D'mok Revival

Awakening

Fiction - Science Fiction
507 Pages
Reviewed on 05/13/2013
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Michael Zummo was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1974. Some know him as a software developer, others a usability expert, still others as a board and video game designer. One little boy calls him father.

From his earliest days Michael was enthralled by computer games, specifically the Sierra On-line adventure games. They inspired his sense of exploration in strange lands, and interactive storytelling. It was something that never left him.

He graduated in 1996 from Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin with a double degree in computer science and communications. They were his two loves, and he didn't want to have to choose between them. Luckily the Internet allowed a perfect melding!

Of course, this took him on a great detour through digital advertising, technical consulting, corporate America, and the video game industry before focusing on writing. Ultimately, he discovered what motivated him the most wasn’t just understanding people and crafting digital interactions, but rather, creating experiences for them.

Beyond software, usability, and video games, he found taking people on a journey his true passion in life. Writing is the perfect vehicle.

D'mok Revival: Awakening serves as his debut novel, and the first of the Nukari Invasion Trilogy.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Lit Amri for Readers' Favorite

Rhysus Mencari lost his wife and his child during an attack by the Nukari, a violent alien race that seems unstoppable. Their purpose so far is to destroy any living beings that they encounter in space. Together with an ancient D’mar defender, Osuto, they search for crew mates and other D’mar warriors or their descendants, to help in their quest to stop the Nukari before everything is too late.

The battle scene of the prologue grabbed my attention right away. I liked the casual tone of the dialogue; that quality alone made the characters believable, especially Rhysus Mencari. The introduction of the cockroach robot Bob made me smile and I was glad to find out that this novel won’t be humorless like other novels with a similar theme. The technologies that I encountered in this story are not far-fetched and may come to pass in the near future. The battles with the Nukari have been well-written, exciting and engaging. Mencari is definitely the anchor of the story, but my favorite character is Toriko Purg. She is absolutely charming as a genius geek with her mechanical dog Spark, definitely a “bubbling force of youth”. There was an obvious influence of Japanese anime regarding Toriko, her friends as well as her battle inside the virtual world. It was a welcome revelation as I am a big fan of anime. Overall, this is a fun, action-packed, space adventure novel. It definitely has the potential to be onscreen material like any other space adventure films or series. I look forward to Michael Zummo’s next work.

Kathryn Bennett

"D'mok Revival: Awakening" by Michael Zummo brings us to a war-torn time. Millenia ago, a warmongering group known as the Nukari totally did away with the space exploring D'mar race. Not even the specially gifted warriors, D'mok, could help keep their people from total destruction. Now the Nukari have set sights on a new human coalition, ready to destroy them as they did the D'mar. Attacking first a space station leaving only one man named Rhysus alive they thought it would be an easy path of destruction. But D'mok like powers have come to life in Rhysus even as he mourns his family he knows he must find help to master his new abilities. There is one D'mar known alive and Rhysus seeks him out so that they can try to find a way to stop the next attack.

For me this book took a little bit of warming up to really get into it. Once I did, however, I was hooked on it and really enjoyed the story. Some of the front end is heavily loaded with a lot of details that you need for the flow of the story, but that is where I was sticking a bit and wondering if it was going to pick up. It did and once it did the story did not slow back down. Rhysus is a character that you feel for, when he loses his whole family and then finds out he has these ancient powers. I cannot imagine having to deal with all of that at once, but he manages it with a fair amount of aplomb. This is the first book in the series and I am looking forward to seeing what else Michael Zummo will bring us with his next book in the series.

Anna del C. Dye

"Awakening" is the most interesting and incredible tale I have read for a while. Menkary has been in a hospital for three years, after his race and family were exterminated right in front of him. Dealing with that is quite traumatic, but when this nightmare replays itself most nights in his sleep, he can concentrate on other things. What things might he need to pay attention to? Well, the Nukari have been absent for some time, since they almost destroyed the majority of the races in the universe. But the attack on Menkary’s race has just happened and that might mean they are back. Nukari are very cautious and quiet, but when they attack they destroy everything in their path. No one knows why. The only hope lies in a race of warriors called The D’mok Warriors who have special powers and train for the sole purpose of defending the universe. But this was so long time ago that now no one knows where the warriors are. Menkary needs to find allies to help against the ever present fear of an attack. He is in charge of finding others with the needed powers and bringing them back to be trained by his mentor, Osuto. Osuto is the only one left who was trained in the original group by their founder, D’mok. It is on his recruiting trips that Menkary has many surprises and many opportunities to practice his powers. Still obtaining one recruit per trip isn’t a very fast way to build a force, so will they be ready when the enemy attacks as they most certainly will?

"Awakening" has lots of action, with many different races—all with their own characteristics. It makes for a great tale—one I think it would do very well if turned into a movie or a game. I enjoyed reading this book, from the first page to the last.I love the characters and the fun action in the book. I recommend it to pre-teens, young adults, and adults who love fantasy and Sci-Fi works.

Jack Magnus

"D'mok Revival: Awakening" is the story of Commander Rhysus Mencari, a newly awakened member who survived the invasion of the Nukari in which his wife and small son were killed. The shock of the incident awakened latent powers in Mencari which signified that he was a descendant of the D'mar culture. When the planet D'mar was under attack by the Nukari centuries ago, many of its inhabitants fled to other worlds, and their descendants have begun to manifest their abilities now that the Nukari have renewed their plans for conquest. Mencari is assigned to a derelict mining satellite station where he is trained by Osuto, a D'mok warrior who teaches him how to harness and control his abilities. When he is sent to a space station on a parts-gathering errand, Mencari begins a series of adventures wherein he gathers firemarbles and other items and meets with other D'mar descendants, who join forces with him and the Coalition.

Michael Zummo's science fiction tale is filled with action and adventure. Watching Mencari assemble his team is a lot of fun, from the geeky Toriko and her robot dog, Spark, to the ancient D'mar Siegie, whose awakening through an infusion process left her with a crystalline body. The quests and challenges they pursue are endlessly inventive and entertaining as well. There are strange creatures throughout "D'mok Revival: Awakening," many of which are hybrids of plant, animal and humans, and strange new planets to discover. By the end of the book, Mencari's crew appear like people you've got to know fairly well and, if you are like me, you'll be looking forward to reading about more of their adventures.