Vessels of Cor: Conquest (Book Review)

Welcome back, readers! I am resurrecting my book reviews for a very special anthology. Vessels of Cor: Conquest is written by my youngest son, Timothy J. McBride. Therefore, this is absolutely shameless promotion. 

The anthology, which at the time of this post is only available at Barnes and Noble Booksellers, is comprised of five short stories/novellas that are uniquely connected to each other. The story begins in the year 2675 and finishes in the year 3025. 

This is neither a light-hearted book nor a light read. The target audience includes fans of literary science fiction that questions humanity's place in the universe. The book grapples with the concepts of power, sacrifice, and heroism. Fans of military science-fiction (think intergalactic warfare) and cosmicism will find this book deeply compelling.  Like I said, some deep stuff! 

McBride is a talented storyteller and gifted writer. He is the author of several other works and is already working on new projects. You can read some of his other stories for free on his website at Vessels of Cor.

Here is the official book blurb to give you an idea of the premise. 

The universe is a living, thinking, and feeling thing. Bearing the name of Legion, it lived in peace for eons, ruling without any threat to its illustrious domain. However, as humanity and other sapient species advance and spread across its expanse, the threat of them discovering primordial, dangerous artifacts deeply concerns it. In response, Legion begins to amass an army of horrific thralls and warships to permanently cripple the capabilities of intelligent life in order to save itself.

However, a strange entity known only as the Anomaly forges a child by the name of Cor. The Anomaly has simple but ever ambitious goals for his beloved child. The newly born angel is destined to study the lives of two of humanity's greatest heroes from the twenty-eighth century onwards in order to gather the knowledge necessary to prevent a mysterious, universal calamity destined to occur in the year 3025, one that will carry the fate of all life, including Legion itself.