By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
All copyright Owen Quinn
Here’s a breakdown of the stories in The Time Warriors Book 2 The Voalox Horror.
THE SURVIVOR:
Deeply affected by the events of the Infinity Web, Michael reaks Varran’s rules and takes himself off to the 24th century where he goes on a space cruise. He wakes up alone and discovers everyone has disappeared except for one terrified girl. As they try to find a way off the ship, they grow closer but something has other plans for them as the cruiser is locked on a course for unexplored space.
When I wrote this book it was intended to give the Warriors a hard time, and make them more fully rounded characters. Each should have a quality that would connect with readers and hopefully make them people you want to spend time with even in print.
The Survivor is a double edged title as it means both Michael and the girl he meets Rachel. This is a story of not feeling you fit anywhere but no matter where you go you can’t leave it behind. Your issues are within you so unless you resolve or face them, it will never end your discomfort. This is Michael’s story in every way as we learn so much about how bullying has affected him and the scars it leaves even as an adult.
Thi story is pivotal as it introduces Rachel, Michael’s love interest. Her role will have consequences down the line. All I will say is bring your tissues, you’re going to need them.
SOUL SCREAM:
While helping an alien race set up a new colony, Jacke is driven to the edge of insanity by nightmares. But something isn’t right and Michael and Varran grow even more suspicious. Who are the angels the children are seeing? What are the aliens covering up? How is Jacke connected to it all? When the truth is revealed, the Time Warriors find themselves sentenced to death with no way out.
It’s jacke’s turn in the spotlight. She was always the first character in my head when putting it all together. I wanted her to be a role model for people in the same vein as Nichele Nichols. She is black, Belfast born and bred and the survivor of a trauma which is instrumental to this story. Jacke is a reflection of the modern day with so many races coming together and the changing face of Northern Ireland. When I was at school, it was mostly white but now my son has met so many other kids from other countries now living here and learned about their cultures which is wonderful. Anyone can be a Time Warrior.
It’s also early stages for Jacke and the others so they dont really know each other but as a reader you get to peel away layers and see how they interact with each other.
THE VOALOX HORROR:
Victorian London is gripped by terror as Jack the Ripper has returned and is killing again . The Warriors team up with a fellow Xereban who is now part of Scotland Yard to solve the mystery.
What is Mr Wainwright hiding in the asylum? Why is their alien cells in the bodies of the dead? Worse still, how does Wainwright, a man from Victorian London know and hate Varran so much?
OK, have to say, absolute favourite and the first story I wrote for the series. I have always been a sucker for Victorian London with its fog and killers in the shadows so it was the obvious setting for the Time Warriors. It’s fun to see the Warriors first reactions to something they have only seen on movies and television and what surprises them about it witnessing it first hand.
To be honest I had no idea how to end this in regard to asylum owner Mr Wainwright but it was only when I got to the end it struck me how to explain how he knew Varran. It was a kind of eureka moment lol
I love everything about this story from discovering how the survivors blended into human society which nicely highlights Varran’s solitary existence, Tyran and Michael’s exploration of the asylm to Varran and Jacke forced down into the sewers to hunt for the killer.
Hopefully you guys will to.
LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT:
Tyran crashes on an apparently dead world but she is resued from death by a group pf diverse robots. As she learns of their past, she relaises she can never leave this place and must become theit protector. However a threat formed from her own blood has emerged intent on destroying everything.
A planet of robots is a sci fi staple but the trick is to find an angle different and entertaining enough to make it feel fresh. Trying to think of new robots without seeming to copy what has gone before is hard but I enjoyed the challenge. My favourite is when Peggy Mitchell and Elvis….spilers. I was also able to tie it into the Time Warriors universe adding a new facet to it. But essentially it is a story about facing death and coping in life when those we love pass away. But it is also a story of finding hope even in the direst of places.
SECOND BEST:
When an old friend of Varran’s calls the team to a castle in Europe to investigate a ghost hunt gone wrong, They find themselves caught in a trap. Something has lured them here for a very specific reason and it seems intent on dragging them all to Hell.
I love a ghost hunt and there’s nowhere that invokes a spooky atmosphere more than an old European castle with a bloody history. Think castle, think Draculq, secret passages and exploring the dark with only a lantern. Something ancient stalks the corridors and it seems it has the Time Warriors in its sights. But why?
Second Best is a story about feeling left out and not good enough. It hurts when you are left out of something either by design or accident but it hurts none the less. You can’t help the anger that boils up inside you and festers. Some people get over it but it consumes others to the point they become solely focused on those that have hurt them. Beside that, it is about how much do we pay attention to each other and be aware of the feelings of others around us. It is about keeping in touch with those we know even if it is a five minute chat and being open about how you really feel.
You can get your copy of the book on Amazon now in paperback and Kindle.
The Time Warriors and Beyond 