STARHAWK STORM OVER SATURN BY MACK MALONEY

Copyright 2004.

The evil fleet from Hell has been defeated. Now Hawk Hunter has to continue his fight against the Fourth Empire. The empire is in a state of open civil war. Both sides the Space Forces and the Solar Guard are gathering their forces. The empress who gave her life to disable the Big Generator that powers the entire galaxy has caused weird power outages known as blinks. The Solar Guard who has control of the generator on Earth are attempting to alter it so only they can receive power. This will give them complete control of the galaxy or at worse damage the generator beyond repair. This would plunge the galaxy into the dark ages. There is also word that the SG are planning to launch a XWMD (Extreme Weapon of Mass Destruction) on the rebel forces. The only one who can help is another man from the past that came with the ancient astronaut to form the Third Empire. A mad Russian that has built an amusement park on the moons of Saturn.

This dizzylando as it’s called is where Hunter must go to find him. Using an outdated matter transport device, Hunter is soon caught up in this crazy amusement park. First is Adventureland where he is Buck Gordon who with Dr. Zoloff and his daughter Anne have to rescue Anne’s fiancé from the dungeon of Ping the Pontificator. A crazy adventure with rockets on strings, wingmen and fishmen. Then he finds himself in the House of Horrors. Hunter is thrust back to WWIII and flying missions in an F-16 against the invading Russians. Only on this ride he finds out his weapons are useless, and the Americans are the cowardly and demoralized foes in the face of the invaders. Then it is Dreamland where Hunter is taken to New York and with Anne goes to a rock concert. The Land of the Lost which consists of endless socks that are missing one of the pair in front of a washing/dryer machine. Hunter didn’t get the joke, do you?

It continues to a world in war where two Nazi armies are battling for a castle called Valhalla. Inside the prize is a picture of Hitler in a dress. Then a trip with a Spetsnaz commando group infiltrating Area 51 to steal alien technology. Finally in the western land he meets the mad Russian who turns out to be Dr. Zoloff from the first ride. He does know the secret to stopping the Solar Guard, but their agents show up to torture it out of him. Luckily Hunter manages to defeat them, and they take off in a ship to destroy the saucer that the SG has launched to destroy the rebels.

The final book in the series and if I though it couldn’t get any weirder, I was wrong. This was one crazy ride. Also, a very interesting book as Maloney’s usually are. The whole strange amusement park was a totally unexpected idea which you have to love about his stories. It does end with the hanging threads of defeating the empire. A new enemy named Victorix who I assume to be the reincarnation of the evil Victor was now in charge of the SG and had Hunter’s Flying Machine. I have to admit that his whole attempt to reinvent the Wingman into a space opera was while interesting was nowhere near as enjoyable as the original premise.

Anyway, we never find out what happens to Hunter in the far future of the 73rd century but that is not the end of Hawk Hunter’s story.

STARHAWK BATTLE AT ZERO POINT BY MACK MALONEY

Copyright 2003.

Hawk Hunter and the United Planets Fleet escaped destruction by going to Heaven. Now this fleet plans to return to the fight. Yet something evil has also resulted when the fleet went to Heaven. It also opened a door to Hell and the opposing Solar Guard REF fleet went there. Now they have returned with their ships and uniforms a blood red. They seek to cause death and destruction. The first thing they do is execute a Space Force spy. This causes the two branches of the empire the Space Force and Solar Guard to openly fight one another. It looks as though the empire is now in a civil war.

Hawk must find allies. His search brings him to the seventh arm. There he finds the ancient astronaut. A NASA astronaut from the twentieth century. He is immortal and was brought forward to fight evil. He succeeded in forming the benevolent Third Empire. Yet through some unexplained reason the remnants of the Third Empire were exiled to the seventh arm. He recognizes the evil of the Hell fleet and releases the forces of the Third Empire. Hunter races to Point Zero where the fleet will entire this universe. He has to fight the evil SG Hell fleet that is waiting for the fleet. A big final battle that happens every 1 billion years between good and evil.

This was a very weird book. Not that it wasn’t interesting. But it was a very weird book. We get introduced to this big battle between demons and angels. The SG fleet crew turns into demons bent on sadist death and destruction. The UPF fleet that goes to Heaven has its crew turn into angels. The story becomes this whole biblical battle. All the others that went to Heaven when they come back turn into these superpowered angels. Plus, we find out that an astronaut from the twentieth century was brough forward just like Hunter to fight the coming evil. Naturally Hunter and his super-fast flying machine that can travel like a million light years a second destroys most of the fleet single-handedly. As I say a weird book but still very interesting.

