Deep space is calling. Are you ready to answer? An invasion is coming and only by uniting will these characters hope to survive to have any hope of victory.
Sons of Taldra is a science fiction adventure novel by Duane Simolke. Sons of Taldra details a gripping story that tells of secrets hidden from the populace, a government under reform after centuries of wrongness, and the dire consequences to come from the past. A new leader may have taken the helm, but the changes that she has chosen to implement during her short time are rocking the world…and not in a good way.
Get your copy on Amazon US || Goodreads || Author Page || Amazon CA || Amazon AU || Amazon UK
You know what they say – “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Will this wind up being the case for these characters? Or can some good come of it all?
Sons of Taldra is a gripping science fiction novel. As soon you as dive into this novel, the author grabs you tight and pulls you in. An attack is ongoing, but it’s not on the planet Valchondria. It’s in space, but not far from where this seemingly serene planet floats through space.
A team of Degrans, descendants of former Valchondria colonists, are attacked by another alien group. The attack seems completely unwarranted on its face. But is there something more? Their entire crew who were planet-side mining are slaughtered. Those remaining aboard the spacecraft, are attached, but survive…barely.
Now, they seek help from the residents of Valchondria, completely unaware of the danger that they are bringing with them. Unbeknownst to them, trouble is brewing even there in Valchondria as civil unrest is beginning to rise. With the changes that Leader has made her people are unhappy and all it will take is one more loss to bring it all to a head.
Sons of Taldra is told from the third-person perspective. The reader is watching all of the events unfolding from the outside looking in. This is a perfect POV for readers as it enables us to witness the events without developing a bias towards one character or another too quickly. We get to establish some semblance of what type of person they are and their motives for the paths they choose.
From the very beginning Sons of Taldra by Duane Simolke pulls you to the edge of your seat as you wonder what is going to happen to the skeleton crew on the Equestar. Will they even make it to Valchondria? What about the strange crystal that was shot at them? Is there a secret hiding inside of it? Not to worry, those questions will be answered. Author Simolke won’t leave you twisting in the wind.
First, though, author Simolke will take you planet side and give you a bird’s eye view of what has been going on there. Leader Taldra is being faced with a tough challenge. She’s made quite a few changes since assuming power. Power, that it should be noted, she never wanted. All Leader Taldra wants is to make life better for her people, but in the process? Harm has been done. With this harm, whether unintentional or not, has come great resentment.
Valchondria is an Earth-like planet, but the rules that have governed it for centuries are ones that the people were more than okay with. Well, the rules that they knew about anyway. Some of the rules, had they ever known, they would have risen up against the Maintainers and demanded justice. What were those rules you ask? Well, you’ll just have to read Sons of Taldra to find out.
The dynamics of Valchondria are fascinating. They have a central government which, oddly enough to us, works. One world, one government. For the longest time, there has been peace after the debacle that was touched on briefly at the beginning of the Sons of Taldra. Now, things are changing, and those changes may be coming too rapidly for the liking of the people.
One primary bone of contention…Leader’s decision to destroy a synthesized protection simply called “the virus.” On its face, that sounds like a good thing, right? Getting rid of something coined “the virus”, however, it gave the people a false sense of security. Author Simolke hints that there was more to it than meets the eye. What exactly? You’ll gather more clues as you read, just exercise a little patience.
As the book is called Sons of Taldra, you will gradually learn more about Taldra’s two gay sons and the circumstances surrounding them. There is more going on, and it sounds like there is another story meant to be connected to this one. The full picture is missing, but you get enough with this book to follow what is going on in the present moment.
Telius and Argen are Taldra’s twin sons. One son is viewed in a negative light due to the circumstances of his birth, and subsequently his life by default. We’ll give you a tiny clue about this – it has nothing to do with him and everything to do with draconian rules now done away with. These brothers are going to be an important element of the story.
How so you ask? Well, through no fault of their own, they will bring an angle of revenge for another character. Why? Well, we can’t tell you that!! You’ll just have to take a swim in Sons of Taldra to find out exactly why. But as you do, you’ll also come to understand, to a degree, this character’s choice to walk this path.
Now, Sons of Taldra isn’t just about the drama unfolding on Valchondria. Remember, there is an incoming threat from space as well. So get ready for the drama to really ramp up and begin to unfold at a more rapid pace as the story progresses. Sons of Taldra gives you romance, drama, danger, twists, suspense, secrets, and more. You can expect some jaw-dropping situations, too.
Wondering what secrets are being hidden away? Well, that will take time to come to the surface. However, when they do…your jaw will drop. Ours did for sure. But it’s not just the secrets that are going to have your jaw on the floor. It’s going to be some of the decisions made by the people of Valchondria that saw to the extinction of some of their own. Honestly, it’s such an unexpected twist it’s one that you will never in a million years see coming.
While Sons of Taldra isn’t as thorough with the details as some readers will want, it comes with a gripping storyline that will keep you engaged in the story as it unfolds. The question that will stay with you throughout this book will be “What happens next?” This book is part of a duet, so some questions concerning the characters can be answered in its companion novel.
For now, at the conclusion of this book, we get a nice ending, primarily for a certain pair of characters. Readers who enjoy a short, but intense science fiction novel will want to grab a copy of Sons of Taldra.
Pros:
- Gripping storyline
- Moderate/Fast-paced
- Suspenseful
- Twisted
- Hard to put down
Cons:
- Lacking in detail
Scribble's Worth 
Leave a comment