The U-10 is a survival kit you might not survive using. Activated by unreadable cards, it could create a can of soup – – or an explosive grenade that looks like a can of soup. The U-10 is a guessing game of life or death.A top-secret paramilitary agency wants the U-10 and its gadgets, the guy who has the U-10 wants to keep it, and the alien who lost the U-10 wants it back. A death squad is … squad is dispatched to retrieve the U-10 and will stop at nothing, including the destruction of Earth, to accomplish their mission. Using the U-10 to heal battle wounds produces unexpected results.
What good is a U-10 survival kit that has just three options?
(A) Saves you. (B) Kills you. (C) Turns you into an alien?
Dr. Stephen Bergquist says: “Sam B Miller has written a “Clive Cussler” style, page turner, action packed science fiction book “U-10”. The aliens, the super tech, the earthly creatures, the fantastic alien computer ( nick named Elvis), all play into the plot that keeps you grinning and turning pages.”
Literary Titan says: “The plot is well sculpted and executed. No holes are left especially regarding the functionality of the tech. Speaking of which, the gadgets in this book are straight out of any sci-fi enthusiast’s imagination. They are simply out of this world with high adaptability and power.”
Book Viral says: “Nanotechnology introduces a winning science-fictional invention with gritty plot twists whilst never losing sight of the human element.”
Stjepan Varesevac Cobets, from Croatia says: “The book “U-10” by Sam B. Miller II is quite a solid science fiction action spectacle. If you want to read a book, with nonstop action, and countless really well-thought gadgets, then this is the book for you.”
Selfpublishing Review says: “Endlessly creative and engaging, this novel boasts tight dialogue, a whimsical foundation, and a confident storytelling style that makes it a pleasure to read.”
Grady Harp, one of the top book reviewers in the U.S. says: “This is an especially fine new direction for Sam B. Miller, blending fact, possible fact, humor, mystery, fantasy and human interest into one very successful novel.”
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I enjoyed the technology in this book. It was definitely interesting to see what sci-fi toys the author came up with and I definitely thought they were unique. I really liked the interaction of the alien and the humans and how everyone reacted in their own way, it brought more depth to the characters. I really like how the story was able to take place on Earth as it made a lot of things more relatable.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I had Sam reach out to me via email a few months back, asking if I’d be willing to take a crack at his Science-Fiction book U-10. I looked at my release dates for Netgalley books etc, and said I could, I just wouldn’t get to it until March, which he said was fair.
Boy, if you are a fan of Sci-Fi and Action/Adventure, don’t wait on this one. It’s been out since August 2019, but based on what I’ve read, I hope Sam sees an increase in page views on this.
What I liked: This book is action packed from the first paragraph and never lets up. We are quickly introduced to Koritt, an insectoid type alien who is being sent to Earth to gather some human specimens. As all good books do, there’s a snafu and his ship crashes in the middle of an ongoing war in Afghanistan. From there, Miller introduces us to a number of amazing characters who bring depth and real feels to this read. Sure, there are plenty of gadgets as well as action sequences, but it is the relationships and character building that really catch you and hold you.
What I didn’t like: an action packed story can be a double edged sword and I found a few times, it would’ve been nice to have moments where the story can breathe a bit. It’s not overly detrimental, but this entire book is essentially a sprint instead of a race.
Why you should buy it: I don’t want to negatively influence anyone with this reference, but if you enjoyed watching a movie like ‘Starship Troopers’ then this book will be right up your alley. Think about a military-alien-action-adventure movie on your Kindle or in your hands. It’s a blast and a lot of fun and I think fan’s of Science Fiction would do themselves a favour and snag this. I’m not the biggest Sci-Fi fan, but I really, really dug this one.
We open this story with Korit Diviak, immediately noted as impatient. In the first few lines we get “No use wasting time and effort…” which is how we jump into the story, which maintains a fast pace mostly throughout. Miller wastes no time getting right into grabbing his readers. This is a well-written sci-fi story, full of interesting tech and characters that really drive this story forward.
I think the biggest thing, for me, was really formatting. The bold and enlarged text for “thoughts” really pulled me out of the flow. Thought-text already tends to drag away from action a bit, and drawing extra attention to it really doesn’t aid in pacing.
With that being said, one of my favorite parts of this story is that even though there is a good amount of “telling” the author spent a lot of time using strong sentences to keep it moving. He shows us a lot of what Koritt is doing, rather than having the character explain his motives and actions as often as you’d expect with newer authors.
If you like sci-fi, with interesting characters and futuristic tech, this is the story for you.
The alien magic bag’o stuff
Koritt Diviak just wants to go on vacation. As a mid-level career functionary for the Galactic Coalition, he’s tasked with one more routine mission to a backwater part of the galaxy. Also known as Earth. Koriitt has managed to piss off Upper Management because of his attitude so they don’t tell him this mission is a one way trip because the experiment is forbidden under Galactic Coalition law. But they screw up because they also tell him to bring a U-10.
Trying to cut corners, Koritt also didn’t heed the advice of his mechanic. Stabilizers cost money, that money comes out of his bonus, just patch it up. He ends up crash landing in the dusty hills of Afghanistan as the part the mechanic warned him about, fails upon entry. Now he’s stuck waiting for a rescue mission.
The crash attracts the attention of Ty Lavender, a Lieutenant in the 10th Mountain Brigade, and his squad of elite soldiers. It also attracts the attention of another group in the US government; the Special Extraction or Elimination Division, SEED. Who send their top field agent, Lincoln Frost, to retrieve anything of value from the crash.
But before she can arrive and take charge; Ty discovers the alien magic bag’o stuff, the U-10. Pick a card, stick it in the slot, take out the new toy! The only problem; anything that comes out of the bag only works one time. But the bag comes with a lot of cards!
The rest of the story revolves around the conflicts between the characters; first in Afghanistan, since the Insurgents keep trying to kill all the Americans, then in the US as the Director of SEED, Richard Cruneval, tries to forcibly acquire all the alien tech including the magic bag’o stuff.
The action is fast paced; the characters are well developed. The story is well written. All of the tech is plausible. The interactions between the Earth soldiers and the AI of the alien spaceship (who gets renamed from Computer to Elvis) are realistic. The climatic scene is satisfying and the cliff hanger at the end left me wanting to read the next book.
Highly recommended!
And I gotta get me one of those U-10’s!!
When I read the synopsis of U-10 I was reminded of one of my favourite movies, District 9 by Neil Blomkamp. That was enough to make me purchase the book and I’m so glad I did. A lot of the themes in the book mirrored those in the films from my favourite director, where you get to see on both sides of a conflict, with Sci-Fi elements. I really enjoyed Sam B. Miller’s take on the Sci-Fi genre. His characters were fully realised, the plot was fast paced with plenty of unexpected turns, and I was fully engrossed from start to finish.
An alien comes to earth with advanced technology and weaponry, and of course, a secret agency wants to utilise the technology for themselves. But, the alien Koritt Diviak is after technology of his own – he wants samples of earth’s technology and a human specimen to boot to take back to his home planet. But when he crashes in war-torn Afghanistan, things go drastically wrong. Korritt was told his plan was simple, but things soon become complicated and dangerous and not just for him.
Full of action, modern themes, and even a little humour. Great read!