Despite its title, Abducted to War is a genuinely fun science fiction work. Although this book is Sci-Fi to its core, it does manage to weave in some other ideas. Some are obvious tropes you’d expect, like a burgeoning romance, while others are so niche people wouldn’t think of them as genres, like wilderness survival for instance. This story is uniquely its own, but it often feels as though it cherry-picked all the best parts of other Sci-Fi stories, mixed them in a bowl, then added some new flavor no one has ever tasted before. All of this is clear from the first chapter as author Timothy L. Hartzell pulls you in and doesn’t let you go.
When Wallace, a survivalist from Earth, wakes up on a planet with three moons, he knows he’s not home anymore. That becomes even clearer when a bird-like alien appears in front of him. Little does Wallace know that this alien is just the first of many surprises this new world has to offer. He soon goes from a regular man who would rather be left alone to the commander of an alien army surrounded by friends, as a galactic threat barrels down on him. While there is some action here and there, the only real knock on this book is that it could use a few more action scenes in a war story. Even the final conflict seems like it was skimmed over. That being said, this is more of a coming-of-age story about a loner learning the benefits of working with others and finding his path in life.
It feels like there are parts of Wallace which are deeply personal to the author and you can feel it throughout the pages. The story is so strong that it fights through pacing issues which would completely derail a weaker story. There are times where it feels as if this book is swelling to a climax that never pays off in the way an excited reader would want it to. Despite the ebbs and flows, there is never a time this story becomes boring and Hartzell is methodical in his story telling, adding in common sense details many writers wouldn’t even think about. If you could wave a magic wand to make this story better it would probably add a page or two more of action, and that’s about it.
The linchpin of this whole story is the reluctant hero, who I feel we can all resonate with on some level. He doesn’t particularly want to be in the situation he is in, but he makes the best of it, and his life is better for it. When you zoom out, this story is way more about building relationships and strong communication than it is about the war itself. Abducted to War is a strong foundation for Hartzell to build from in other episodes, and I hope he does. Timothy L. Hartzell weaves a story that is as inspiring as it is heartbreaking, reminding readers that even in the darkest moments, hope can still be found. Watching this author and these characters develop over time feels like it would be a great joy, but even if this is his only book, Timothy Hartzell delivers a compelling story that science fiction lovers will enjoy.
