Read Larry Goes To Space Online
Authors: Alan Black
The tree was quite happy with the attention. It had been years since Larry had bothered to scratch its limbs with his sneakers.
The black clad men were not happy with the tree climber. They ordered him down.
The reporter shouted back, “First amendment.”
A black suited man pointed a gun at the reporter and ordered, “Get down. I’m not interfering with your freedom of the press. You just can’t do it from that tree.”
The reported laughed, “I didn’t mean that part. How about the right of assembly?”
The man shouted, “You can assemble with the other reporters over there.” The man waved off to the side, pointing at a pasture. The armed men were trying to herd the reporters away from the house and the spaceship. Their herding was as useless as trying to teach fish to fly.
The reporter hugged a tree limb. He gave it a little kiss. “First amendment. Freedom of religion. I am worshiping Mother Nature by loving her tree.”
The tree was happy with the attention although it did want the reporter to climb a little farther up. It had a particularly itchy spot on the limb just above. It wasn’t overly enthusiastic about kisses, but it would take whatever attention it could get at this point.
The man in black gave up when a trio of reporters climbed the tree with the first man. He turned away when some of those reporters began focusing their cameras on him rather than the spacecraft. When asked, he refused to give his name or who he worked for.
Larry looked up. A black helicopter hovered above them. The obvious intent was to keep the spaceship from taking off.
“Scooter, take us up. As slow as you can go.”
The spaceship barely moved. It had been hovering over the ground, in typical Teumessian style. It creeped upward an inch at a time, blowing around bits of winter dust. The helicopter above them didn’t move.
Larry sighed, “Just a little faster.”
Scooter jerked the spaceship upward, racing toward the little helicopter at a blur. He slammed them to a stop without touching the helicopter’s skids. The helicopter pilot flinched and yanked the helicopter up and out of the way.
Scooter looked at Larry and grinned. “That worked.” With space overhead, Scooter shot skyward, narrowly dodging an unmanned drone that swerved around to follow them. He curved away from the house.
Larry leaned forward and flicked on the ship’s cloaking device. The drone, unable to see them, slammed into the side of the ship. Debris fell into the field behind the McDonald’s place.
Scooter said, “Now what?”
Larry said, “Let’s go to Silicon Valley and see if we can generate some interest from the private businesses there. We need to talk to someone with plenty of money, some private security, and a good enough imagination to figure out what to do.”
Nancy shook her head. “No. If that’s all you’re looking for, let’s go to Marin County in California.”
Larry grinned. “Of course, where else would we go? I don’t know why I didn’t think of going to Skywalker Ranch. Folks there have demonstrated they have fertile imaginations, maybe we can talk to Ol’ Obi-wan himself.”
THE END
By
Alan Black
Science Fiction
Chewing Rocks
Empty Space
Larry Goes To Space
Metal Boxes
(book one)
Metal Boxes - Trapped Outside
(book two)
Steel Walls and Dirt Drops
Titanium Texicans
Christian Historical Fiction
(An Ozark Mountain Series)
(1920 Trilogy)
The Friendship Stones
(book one)
The Granite Heart
(book two)
The Heaviest Rock
(book three)
(1925 Trilogy)
The Inconvenient Pebble
(book four)
The Jasper’s Courage
(book five)
The King’s Rock
(book six)
General Fiction
Chasing Harpo
Western
A Cold Winter
Non-Fiction
How To Start, Write, and Finish Your First Novel
www.alanblackauthor.com
Alan Black has been writing novels since 1996 when he started
Eye on The Prize
. His writing tastes are as eclectic as his reading preferences.
Alan spent most of his adult life in the Kansas City area. The exception came at the orders from the U.S. Air Force when he was stationed in Texas, California, Maryland, and Japan. He and his wife were married in the late 70s and lived in Independence, Missouri, but now live in sunny Arizona.
Alan Black is an Amazon #1 bestselling author for
Metal Boxes
, a young adult, science fiction, military, action adventure. He is a multi-genre writer who has never met a good story he didn't want to tell.
Alan Black's vision statement: "I want my readers amazed they missed sleep because they could not put down one of my books. I want my readers amazed I made them laugh on one page and cry on the next. I want to give my readers a pleasurable respite from the cares of the world for a few hours. I want to offer stories I would want to read."
