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Covering Phillips and parts of Logan, Yuma and Sedgewick Counties

By Sara Waite

Herald Staff Writer

   Fleet of Angels is Carl R. Merritt's first novel and winner of the First Novel Writing Competition sponsored by Gardenia Press in 2000.

   The story is set in the year 2376.  Commander Rick Keller is leading the Second Fleet of the United States of Earth into Battle against the Satanians from the Andromeda galaxy.  It is a battle not only for his battlecarrier, the Titan, and the other ships in his fleet, but for the existence of the human race.

   The Earthlings are assisted by the zTurms, a sister race found on a planet in the Milky Way.  The zTurms are responsible for the technological advances that allow the human race to roam the voids of outer space and regularly defeat their shared enemy.

   Keller must find a way to protect Earth's technological advantage over the Satanians while keeping himself, his crews and all his ships in one piece.

   In the course of the action, Keller discovers that the Satanians have established a base in

space

the Milky Way galaxy and appear to have stumbled across some technology even more advanced than that of the zTurm race.  He must somehow rescue the humans being held prisoner on the base and steal the technology that could give the enemy the edge.

   Merritt's book would be an entertaining read for any Star Trek enthusiast.  The plot may lean more towards fiction than science, but the characters are well-rounded with realistic qualities.

   As Fleet of Angels is Merritt's first novel, some leniency may be allowed for the sometimes didactic nature of the writing.  I look forward to future books from Merritt and seeing him develop his own voice as a storyteller.

   Merritt will be visiting the Haxtun Public Library on Thursday, July 3.  He plans to hold a session for those participating in the Young Writers Workshop from 1 to 2 p.m. and a reception for the public is set for 2:30 to 4 p.m.

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