A First Contact Technothriller (Earth's Last Gambit Book 1)

To a certain extent, reminiscent of the story 2010, which is alluded to in this book. Felix Savage has been writing some complex stories with a lot of intrigue and back room dealing that drives the story line for a few years now. His Sol System Renegades series is filled with it. Now, in Freefall, He has crafted a present and very near future world where his skill at weaving a complex story line has created an exciting and plausible plot. His attention to current science and technology makes for a satisfying experience requiring almost no suspension of disbelief. If you're looking for crazy aliens and space marines, this isn't the book for you. If you want a terrific believable techno thriller set in the present, you will love this. When I finished it, all I could think was, wow...

Jack Kildare was only the third astronaut ever to be dismissed from NASA. He'd been with them a long time, flying several missions before being one of the crew on the ill fated Atlantis shuttle which, struck by space debris, had to find temporary rescue with the International Space Station. And, no, that wasn't why he was fired.
Skyler Taft, a guitar playing graduate, was watching Jupiter through an infrared telescope when a brief anomaly occurred. He thought it would change his life. It didn't. So he left his job and was recruited by a specialist government agency.
Skyler and Jack are just two of the.many well drawn characters whose lives are destined to collide as Felix Savage's story unfolds. A true science fiction technothriller, set in the present day and into the near future, it follows the progress of the building of a starship designed to travel to Jupiter's moons and the lives of the people involved with her, the politics surrounding the venture and a load of earthly chaos, sabotage and murder as well. Detailed and thoughtful, tense and exciting, this is no thrill a minute, blood and guts racy book, but holds the reader's attention throughout by it's very plausibility as well as the unexpected turns and the real people who walk it's pages.
Well, amazingly, the Spirit of Destiny is finally launched. What happens now? I, for one, am anxiously awaiting the next book, Shiplord.
Definitely recommended.

I recently read Cixin Liu's The Three Body Problem, and I spent a lot of time after that thinking about first contact scenarios. Three Body is awesome, but it is from a different culture's point of view from my own, and while I loved it, I wondered about how America would react. Then I received Felix's FREEFALL. This American point of view of a first contact event played out just as I assumed it would. It is full of corruption, secret agendas, murder, politics, blatant disrespect for the average citizen, and Cold War like blaming and finger pointing. We see all of this from the point of view of a Bad News Bears like science and aerospace team, and a pretty dysfunctional secret government organization, both full of fun, well described, characters that I cared about and/or loved to hate. This book made me smile, worry, ooh and ahhh, curse and I think I even laughed out loud on a bus (embarrassing) more than once (I blend in with the other crazies on public transit obviously). I am really looking forward to the next volume in this trilogy.

This is how real people act. They are contradictory, secretive, goofily sentimental, selectively forgetful, have unexpected motivations... This book, I swear, feels just like real life.

We accidently find evidence of an alien ship in orbit around Europa (one of Jupiter's moons). It COULD be a derelict, or is it playing dead? People on Earth get kind of stupid crazy over it. We spend years putting together a mission to go out to it, partly using technology developed from observing the alien ship's drive exhaust. (Clever, eh?) We are hoping to at least (assuming it's a wreck) recover lots of whiz-bang alien tech.

We send an international mission of 8 people. (Imagine this, now. The US, UK, France, Russia and China cooperate to put together this ship and crew. Can you see what a hot mess this is going to be? Well, it's even worse than you can imagine.)

Just keep reading. You will be vastly entertained by this bubbling cauldron. Science fiction fans will love all the tech and jargon. The rest of you, well just keep Wikipedia handy. Us SF fans used to be like you, but we picked up some stuff along the way. (It's like Star Trek, just concentrate on the people and the space stuff will just slip into your head. Before you know it you'll be an astrophysicist. Magic!)

I'm actually 67% into the 2nd book, and my mind is totally blown. It's even better than this book and I just had to stop and tell you so you can follow me into this rabbit hole. OMG this is too too funny. We have met the aliens, and they are...

And there is even a 3rd book coming out. OMG read this.