(all grammar and typos have been deliberately left in)
This small section is the end of CHAPTER FIFTEEN. I’ve included it here as an outtake simply because as originally written, this was the end of the novel.
Larry opened the airlock hatch and leaned out. He stretched far enough to break the ship’s cloaking barrier. He smiled and waved at the cameraman.
The cameraman gave him a thumbs up.
Scooter took that as a signal to hit the button turning off the cloaking device. The ship popped into view.
Larry shouted, “Hello, Earthlings!”
Nancy became famous for the video of her head bouncing on pavement as she fainted.
The cameraman caught it all and chuckled.
So did the camera.
This change in CHAPTER TEN is minor, but I thought significant enough to show here.
On Earth, he had never traveled beyond the boundaries of his own country. However, he had read enough to know that many Americans traveled as if their way was the only way, slightly ethnocentric—stuffed full of Americanisms and jingoistic crap. The condition was the ugly American syndrome. He didn’t want to start giving the Teumess the wrong impression of humans. Well, a worse impression than they already had.
WARNING! GP13 content to follow.
This section is a small outtake from CHAPTER NINE. My beta readers (not all of them, but enough) believed the italicized section was a bit too graphic. Here is what it appeared like in the rough draft.
…he received another, and bigger surprise. Betty grabbed his penis.
“Is this your organ for procreation?” she asked.
Larry wasn’t normally shy about sex. He was a farm boy. The facts of life concerning the birds, the bees, the canine, feline, bovine, opine and porcine species were daily farm activities. As a hamburger farmer, Larry had—on more than one occasion—reached between a bull and a cow to help insert the bull’s one hundred percent all beef wiener in the proper cow part for fertilization.
He did use artificial insemination in many cases with some cows, but he still thought the old-fashioned way of generating calves was the best. Every bull on his place agreed. Being bulls they sometimes missed the whole point of genetic diversity, but then so did Larry’s cousin Thumper, who converted to Neo-Nazism while cohabitating with the Arian brotherhood during an unfortunate stint in the big, grey house up in Leavenworth. Somehow, sex as an abstract concept and practical business activity was different from having an alien creature grab Mister Happy in a warm shower.
“Um—” Larry wasn’t sure what to say.
“It looks big,” Betty interrupted.
“But, it is almost too soft for…oh!”
No matter what Larry thought about, having a female fondle his penis was only going to end in an erection. Even if the female was an alien.
“Yes. That is my organ for sex.”
Betty looked at Scooter and Veronica. They both shrugged in response.
She stopped fondling his penis.
She put her hands on her hips…
Chewing Rocks
Chastity Snowden Whyte only has a small chip on her shoulder. No problem. She’s an asteroid miner and works alone. But author Alan Black knows that comfortable characters don’t make for good reading. From page one, he piles problem after problem on Sno, keeping the reader turning pages to find out what happens next. Chewing Rocks is engaging science fiction and a fun read.
Goodreads review by Paul Bussard on
July 06, 2014
Empty Space
Funny, disturbing, and poignant.
Funny, disturbing, and poignant...not how I would usually describe a SF space novel. This book, while well written SF has a lot to say about social class, society, humanity, and the human condition. Our protagonist is almost an anti-hero as he's someone you root for throughout the novel, even though he's a serial killer at heart.
This is a great book, and I didn't want to put it down but it has thought provoking components throughout the novel and intertwined with action, adventure, and technology.
Amazon review by
Fred
on March 20, 2015
Metal Boxes
What a great rip-roaring adventure, I loved it from page one to the end. A grand space opera with a very likeable main character of Midshipman Stone.
I am reminded of Heinlein's writing with the humor, drama and palpable love the characters show for each other, I felt like I was reading a Lazarus Long story. Which is very high praise! This is the first novel I've read by author Alan Black, but it won't be my last. I don't give very many five-star ratings but this one is well deserved, I'm sure it will come to be considered a classic of the sci-fi genre, it's that good.
Amazon review by
last spartan
on April 28, 2015
Metal Boxes - Trapped Outside
Page Turner...who needs sleep?
