I was recently contacted by a young author who was wondering if I would be interested in reviewing his new book, THE KILLING FROST, recently published by Medallion Press. Always up for a good story, I said, "sure", and the publisher quickly sent a copy of the paperback my way. The cover was intriguing, the back cover blurb was as well and a quick scan of the author's bio told me that here was a work of military science fiction actually written by a military man. All good stuff.

So, eager to get started, I turned to page one of this nearly 600 page volume and got to reading. The author, one Scott Gamboe, gets to the heart of his protagonist's history straight off, laying the ground work in the early stages (and continuing throughout the length of the novel) for this entertaining character and his role in the coming conflict with a bitter and long-time enemy.

Captain Arano Lakeland is a member of a Special Ops unit, known as Avengers, fighting for freedom throughout the vastness of space controlled by the United Systems Coalition. THE KILLING FROST deals with the ongoing battle against state sponsored terrorism, the constant wariness associated with an enemy who is also a galactic super-power, racism and having to overcome one's own responses to it, the horrors of war and the all encompassing power of a strong love between two people. More than enough elements there to keep the plot rolling.

Gamboe tells a compelling tale of well trained military personnel carrying out life-threatening missions, one after the other in a seemingly endless chain, against bitter enemies that come in every shape, color, height and exoskeleton that you could ask for. While all of this is going on, one can't help but notice a bit of social commentary very akin to what we are experiencing in this country right now with the war in the Middle East taking place throughout. Lakeland is a humanoid who looks quite like us humans but is a member of another species – the Padians, who are often looked down upon by humans, despite their having several extra sensory tools at their disposal that humans lack. Lakeland's greatest hatred though is not for the humans who discriminate against he and his kind but for the Bromidians – an insectoid race that killed his family and his fiancée – not to mention the many millions of others who died in a brutal war some many years earlier.

Now, a terrorist group made up mostly of Bromidians, calling themselves Rising Sun, is striking out at various points within the USC and putting the government on edge. Lakeland and his team of Avengers are called to the task of protecting the USC from this scourge while also trying to discover how Rising Sun seems to possess so much knowledge about USC troop movements, supplies, weapons systems, etc. Such detailed info could only come from a spy in the government – throw one more plot twist into the mix.

From hand-to-hand combat to spectacular battles in space, THE KILLING FROST packs a punch and knows how to keep those pages turning. Although this is pretty standard military fare and a little high on dialogue in some places, the novel does flow and the story in all its myriad plots and sub-plots plays out well. We see racism confronted and beaten, we see one's own demons faced and defeated, we see those once thought enemies turn out to be comrades in arms and we see how a deep and growing love between two people can create bonds stronger than any other. THE KILLING FROST delivers all of that and a little bit more throughout its nearly 600 page breadth and brings it all to nice and tight conclusion. Who can ask for more than that out of a book?

What's more – I like how the book's title takes on a special meaning as the story progresses. Arano Lakeland is a complex and interesting character. So are the many other characters who play recurring supporting roles throughout.

I find myself wanting to know more about several of the other alien species described within, too. You have your share of villains, your share of heroes and your share of a few of those who fall somewhere in between. But, throughout it all, you have Arano Lakeland with his unwavering sense of justice and a strictly enforced code of personal ethics. THE KILLING FROST might be just a little bit on the long side but, overall, this was a very satisfying read.

Message to Mr. Gamboe – please keep Arano Lakeland in your thoughts for future work. That's one great character.

Synopsis
There is an uneasy peace between the United Systems Coalition and the Bromidian Empire. But it is constantly strained by the actions of a group of renegade Bromidians who call themselves Rising Sun, and an elite Coalition military group known as the Avengers has been fighting a covert war against them for years.

Captain Arano Lakeland leads one of the teams. His motivation, vengeance. Revenge against the Rising Sun's invasion of his homeworld and the subsequent slaughter of his family. His actions, however, in his relentless quest to see the Bromidian empire brought to its knees, have won him the enmity of Grand High Councilor Balor Tient, a corrupt man holding one of the most powerful positions in the Coalition.

To further complicate matters, Arano's efforts to prove a connection between Rising Sun and the Bromidian government are being hampered by both a traitor in the Coalition bureaucracy, and the Coalition's desire for peace at any price. And now it is a race against time as Arano and his companions try to survive long enough to solve a series of brutal murders, expose the traitor in their midst, and unite various factions with the Coalition. And if he fails?

Cataclysmic war that will engulf the entire galaxy.