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Retrieval
HE SAT UP IN SUDDEN motion the way he always did on waking. “What is it you want, Malakai?” Her voice echoed from the dream. “You,” he said in a whisper into the empty room.
What if you discover someone you trust is not of this earth?
The desert has always been home for Gillian. Hasn't it? The diner she owns gives her a good life, she thinks. Then a man calling himself Gabriel rents the room upstairs and hires on as her cook. Because of him, her ordinary world and everything she loves begins to shift into an unknown and frightening reality.
On the very day he arrives, fiery explosions streak across the sky, and everyone in the diner assumes it must be part of a military operation from the nearby base. But it is far more. Seven ships, starbreakers, have entered Earth's atmosphere. One of them crashes to the ground, scattering valuable and dangerous technology into the desert in its wake. Five of the starbreakers immediately depart before being detected.
Only one alien ship remains--the Menocai--for it must retrieve all lost debris before the local military can find it.
And it holds, too, a darker purpose. Its self-absorbed commander seeks Gillian, as well. He won’t leave until she is captured. He has sent his brother Inac, in the guise of Gabriel, to retrieve her.
What if you discover someone you trust is not of this earth?
The desert has always been home for Gillian. Hasn't it? The diner she owns gives her a good life, she thinks. Then a man calling himself Gabriel rents the room upstairs and hires on as her cook. Because of him, her ordinary world and everything she loves begins to shift into an unknown and frightening reality.
On the very day he arrives, fiery explosions streak across the sky, and everyone in the diner assumes it must be part of a military operation from the nearby base. But it is far more. Seven ships, starbreakers, have entered Earth's atmosphere. One of them crashes to the ground, scattering valuable and dangerous technology into the desert in its wake. Five of the starbreakers immediately depart before being detected.
Only one alien ship remains--the Menocai--for it must retrieve all lost debris before the local military can find it.
And it holds, too, a darker purpose. Its self-absorbed commander seeks Gillian, as well. He won’t leave until she is captured. He has sent his brother Inac, in the guise of Gabriel, to retrieve her.
346 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 4, 2014
About the author
Regina Clarke
47 books16 followersMy intent is for the stories and books I write to bring others a good read, a respite from the frenetic pace we sometimes live, and most of all, a path into other ways of seeing.
RIA QUINN MYSTERIES is my cozy mystery series, beginning with "Hidden In Stone"... An amateur archaeologist transplanted from London to upstate New York discovers more than prehistoric artifacts when she settles into the small town of Shokan Falls, having a murder occur on the very day she arrives. I am writing Book 4 now, still to be titled...
The Standalone books--Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Mystery:
In MARI a young girl searches for her mother in a fantasy world that brings her knowledge of herself and a way out of darkness ~ A homicide detective in The Magic Hour faces mental collapse that sends him into a backwater town and a parallel dimension at the same time, and each one teaches him about love ~ In Retrieval a woman who manages a cafe in the desert encounters an alien presence that is both dangerous and familiar ~ The university town in Gene Pool becomes the target of a pact between the government and an unknown entity, while four friends race to unravel the doomsday scenario ~ In The Gatekeepers of Genthor, a brother and sister must fight an unseen enemy in a virtual world to save those they love ~ STOPOVER and Other Stories for a Rainy Night, is a collection of short mystery stories ~ My other books explore more alternate worlds, both in fantasy and science fiction, and all the books seek to explore matters of the heart. I hope indeed you enjoy them.
My stories have appeared in Thrice Fiction, Kzine, Bewildering Stories, Subtle Fiction, Mad Scientist Journal, Over My Dead Body!, T. Gene Davis's Speculative Blog, tNY Press, and NewMyths, among others.
I was a finalist in the Hollywood SCRIPTOID Screenwriter's Feature Challenge for my script about a mother seeking the disabled child she had abandoned, in "Second Chances." My book MARI was a finalist in the ListenUp Audiobook competition.
Life includes creative friends and a brilliant, talkative, and very green eclectus parrot named Harry. Home is in the evocative and hauntingly beautiful Hudson River Valley.
RIA QUINN MYSTERIES is my cozy mystery series, beginning with "Hidden In Stone"... An amateur archaeologist transplanted from London to upstate New York discovers more than prehistoric artifacts when she settles into the small town of Shokan Falls, having a murder occur on the very day she arrives. I am writing Book 4 now, still to be titled...
The Standalone books--Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Mystery:
In MARI a young girl searches for her mother in a fantasy world that brings her knowledge of herself and a way out of darkness ~ A homicide detective in The Magic Hour faces mental collapse that sends him into a backwater town and a parallel dimension at the same time, and each one teaches him about love ~ In Retrieval a woman who manages a cafe in the desert encounters an alien presence that is both dangerous and familiar ~ The university town in Gene Pool becomes the target of a pact between the government and an unknown entity, while four friends race to unravel the doomsday scenario ~ In The Gatekeepers of Genthor, a brother and sister must fight an unseen enemy in a virtual world to save those they love ~ STOPOVER and Other Stories for a Rainy Night, is a collection of short mystery stories ~ My other books explore more alternate worlds, both in fantasy and science fiction, and all the books seek to explore matters of the heart. I hope indeed you enjoy them.
