Review of Sacred Infection

[Michael Valentine]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Sacred Infection" by Fred Witzgall.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Sacred Infection by Fred Witzgall tells a story set seventy-two years since the last war with an insectoid alien species called the Spants. On the brink of another Spant invasion, a young, intelligent, but socially awkward Joyce Camden is chosen as the sole possessor of a unique set of abilities needed to defeat the Spants. In the race for survival, will it be a story of blood for blood? Or is there another way to save Earth?

The story begins in St. Paul, Minnesota, where a highly introverted but intelligent physics instructor, Joyce Camden, lives with her niece and nephew, Julie and Jeffrey Mills, and their cat, Chaos. Their lives take a spin as the Dwinklebeebs arrive on Earth, led by To-moom-yah-tal-lura, the skipper of the ship who chooses to go by the name Tommy Taylor. After some casualties, Joyce Camden, who is the only one with the ability to link with the ship's technology, is sent for. News of the Spant invasion of Earth reaches the Galactic Republic, and they send a sole emissary, Lieutenant Renvor Marl, to warn the people of Earth. In the face of opposition, the people of the Galactic Republic must come together with the people of Earth to put an end to the Spants once and for all, even if it means making the ultimate sacrifice.

I love the family theme enshrined within the book. The relationship between Joyce and her sister's children is quite heartwarming. It is laden with light humor. Sacred Infection is like a regular villain-superhero story but with a twist. We see characters like the Admiral, Altus Linn, and the Senator, Murla Vorn, doing all they can in the interest of the Republic. Then there is Thar Gral, a rich man with only his selfish interests at heart. The different characters in the book gave it a distinctive feel, too. Also, instead of seeing a one-man-do-it-all case, we witness the coming together of numerous personalities, bridging worlds to fight a common cause. I enjoyed the suspense of trying to identify who the Dwinklebeebs were and what their mission on Earth was specifically. I love how the author deliberately kept giving hints until the final chapter.

While the book was a beautiful read, I did not appreciate the errors I found while reading. This book was not professionally edited and deserves another round of editing. I did not spot any other negative aspects of this book.

I rate this book four out of five. The book would have received a higher rating; however, I am deducting a star due to the errors in the book. I did not rate it lower because it was a captivating read and was certainly different from most books I have read. I recommend this book to lovers of science fiction.

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Sacred Infection
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[Janice Miller 2]

love the family theme enshrined within the book. The relationship between Joyce and her sister's children is quite heartwarming. It is laden with light humor. Sacred Infection is like a regular villain-superhero story but with a twist. We see characters like the Admiral, Altus Linn, and the Senator, Murla Vorn, doing all they can in the interest of the Republic. Then there is Thar Gral, a rich man with only his selfish interests at heart. The different characters in the book gave it a distinctive feel, too. Also, instead of seeing a one-man-do-it-all case, we witness the coming together of numerous personalities, bridging worlds to fight a common cause. I enjoyed the suspense of trying to identify who the Dwinklebeebs were and what their mission on Earth was specifically. I love how the author deliberately kept giving hints until the final chapter.

[NetMassimo]

This novel develops some interesting concepts from the centrality of a family to the complexity of the interstellar situation involving different sentient spacefaring species. Thank you for your great review!