I closed the last page and uttered... "What, it’s finished already?" and yes, it was. There was a hint of promise, of more to come. I knew the book was a short one, only one hundred and three pages, a novelette. Still, I was taken aback by the ease and the speed of this fast-paced book.

I awoke to a seductive female voice. "Aston..."
Too bad for me, it belonged to Jeanie, my ship's computer.

Thus begins Heroes Die Young and you are off for a slick ride full of dry wit and fast action as Aston, who just wants to hit it rich in his scavenger hunt, gets swept into something he already got out of once. Namely fighting, politics, and other messy things that can get a man killed. Then he comes across a derelict drifting, a Rulusian freighter that, contrary to their normal space relations, is carrying illegal contraband. Which means his dreams of riches just might come true at last. Until he finds a live one, a woman, and the two simply do not get along. Aston is your typical jock flyboy. But this mission that he is unwilling but, forced by circumstances, to be a part of ends up bringing out something in him: humanity. He also meets up with an old friend and his now-grown and sexually budding daughter, who has decided Aston is the great love of her life. Yep, nothing boring here.

Heroes Die Young is one of those rare books that you meet, where the character has had a vivid life before and after the book. You just get to ride along during an exciting slice of it, and darn it, you wish there was more. Its like a great piece of pie you are sorry is gone when finished. Heroes Die Young is a great novelette, read, and entertainment. This novel is the first one featuring Aston, and he has been written in short stories of "Ray Gun Revival". Read more about him at AstonWest.com

Reviewed By Nancy Louise
© January 2009