Sidelined SF novels: many. These will just have to wait their turn. Big spaceships,
ugly aliens, rugged space mercenaries, women who know how to fight dirty, homicidal
AIs and clanking robots. Alas, SF author Iain M. Banks does it much better, which may
be why I've temporarily lost interest in this genre. But ah'll be back.
Anything else you want to share with the readers?
If someone gets as much fun out of reading my fiction as I do writing it, then my work
here is done, I can return to Heaven. Thanks for giving me airtime, much appreciated.
Please send any comments, questions or insults to DerekPaterson@CompuServe.com
BOOK REVIEW
THE KAISERINE CHAMPION
By Derek Paterson
http://www.eggplant-productions.com/jint...
The Kaiserine's Champion (ISBN 0-9710176-3-8) is available in PDF format. $3.00 for
members of Eggplant Productions and $3.50 for non members.
Derek Paterson's novella The Kaiserine's Champion is full of assassins, political intrigue, dark and dangerous spy masters, sword play, and a very honorable hero in the tradition of all the great swashbucklers. Manfred is about to be hung for killing six of Duke Wilhelm's guards in a sword fight when the Kaiserine's spy master, Otto Thenck offers him a way out, fight in the Arena. Manfred accepts the offer, for while he still may die, there is at least a chance that he might live.
In the Headquarters of the Ministry of State Security, Manfred discovers that he bears a terrible secret. He was bitten by a vampire and made to forget and for a short time he will exhibit the vampire strength and quickness. An advantage which Thenck means to use in the upcoming battles at the Arena. Manfred is forced into drinking Doctor Schmidt's elixir which makes him remember what happened with the vampire. It also pushes him toward becoming a vampire and he finds himself drinking the blood of a young innocent girl.
Trapped in Thenck's web of deceit Manfred is forced to fight in the Arena, the winner will become Kaiserine's Champion. When he allows his first opponent to live, he learns from the Kaiserine that vampires are coming to kill her. He is her only hope to identify the vampire and kill him before he can assassinate the Kaiserine. Can Manfred hope to win, when every competitor challenges him and when the vampire is so much older and more powerful.
The Kaiserine Champion is a very entertaining story, well written despite some
