Reviews
M. Thompson "Mike Thompson" (London, United Kingdom)
This is a well written and well thought out book. From
the outset it brings together the 'ordinary' in the main
character (Roman Doyle) and the vastness of the galaxy with
the psychic wars, spread over many worlds and beings.
It is obvious that much work went into working out the
background (in the full book there are appendices on the
characters, medals, and a glossary of terms from the
Talisian language and the story).
The many characters are well crafted and do not change
throughout the book (except due to events in the story). I
found that I got a bit lost in all of the names, however,
the author does ensure the reader knows the main names by
using them often and in context.
It is not obvious from the Product Description of the
vastness of the story world; during the initial stages of
the book this is hinted at through Chi-Ro Jin, who provides
history and background for Roman (and hence the reader).
However, in the latter stages of the book, the reader begins
to feel at first hand (through Roman himself) the hugeness
and importance of the world that he is forced into.
The book had some of the imperialistic feel of Dune (Frank
Herbert), the ideas from the Matrix (training within dream
worlds), the Primes within the Talents (Anne McCaffrey), and
the technology of Babylon 5 and Star Wars. While I made
rather heavy of the reading, I enjoyed the book and its
ending.
For Kindle readers: this is the first 'self-published' book
that I have read that has not had typos in it and was well
laid out.
Amazon Customer
Veterans of the Psychic Wars by Wayne Gerard Trotman, is a
Hollywood blockbuster compressed in a book. Action abounds
with little let up in this fast paced, thoughtful,
imminently entertaining science fiction novel.
Roman Doyle is an unassuming school teacher, husband, and
soon-to-be-father on a midnight snack run for his pregnant
wife when he's assailed by strangers he presumes to be
common street thugs. Events take a further turn when a good
Samitarian intervenes on Roman's behalf. His rescuer soon
reveals that Roman is an exiled prince, an heir to the
throne of an Interstellar Empire currently ruled by a
usurper. From that moment of revelation, Roman must battle
forces bent on eliminating him. In the process, he must
train his mind and body to master the superhuman skills
required to triumph over his enemies. The task is supremely
difficult, and all is not as it appears as Roman and his
wise mentor fight to regain a throne and save an empire from
destruction.
Superbly crafted fight scenes populate this book, from
single combat to massive space battles. There's wonder,
drama and mystery, bearing promise of a sequel. The author
takes a medley of science fiction tropes, from aliens and
spaceships to telepathy and artificial intelligence and
creates an epic, universe-building tale. Veterans of the
Psychic Wars is a must read.
Rayven (California, USA)
When given this book to review by Darkiss, I was unsure
if I would like it or not. I am not a huge Sci-Fi fan.
However, from the very first page Veterans of the Psychic
War grabbed my attention. This book is jam packed with
action and it grabs hold of you as we follow Roman a school
teacher, married to the love of his life and soon to be
father, being swept up into a nightmare that he can't
escape. As a martial artist I was enthralled with the way
the fight scenes played out. The author has a unique writing
style that placed me smack dab in the middle of elaborate
fight scenes. I found myself fighting alongside of Roman and
Chi-Ro on more than one occasion. I was transported into a
world where the boundaries of time did not exist and
anything was possible with the sheer power of thought.
The depth of the characters held me captive and I felt my
heart ache for Roman who is trying to grasp and understand
the truth of who he truly is. He is driven by loss and the
love of this wife and unborn child. The author did a
fantastic job of creating supporting characters that you
either hated or loved. He gave glimpses of their stories and
I was caught up in all the gamete of emotions that each
character went through.
The author's writing style is truly brilliant and his ability
to draw you into his universe is second to none. From the
start you are as confused as the books hero but together you
are led forward into an incredible conclusion that left me
stunned, shocked and greatly satisfied. I have to say that
the conclusion to this tale was practically orgasmic. I can
not recommend it enough just on the merit of it's plot
twist. Throughout the book there are many memorable quotes,
but one that stuck with me the most was " Death whispers
your name to me"
I highly recommend this book if you are a Sci-fi lover for
it has everything you are looking for; Star Wars meets Enter
the Dragon. Be prepared to be hanging off the edge of your
seat wanting more. I am looking forward to the next book in
the series, and on that note I give this book a 4.5 star
rating.
