THE GOD PARTICLE CONSPIRACY (CODENAME: KNIGHT RANGER, BOOK II) RELEASED TODAY!

Posted by John F. Allen Author on November 30, 2015

Today, the God Particle Conspiracy (Codename: Knight Ranger, Book II) was released in eBook and print formats! Readers who have enjoyed tales from John F. Allen’s Ivoryverse, debuting in his novel The God Killers and later, the Codename: Knight Ranger Book I novella, are sure to enjoy his latest spy-fi, action adventure!

CKRGPC FINAL
Synopsis: An Interpol agent investigating international money laundering goes dark. A video surfaces which shows the agent’s death by the prototype of a stolen super weapon at the hands of a Neo-Human black market arms dealer. The international, supernatural counter-intelligence agency known as G.E.N.E.S.I.S., sends Captain Alexandre “Neal” Du Bois, a.k.a. Knight Ranger, and the creator of the weapon, Dr. Hakim Okafor, to Berlin to investigate.

Neal and Okafor encounter a deep cover G.E.N.E.S.I.S. agent with dubious objectives and an heiress with a scheme to disrupt the political landscape of unified Germany. Worse, the heiress has thrown in with a megalomaniac who plots to use secret Nazi technology from World War II to corner the global energy market. Can Neal and Okafor thwart this powerhouse alliance? And how will they cope when an even greater evil surfaces?

Sign Up For The Codename: Knight Ranger Blog Tour (Urban Fantasy/Spy-Fi)

Posted by John F. Allen Author on September 21, 2015

Tomorrow Comes Media invites you to return to the world John F. Allen introduced in The God Killers, in a week-long celebration of his latest urban fantasy release, the Urban Fantasy/Spy-Fi novella Codename: Knight Ranger! The tour runs from November 2, 2015 through November 8, 2015, and you can sign up by clicking HERE!

Synopsis: Captain Alexandre Cornelius “Neal” Du Bois is a US Army Ranger and decorated war hero. When his unit is ambushed by supernatural hostile forces while in Afghanistan, only Neal survives. When he wakes up in a secret government facility, Neal discovers that his whole life has changed forever.

A shadowy government agent named Elijah Bishop arranges for Neal’s brain to be transplanted, without his permission, into a bio-engineered body capable of amazing feats. Armed with advanced body armor and weaponry, he becomes the epitome of the Ultra Soldier.

To protect his family and those closest to him, he must let the world and everyone he loves believe he is dead. With assistance from Dr. Avery Clarkson–the scientist responsible for his new body–Neal reluctantly utilizes his superhuman abilities to work for Bishop and his organization called G.E.N.E.S.I.S. (Global Espionage Network of Elite Supernatural Intelligence and Surveillance), in order to track down those responsible for the slaughter of his unit and keep the world safe from supernatural terrorist forces.

About the Author: John F. Allen is an American writer born in Indianapolis, IN. He is a member of the Speculative Fiction Guild and the Indiana Writers Center. He began writing stories as early as the second grade and pursued all forms of writing at some point, throughout his career. John studied Liberal Arts at IUPUI with a focus in Creative Writing, received an honorable discharge from the United States Air Force and is a current member of the American Legion. John’s debut novel, The God Killers was published in 2013 by Seventh Star Press. John currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana with his wife and son.

LATEST CODENAME: KNIGHT RANGER REVIEW!

Posted by John F. Allen Author on June 9, 2015

Here’s the latest review for Codename: Knight Ranger!
“There are enemies that exist beyond general human awareness and comprehension; enemies thought to be products of lore and nightmares. The premise of Codename: Knight Ranger, an exciting science fiction thriller written by John F. Allen, is that monsters are real. Werewolves, vampires and a variety of creatures thought to be frightful products of human imaginings are indeed substantive…and lethal. A select group of humans are at war with these monsters.
Ranger Captain Alexandre Du Bois becomes an unwilling participant in this invisible war when his unit in Afghanistan is ambushed. The captain suffers catastrophic injuries. In fact ‘catastrophic’ drastically understates his condition. Du Bois dies but is brought back to life by means that becomes key to his subsequent alteration. Thanks to an enigmatic organization led by a mysterious mastermind named Bishop, Du Bois is outfitted with a new body complete with enhanced capabilities, a kind of six million man on mega doses of steroids. To top it off, he’s provided with a super durable armored suit, packed with enough fire power to shred an army. But the transition from ordinary man to ultra-soldier becomes a jarring shock to Du Bois’ senses. Not to mention the costs that his commitment as an ultra soldier entails, a cost that deeply embitters him. Having never consented to this transformation, Du Bois bears enmity toward the person responsible for his condition: Bishop. Nevertheless, Du Bois is a soldier, and he will do his duty, because if he doesn’t, the monsters win.
Knight Ranger is a short but delightfully satisfying read. The build-up leading to Du Bois’ demonstration of his abilities gives the reader a rich insight into his state of mind. There is a lot of flashy hi tech in this book which I enthusiastically imbibed like literary crack. When Du Bois finally goes into the field, the action is hyper fast, hard hitting and explosive. I’ll expect no less of the sequel.”
~ Ronald Jones

Codename: Knight Ranger is Available Now!

Posted by John F. Allen Author on May 29, 2015

HELLO EVERYONE!!!

