First off, I have to say this book has been sitting on my kindle for over 1 1/2 years. I’m not sure why I bought it, but I’m glad I did. Since I started publishing my late husband’s stories, I’ve read nothing but indie books for the past three years. Don’t get me wrong, I love indie books and their authors, but I miss the feeling of reading a professionally published book. So when I started reading this little gem, my reading persona gave a big sigh of relief. Yes, I still found a few proofreading errors, but they seem to be popping up everywhere anymore.

This is a long book, so be prepared to spend some time devoted to it. And it’s not a fast-paced story, but there were times when I couldn’t read fast enough. I loved the premise of the story, bringing different cultures and times from Earth to Arden to save the people and the planet from the Horde. I could tell this was written by a military man as there is a lot of military jargon and strategies throughout the book.

I became attached to quite a few of the characters, but like all war, people die. So, this book is laced with emotions. Especially the Epilogue, which brought tears to my eyes. Now I read some 1 star reviews that felt the Native American aspect wasn’t used to it’s full advantage, or not needed at all. I didn’t feel that way. For me, it meshed nicely with all the other cultures that were trying to adapt to an extremely violent environment. I also have a soft spot for the Native American culture, so I very much enjoyed their inclusion.

My complaint about the book, were the nature of the transmuted Horde. Weston’s explanations were sometimes confusing, but not enough to mar my enjoyment of this book.

If you love alternate history, military stories, and sci-fi, you’ll want to read this book. This is book one in the series, but this ended so well, with no loose ends, I don’t feel compelled to read the next book. I give it my 5 feathers. ( )

Ever wondered what happened to those lost Roman Legionnaires? What about the US cavalry, engaged in a secret mission for President Lincoln? And whatever happened to the Special Forces Unit from a future time who disappeared during their mission to stop a nuclear disaster?

The IX has the answers and they are out of this world. Literally.

I gotta say, this fascinated me. What a great way to explain the disappearance of thousands. And what a world the author built.

At the point of death, these people were whisked away to a distant galaxy by an alien race. The inhabitants of that planet are being killed off and face extinction. They need warriors, now. Told they fight or die, these people must work together, live by the code, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” if they are going to survive.

There’s no going back. There’s only the the Horde, an enemy that doesn’t hesitate to die by the thousands. They must be stopped or all perish. And what’s to stop them from finding Earth and doing to us what they are doing to these beings? And then to another planet, and another.

What a movie this would be! I’d kill, just kidding, to have a part in it. Even as an ugly Kresh!

My description is simplified. There’s so much happening. This book comes in at a whopping 565 pages. But don’t let that deter you. By the time you reach the end, you’ll be wishing it was longer.

Though I stumbled over some of the alien names and terms, laughed at my own attempts to pronounce them, I quickly came to recognize them, along with the numerous human characters. There are a lot, yet it doesn’t take long to recognize the individual voices.

The plot for The IX is mind blowing. The author gives you many sub plots, plenty of history, and an amazing world to explore. He was able to make this all flow easily. You’ll fly through this in to time.

The writing is superb. Ever read a book and see the entire story play out like on the big screen. Except for not being too sure what those nasty Kresh looked like, I could see this in vivid color and detail. Imagination is a wonderful thing, as is this authors talent. ( )

The book starts out with an excellent premise but does not carry through very well. Everybody likes the IX Legion and clearly Mr. Weston knows a lot about Roman war technologies. It turns out, though, that the rest of the troops are just there for color. The Native American warriors, in particular, are given nothing to do. The idiot US Cavalryman with the famous family name (an unneeded touch) is a stereotype we see far too often. There is no need for him to be an idiot to fill the role he plays. A good guy might even have been more effective. The SAS guys are cool and I can easily believe that they get on well with the Romans because everybody likes the IX Legion and most serious military types have studied Roman warfare. Hell, I am a desk jockey and I know about Roman warfare.

The behavior of the bad guys, THE HORDE, is inexplicable. They are intelligent beings who have been destroying huge galactic empires for ages and then, just when this story takes place, suddenly decide to communicate with the rag tag human survivors. Nonsense.

Yet again, the science goes out the window.

But the most unforgivable sin is the pun.

I received a review copy of "The IX" by Andrew P. Weston (Perseid Press) through NetGalley.com.

(PS Technically what Mr. Weston does isn't a pun but a heteronym, in that it is not a joke, but it is so horribly bad that it is surely some kind of joke. Besides, if I wrote "heteronym" who would know what I mean?) ( )