Blood of the Heroes

by Steve White

Book Overview

Jason Thanou of the Temporal Regulatory Authority had about had it with nursemaiding parties of ivory-tower academics through Earth's blood-drenched history, keeping them alive as they sought evidence... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B001VEYN6G
• ISBN13: 9781416521433
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Baen
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.0" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Encounters With Greek Gods

Blood of the Heroes (2006) is a standalone SF novel. Some centuries from now, humans have achieved interstellar travel. Humanity has also discovered time travel, although only to the past. The Temporal Regulatory Authority controls all such travel. In this novel, Commander Jason Thanou of the Hesperian Colonial Rangers has been called back to Earth. As a retired member of the Temporal Service, he has been recalled to lead a trip into the past. The three time travelers will be carried back to 1628 BC to witness the eruption of Santorini, the most powerful energy release in history. The Temporal Service has never before sent humans back that far into time. Jason is a very experienced time traveler. He is thoroughly used to Temporal Service methods and techniques. And he has become acclimated to the transitions effects. Of course, no one has ever taken quite as long a time trip. Jason is a native of the Hesperian colony and is rather tired of the Earthan arrogance. The major reason that he left the Service was this attitude that Earth is the center of the universe, both socially and technologically. His boss -- Kyle Rutherford -- is a prime example of such geocentricism. Jason will be the mission leader. Deirdre Sadaka-Ramirez will be the geological specialist and Sidney Nagel will be the historical specialist. Deirdre is a native of Mithras, which happened to be inhabited when a slower-than-light colony transport reached the planet. The autochthones proved to be insensately ferocious and the colonists were unable to leave the planet. The resulting colonial society had been very protective of fertile females, but the women have since reacted to the past by become extreme feminists. Nagel is a native of Earth and is a noted historian. Unlike other noted historians, Nagel is physically fit enough to survive the TRA physical training requirements. An arrogant geocentrist much like Rutherford, he often appeals to Rutherford's prejudices. Still, he also occasionally incites Rutherford's professionalism by suggesting alternative procedures. Nonetheless, Nagel knows the geography and culture of that period as well as anyone available to the TRA. Rutherford gives the travelers a tour of the area where they will be operating. Naturally, the landscape and buildings differ from those that they will be seeing. However, the landscape should be fairly close to the contemporary hills and valleys. Except, of course, for the area of the Santorini caldera and cones. In this story, Jason, Deirdre and Nagel arrive in the TRA installation in central Australia. After briefly visiting their rooms, they are taken to the medical facilities for implantation of the Temporal Retrieval Device within their left arm. Then they undergo various forms of treatment to cleanse their systems of microorganisms that might be harmful to the people of the past. Later, they are taught the local language by neural induction. TRA has sent an unmanned probe to

Jason is fighting for his life in this story of time travel and survival.

Steve White's BLOOD OF HEROES tells of one Jason, who is tired of nursing academics through violent Earth history as they seek to prove their points back in time - until an expedition to observe one of the greatest natural disasters in human history strands them in ancient Greece. Now Jason is fighting for his life in this story of time travel and survival.

Excellent page turner

After reading "The Prometheus Project" and now "Blood of the Heroes," I've become a fan of Steve White's books. "Blood of the Heroes" mixed Greek mythology, history and a number of twists in this page turner that explains the real history of the Greek Gods and other historical figures from 1628 BC. I won't give away who we meet (for one thing, without the context it would sound corny), but I enjoyed running to my computer to look up some of the mythological and/or historical figures we met. -Larry Hodges (member, SFWA)