Wayne Gerard Trotman is a British writer, filmmaker, artist,
photographer, composer and producer of electronic music.
Clayton Clifford Bye (Ontario, Canada)
Reviewer's Note
As Veterans of the Psychic Wars by Wayne Gerard Trotman is something of an unusual story, and my review is long, I want to mention right away that I enjoyed his story, especially when I found the Appendices and the Glossary of Terms at the back of his book.
News Release
On January 18, 2011 – Red Moon Productions Ltd. announced
the recent publication of ‘Veterans of the Psychic Wars’, a
416-page epic science fiction novel described as ‘Star Wars’
meets ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’. It is the first book
of a proposed ‘Psychic Wars’ series.
Review
‘Star Wars’ meets ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ is a fine
description of Veterans of the Psychic Wars, as
long as you realize that the hero isn’t a wimp like Luke
Skywalker and that the amazing warriors of Crouching Tiger
would be toast before this story hits its stride.
Roman Doyle is an ordinary guy. He’s a 25 year-old British school teacher in a situation many will remember quite fondly. Roman is out on a 1 a.m. run for peanut butter and ice cream for his pregnant wife. But, mere moments after grabbing some cash from a banking machine he finds himself battling for his life against 5 intergalactic thugs. Knocked silly and forced to begin strangling himself at the psychic command of one of the thugs, Roman is rescued by Chi-Ro Jin, a veteran of the Psychic Wars. After rescuing him, Chi-Ro Jin (Fu Manchu mustache and all) insists that Roman is really Armon Sakara, who must now be returned to his father, the Emperor Sakara Rey. But first they must steal the enemy’s space ship in order to get off the planet, and then they must further avoid the minions of Baron Seti Aljyk, Armon’s evil uncle, who has usurped his father’s throne and brought about another Psychic War.
Okay, so it does sound like Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Obi-wan and The Force. The choking thing sure seems like a nod to Star Wars, doesn’t it? But let me assure you, this is no made-for-the big screen, spoon-fed, pottage. In this story, we don’t have The Force. Instead, virtually every soldier is scientifically enhanced for psychic warfare and various forms of deadly martial arts. Like real life, some are good at what they do and some aren’t. The elite can create astral forms or become astral beings with the power to smite almost anything. One of the characters, a physicist, even postulates that the astral forms may be connected to black matter. As for others, the technical can only bring out and enhance what talent is already there.
In Star Wars, an overwhelmed Luke must quickly learn to use the “mysterious” force or perish; in Veterans of the Psychic Wars, Roman is already a master in several disciplines of the martial arts but finds them terribly inadequate for the challenges he faces: real science must help him multiply his inherent talents. And when Roman’s psychic power reaches a certain level, it’s only then he becomes a force to be reckoned with. One example of this is the ability to glean knowledge telepathically by sharing minds with his teacher, Chi-Ro Jin and later in the story, with his many enemies.
Okay, enough Star Wars and such. Writers borrow structure (plots) and ideas (androids, for example) all the time. Its what they do with them that matters. So, lets proceed on this basis: why should you buy and read Veterans of the Psychic Wars? First and foremost it’s science fiction all the way. It’s also strong story telling from someone who’s used to being behind a camera. Trotman, a veteran film maker, uses this experience to take us from one scene to another with blazing speed and precision. Unable to show us (visually) what’s in his view screen, Trotman must show us with words. This is something that’s all-important and that I think he does very well. Because, even though this is science fiction, good story telling comes first.
With what must have been strenuous effort and research, Trotman ties his story inextricably to Earth’s human history, builds a realistic but distant galaxy where we’re introduced to all sorts of people, embroils us in close-up and planetary scaled battles and bombards us with information—not just as it would come to the character in the book, but from within the minds of many.
