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Crax War Chronicles #1
Relic Tech
The Silicate War has been over for fifteen years, and the tension among the dominant galactic races is growing. Many fear that the Umblegarri, the ancient alien race that ushered humanity into the interstellar galactic community during the Silicate War, have been targeted for conquest by the Crax and their allies. It's no longer speculation. The invasion is underway and Kra finds himself strapped to a hospital bed, critically injured and surrounded by hostile corporate lawyers, high ranking military and intelligence officials, ambitious members of the criminal justice apparatus, and an Umbelgarri diplomat. All are demanding answers or their pound of flesh. Krakista Keesay, a Class 4 Security Specialist, doesn't have the answers they demand. Why did he sabotage a top secret research facility? What was he doing on a quarantined planet? Why did he set up the civil transport Kalavar for destruction? Is that all? Not even close. Kra turns to his only option: Allow his brain to be hooked up to an experimental device so that he might prove his innocence. Or lose his mind.
452 pages, Paperback
First published November 3, 2013
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210 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 8, 2014
Outstanding! Good work. Calm yourself down, and deliver further relics.
July 4, 2017
Relic Tech Class 4 Transport Security Specialist Krakista Keesay has a significant problem. Actually, he has several problems and they are all very significant. Employed by the Negral Corp and assigned to the transport ship Kalavar, Keesay has been seriously injured as Relic Tech: Crax War Chronicles Volume 1 by Terry W. Ervin II begins. He has no memory of how he sustained those injuries. He has no memory of ever being onboard the Kalavar.
He is accused of numerous crimes, including treason, and is accused of being responsible for the deaths of over 100 military and corporate personnel. He has no memory of any such actions either. Due to his injuries as well as the fact he is heavily restrained, fleeing is not an option. With no memories, he is unable to refute the charges against him. He also does not care for the option strongly suggested by his appointed legal counsel to plead guilty because the evidence against him is insurmountable.
He is aware that things are not right though he has no real clue as to what is wrong. His only option is a very dangerous plan using alien technology. An ancient alien race known as the Umblegarri assisted mankind years ago with becoming part of the intergalactic community. This was before the Silicate War. One of their capabilities is an A Tech-- or advanced technology � machine known as Cranaltar IV. A brain scanning instrument that has the ability to retrieve and store the memories of the subject in the machine. These memories can then be displayed through various means. It also has a tendency to scramble the brains of human test subjects.
Keesay, by invoking his right to be scanned may prove his innocence, but he could also be permanently damaged if he survives the encounter. He might prove his innocence, but he also could easily have no mind left afterwards. It is a risk he is willing to take. Assuming he makes it alive to the small moon of Io to undergo the scanning. Between his health and the forces against him that need him dead to keep the secrets in his head hidden nothing is assured.
Published in 2013 the first book of a new series by author Terry W. Ervin II, Relic Tech: Crax War Chronicles Volume 1 is a combination political/ espionage and science fiction alien invasion war book. While plenty of reviews note the western style aspects of the read, those same reviews seem to miss the political/espionage elements also strongly present in the book. Blending science and history along with plenty of creatures one never wants to meet, Terry Ervin has created a far flung space opera style science fiction read set far in the future with plenty of mystery and thriller elements along with the previously mentioned elements. While it is clearly science fiction, like many of the author’s other works, the tale has elements of nearly every other genre heavily present throughout the work. At over 400 pages, the book certainly isn’t a fast read, but there is plenty of action, intrigue, and various attacking creatures as well as plenty of other things to keep the reader turning pages. You won’t be bored.
Like the very good Flank Hawk series that I also strongly recommend, Relic Tech: Crax War Chronicles Volume 1 is a very good read and well worth your time.
Relic Tech: Crax War Chronicles Volume 1
Terry W. Ervin II
Gryphonwood Press
November 2013
ISBN# 978-1940095-10-3
Paperback (also available in e-book and audio formats)
452 Pages
$13.99
Material provided by the author long ago in exchange for my objective review. The second book in the series, Relic Hunted is in my TBR pile.
Kevin R. Tipple © 2017
He is accused of numerous crimes, including treason, and is accused of being responsible for the deaths of over 100 military and corporate personnel. He has no memory of any such actions either. Due to his injuries as well as the fact he is heavily restrained, fleeing is not an option. With no memories, he is unable to refute the charges against him. He also does not care for the option strongly suggested by his appointed legal counsel to plead guilty because the evidence against him is insurmountable.