Shades of Heinlein and Ringo. I am hooked and can only pray that Alan Black continues to bless us with his yarns. So fresh in theme and direction reading his stories reminds me of so many firsts as a teenager. I've read each of his Boxes stories twice to glean any facet I may have missed the first time. Sad to have come to an end...now I wait for sequels.
Amazon review by
Reg Tyson
on on September 12, 2015
Military sci-fi ground pounder action in space – so cool!
A long time reader of military science fiction, I found this book to stand with the best like David Drake’s Hammer’s Slammers and Redline and anything by Dietmar Wehr. I hate spoilers in reviews so am in a turmoil because I very much want to shout out the so cool surprise ending – but I won’t.
I thoroughly enjoyed how the author builds the story putting the hero in situation after situation that challenges her abilities causing her to grow and develop. Even more, she is a commander we can all like. She is smart, savvy, honest with herself, deals well with her people, has self-doubt where it makes sense to, and not automatically so beautiful she would be completely unbelievable. I even like her better than David Webber's Honor Harrington because she feels more real.
The author does not take the easy, predictable route to the good guys always doing the exact right thing. There are plenty of good guys doing the wrong things – sometimes for the right reasons, but still wrong. There are other good guys mostly doing the right things, but then have lapses of judgment. Sound like what a real commander might face in a tight situation? It all rang true to me. So not only are there good human insights (in outer space – people are still people after all) there is also a lot of quick well-paced exciting action with a great military elite.
The science is believable and just the right amount to support the deep space situation and keep the story moving without being overwhelming. There a few twists I absolutely didn’t see coming – I love that in a book.
Amazon Review by
Sandy
on September 28, 2014
Titanium Texicans
Alan Black's work will suck you in!
I am not good at reviews, but this is the third work of Mr. Black's that I have read in three weeks because his writing captures my imagination. I like good space operas because they last longer, but Black's stand alone works are great because they leave me satisfied at the end and not disappointed that there isn't more to come.
Titanium Texicans is a page turner full of authentic dialogue with concepts greater than the satisfying amount of sci-fi technology woven into a well-written coming of age story. Take the time to read it, I certainly wasn't sorry that I did.
Goodreads review by
Michael A. Cox
on June 13, 2015
The Friendship Stones
Alan Black hits a home run with his book, The Friendship Stones. Its poignant story set in the Ozark Mountains in the early 20th century, brings to mind the life and stories my father lived while growing up in the southern North Carolina mountains. It is a life that today most of us do not know as we are accustomed to many luxuries and technology. Mr. Black brings an appreciation of what it means to cherish every little thing in life while appreciating the beauty of the world about us. It is set in a time of simplicity and hard work, and its main character, LillieBeth, accepts this with humility and determination to follow the lessons she has learned in life, both at church and from her family. Even in this simpler time, the world is flawed and the antagonists come in different characters. The suspense and tension they bring keeps the reader on edge and turning pages.
I highly recommend this excellent book and suggest all readers should continue reading the books of The Ozark Mountain Series.
Goodreads review by Nancy Livingstone on
Jan 26, 2015
The Granite Heart
Heartwarming Historical Fiction
Alan Black takes us back to the 1920’s, to the Ozark Mountains, and back into the world of twelve year old LillieBeth Hazkit, who tries to live by the teachings of God, but finds life can sometimes be confusing, brutal and too unforgiving to always accept that God has a plan for all contingencies. Her strange hermit-like friend has been killed, her teacher has lost her job through no fault of her own and the impoverished mountain town becomes a colder and less friendly place for someone with a heart as big as LillieBeth’s. The archaic and small-minded double standards set her teeth on edge and she is determined to stand strong and be heard, no matter what. The men who murdered her friend and raped her teacher have been captured, but enroute to the county seat they escape and kill one man while injuring her father. To LillieBeth, justice must be done, plain and simple and she and her former teacher, Susanne Harbowe set out on an impossible mission to hunt down and capture these monsters.
Told from Susanne’s point of view, LillieBeth’s story takes on a new depth as she makes her mark on the hearts and minds of those who know her. Alan Black has created a warm and inviting tale that places the reader back in time, to a place so remote, it’s almost as if the rest of the world does not exist. Simple joys, complicated pain and a loss of childhood innocence shake LillieBeth’s world and harden her heart, while forcing her into the world of adults.