I’m extremely excited to announce that starting today my novella, Codename: Knight Ranger is available through Amazon (ebook immediately & print starting next week), Barnes & Noble (ebook only) and createspace.com (print immediately). Follow the links below to pick up your copy and remember TBIYTC (The Best Is Yet To Come)!!!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1LNHRvQ
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1Qf5qOZ
Createspace.com: https://www.createspace.com/5402826

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: MOVIE REVIEW

Posted by John F. Allen Author on August 2, 2014

Guardians of the Galaxy

Directed by: James Gunn
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, David Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan, Michael Rooker and Vin Diesel.
Rating: PG-13

Marvel Studios, the producers of fan favorite films and mega blockbuster films such as: Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the Avengers, presents a NEW and EXCITING franchise, which explores the darkest and deepest reaches of the galaxy.

Guardians of the Galaxy is an epic, action/adventure film which picks up where The Avengers left off and transports the audience farther into the ever expanding Marvel Universe.

The story unfolds with Peter Quill—a young, swashbuckling adventurer—who seeks to procure a bounty, which leads to others pursuing him in an effort to retrieve it. The bounty in question is a mysterious orb of great value and power, which is being sought after by a powerful villain named Ronan, with plans of galactic conquest. In an effort to keep the orb from Ronan and survive his fury, Quill aligns himself with a rag tag group of dissidents: Rocket—a vicious, cybernetically altered raccoon with a gun, Groot—a humanoid tree-like creature with a very limited vocabulary, Drax the Destroyer—a grief stricken, vengeance seeking warrior and Gamora—the alluring and mysterious fem fatale. When the quartet discover the inherent power of the orb and its destructive potential, they join together with a band of renegade pirates from Quill’s past, to stand against Ronan and his forces to save the galaxy.

Guardians of the Galaxy was a near perfect summer film. It had a solid story, good casting, good performances, action/adventure, excitement, drama, comedy, social commentary and plenty of heart.

While the characters aren’t nearly as recognizable as their mainstream counterparts, The Avengers, they don’t really need to be and I feel it’s for the better. A motley crew of reluctant protagonists form the core of Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” and the quintet consists of Star-Lord (played by Chris Pratt), Gamora (played by Zoe Saldana), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) and Drax the Destroyer (played by Dave Bautista).

The film was directed and co-written by James Gunn, who I must say did an excellent job of bringing together story, actor performances, tone and characterization. The elements of this film hit on all cylinders without hiccups. There’s never a dull moment with this film and even when the action has slowed down, the audience is exposed to a great deal of character introspection from the characters, delivered with just the right amount of emotion. The back stories are carefully woven into the tapestry of the film and evenly dispersed throughout.

Guardians of the Galaxy takes the audience back to the roots of Marvel’s developmental stories from the 70’s and 80’s, which led up to the powerful stories and events that are unfolding today. The film has a free-flowing, old school soul which harkens past films such as Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark. That very sense of wonder and perilous adventure which epitomized those films are very much present in Guardians of the Galaxy…IN SPADES!

From a directorial perspective, Gunn encourages the audience to let go and not take things too seriously. The world created—while connected to the greater Marvel Universe seen in The Avengers and other films—is well imagined and developed within this glimpse that is given. Like Star Wars, the alien landscape portrayed is at once foreign and intimately familiar in its depiction. It’s that very familiarity which drives you to feel the characters, their plight and the societal structure of the film, beyond the comic book inspired, alien setting(s).

Actor performances in this film were astounding. Pratt appeared to be born for his role, Saldana has evolved into a bankable, female action star, while Cooper and Diesel’s animated characters steal the show!

The villains were colorful, but not too over the top. Lee Pace stars as Ronan the Accuser and Karen Gillan as his enforcer, Nebula. Both actors breathe life into their characters and while the audience isn’t necessarily rooting for them, they are in awe of them and respect their power. The character of Yondu, the leader of a band of pirates called the Ravagers—played by Michael Rooker—was an excellent foil/anti-hero also, Djimon Honshu as Korath and The Collector played by Benicio Del Toro as well.

The music, phrases and metaphors used in this film definite are throwbacks to the 70’s and 80’s. Those old enough to remember will really enjoy them and they will serve as great nostalgia. It includes:

Blue Swede – “Hooked on a Feeling”
10cc – “I’m Not In Love”
The Five Stairsteps – “O-o-h Child”
The Runaways – “Cherry Bomb”
Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell – “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”

To name a few. For those not old enough to remember, I don’t think they will weigh things down and leave you scratching your heads…at least not too much.

Guardians of the Galaxy doesn’t require you to be a sci-fi junkie or comic book geek, in order to enjoy the film. You also don’t have to have viewed the other films in the Marvel Cinematic canon in order to follow along. There was plenty of wit, grit and drama to entertain audiences from various walks of life. That said, you are missing out on a great comic series if you don’t check it out!

I fell in love with this film, not only from a fanboy perspective, but also from a movie goer/movie buff perspective. I highly recommend this film for everyone and while there is a small sprinkling of foul language and violence, I think anyone twelve or older can handle it without too much issue. So, if you’re a sci-fi fan, comic book/comic book movie fan, Marvel fan or whatever, I think you’ll thoroughly enjoy this film and walk out feeling entirely entertained! BE SURE TO STAY UNTIL THE END OF CREDITS FOR AN EXTRA SCENE!!!!