He is aware that things are not right though he has no real clue as to what is wrong. His only option is a very dangerous plan using alien technology. An ancient alien race known as the Umblegarri assisted mankind years ago with becoming part of the intergalactic community. This was before the Silicate War. One of their capabilities is an A Tech-- or advanced technology � machine known as Cranaltar IV. A brain scanning instrument that has the ability to retrieve and store the memories of the subject in the machine. These memories can then be displayed through various means. It also has a tendency to scramble the brains of human test subjects.
Keesay, by invoking his right to be scanned may prove his innocence, but he could also be permanently damaged if he survives the encounter. He might prove his innocence, but he also could easily have no mind left afterwards. It is a risk he is willing to take. Assuming he makes it alive to the small moon of Io to undergo the scanning. Between his health and the forces against him that need him dead to keep the secrets in his head hidden nothing is assured.
Published in 2013 the first book of a new series by author Terry W. Ervin II, Relic Tech: Crax War Chronicles Volume 1 is a combination political/ espionage and science fiction alien invasion war book. While plenty of reviews note the western style aspects of the read, those same reviews seem to miss the political/espionage elements also strongly present in the book. Blending science and history along with plenty of creatures one never wants to meet, Terry Ervin has created a far flung space opera style science fiction read set far in the future with plenty of mystery and thriller elements along with the previously mentioned elements. While it is clearly science fiction, like many of the author’s other works, the tale has elements of nearly every other genre heavily present throughout the work. At over 400 pages, the book certainly isn’t a fast read, but there is plenty of action, intrigue, and various attacking creatures as well as plenty of other things to keep the reader turning pages. You won’t be bored.
Like the very good Flank Hawk series that I also strongly recommend, Relic Tech: Crax War Chronicles Volume 1 is a very good read and well worth your time.
Relic Tech: Crax War Chronicles Volume 1
Terry W. Ervin II
Gryphonwood Press
November 2013
ISBN# 978-1940095-10-3
Paperback (also available in e-book and audio formats)
452 Pages
$13.99
Material provided by the author long ago in exchange for my objective review. The second book in the series, Relic Hunted is in my TBR pile.
Kevin R. Tipple © 2017
October 21, 2017
My original audiobook review and many others can be found at .
Krakista Keesay, a Class 4 Security Specialist, find himself strapped to a hospital bed and accused of crimes against humanity. The worst part is that he doesn't remember a thing, and the only way to defend himself is using a procedure that could fry his brain. But he has no choice. This will be the beginning of the Crax wars.
The premises of this book were great. Our main character is accused of something he is sure he did not do, but as he does not remember anything, they will have to use a dangerous procedure to fill in the gaps. I think the intrigue was well built, and I felt quickly interested in what could have happened to Krakista onboard the Kalavar.
There are a lot of characters in this long book. Most of them are two dimensional, but we get an accurate picture of Keesay. A paranoid know-it-all security specialist, with great passion for old guns, and prone to make friends and enemies with great ease. All this qualities make of Keesay an unlikable person for many. I have to say, that despite the fact that I shared some of his motivations, I had some troubles to really understand him and connect to him.
This is an action packed book, with many characters and events, but I have to say that it feel a bit too long winded for me. I started it with great interest about finding out the truth but there are quite some parts in the book where nothing important happens. I agree that they help in giving the reader a picture of Keesay, but in my opinion, the book would have benefited from having these parts edited. I refer to the parts where he is shoot practicing with his mates, or picking up fights. I am not saying that they should not have been included, but they felt too long for me, and made the story drag. They also felt too much like a testosterone competition.
Despite this being quite a good story and having a unique main character, I found something missing. Somehow I lost my interest along the way, and in the end I did not really care for Keesay. It is like the story missed a soul.
I really enjoyed James Conlan's narration. I have read reviews complaining that he does not have an ample voice range, but I disagree. I think the characters were easily discerned, and anyway, there are many characters in this book, which makes it a difficult one for narrators. I think Conlan did an excellent job in portraying characters and keeping it consistent. The beginning of each chapter contains bits of History and knowledge about this world, and Conlan used a different accent for these parts. I think this worked very well in differentiating this parts from the rest. Conlan also used sound effects for some alien characters or when the voices came from a radio. This was very well done, and the audio production was perfect.
I think this is quite a good book, but felt a bit long in some parts. I think it could be mostly enjoyed by military sci-fi fans.
Krakista Keesay, a Class 4 Security Specialist, find himself strapped to a hospital bed and accused of crimes against humanity. The worst part is that he doesn't remember a thing, and the only way to defend himself is using a procedure that could fry his brain. But he has no choice. This will be the beginning of the Crax wars.