My stories have appeared in Thrice Fiction, Kzine, Bewildering Stories, Subtle Fiction, Mad Scientist Journal, Over My Dead Body!, T. Gene Davis's Speculative Blog, tNY Press, and NewMyths, among others.
I was a finalist in the Hollywood SCRIPTOID Screenwriter's Feature Challenge for my script about a mother seeking the disabled child she had abandoned, in "Second Chances." My book MARI was a finalist in the ListenUp Audiobook competition.
Life includes creative friends and a brilliant, talkative, and very green eclectus parrot named Harry. Home is in the evocative and hauntingly beautiful Hudson River Valley.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 5, 2015
Suspenseful and clever
It was a pleasure to read and follow the plot that takes you into another dimension. Getting to know the characters and immersing into their roll in the story. A recommend read for those who like the unknown we call our universe.
It was a pleasure to read and follow the plot that takes you into another dimension. Getting to know the characters and immersing into their roll in the story. A recommend read for those who like the unknown we call our universe.
April 23, 2019
Riveting tale of alien presence
A diner in the desert full of townies. A secret military base a few miles away. Streaks across the sky and strange objects strewn over the desert. Sounds like something we've all heard before, right? Well, it's not. This story is completely unique. It captivated me from the first pages and kept me reading until the wee hours for several nights. It stuck in my mind during the day while I was working and lingered long after I finished it. If that isn't a good read, what is?
This fast-paced story is all about the characters. It alternates between the first-person perspective of the woman who runs the diner and the third-person drama and tension among the odd individuals aboard an alien starbreaker vessel whose mission is to retrieve pieces of one of their ships. Gillian, the owner of the diner, is reluctantly pulled into the bizarre search by the aggressive military who covet the alien technology, but she finds unexpected support from Gabriel, her new short-order cook, an enigmatic man who is more than he appears to be.
The story gives us a spectacular "what-if" proposition about other-dimensional alien visitors, fascinating in its own right, but ultimately, it's a tale about choice, respect, and love. A fantastic book that I'm sure I will remember as a favorite and re-read again in the future.
A diner in the desert full of townies. A secret military base a few miles away. Streaks across the sky and strange objects strewn over the desert. Sounds like something we've all heard before, right? Well, it's not. This story is completely unique. It captivated me from the first pages and kept me reading until the wee hours for several nights. It stuck in my mind during the day while I was working and lingered long after I finished it. If that isn't a good read, what is?
This fast-paced story is all about the characters. It alternates between the first-person perspective of the woman who runs the diner and the third-person drama and tension among the odd individuals aboard an alien starbreaker vessel whose mission is to retrieve pieces of one of their ships. Gillian, the owner of the diner, is reluctantly pulled into the bizarre search by the aggressive military who covet the alien technology, but she finds unexpected support from Gabriel, her new short-order cook, an enigmatic man who is more than he appears to be.
The story gives us a spectacular "what-if" proposition about other-dimensional alien visitors, fascinating in its own right, but ultimately, it's a tale about choice, respect, and love. A fantastic book that I'm sure I will remember as a favorite and re-read again in the future.
November 24, 2017
The story of Retrieval is imaginative and intriguing. The plot is wonderfully complex, though I was a bit confused at first when so many alien characters were introduced at once - it was hard for me to keep them straight and understand their roles. But as the story progressed, my brain sorted it all out and I couldn't wait to find out how the story would resolve. I loved the relationships between Serac & Inma and Gillian & Gabriel. Overall, this was a good read.
August 31, 2015
If you found your way to this review, you are finding your way to an excellent book. From the desert's Kai Diner to the starbreaker space ship, Menocai, hovering miles above it, you'll meet characters you'll long remember, and experience an adventure you won't soon forget. For me it was like being there, as if I were watching a mind movie...that's how thoroughly this author develops characters, sets the scenes, and moves the plot.
There's intrigue, duplicity, mind games, and military mayhem that kept me turning pages long past my bedtime. There's also incredible love and loyalty within both casts of characters. I love this book. When my ship comes in I will buy the rights and back the movie.
If you go to the Amazon Sample Section and read the preview, just those few paragraphs...you'll be hooked.
There's intrigue, duplicity, mind games, and military mayhem that kept me turning pages long past my bedtime. There's also incredible love and loyalty within both casts of characters. I love this book. When my ship comes in I will buy the rights and back the movie.
If you go to the Amazon Sample Section and read the preview, just those few paragraphs...you'll be hooked.
December 3, 2017
This is a story of Gillian told from a first person view. Running a diner and staying at a small town in the desert. The author has faithfully created the look and feel of a small town where everyone knows each other and not much action takes place. The aliens are searching for something and it's a complex operation. The mysteries are explained one by one throughout the book and it's an interesting read. I just wish the author had reduced the dialogue to increase the pace.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews