I'll get the obvious out of the way. YES! I am a fan, I've been a junkie since episode 7 of Earthcore.
Now on to the fun.
Recently I have found myself reading more than in the last year, chalk that one up to finally giving up WoW. The latest of these reads was from none other than the FDO himself, Scott Sigler. The most recent publication from Dark Overlord Media, THE STARTER, is the 2nd in a reported series of 7 in his GFL (Galactic Football League) series, and thus far has followed the career of quarterback phenom and football god (he does have a church named after him), Quentin Barnes.
For those who have read or heard Sigler's work in the past but have yet to delve into the world of the GFL, this is not the traditional work from the FDO. The GFL books have been Young Adult as far as content and language goes, so that's a little something to get used to. Other than that Sigler delivers as always with the violence, gore, and statements that would probably make a drunken Mel Gibson sit up and take notes.
THE STARTER actually took longer to get dragged in to than I am accustomed. There seemed to be something different going on with the characters that hadn't been there before, something weird. It took until I was nearly a quarter of the way through before I realized it was a sense realism that hadn't come through as well the previous novel. In the 1st book, THE ROOKIE, the characters all seemed to have a single-minded goal at all times, play football games, win football games, kill any being to who gets in the way. This time it felt like there was more depth to each character, even minor characters. There was sensitivity, caring, and even love from places unexpected and a bit of hatred and intelligence from others. The growth of the characters, less focus being given to the games, and more focus for the off-field action made for a considerably more enjoy reading experience.
THE STARTER didn't have to spend much time on creating the world and setting everything up for the reader seeing as how it is the 2nd in a series. The all-powerful FDO was able to give much more attention to the characters and even make a few references to the greatest running back to ever play the game, Mitchell "The Machine" Fayed. There is great brilliance in the world being created as there background stories that can found in The Crypt series and even a side novella, Title Fight, written with the ever-frightening, always disturbing, Matt Wallace.
The tale is moving along nicely and is setting up well for a 3rd season that will hopefully continue to follow the Ionath Krakens in their pursuit of upper tier success in the GFL and the possibility of a Galactic Bowl championship to return the Krakens to glory.
This could be Scott Sigler's best work yet. It would seem the plan for having a several book GFL series is working well and is now giving the FDO the opportunity to develop characters even more fully. The galaxy and all its inhabitants are coming to life with each planet having a new and sometimes dangerous feel. The seedy underside is coming to light. The reader is slowly learning there is more to the pursuit of a Galactic Bowl championship than simply the game on the gridiron. There is a far more dangerous game to be found outside the stadium where every decision, or lack thereof, can result in death.