The premises of this book were great. Our main character is accused of something he is sure he did not do, but as he does not remember anything, they will have to use a dangerous procedure to fill in the gaps. I think the intrigue was well built, and I felt quickly interested in what could have happened to Krakista onboard the Kalavar.
There are a lot of characters in this long book. Most of them are two dimensional, but we get an accurate picture of Keesay. A paranoid know-it-all security specialist, with great passion for old guns, and prone to make friends and enemies with great ease. All this qualities make of Keesay an unlikable person for many. I have to say, that despite the fact that I shared some of his motivations, I had some troubles to really understand him and connect to him.
This is an action packed book, with many characters and events, but I have to say that it feel a bit too long winded for me. I started it with great interest about finding out the truth but there are quite some parts in the book where nothing important happens. I agree that they help in giving the reader a picture of Keesay, but in my opinion, the book would have benefited from having these parts edited. I refer to the parts where he is shoot practicing with his mates, or picking up fights. I am not saying that they should not have been included, but they felt too long for me, and made the story drag. They also felt too much like a testosterone competition.
Despite this being quite a good story and having a unique main character, I found something missing. Somehow I lost my interest along the way, and in the end I did not really care for Keesay. It is like the story missed a soul.
I really enjoyed James Conlan's narration. I have read reviews complaining that he does not have an ample voice range, but I disagree. I think the characters were easily discerned, and anyway, there are many characters in this book, which makes it a difficult one for narrators. I think Conlan did an excellent job in portraying characters and keeping it consistent. The beginning of each chapter contains bits of History and knowledge about this world, and Conlan used a different accent for these parts. I think this worked very well in differentiating this parts from the rest. Conlan also used sound effects for some alien characters or when the voices came from a radio. This was very well done, and the audio production was perfect.
I think this is quite a good book, but felt a bit long in some parts. I think it could be mostly enjoyed by military sci-fi fans.
April 28, 2023
Action packed !
The author Terry W. Erwin II is one hell of an action packed science fiction writer.
Only the first book and twenty two hours of audio with none stop action and twists.
Absolutely wonderful !
Time for the second book of this story � Relic Hunted �.
Excellent narration by James Conlan with cool special effects and for each of the characters done beautifully.
Got my full
recommendations !!
Oded Ostfeld.
The author Terry W. Erwin II is one hell of an action packed science fiction writer.
Only the first book and twenty two hours of audio with none stop action and twists.
Absolutely wonderful !
Time for the second book of this story � Relic Hunted �.
Excellent narration by James Conlan with cool special effects and for each of the characters done beautifully.
Got my full
recommendations !!
Oded Ostfeld.
August 6, 2024
Normally I don't DNF a book, and handle it to the bitter end. However, with this book, I cannot go any further. The story isn't well written, and while I have my bad books to account for, this one doesn't hit me as a good book. The upside is that the dialogue is good, and there is a lot of it, which I liked a lot. However, the book doesn't do a good work of worldbuilding and left me still wondering what the I-Tech, R-Tech, and A-Tech really means. I still don't grasp the story, and I didn't enjoy reading this one. So I'm sure somebody will like it, but unfortunately for my case, it isn't me.
January 27, 2024
Good stuff
Shot gun bayonets high tech aliens and extrapolating from a man's mind. A significant and yet touching in parts.grip on humanity
Shot gun bayonets high tech aliens and extrapolating from a man's mind. A significant and yet touching in parts.grip on humanity
November 26, 2013
Relic Tech by Terry W. Ervin II is a fantastic book. He uses a similar style to his First Civilization novels, with the beginning of each chapter having a small amount of italicized text that explains a bit about the world. These short bursts of info reveal relevant background in small doses keeping the story moving since there are no awkward info dumps. The technology used ranges from some weapons that we have today to much much greater levels. There are also alien devices that shame anything humanity has managed to come up with.
Specialist Keesay, or Kra, starts off critically injured with no memory of what happened to him and is immediately brought up on charges that would scare anyone. In order to spite the lawyer who is supposed to be his representative, but doesn't seem to be doing much to help, he volunteers himself for a memory probe. The device is able to enter his brain and pull his memories out on video so everyone can see what actually happened even if he himself can't seem to recall them. The only issue is there is a good chance it will turn him into a vegetable.
This establishes a bit of a mystery feel to the book right off the bat. That is further supported by the fact that Keesay and his escort are attacked while trying to get to the transport to take him to his appointment.
