Ben Jeapes Books

This book is a must! I met the author and promised I would read the title, and I have to give it to him! This book was a blast! Very good buy!

The "Xenocide Mission" by Ben Jeapes is a great book with mystery, suspense, and thrills, but at times, it gets boring. Don't let this discourage you the book is very good and has a very good story and a lot of actions that creates suspense and makes the reader want to continue reading. But the book got a little boring at times when the setting was calm. The thing I liked the best about the book is that it is told in third person point of view and the story was told through three main characters and their thoughts. I thought that it was a very nice story telling device to tell the story through the lives of three characters, and I liked how two of those characters were related and yet so far apart. One was a commander of the alien race known as the Xenocides or "XC". Other than it being boring at times during the story, the book is very readable and has a really decent appeal to grab the reader in. I mostly recommend this to people who love to read science fiction books.

The Xenocide Mission, by Ben Jeapes, marketed as a Young Adult book, and works very well as such, though it is fully enjoyable foradults, in my view. (The lead characters include two humans in their early twenties, as well as a much older human, and an apparently much older alien.)

This novel opens on the joint Human/First Breed satellite called SkySpy, which is monitoring the fearsome aliens known as the Xenocides, or XCs, because they brutally exterminated the other intelligent species in their solar system. Young Joel Gilmore and his First Breed (or "Rustie") partner Boon Round are making an external repair when the XCs mount a surprise attack. The first priority is to ensure destruction of the computer banks and the removal of any chance of the XCs gaining FTL technology. Joel, thrust into a leadership role all of a sudden, heroically returns to the satellite with Boon Round while the rest of the survivors make their escape. Soon Joel and Boon Round are captives of the Xenocides.

One of the key Xenocides is Oomoing, a senior Mother of the Scientific Institute of one of their nations. She is summoned to SkySpy to study Joel and Boon Round. We learn that the Xenocides are fierce carnivores, and very warlike in basic orientation, but also that they are intelligent and not, on the face of it, xenocidal. Also, there is some strange mystery concerning the "Dead World", former home of the race the XCs exterminated. And as Oomoing tries to make peaceful contact with Joel and Boon Round, they get the chance to escape -- but only to the Dead World, and with Oomoing and another XC along.

Meanwhile, a rescue mission is organized from the Roving, home planet of the Commonwealth of Humans and First Breed. Joel Gilmore's father, Michael, a retired Commodore, and Joel's girlfriend, Marine Lieutenant Donna McCallum, in their different ways wangle themselves onto the mission. Once in XC space, the mission takes an unexpected turn, as the Xenocides attack and the Commonwealth ship is thrown into chaos by the treachery of an Earth-based observer and the only survivor of the race that formerly dominated the First Breed. (All this refers to back story which is presumably told in His Majesty's Starship.) Another xenocide is threatened, and so is the potential for cooperation among at least four alien races. Only if Joel, Boon Round, and Oomoing can come to terms with their mutually alien natures and work together to understand the mystery of the Dead World can this danger be averted.

This book is very enjoyable, a brisk, entertaining read, with some pretty neat alien races. It's a bit cynical about politics, both human and alien, but not in a hopeless way, rather a fairly realistic way. It might be too busy, with too many strange alien mysteries revealed, and too many plots within plots uncovered. Still, I liked it. It certainly might appeal to its intended audience of "Young Adults" -- and it will also appeal to adult readers of SF looking for a fine adventure story with some interesting speculation about alien races.

"The Xenocide Mission" written by Ben Jeapes. This is a book where your imagination travels as you read, and understand this thrilling, and amazing book. This book is about an out space mission, which the crew of an asteroid named SkySpy have been sent to watch some kind of different life beings, whose technologies, and weapons are supreme or beyond than any of the Earth's. These extraterrestrial beings are called "Xenocides", but also known as "XCs". They are rich not only in technology, and weapons, but they are also aggressive to their enemies.
The "Big Scope" is also one of the many surveillance equipment items, which goes around the SkySpy asteroid. The SkySpy is a supposedly secret base where Lieutenant Joel Gilmore is one of the main characters who work in the maintenance of the SkySpy. He was the only one who first saw the glowing white spots in the space, and then he thought that they were being attacked by some military strength laser, but the fact was that they was being attacked by the aliens they were supposed to watch.
While the days pass more action is coming throughout each page such as battles, fights between the SkySpy crew, then they get closely to the XCs, and a lot more! Of course, with a peaceful ending.
My recommendations of this book goes to the people who like stories of aliens, and out space missions mixed with mystery and a lot of action, which brings you not only to a different point of life, but also to a different world.

The Xenocide Mission appears under a Random House young adult trademark but its complexity will lend to its enjoyment by many an adult science fiction reader, as well. Joel is part of a space observation team that is attacked by the aliens they are observing. Trapped and awaiting rescue, they find fresh, new and dangerous insights on the aliens they had investigated previously from outside. Quick action and a complex plot makes The Xenocide Mission recommended for older young adults into adults.

"The Xenocide Mission" written by Ben Jeapes. In this book your imagination travels as you read and understand this thrilling and amazing book. This book is about an outer space mission, in which the crew of an asteroid, named SkySpy, have been sent to watch different life beings, whose technologies, and weapons are supreme or beyond than any of the Earth's. These extraterrestrial beings are called "Xenocides", but also known as "XCs". They are rich not only in technology, and weapons, but they are also aggressive to their enemies.
The "Big Scope" is one of the many surveillance equipment items, which goes around the SkySpy asteroid. The SkySpy is a secret base where Lieutenant Joel Gilmore, one of the main characters, works on the maintenance of the SkySpy. He was the first one to see the glowing white spots in the space, and he thought that some military strength laser was attacking them, but in fact the aliens they were supposed to watch were attacking them.
While you read throughout each page the action unfurls, such as battles, fights between the SkySpy crew, they get close to the XCs, and a lot more! Of course, with a peaceful ending.
My recommendations of this book goes to those that like stories of aliens, and outer space missions, mixed with mystery and a lot of action, that brings you not only to a different point of life, but also a different world.