I read the entire Interstellar Railroad series by Felix Savage already, so I was expecting a bit of irreverence with my hard science fiction when I started reading the Earth’s Last Gambit series. There wasn’t nearly as much cheekiness, but Freefall did have its own humor. I was a little disappointed in the cliffhanger ending, but, the sublime writing more than made up for it.

Freefall has everything I’ve come to expect in a great space opera – Intrigue, political maneuvering, religiosity, tech, grizzled space bums who just want their last chance to walk on the moon, clandestine sabotage, and so much more.

As with any novel, the characters motivations and dimension are supremely important. Moreso in a long-form space novel quartet. We science fiction fans have grown up on Star Trek and Star Wars. We were cheated with Firefly and Space: Above and Beyond. I could easily see Earth’s Last Gambit picked up as an ongoing series – one season per book.

Freefall is easily five stars, and you’re daft if you like sci-fi and don’t get it.

A good idea, poorly executed. The book rambles on, the characters are poorly developed with many of their motivations and changes left to mystery and the passing (and jumping) of the timeline. The author brings recent politics into the story. If I want to read and think about the current state of politics I will read something that directly addresses it. There are negative references to George W. Bush, the Tea Party, the "alt-right", and there is hero worship of Obama. How about a more balanced view? It is pretty easy to see which side of the political aisle this author walks. And then.... A new super secret agency of the government is invented and two of the operatives get a license to kill. Only one shows any kind of remorse and it is poorly explained. Overall, this book is poorly written. Yes, it has flashes of inspiration, some realism, and a few clever parts. But it is too wordy, way too long, too predictable, and in the end, boring.

When I began reading Freefall, I very nearly decided to exchange it, as the authors seemed to be oversimplifying things to the extent that I thought I had mistakenly picked up a book meant for children, or young adults perhaps. Since it has been 40 years since I was a "Young adult" and even longer since I was a "children", I was on the verge of searching for something else.
I am so glad I did not! It seems perhaps that it took the authors a chapter or two to find their "space legs", but once they did...all I can say is WOW! I don't think a sci-fi book has grabbed me like this since I first discovered Asimov's robot books, decades ago.

The book is extraordinarily well written, the character development is some of the best I have seen- it is not hurried, it allows you to slowly build a relationship with each character, with layers upon layers revealed within even relatively minor characters, and yet it never drags. There are so many plots and subplots and side plots and triple twist reverse double gainer plots (OK, I made that one up) that you would expect the book to be difficult to follow, but it all flows so logically and naturally that it just...works. All of it. It just WORKS.

I read Freefall in one night, and it's a hefty volume...I simply could not put it down. I then downloaded book 2 (Lifeboat) and read until I quite literally passed out with the book in my hand. I awoke hours later, and I'm now writing this review before diving right back into Lifeboat. I have a feeling my dogs are going to be angry with me for the next few days, not to mention my wife.

If you enjoy science fiction, a good action book or movie, aliens, space, car chases, political intrigue, spies, fighter pilots, astronauts,beautiful women, space disasters, human achievement, coming of age, or just plain shoot-em-ups...read these books. You will not be disappointed!

Now please excuse me, we're approaching Jupiter.

I can't help but compare Freefall to The Martian. They're both full of science, NASA goodness, and space nerd acronyms, yet are pleasantly accessible. Unlike The Martian, Freefall isn't a "disaster in space" book. It tells the story of an alien object discovered in orbit of Europa, and what humanity (via a handful of main characters) is doing to prepare a journey to investigate the mysterious vessel.

The book is well-written and provided that elusive compulsion to continue turning pages past when I should be asleep. There's a fast pace and strong characters, and it feels like an epic that should bear the "soon to be a major motion picture" tag on the cover.

The protagonists are diverse (in personality and in their specializations) and I think any reader will find themselves gravitating toward one or two favorites. The modern-day setting made mention of Elon Musk, SpaceX, the Juno probe, and other contemporary details that delighted my inner space geek. The pace and revelations of the central mystery keep you hooked.

I loved this book. It's a rare treat and an easy recommendation!