Trotman has also created a language (maybe he borrowed one, but I can’t tell) for his book. Character names, spaceship names, planets, animals, phrases, etc. are all presented in this unknown language, and it took me most of the book before these alien words were rolling off my tongue with ease. This is something that will turn off many potential customers but should delight the true science fiction buff. Trotman doesn’t deal with “machine technical” unless absolutely necessary, but his attention to “language technical” is every bit as deep and intriguing as the former. An example of this would be the naming of each of the numerous and differing martial art forms and the way he describes some of the moves.
So, while I confess to having difficulty with the first
third of Veterans of the Psychic Wars: the author
throws us headlong into a complex alien war that’s waged
with weapons and techniques so advanced they seem like
magic, and he expects us, at the same time, to follow a
strange language which peppers the pages… It all works in
the end: it’s as if we’re Roman, dropped into an alien life,
and our heads are spinning with the newness of everything.
We’ll come around in a while. And I’m just fine with that.
Copyright © Clayton Clifford Bye 2011
Kaya Abaniah and the Father of the Forest
Judith Taylor
Kaya Abaniah and the Father of the Forest by Wayne Gerard Trotman is a masterpiece that should be read by every young person. It entails childhood adventures, romance, mystery and intrigue, and science -fiction melodrama. The story is set in the Caribbean Island of Trinidad and surrounds Kaya, a teenage boy with normal teenage struggles; struggles that got even deeper when he discovered that he possessed special psychic abilities and an interesting family history. The story focused on Kaya balancing these new abilities alongside school and normal teenage life dramas. He discovers life lessons along the way with his friends Tom, Raima, and Wendy and also how to tackle what life brought to him. He also learned the importance of family and strives to discover his past history especially the mystery surrounding his father whom he had never met.
Being Jamaican myself, I loved Trotman’s use of dialect and terminology. For persons not knowledgeable of the dialect, there was the appendix and glossary provided for clarification; I admired this as it depicts a genuine love and concern for his readers. I admired his use of Caribbean history in the novel as well and it shows that an ample amount of research was done in the creation of the Novel; especially in the areas of obeah and father absenteeism which are both prominent in Caribbean societies today.
The author made excellent use of figures of speech, especially metaphors. He capitalized on the use of metaphors and made readers feel as if they were actually transported into the book with Kaya. Reading this book I felt every bruise, every hurt, every joy that Kaya experienced, I smelt what Kaya smelt; His use of metaphors made the words come alive to me. My favourite parts were when Trotman depicted Kaya’s kisses with Raima and Wendy; I marveled at how he portrayed Kaya's feelings of boyhood love and lust. In so doing it brought us back to our own childhood days and as such made the book so relatable. Every reader will admire and enjoy this authors’ expertise is transporting us back in time to our memorable childhood adventures and exploits.
I would recommend this book especially to teenagers/young adults or just about anyone who loves an action-filled “whodunit’’ sci-fi thriller of a novel. From a person who studied literature in high school, I think this would make a captivating addition to Caribbean school syllabuses as I think students would love it. It's relatable, captivating and youngsters will read, enjoy and regret when the novel comes to an end. I look forward to reading more novels from this author and I wholeheartedly give this book 5 stars.
Nandini
After his epic
Veterans of the Psychic Wars, Trotman does an excellent job
of writing to a younger audience in Kaya Abaniah. He
expertly blends science fiction with the local folklore and
pressing environmental issues of his native Trinidad. In an
age where youngsters seem to be losing the magic of the
written word, Kaya Abaniah has strong appeal for teenage
readers. Its pages come alive with suspense, intrigue, local
history, teenage romance, and above all - vivid and
realistic depictions of alien life - leaving the reader
eagerly anticipating the next installment in Trotman's
trilogy. As a Trinidadian, I feel very strongly that Kaya
Abaniah should be included in the local Secondary School
English Literature curriculum, not least because Trotman
provides powerful inspiration for the budding authors and
artists of Trinidad and Tobago.
Amazon Customer
I liked this novel from the start, and for a number of reasons. When I taught summer school in Jamaica for more than ten seasons, I looked everywhere for books such as Kaya Abaniah, and couldn't find very many, if any. The reason? People are generally reluctant to say more than a few words about the old stories told by granny & c. Some think they're quaint, cute or merely aphoristic, good for a couple of laughs. But to find a serious work like Kaya Abaniah, you really had to look far and wide. So here is the bottom line on this excellent book for young readers -- it is the real thing. If you like the idea of Papa Bois, the Father of the Forest and you actually believe such a thing could be true, or perhaps was true, historically, during a time when mythologies were the sacred history of a people, then this novel is for you. It is not a fantasy, nor is it written like one.
