Title: Shoot the Humans First
Author: Becky Black
Genre: Science Fiction, Futuristic
Length: Novel (161pgs)
Publisher: Becky Black (15th June 2013)
Reviewer: Pixie
Heat Level: Nil
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4 Hearts
Blurb: Brilliant intelligence analyst, Ilyan, is certain humanity and Earth itself is in imminent danger. High Command refuses to believe it, forcing Ilyan to go on the run, desperate to spread the truth. If he can’t make High Command believe in the threat, then he will take his message to the soldiers on the ground.
Infantryman Jadeth is one of those soldiers. He doesn’t know if its accident or fate that has brought him to Ilyan, but he knows he has only one mission now. He must protect Ilyan and his small band of followers as they travel through hostile territory, spreading the truth. High Command has betrayed humanity, and Jadeth has nothing left to believe in—except The Prophet. Ilyan is determined to reach Earth’s mercenary army, scattered across the galaxy fighting other people’s wars. His new guardian Jadeth must keep him safe from agents of High Command determined to silence him. If Jadeth fails, he will have nothing left. If that happens Earth, will to learn how far a man can go when everything he believed in is lost.
Purchase Link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/326476 (Free read)
Review: The human race is now a race of soldiers sent out to fight wars for other races, as long as the price is right of course. Intelligence analyst Ilyan has predicted that those races are about to turn on Earth but High Command refuse to listen. Ilyan is forced to run and he is desperate to spread the truth so he goes to those who are on the ground, the soldiers who blindly follow orders of those that have betrayed humanity. Jadeth is one of those soldiers. Jadeth joins up with Ilyan and his small band when the unit he is with is caught up in shellfire, discovering Ilyan’s story he can’t believe the group of nutters are traveling in hostile territories spreading such an outlandish tale, until he remembers an exchange he saw years earlier. Now Jadeth is Ilyan’s guardian keeping the man safe so he can spread the story, but with High Command assassins chasing them, they both know that survival means keeping one foot ahead.
While this story isn’t M/M or a romance it does have, a kinda bromance feel to it as Jadeth gets to know Ilyan. Earth has produced soldiers for other races war for hundreds of years, churning out soldiers is humanities only commodity and they exploit it to the fullest. Ilyan has predicted where war will break out for years, always directing the High Command so they can negotiate a price but when he predicts war will be coming to Earth High Command doesn’t want to know, and Ilyan finds himself on the run spreading the word and dodging the assassins sent after him. Jadeth is just a simple grunt and when he runs across Ilyan’s group he decides to stick with them when he realizes what Ilyan says makes sense, protecting Ilyan becomes his mission and if High Command succeeds then humanity might just be in grave danger.
This is a brilliant science fiction story that has humans doing what they do best, fighting in wars. The storyline is very simple, intelligence agents predict where war will break out, High Command sends out its soldiers to fight for the side that will pay the most, but High Command has a secret, which Ilyan wants to tell everyone so they will believe when he tells them war is coming to Earth. Jadeth finds himself drawn to and protective of Ilyan, both men are straight but there is an undercurrent of admiration. This story carries you across worlds as they spread the truth, avoiding assassins and the High Command and dealing with petty jealousies but betrayal is heading their way and humanity will pay the price.
I recommend this if you love science fiction, futuristic, great characters, a brilliant story, and an ending that will blow you away.