STARHAWK THE FOURTH EMPIRE BY MACK MALONEY

Copyright 2002.

Hawk Hunter has found the lost peoples of Earth. Now he has united them into a force called the United Planets Force. He starts to take this army down the two arm with the goal of eventually reaching Earth. Along the way he discovers some ancient mind rings that reveal the tragic history of the empires. That in the twenty-first century three brothers who were IRA terrorists are revived by aliens. Given advanced knowledge the first Emperor Jimmy is a benevolent leader who founds the first empire. Then his evil brother Michael is brough back and forms the second empire. A revolt brings the third brother O’Nay to the throne. He betrays the people of Earth and exiles them to the prison system outside the galaxy.

This was a fascinating story. Especially the rise of the empires. It starts out with Hunter and his forces having an easy time defeating the Solar Guards. Only the SG comes back with a vengeance, and it looks like the UPF are defeated. Only the princess Zara manages to deliver technology that transports the rebel fleet to what is essentially Heaven. Maloney keeps his stories interesting.

STARHAWK PLANET AMERICA BY MACK MALONEY

Copyright 2001.

Hawk Hunter has deserted from the Empire’s forces. With two friends he searches for clues to his past. After some adventures fighting various space pirates, destroying a Deathstar and rescuing two thousand women he finds what he is looking for. A way to the Home Systems. A computer program transports him and his friends to Planet America. This planet is just like America in the twentieth century. Only it is a small planet consisting of just the American continent. You can travel by speedboat from L.A. to New York.

Hunter and friends are eventually captured and find that the CIA are the ancient keepers of knowledge on this world. They know that periodically their world has been destroyed in some post-apocalypse events. Hunter finds out that Planet America is one of 35 worlds orbiting a sun located just outside the Milky Way. Each planet consists of a nation of Earth. The rightful inhabitants of Earth were deported and moved to what was in essence a giant prison camp. The whole system is in a time bubble that slows down time. They are also guarded by a million-man mercenary army known as the Bad Moon Knights. Located on Moon 39 they monitor the planets for signs of them developing space travel. When a planet does, they invade and destroy it back to the stone age. Planet France just recently launched a rocket and was invaded. Hunter now has to organize an army and with his super F-16 manages to defeat the BMK.

The second book in the series really picks up the story. It starts out goofy with the first chapter basically a reenactment of the first Star Wars only Hunter just easily destroys the Deathstar in seconds and saves the day. After some more goofy adventures he winds-up on what seems to be twentieth century America. Only the planet is a bit off. It keeps you wondering what the hell is going on. Yet we find out that Earth was conquered, and the original inhabitants were put on an elaborate prison system. Now Hunter has to find out who did this and lead the Home Planets in a war to retake the Earth. A really unique and fascinating story.

STARHAWK BY MACK MALONEY

Copyright 2001

The year is 7200 and the galaxy is ruled by the Fourth Empire. A ship crashes on Fools 6 and the two survivors are rescued by a mysterious man. Hawk Hunter has no memory of his past life. He found himself on this isolated planet and built a ship using parts from crashed vessels. Erx and Berx the two survivors never seen such a man or his odd ship. Yet it is the fastest thing they ever saw. When an empire ship comes to rescue them, they tell the captain who decides to draft Hunter and enter him in the Earth Race. This race held once a year is a very prestigious event. Hunter and his ship easily win it and receives a promotion in the Empire. He has an exploration ship and heads off to the five arm. There he helps the moon of Zazu-Zazu from being wiped out by mysterious attackers. At the end he finds clues to his origin from the Freedom Brigade mercenaries that were wiped out.

This has to be the wildest reboot of a series I ever saw. Maloney changed his whole Wingman series into a space opera science fiction. He mysteriously gets transported to this future with no memory. He manages to rebuild his F-16 into a super advanced spaceship with old parts from a Keon Bombardment cruiser. How he accomplished this? Don’t know. You just have to go with the fact that Hunter is the most brilliant man that ever existed.

The book is actually a fun read. He creates this vast empire with its intrigues and goofy ass technology. I think it really works for Maloney’s style of writing. He can just make up all kinds of bullshit and past it off as futuristic. Despite the setting it is still basically a Wingman book. He still has his trusty F-16. He can basically do the impossible and is the greatest pilot that ever lived. It you like the Wingman than this series won’t disappoint.