Alan Black creates a world filled with history, rich in detail and well-developed characters that worm their way into your heart and mind. That I could feel LillieBeth’s feelings and see what she saw is the mark of an amazing author who deserves to be read.
Amazon review by
Dii
(
TOP 500 REVIEWER
) on August 22, 2014
The Heaviest Rock
Strength of character and a easy manner to it that catches you and keeps you ...
This series is one of the most enjoyable ones I have read. It has heart, action, humor, strength of character and a easy manner to it that catches you and keeps you right there through till the end. Can't wait for the next one 'wiggles on' for those of you who don't know what this means I guess you will just have to get the book and find out for yourself, big hint it is so worth it !!!
Amazon review by
Tammie
on March 2, 2015
The Inconvenient Pebble
The author has developed a great character who we as readers want to follow. I'm not into the religious part but it really makes the main character who she is and what she does. I hope the author has a lot more of this story for us to read.
Amazon review by
Dave R
. on July 4, 2015
The Jasper’s Courage
Anger, Retribution, and Fulfillment
Once again, five times in a row in this series, Alan Black has roped me into a story that has filled my belly with anger, flooded my mind with a desire for retribution, and then filled my heart to overflowing. Unlike many series that seem to fall away from their origins, this book delivers on the promises of the first four books. It makes me want to be more courageous.
LillieBeth Hazkit is caught up in more problems than a seventeen-year-old girl should ever have to deal with, but that is like life. Our problems do not come at us one at a time. LillieBeth has the courage and fortitude to face her attackers head on, inspiring the readers to take a stand in their life.
Unusual problems? Not hardly! Read a paper. What was happening in 1925 Ozarks is going on around us today. This book should appeal to all ages, races and creeds. I could hope for more in a book, but I couldn’t ask for better.
Amazon review by
NonStop
on November 11, 2015
The King’s Rock
Saying Goodbye to LillieBeth with the perfect end to a Wonderful Series
Alan Black brings LillieBeth Hazkit’s tale to an end with the final book of the series, The King’s Rock. After watching LillieBeth grow up, this is a bittersweet finale, but perfectly timed, because she is now an adult, still set in her ways, not very flexible and on a mission that could be her last in life as she knows it. LillieBeth’s horses have been stolen and she is determined to retrieve them and bring the thieves to justice. With a reluctant Leota at her side, their journey will take them back to Arkansas, the place Leota ran from to escape the clutches of her father. Will the journey give Leota the strength to face her fears and the man who has made her life a living hell? Will LillieBeth show Leota the kind of trust and faith she so sorely needs to grow as a person? Will they find and retrieve the horses without unnecessary bloodshed? How far will LillieBeth go for justice?
Life is always in flux and LillieBeth’s is now at a crossroads as she must determine which path to follow and listen carefully to what her heart is telling her. This is her time, these are her decisions to make, will she make the right ones? Her future lay in the balance, as do the futures of those she cares about…
Alan Black made me feel good about saying goodbye to LillieBeth, not “happy” good, but assured that she is on the right path for the rest of her life and has also pointed the way for those she has called friend. Mr. Black slips into the voice of LillieBeth and has given her a hard-headed personality, limited filters for her thoughts and a strength of character that few could rival. His ability to create a world that breathes will have his readers walking the dusty roads, feeling the raw heat and humidity and believing you are there in the Ozark Mountains of the early twentieth century. This is a series that will stay with me for a long time to come!
Amazon review by
Dii
(
TOP 500 REVIEWER
) on December 30, 2015
Chasing Harpo
Loved this book!
Alan knows how to write to engage the reader. Chasing Harpo had me laughing in some parts and on the edge of my seat in others. He has obviously researched the mannerisms of Orangutans and is able to describe the apes point of view with ease. The characters are believable and the writing style flows well. Great read.
Goodreads review by Amanda Mackey on
February 08, 2014
A Cold Winter
In a bleak, one-woman show, Alan Black takes us through the hardships of surviving a cold, hard winter. You could almost freeze reading every page...and that's not even mentioning the wolves. I hope tomorrow's a better day for Libby.
Amazon review by
Daryl Russ
on December 7, 2014