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I was born in the Ukraine in 1970, which was then a part of the Soviet Union, a country that no longer exists. I saw the world as a very different place while I lived behind the Iron Curtain. As a child, I never questioned anything because I was too busy trying to be a normal kid who played with toy soldiers, played soccer and hockey, who loved adventure and science fiction books, and occasionally skipped school to see my favorite movies. The world broadened for me after the famous Perestroika and Glasnost. Once forbidden movies, music, and literature from the West became more readily available.
I had great teachers who taught me the craft with great patience, fun and understanding. I learned from the books written by some of the best writers in the world: Jack London, Ernst Hemingway, David Morell, Isaac Azimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Frank Herbert… And the movies that always inspired me are on my shelf, waiting to be picked up when I need to go where the winds of creation will take me. For me writing is a labor of love. I want to share with my readers all the fun and joy of creativity and imagination. My hobbies include traveling, book and coin collecting, graphic novels, Japanese food and manga, military history and science.
I currently live in New York City where I enjoy the best the Big Apple has to offer.
Reviewed by Kathryn Bennett for Readers' Favorite
Planet of Gods: Book 1 of Enigma by David Crane introduces the reader to Professor Pete Blackwood, a former Space Marine who has become a scientist and now looks forward to a life of retirement and enjoyment on a resort planet. Alas, as happens with many people, life has other plans and a powerful alien intelligence takes Blackwood from the hyperspace highway and sends him light years away into an unexplored region of space. All is not lost, however, when Blackwood makes contact with a distant human colony. But nothing is ever cut and dried. The red alien cloud controls this world and Blackwood gets in deeper than he ever thought he would.
A good sci-fi book is always a treat to dive into and this one fits that bill pretty well. The development is a bit slower than I would usually enjoy, but I respect that when you are creating new worlds and new beings sometimes it is going to take longer to set up. So once you are able to look beyond that and enjoy the complexity of the characters involved, you can settle in and enjoy the action. Professor Blackwood's curious mind and desire to figure things out scientifically is something I can relate to. I might not be a scientist, but I am very curious and I can see why he would get involved in the world in the way that he did. Something new and unknown that he wants to understand, among other things. I do feel that to truly and fully connect with this story I am going to have to read the next installment, but, overall, I felt this book was a solid introduction and it lays a good groundwork for the series. I look forward to the rest of the tale that needs to be told.