I must confess that the premise of this book took a bit of getting used to: an alien invasion - more correctly, an alternative world invasion - during the English Civil War. I was also disappointed that Jeapes made no serious attempt to make the dialogue sound authentic; true 17th century speech may have been a bit difficult for some modern readers to contend with (the era is just post-Shakespeare) but a compromise would have been good.

Once the story really gets going, however, it is excellent. I was impressed by the efforts Jeapes has made, after the admittedly extreme variation of introducing alternate-world dwellers and advanced technology into the 17th century, to keep as close as possible to the actual history of England. He even adds an historical postscript to explain the difference between his version and the real history - though incorporating a clever bit of fiction as well.

The characters - both historical and fictional - are well depicted, their concerns and their moral dilemmas are explained well, and the plot is both logical and enthralling.

The civil war between the forces of Oliver Cromwell and King Charles II has devastated the countryside, but by May looks like it's nearly over with the monarch barley escaping recently with his life. However, in the middle of battle, a third force has emerged with weaponry much more powerful than that of either combatant even combined.

Observing a battle, John Donder recognizes the rifle that has not been invented for another two plus centuries. The Holekhors are influencing the war on land, at sea, and for the first time fighting from the air. John having been stranded here before seeks the woman he loves and left behind years ago though he knows time and space are linear when he first fell through a portal. Now in the present of mid seventeenth century England, a late nineteenth century army led by General Dhon Do has invaded the countryside, but learning that he previously sired a child before his earlier timely departure has shocked and awed him.

This is a terrific alternate history tale with a powerful science fiction cut that changes English history at a pivotal moment with time traveling aliens. The story line is action-packed, but also brings to life the reality of the era by comparing it to later weaponry and tactics and through some of the key historical figures. Though targeting a teenage crowd, Harry Turtledove fans will appreciate Ben Jeapes brilliant novel of THE NEW WORLD ORDER.

Harriet Klausner

The prior review by "Harriet Klausner" is plainly by someone who has not read the book. At best she had read the jacket notes and merely rewritten them. Her description applies to about the first three chapters of the book. There's lots more after that.

Anyway, the book is written for a young adult reader. As such I'd call it a decent read. Probably a 5-star read if I were still a teenager, but the characters and plot were perhaps a little slight and the idea not enirely original. But there's some interesting historical background which an American kid would never get in school but which would be stock stuff for an English kid.

The basic idea is, at first, introduction of advanced technology (rifles, airships, etc.) into the English Civil War. Turtledove tends to get credit for this idea (see his Guns of the South), but the idea's been around since at least the late 1960s and was perhaps best done by de Camp in his Lest Darkness Fall. However, in Jeapes' book the advanced tech doesn't come from the future, it comes from... well, you'll have to read a bit to get the first glimpse of that. Read on and you'll figure out exactly where it is that "John Donder" et al come from.

Donder isn't the only main character of the book. The lost son, whom he finds right away, is just as important. And as major supporting characters we have the Stuart royal family, Cromwell, Monk, and others. Also Donder's compatriots from wherever it is that they come from. Much of this book turns on John Donder's conflicted loyalties and on the efforts of the Englishmen to overcome their divisions and fight off the mutual enemy.

I thought that this book was very good and it keeps you on the edge of your seat every second! I would recommend it to people of all ages!

I have read the U.K. version of the book - titled "His Majesty's Starship" - but the story is evidently the same.

I found the plot twists very entertaining and consider the lack of some background information of little concern.

I certainly wasn't worried about the author missing out any quasi-scientific explanation for currently-impossible techniques. This is something that's missing from a large proportion of S.F. stories.

This book has joined the select list of those I can enjoy reading several times - despite being published in a young-adult category.

By the way - I guess the author assumed the existing U.K. had finally merged with the European Union and that the Royal Family had taken their remaining supporters with them into space.

All right, I'll admit that just picking this book up off the shelf, I couldn't help but notice how closely the plot summary mirrored that of Arthur C Clarke's RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA and RAMA II, both superb science-fiction novels. However, Ben Jeapes actually proved my initial concerns to be incorrect. Jeapes set out a unique, coherent plot that managed to be suspenseful at times.

I understand that this was meant to be written to a Young Adult audience (hence it being published by Scholastic), but writing to a younger age does not mean that an author can ignore the science in science-fiction. For example, it is written that aliens have devised this sort of space-stretching transportation device that allows light-years to be crossed in seconds (think of Madeliene L'Engle's A WRINKLE IN TIME and her fourth dimension theory). However, Jeapes offers no scientific theory as to how these work. Make a theory up of you have to, but you can't offer nothing!

Second, Jeapes suggests that that some tragedy has befallen the United Kingdom and now all of their citizens live on a giant spaceship. No, I'm not kidding. And even worse, we never find out why they are on this spaceship (what happened to the old England?)! Rather disappointing in terms of background information.

In conclusion, Jeapes has managed to start off with a novel that has a fairly decent plot, but loses its way via the above. Although Jeapes' writing doesn't have as great character writing as that in RAMA II, or the awesome space battles of Tim Zahn (HEIR TO THE EMPIRE), it will be interesting to see how Jeapes' writing matures in the future, and I look forward to reading his next, and hopefully more polished, novel.