Kra was a great character who I grew to like through the book. Being a relic tech gets him looked down on quite a bit, but he just uses that to his advantage when people underestimate him. He is a smart guy who is extremely combat capable and a bit lucky as well. He makes himself some fine friends and some terrible enemies and those characters each have distinct personalities to love or hate as well.
The book has a very fast pace with enough action to keep you wanting to turn the page and enough character development to care about the people who are fighting. As I said earlier there are several secondary characters that you will come to care enough about that you don't want to see them die when the aliens are attacking.
If you have read and enjoyed any of Terry's other books this should be a no brainer for you. If you love the scifi/space opera genres than this book is worth the price for sure, even if you don't read them very often this is a great book to test the waters. I highly recommend picking up a copy of this and look forward to the next book in the series.
I received an ARC copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Specialist Keesay, or Kra, starts off critically injured with no memory of what happened to him and is immediately brought up on charges that would scare anyone. In order to spite the lawyer who is supposed to be his representative, but doesn't seem to be doing much to help, he volunteers himself for a memory probe. The device is able to enter his brain and pull his memories out on video so everyone can see what actually happened even if he himself can't seem to recall them. The only issue is there is a good chance it will turn him into a vegetable.
This establishes a bit of a mystery feel to the book right off the bat. That is further supported by the fact that Keesay and his escort are attacked while trying to get to the transport to take him to his appointment.
Kra was a great character who I grew to like through the book. Being a relic tech gets him looked down on quite a bit, but he just uses that to his advantage when people underestimate him. He is a smart guy who is extremely combat capable and a bit lucky as well. He makes himself some fine friends and some terrible enemies and those characters each have distinct personalities to love or hate as well.
The book has a very fast pace with enough action to keep you wanting to turn the page and enough character development to care about the people who are fighting. As I said earlier there are several secondary characters that you will come to care enough about that you don't want to see them die when the aliens are attacking.
If you have read and enjoyed any of Terry's other books this should be a no brainer for you. If you love the scifi/space opera genres than this book is worth the price for sure, even if you don't read them very often this is a great book to test the waters. I highly recommend picking up a copy of this and look forward to the next book in the series.
I received an ARC copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
January 23, 2016
4th Class Security Specialist Krakista Keesay is in trouble. He's been gravely injured in an alien invasion, but he's on trial for treason for destroying a CGIG installation. His medical diagnosis is not good. He has only days to live, but he is determined to clear his name and does the only thing he can. He agrees to submit to the Cranaltar IV, an invasive procedure to retrieve his memories and it will either prove his innocence or leave him brain dead.
This is an ambition military SF story featuring a complicated and engaging main character in Kra. Kra is smart, inventive and carries a bit of a chip on his shoulder. He gets into more scraps than anyone else no matter what ship he's on and yet he's someone you want to root for and be on your side. I thoroughly enjoyed how the author used today's weapons (shotgun and a .357 considered relics in the story) along with futuristic weapons. This is a fully developed story, both the plot and a number of characters (aliens and humans alike), and kept my attention throughout the book. There are many twist and turns in this story and it will keep you on your toes until the very last page. Highly recommend this excellent SF story. I've read Mr. Ervin's other 2 novels and he's an author that should be on everyone's radar.
I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This is an ambition military SF story featuring a complicated and engaging main character in Kra. Kra is smart, inventive and carries a bit of a chip on his shoulder. He gets into more scraps than anyone else no matter what ship he's on and yet he's someone you want to root for and be on your side. I thoroughly enjoyed how the author used today's weapons (shotgun and a .357 considered relics in the story) along with futuristic weapons. This is a fully developed story, both the plot and a number of characters (aliens and humans alike), and kept my attention throughout the book. There are many twist and turns in this story and it will keep you on your toes until the very last page. Highly recommend this excellent SF story. I've read Mr. Ervin's other 2 novels and he's an author that should be on everyone's radar.
I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
March 15, 2014
Relic Tech......
Action junkies arise!!! Military space opera with tons of individual fighting action, written in the first person with a very realistic noncommittal attitude about actions taken and extremely dedicated to personal beliefs that are believable as well as strongly supported by actions.
(Besides, he really hates corporate shysters!) A really good entertaining story.
Action junkies arise!!! Military space opera with tons of individual fighting action, written in the first person with a very realistic noncommittal attitude about actions taken and extremely dedicated to personal beliefs that are believable as well as strongly supported by actions.
(Besides, he really hates corporate shysters!) A really good entertaining story.
January 26, 2014
Very well written fast paced and completely original material. Best SciFi book I have read in awhile.
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