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‘Extraction Point!’ more fun than a barrel full of radioactive mutant monkeys

13 January 2012 Comments Off

A little background here. I first became aware of Travis S. “Doc” Taylor when I picked up “Through the Looking Glass,” by John Ringo from Baen’s Free Library. I had basically picked it up because I’d read everything else Ringo had written and was in the mood for something by him. Taylor helped with the science on it and co-wrote the rest of the series.
Fast forward about a week and I’d read everything in that series.
Taylor is a geek’s geek and one of those guys whom, if you read about him in a book you would snort and say “Mary Sue.”
Note his author bio:

He has a Doctorate in Optical Science and Engineering, a master’s degree in Physics, a master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, all from the University of Alabama in Huntsville; a master’s degree in Astronomy from the University of Western Sydney, and a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Auburn University.

Dr. Taylor has worked on various programs for the Department of Defense and NASA for the past sixteen years. He’s currently working on several advanced propulsion concepts, very large space telescopes, space-based beamed energy systems, and next generation space launch concepts. In his copious spare time, Doc Travis is also a black belt martial artist, a private pilot, a SCUBA diver, races mountain bikes, competed in triathlons, and has been the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of several hard rock bands.

He’s one of the few writers working today who writes hard, science-based SF rather than alternate histories or space opera — nothing wrong with those, like them both — but some old-fashioned hard SF is nice now and again as well.
Enter his latest book written with Stephanie Osborn another “Geek’s Geek.”
Osborn is a former payload flight controller, a veteran of over twenty years of working in the civilian space program, as well as various military space defense programs and holds graduate and undergraduate degrees in four sciences: Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics, and she is “fluent” in several more, including Geology and Anatomy.
The book is called Extraction Point! and is a gleeful romp through both time and space with a pair of Doc Taylor’s patented butt kicking scientist geeks — a married couple this time, which becomes important later.
The gist of the book is someone is teleporting in and out of secure areas stealing everything from gold, to the sort of detonators needed to make nuclear weapons. Dr. Regan Brady and his wife Sam are part of a super-secret Homeland Security program to track down “Anomalies” and determine if they are “Santa Clauses” (aliens) or “Easter Bunnies” (visitors from the future).
The book centers around the Brady’s first trying to figure out which it is, and second trying to stop whoever — or whatever — is stealing all this stuff.
I won’t go into anymore detail, except to say, as usual Taylor’s characters seem to be having an inordinately good time doing so.
Speaking as an inveterate geek ,who has been known to get on a mission from time to time, this is realistic to any true geek, once he’s decided he’s on a mission — you tend to just have a ball doing it.
The book is available from a small house called Twilight Times in ebook format for $3.25 until January 15 when it will be $6.50, still a screaming deal compared to $9 or more for some books. Or, if you are no true geek and simply must have it in a dead tree format, for $17.95 plus shipping and handling.
If you’re looking for a fast-paced, near future thriller with plenty of real science behind it, check out Extraction Point! Like, now.