Book review: 'Commodore Farmer' an intergalactic adventure

By Rosemarie Howard

For the Deseret News

Published: Saturday, Jan. 7 2012 4:00 p.m. MST

"COMMODORE FARMER," by Gene McMurty, AKW Books, $6.50, 431 pages (f)

“Commodore Farmer,” Utah author Gene McMurtry’s first science fiction ebook, is an intergalactic adventure of intrigue, deception, suspense and the victory of good over evil.

The story begins with the interplanetary wedding of Prince Westmoreland "Wesley" James Andrew Ayr am-Spotsylvania and Princess Alicia Tsinndorf — heroes and heirs to the thrones of two neighboring planets.
The wedding provides a vehicle for the author to introduce many of the main characters, which include the wedding couple; Archbishop Stilton "Stilt" Farnsworth Canterbury am-Oceanside, a treacherous villain; and an assortment of other important members of the royal families.

For years, the archbishop has schemed for ways to rule the planets of Spotsylvania and Tsinndorf. His plan involves an extensive spy ring, bribery, lying, deaths by poisoning, and the kidnapping of Karl, the heir apparent — son of Wesley and Alicia.

Karl is the namesake of Commodore Karl J. Wahlenmaier, a terraformer — one who creates earthlike environments on un-earthlike planets. The book’s title comes from his nickname, Commodore Farmer. Walenmaier keeps a low profile, but has impressive resources and connections; he is not who he appears to be.

Will Stilt achieve his goal of interplanetary power? Will Karl be reunited with his parents? Just who is Commodore Karl J. Wahlenmaier? As the tale twists and turns to its end, these and other questions are answered in some unexpected ways.

“Commodore Farmer” is definitely G-rated. References to God, prayer, fasting and church attendance are made in subtle, positive ways. The heroes live by high moral values. A few typos — along with spelling and punctuation errors sprinkled throughout the book — are annoying, but don’t get in the way of the story.

McMurtry, who lives in Kaysville, has a self-proclaimed, decades-long passion for science fiction and is a science buff with degrees in biology and human nutrition. According to the author’s website, the science used in the book is real.

Commodore Farmer ebookstore

So the second story in the Night Clinic Anthology, Dopplegangers is about a scientific principle I read about in Science News.  They described taking light beams and splitting them in half.  Then whatever you do to one half happens to the other half.  That is the principle behind secure bank transfers. Well the only real way that a transporter in Star Treck can work is to change matter into energy, generally light.  This is the principle behind this short story, but as with any new scientific principle there can be and often are unintended consequences.  Read the story and see. 

What's new? Night Clinic Anthology

   I posted an anthology of short stories on Amazon so people can get to know my work a bit better. I had a lot of fun writing them. I usually have fun writing unless I have writers block.
   The first story on Night clinic came about when my teenage son asked me a question one day. What would happen if vampires needed dentures. That brought me to a dental clinic for vampires. There were several things that can go wrong with a vampires teeth.
   And no one has ever explained how they suck their victim's blood. I had to assume the canine teeth would have to be hollow because they aren't lapping up the blood from off the victim's neck like the real vampire bat does.
   Anyway the first short story in the Night Clinic anthology answers multiple questions that I am afraid the typical vampirophile has never really asked themselves.

I invite any reader to post a comment on what other questions you may have had about vampires, but had no one to talk to about it.