This book has it all. Characters thatyou get to know, the good the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly of them and of humans in general. It was gripping from the first page. I cheered, I cried, ichewed !myfi gernails off, laughed hysterically, and grieved as though id lostmy best friend.it ran the gauntlet. Its something that could happen in our ligfetime. No doubt. This story is as teal as it gets. Seven stars and a standing ovation. This is a hands down home run from an author who will be a household name in sci fi. Way to go Felix. I can't wait to see what happens next

I recently read Saturn Run by John Sandford and got sucked into the whole space exploration genre, so I thought I'd give this a try based on reviews. It's really fun!! There's a good bit of humor, lots of science/space lingo (above my head but doesn't spoil the book), great characters, and the promise of space travel. I was like a lot of readers - I finished the 1st book feeling like I needed more and that there were some loose ends. Have no fear - the 2nd book seamlessly picks up where the first book ends and gets you right back into the action. Really fun, fast read. Looking forward to more!

With my background as an electrical engineer and administrator, I always look for plausible Sci-fi. No fantasy for me. This story met my needs for a space opera. Loved the humor with a technical edge to it! I downloaded book two already and am starting it. Great job!

Felix Savage's new space novel, Freefall: A First Contact Technothriller (Earth's Last Gambit) (Volume 1), is perhaps some of his finest work to date. The characters are interesting and have depth. The science is spot on and that which is a stretch into the future is believable. He packs a tremendous amount of place detail from the USA, to the UK, China, etc. It's a world wide tour and the pace is a real page-turner. I cannot wait for Volume 2. Bravo, Mr. Savage, bravo.

Good, but every character has some flaw or personal issue which is in the forefront of the greatest event in human history. Maybe there is this much drama behind the scenes of NASA etc, but I wanted it to be more about having an alien spaceship show up and how we react as a planet then the interpersonal emotional soap opera that is the main . SPOILERs: I get having a secret org steal tech from a private firm, but it is such a small group (2 guys) that it seems improbable that they could even manage half the stuff they do & having an alcoholic engineer get into the space program and NASA not seeing it on any battery of tests seems implausible. I think there would be enough regular drama that these other situations seem just for effect.

I recently read Saturn Run by John Sandford and got sucked into the whole space exploration genre, so I thought I'd give this a try based on reviews. It's really fun!! There's a good bit of humor, lots of science/space lingo (above my head but doesn't spoil the book), great characters, and the promise of space travel. I was like a lot of readers - I finished the 1st book feeling like I needed more and that there were some loose ends. Have no fear - the 2nd book seamlessly picks up where the first book ends and gets you right back into the action. Really fun, fast read. Looking forward to more!

With my background as an electrical engineer and administrator, I always look for plausible Sci-fi. No fantasy for me. This story met my needs for a space opera. Loved the humor with a technical edge to it! I downloaded book two already and am starting it. Great job!

Felix Savage's new space novel, Freefall: A First Contact Technothriller (Earth's Last Gambit) (Volume 1), is perhaps some of his finest work to date. The characters are interesting and have depth. The science is spot on and that which is a stretch into the future is believable. He packs a tremendous amount of place detail from the USA, to the UK, China, etc. It's a world wide tour and the pace is a real page-turner. I cannot wait for Volume 2. Bravo, Mr. Savage, bravo.

Good, but every character has some flaw or personal issue which is in the forefront of the greatest event in human history. Maybe there is this much drama behind the scenes of NASA etc, but I wanted it to be more about having an alien spaceship show up and how we react as a planet then the interpersonal emotional soap opera that is the main . SPOILERs: I get having a secret org steal tech from a private firm, but it is such a small group (2 guys) that it seems improbable that they could even manage half the stuff they do & having an alcoholic engineer get into the space program and NASA not seeing it on any battery of tests seems implausible. I think there would be enough regular drama that these other situations seem just for effect.