While you are
following the storytline, you may also pick up a lot of
useful information about the culture of Trinidad and Tobago.
For instance, I have had sorrel wine but I did not know that
it was as old as ancient Egypt. Mr. Trotman explains that it
comes from hibiscus and is good for "the pressure", as they
say in Jamaica. Bob Marley said, "Everything has a season,
find its reason." And that's what this excellent novel does
-- it tells you the reason behind things. Did you know that
the Father of the Forest was yet another incarnation of the
Greek god Pan? Maybe you did, but did you know that Pan and
the word "panic" are brethren? Makes sense, doesn't it. When
magic is explored, not as delirious mayhem, but as a kind of
"science", it is so-called black magic. But, I believe, we
need more magic of all kinds today, especially the kind
Wayne Gerard Trotman offers in this novel of myths and
legends that come across as probable and true.
Melissa Reese Etheridge
Kaya Abaniah and the Father of the Forest by Wayne Gerard
Trotman delves into several themes of friendship, family,
bullying, and wildlife conservation. Kaya Abaniah is a
typical fourteen-year-old boy. He and his mother live on the
island of Trinidad. Kaya attends a local school where is
close friends with Tom and Raima. He has frequent run-ins
with a group of bullies. All is as it should be until
strange things begin to happen. The strange things occur
when Kaya is ill with a fever and hears a man tell him to
watch his food and what he eats. Then Kaya can read minds
and perform tasks with above normal ability. Kaya, Tom, and
Raima encounter danger on a school trip and meet who they
believe is Papa Bois, the father of the forest. Kaya learns
his own father’s identity and becomes a student of a group
of characters from Trinidadian mythology.
Trotman, a native of Trinidad, brings his personal knowledge
of Trinidadian culture to the book. The novel explores the
animals, food, and religion of the island in great detail.
Trotman relies on his experiences to create likeable
characters who grow as the plot progresses. The reader
learns a great deal about Trinidad, its animals, and food
and culture in great detail.
The ideas and themes of the story are very focused and
well-developed. The organization is easy to follow.
Trotman’s real talent is in descriptive word choice. The
story navigates between Standard English and Trinidad
Creole. The dialogue moves the plot forward.
The novel is intended for young adults; I recommend high
school as there are violence and some suggestion of typical
high school flirtations and sexual innuendoes. The Creole
dialect and slang do require close reading to understand the
characters. I read the book in about five hours. My verdict?
Fans of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter will love this
original story steeped in tradition and culture.
Lesley H
I was feeling a bit jaded after reading a number of books
lately where sex and violence were very much the order of
the day. I hoped that this book would make a refreshing
change, and I certainly wasn't disappointed. Aimed primarily
at a teenage audience, the book is wonderfully imaginative
and thankfully devoid of bad language and gratuitous
violence. Extremely entertaining, the author takes you on a
magical journey where telepathy is commonplace, and
shape-shifting vampires and mysterious men in black abound.
I loved that the book was set in an exotic location;
Trinidad, and I found that the realistic dialogue added a
great deal to the story.
All in all this is a great book for teenagers and young
adults, and for those of us grown-ups who fancy escaping the
stresses and strains of everyday life by entering the
mystical world of Kaya Abaniah and Papa Bois; if only for a
while!
Ashes to Ashes: Screenplay
Beryl Stafford
This screenplay to the film Ashes to Ashes is itself a compelling read. Which figures, as Trotman is clearly a masterful screenwriter. The pacing of the story, a caper involving a young man who escorts women, and winds up having to deal with some seriously dark and sadistic characters. The action jumps off the page, and sharp dialogue really adds a lot to keep the plot moving. Each scene has something that draws you in, with that "what will happen next?" factor. The fact that I could never second guess the author's motives told me how sharp this script was. It's funny, too. Best script I've read in a long, long time.
