Title: Marshall Jones: Assignment Earth
Author: J.W. Delorie
Publisher: Westwood Books Publishing
ISBN: 978-1648039638
Pages: 376
Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy/Young Adult Fiction/Horror
Reviewed by: Christina Avina
Pacific Book Review
While those who love reading often use books as a means of educating ourselves and learning new and exciting things, the most popular reason books are so highly regarded is for the sense of escapism they provide. Fiction offers readers the chance to leave the problems and struggles of their own lives behind and delve into the magical worlds that authors create for them. One of the biggest genres for escapism has to be science fiction, especially sci-fi that takes readers into a futuristic or highly technological society.
In author J.W. Delorie’s Marshall Jones: Assignment Earth, the author explores one such futuristic world in the Galactic Union. Protagonist Marshal Rox is accused of murder of his child and loved one. Discovering a galactic cover-up, Rox must prove his innocence and find those responsible for his family’s demise. Partnered up with a brand-new female AI named Marshal Seran, the two must traverse untold dangers as the conspiracy leads to primitive cultures that have yet to join the Galactic Union.
A fantastically sci-fi heavy novel, the author does an incredible job of jumping right into the action with this narrative. Readers are immediately taken into the trial of the protagonist, as they face the harrowing circumstances of their arrest and subsequently his loss. The novel proves to be very character-driven, as the reader is not only shown the growing and tenuous relationship between Rox and Seran, but even the mixed emotions from older Marshals like Sky Marshal Thos, or the father of Rox’s sealed one, Lt. Sky Marshal Grif, who is desperate to find out what happened to his child one way or another.
This is the perfect read for those who enjoy sci-fi novels, especially those that enjoy epic science fiction novels that delve heavily into the science and fantasy elements of the narrative. What really stuck out was the balance the author found between the character-driven heavy narrative and the mythology that the author built in this book, exploring the history of the Galactic Union and establishing the laws and protocols the Marshalls have to hold while on a case. It felt like the level of background one would expect in a Star Trek or Firefly style narrative.
A masterful, engaging, and thrilling new sci-fi adventure, author J.W. Delorie’s Marshall Jones: Assignment Earth, is a must-read sci-fi book. The action and suspense that comes with high-octane science fiction blends smoothly into the rich history and mythos that the author has crafted, and the characters really keep the reader hooked as the mystery unravels throughout this narrative.
