Alan Caruba, a Charter Member of the National Book Critics Circle, had this to say about
Falling Star:
It is rare when a novelist makes his debut with as powerful a novel as Philip Chen’s Falling Star ($15.25, available from Amazon.com, softcover and on Kindle). It begins in 1967 and concludes in the Oval Office in 1993. In between Chen introduces you to an array of characters, all of whom have unique talents, some of whom are U.S. Navy officers, some with the FBI, all devoted to the protection of their nation. They are a handful of people who know about mysterious entities far beneath the surface of the waters surrounding the U.S. Others are members of a rogue KGB unit, moles who lived among us, but whose mission ended when the former Soviet Union collapsed. This novel stands out for the way you are introduced not just to the characters, but the physical reality in which they live, the sights and even the smells. Slowly and then with increasing intensity, the mysteries are unraveled, the enemies identified, as life and death often hangs in the balance. Drawing on his own life as an ocean research engineer, attorney and banker, Chen brings an authenticity to the novel that provides a heart-pounding reality that forces you to ask “What if?” What if Earth was under observation by those from another planet that is circling a dying sun? What if they intended to colonize it? What if the year for this was 2013? If you read just one novel in 2011, make it Falling Star.
http://bookviewsbyalancaruba.blogspot.com/
Thank you,
Phil Chen[/B]
Falling Star is about the discovery of mysterious objects buried deep in the ocean bottom and what happens when they wake up and start sending signals to outer space. Mike, pulled out of a cushy job back into his clandestine past to help decipher these signals, is attacked by gangs of ordinary Americans bent on killing him. On top of everything else, Mike learns that a revered friend has died. Does the death of Mike's friend mean that the secret of the mysterious objects will remain forever sealed in the silt and muck of the ocean bottom?
Falling Star is available on
Amazon and on
Smashwords.
You can read more about my background and how it figures into this story in
Goodreads or on my blog,
Falling Star.
Some of the nice comments that
Falling Star has received since its publication on August 4, 2010:
...an absolutely stunning read! I could not stop reading! I was intrigued from the first words, and just kept on reading. Chen really seems to know what he is talking about! I loved it! I want more! There has to be more! Jason, my husband, is not much of a reader, but even he read snippets of it, and said, "Hmmm, I think I might have to read this one." Now, that's a positive review if I ever heard one! - Hayley in her blog,
Hanging Off The Wire.
Anyone interested in the future of America's defense and weaponry will find this novel gripping. -
Robin Hathaway, Agatha Award winning mystery author
I was quite pleased to discover Phil Chen's Falling Star while browsing the Kindle offerings. From the early pages, I knew this was a writer to be taken seriously. Mr. Chen has penned a dynamic, thought-provoking cross between contemporary thriller and science fiction tome. His characters are well developed, the multiple storylines complex, and the ending . . . well, you'll have to see for yourself. Suffice it to say that I feel this particular ending is NOT the ending for this writer. And I anxiously await the follow-on volume. -
Gordon Ryan, Author of political thrillers
Mysterious and provocative, an intelligently written page turner by someone who knows his subject. Once I began reading Falling Star, I had to read this well-detailed thriller right through to the end. My kind of read -- a book that stays with you and makes you think longer after you've finished the last page. I'll be looking forward to the next work from this author. - Reader
Great read that left me wanting more ... With the political/military intrigue of a Tom Clancy novel and the Sci-Fi feel of the 2001/2010/2061 Arthur C. Clarke novels coupled with the page turner, fast paced plot of a Dan Brown novel how could you go wrong. Chen's knowledge runs deep and shines in the book. His characters are very cool and well written. - Reader
I started this book on a trip, thinking it could be treated like an 'airplane' book. Wrong. It grabs your attention and you don't want to put it down unless you decide it is time for a break. Thoroughly engrossing and thought provoking. Now I'm waiting for the sequel and, the two or three movies that could be based on this novel. - Reader
Wow. What a great book. I scouldn't put it down. Very cool concept, and the storytelling was outstanding. Lots of technical details about military process and weaponry technology, I haven't enjoyed a book this much since Tom Clancy stopped putting out novel. - Reader
I will never see the ocean in the same light again. - Reader
Hope you will give
Falling Star a look.
Thank you,
Phil Chen