Gehenna Station:
Author: JR Hume
ISBN: 1-4116-7375-1
Format: Paperback, 228 pages
Pub, Date: March, 2006
Publisher: Jim Hume

Available at: JRHume.com

I have to admit that I was a bit reluctant to read JR Hume’s Gehenna Station. I have never been much into reading fiction other than the classics since I have always preferred non-fiction. I love military and historical books but in only in the context of real life documentaries or biographies.

Of course I have read quite a number of movie tie-in books and I enjoy that form of literature because I like to watch the movie and then relate to the written story itself.

As for science-fiction, I also love watching the movies but I have never been a sci-fi book reader except for a handful of books or the movie tie-ins. I do enjoy Arthur C. Clarke because he is a great storyteller who can also weave a great tale about science instead of fantasy.

However, I was pleasantly surprised by Gehenna Station.

As I thumbed through the first few chapters, my apprehension immediately faded away as I became fascinated with the thickening plot.

In fact, the first time I read the book; it provided a refreshing refuge for me. I had a tough work schedule during the day so by the late evening, I needed to do something relaxing before retiring to bed. And so a chapter a night turned out to be an excellent form of escapism from a hectic workday.

The book starts off with Lieutenant Cord, a marine who is being shuttled off to a new command at Gehenna Station on the inhospitable planet of Inferno. As a marine, he is prepared to handle just about anything although he isn’t exactly thrilled about his new assignment because it is a desolate remote outpost that is actually intended to serve as a form of punishment to those in the military.

Although it is not a jail, the duty itself is practically a prison sentence because of the segregation and seclusion from the outside universe as well as the planet’s many inherent dangers.

In fact, Gehenna Station is very much a mystery to everyone because it is hidden from the military bureaucracy. And an attempt has also been made to conceal the people who serve there. The marines themselves are not exactly too sure of to what extent they did wrong to have earned them such a crummy assignment.

In addition to Inferno being inaccessible, it is also infested with raptors.

These hungry carnivorous dinosaurs prey on herds of buffalo-like cattle that roam the planet. And as predators, they will also hunt down the men at Gehenna Station if given the chance so the marines have to engage in constant patrols in order to keep the raptors at bay.

These patrols are dangerous but they have to be done in order to prevent the reptiles from getting too acclimated to the surrounding terrain of their outpost. However, Cord has the assistance of a seasoned sergeant who provides the experience and the expertise needed to help everyone stay alive.

It is in this setting that the marines discover an alien invasion of Quogs on Inferno.

A nearby research team is shot up by the aliens but a survivor manages to get to Gehenna Station to tell them what happened before he dies.

The marines deduce that there must be some kind of conspiracy involved that allowed for an invasion to happen so quietly and so easily. In addition, they also hypothesize that if indeed treason was involved, then the conspirators must be unaware of their presence because of the nefarious effort taken to obscure such a duty from the military.

Although they barely consist of a squad, the marines feel that they have no other choice other than to reconnoiter the only settlement on the planet in order to discover the designs of the invaders. And they rightly suspect that at least a few of the residents of that small community must have slipped out while it was being invaded.

They eventually do discover a few settlers who are also willing to assist them in repelling the aliens.

Now the stage is set for a climatic confrontation between Lieutenant’s Cord’s men and the remaining townspeople against the small contingent of Quogs.

By and large, this book is the result of some really good storytelling. It captures a little bit of everything that sci-fi readers as well as military and combat readers will like.

The characters are well thought out and they hold their own throughout the story. The book is compelling because it has suspense, a bit of quiet desperation of people doing a job out in the middle of nowhere, and it also has some good action in it. Perhaps most telling, the military aspect in it is believable especially in a sci-fi genre because the author himself was in the service.

The only complaint I have is that the story is too short however the author says that a prequel as well as a sequel are on the way.

Overall, I highly recommend this book and I am in the process of reading it again. In fact, the second reading is also making the book come alive because I now have a better sense of the story and of the characters. In fact, I look forward to reading it for a third time since it makes for an enjoyable form of escapism.

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