I liked the book, plot is interesting, and there are some facts that are not correct but when I write a FICTION BOOK if I want to say Dallas is now in Canada, I can take that liberty and say that. If I have a few misispellings, I would hope my reader would understand and not letbit bother them as it really was an oversight. I am on the fence with the lack of understanding all the technical jargon though, lol

Im not sorry I bought this book, it is interesting.
2 things troubled me: 1) I am about 85% into the book, and we are just getting started on the voyage. It seemed to me there were a lot of twists and turns and details about stuff not directly related to the first contact. It had me wondering if the author really had that much to say about the topic of the book. I guess that will be what book 2 is about. I started skimming after a while to get to what I wanted. Now I am liking it a lot again.....
2) I dont get this booster thingy. Once you are in orbit, and have a nuclear driven spacedrive, why would you need any kind of booster to break orbit? This was a bit vague, mentioned briefly, and now they are leaving orbit, there it is.....I dont see that you need anything to break orbit except adequately increasing velocity gradually......Was it about getting thru the van allen belt quickly????

I thought this novel was a very interesting read, very enjoyable. Lots of interesting technical details that, although perhaps not altogether perfect, sounded close enough to be credible to a casual sci-fi fan. Plenty of intrigue and plot twists. I enjoyed the book so much that although I read it for free as a rental, I plan to purchase it so I can enjoy it again later.

Another great book by Felix Savage! He's brought science fiction and the space world to a time that is well known as it is happening now, in our time. The characters are described in great detail. There are places where you will smile and places that you'll worry about what's going to happen next. A lot of drama with twists and turns to keep you reading. I love it!!

Believable scenario of Earth's reaction if an alien arrival in our solar system happened today. A good description of the skills and technology we could muster degraded by current world politics. This intro shows the struggle required to get off the ground to meet or confront our visitors.

"Blah, blah, blah, blah....."

Excruciatingly borrr-rrring. I think the narrator even more bored than I was.....like he was
on auto-pilot. At least I got to bail out.....he had to go down with it. Aaaaggghhhh!!!
Would like to know what he said when it was over......"Thank God that's done!"

When it became apparent nothing interesting was going on, I skipped through several chapters, finally
throwing in the towel at chapter 16 (of 52!!!)......endless descriptions of minutia ad infinitum.

I actually may summon the strength to slog on a few more chapters......just hoping SOMETHING will happen!!!
Total waste of time so far.

Great SciFi. Plausible plot. I appreciate that space is vast, and everything takes a long time. And it's all based on murderous intelligence operatives. Seriously. Even the good guys aren't that spotless. It's a race to plunder an abandoned UFO. Or so they think......the only good guy is killed in his wheelchair for his invention. It's a complex situation.....kind of disturbing in a real life way....imo.

Felix has out done himself with this one. The characters are great and the story is outstanding. I will be getting the next one as soon as I finish this review. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes sci-fi.

Interesting story idea, but execution is somewhat middle-of-the-road. I'm not real clear on who either the protagonists or antagonists are after reading through the first book. I'm interested enough in seeing where this is going to continue the series, but it seems like the first book should have gotten us more into the journey, perhaps ending at Europa rather than just leaving the planet.

Fantastic story and a great beginning to a new series. Astronauts, spies, and sci-fi with enough truth thrown in to make it believable. I recommend this book to sci-fi lovers and people who love the idea of space travel.

Freefall: A First Contact is an unusual book that merges true, hard science with a thriller. Mr. Savage creates a strong story of the discovery of an object at Europa and adds a ton of cloak and dagger subplots that works out much better than I originally expected. While there are a LOT of characters in this story, Mr. Savage is the conductor of an orchestra and uses the right touch to ensure that player hits the right note in his book. The result is an impressive book that will satisfy science fiction and thriller readers.

Great story about first contact with an alien artifact. Plenty of global intrigue follows as Nations work together to build a ship to fly to Jupiter to investigate. Nations are not that altruistic and there are many subplots as the Spirit of Destiny leaves Earth orbit on it's 5 year mission.

Terribly boring and confusing. Do they ever actually make it into space or write more than 3 sentences about the aliens? Nope. Just yak yak yak about who built this and who is going to build that. Boring, boring, boring.

Alien contact story, that the first book is a slow grind about back stabbing and degrading the characters humanity leading after a long painful grind to the launching of the mission to where the aliens are.
Other people like tragedy's, but to me I was thinking someone pushing the button and humanity dieing at the end would be more fitting than a second book.