and wordplay are also in full force, with inventive non-cuss words, ribald comedy—especially when it comes to Richard and his Lothario tendencies—and the continued jokes about “potties,” which are ubiquitous self-driving transport pods, giving “on the throne” a whole different meaning.
Overall, this series has been fun to read. The major recurring characters are so unique, each with their own set of skills, flaws, and quirks, that it’s a delight to follow them from one adventure to another. The Sightseers Agency ties up a lot of loose ends, answers questions, and ends on a hopeful note and fans of the series will be satisfied by the ending.
Pages: 307 | ASIN: B01KBAKX1E
I Was Curious
Terry Tumbler Author Interview
Seb and his brother spend the summer in Spain with their grandfather who pulls them along on a journey to discover that the town is filled with dwarves of alien origin. What was the inspiration behind this fascinating idea?
The inspiration for this idea is that fact that my hometown in Spain contains a high number of perfectly proportioned very short people. I’m surrounded by ‘em!
I felt that the story was adventurous but also humorous. Did you have fun writing this novel?
Yes, especially as there is a deserted brickworks near where I live, which is much like I describe it – above ground! The research into UFOs and how they may be powered took longer; I was curious about them, having seen a few, usually in groups, as I grew up.
I felt the characters were well developed. What was your process in creating the characters and how did that change as you were writing?
It didn’t change much, if at all. The characters are nearly always based on real people, including my own family. We all circle each other warily.
Seb Cage Begins His Adventures is book one in the Dreadnought Collective. In what direction does book 2 take the story?
Book 2 is The Inlooker, which is pivotal to the expanding series and you have already reviewed that. It takes us into the near future, where Seb Cage is going to occupy a planet where the population is going to be drastically reduced by gentle means. The types of transport are also undergoing fundamental change, as are the methods by which we are ruled. This is where I need a lot of support from readers, since I am prophesying a future that can become reality, if we realise that it is achievable. My fear is that our senses are being dulled deliberately and we have to snap out of it.
Seb Cage joins the action in the third book in the series, The Time Slipsters. If the first book becomes a success and I live long enough with my marbles intact, the series will become volumes, and his continuing adventures will be related in Volume 1, Book 2.
Author Links: Twitter | Facebook | Website | Blogspot
Seb and his younger brother Bart customarily spend all of their long summer holiday in Spain, with their grandparents. Gradually, as they all become older, relationships are strained, as the old folk try to find things to keep the boys amused.
It is not long before the grandfather, Tumbler, who is a retired detective, is using Seb as a trainee investigator to keep tabs on the movements of a sector of the local town who he thinks ‘don’t fit it in’ – they are in fact dwarves of alien origin.
Soon, Tumbler and his apprentice are rumbled, and Seb is invited to join a summer campus. Coincidentally, this is run by the dwarves and has only recently been set up, virtually on the Tumbler’s doorstep!
At the campus, it gradually becomes apparent that Seb and his classmates have been chosen beforehand, by genetic engineering. They find that they possess special abilities, which have been implanted in them at an early age, and realise that these are now being developed in a matter of weeks.
Whatever plans they may have had for the future, their chosen destiny now awaits them.
Pretty Hate Machine
![Special Task Force: GREEN MAJIK #1 "Pretty Hate Machine": The Reader Feedback Dooms Day Edition by [Templeton, Don]](https://i0.wp.com/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51fO9XzEf1L.jpg?w=604&ssl=1)
Special Task Force: GREEN MAJIK, Pretty Hate Machine, written by Don Templeton, is a high paced action novel that begins with a suicide mission of a nine year old girl, Sadie Hawkins.
Soon after, during a homicide investigation, a phone call regarding a hard drive captures the attention of Detective Jack Carnahan; a man who teeters on the edge of breaking the law in order to capture the crooks. Through a twist of fate, the detective finds himself teaming up with an unlikely duo to expose an unimaginable terror that will shock the world.
Homeland Security, the FBI, alligator farmers and hypnotherapists intertwine in a race against time to find the truth before a terrible secret is unleashed.
Be prepared to cancel all prior engagements as this action packed, edge of your seat novel is a story you will not be prepared to put down. From the suburban streets of Colorado to the headquarters of police in Denver comes a tale of power-puff dressed, mini sized suicide attackers, Charlie’s Angels themed police officers, prostitutes and detectives who will withdraw a glock the moment strife arises.
Not for the faint hearted, the tone of the story is set with the opening chapter exploring a nine year old girl’s suicide mission within her school yard. Enthralled instantly, the reader is left to question what could possess such a terrifying act of horror. On the other side of town, Detective Jack Carnahan stumbles across a home invasion of a UFO crazed family man and soon finds himself working with unlikely allies- an acid addicted journalist and a perky prima donna porn star. The action will keep you on your toes as Carnahan races against time to discover what the connections could be between the brutal homicide and the suicide school yard mission. Not everything is as it seems and Carnahan dives deep into a storm of lies, deceit and ultimate evil.
Don Templeton has a remarkable talent in which he is able to paint a picture with his words and I easily envisioned his characters from the innocent Sadie to the curious hypnotherapist, Buffy Rayburn. The characters are introduced intermittently and together they form the pieces of an intriguing conspiracy puzzle.
Each character delves from unique circumstances. From thugs to hypnotherapists and journalists to prostitutes, every reader will find themselves a character who they adore.
My favourite character, Mallory Hammond, takes you on a journey into the swamps of Louisiana where she is investigating a gang of alligator farmers. Here she discovers a secret that will take you to the depths of your nightmares. Her co-workers perceive her as crazy and a somewhat introverted FBI agent however circumstances transform her from caterpillar to butterfly- a butterfly that is a sexy, capable, tomb raider style fighting machine who demands respect and admiration.
Don Templeton’s vivid imagery often evoked strong emotion through themes of violence, action and comradery and Jack Carnahan’s bravery and thirst for the truth will leave the readers hungry for more. From rescuing scantily dressed teenagers to stumbling across botched cover-ups, Templeton takes you on a whirlwind adventure which leaves you wondering, who can you really trust?
Pages: 379 | ASIN: B017FWYIVC
