Negative Zero is my first published novel ever.

Tag Line

An interstellar bounty hunter working for his planet’s volunteer police force finds himself on the run when his secret identity is revealed and he is targeted by a mysterious organization.

Description

A trained vigilante finds himself on an interplanetary run in Jimm Grogan’s thrilling debut novel, Negative Zero.

Tomek lives a seemingly quiet life as a spacecraft engineer for the interstellar Azten Empire of Federated Worlds.

No one knows, however, that during Tomek’s frequent “vacations,” he volunteers for his planet’s police force, tracking down convicted criminals and delivering them to justice. Known for taking on cases that no other volunteer will touch, Tomek uses the code name “Negative Zero” in order to protect himself and those he loves.

Tomek takes on the investigation of a lifetime when he tracks down those responsible for two major crimes: one in which thousands of farmers die of a suspected plague, and another in which the mass murderer uses a mysterious drug to force victims to hand over their wealth before dying.

As Tomek unravels the mystery behind those responsible, he is confident that they will be brought to justice.

But the sinister Trident group has other plans in mind when they eventually find out who Negative Zero really is. As they close in on his location, using corrupt imperial guards as their henchman, Tomek must fight for his life if he is to survive.

Back Cover

Time is running out for an interstellar hunter in Jimm Grogan’s action-packed debut novel, Negative Zero.

By day, Tomek is a spacecraft engineer for the interstellar Azten Empire of Federated Worlds. But during his frequent vacations, he hunts down convicted criminals and delivers them to prison as part of his planet’s volunteer police force.

For the most dangerous cases—those that all the other volunteers refuse—Tomek uses his “Negative Zero” alias in order to protect his own identity.

This proves necessary when Tomek investigates two cases that have resulted in thousands of deaths on various planets.

But the closer he gets to bringing those responsible to justice, the closer the sinister Trident group gets to discovering Negative Zero’s real identity.

When they finally do, Tomek must battle for his life if he is to live to fight another day.

Reviews

A 4 out of 5 star review from Foreword Clarion Reviews:

Negative Zero is an action-packed space opera that will appeal to lovers of mysteries, crime novels, and conspiracy theories.

In a distant future when an evolved human race coexists with fantastical creatures, infamous vigilante Negative Zero brings criminals to justice. In classic science-fiction style, Jimm Grogan has created an action-packed world with innovative characters, interplanetary intrigue, and diabolical schemes that threaten the future of the Azten Empire of Federated Worlds. With illustrations by Duncan Long, Negative Zerocaptures the spirit of the righteous avenger.

Tomek Nois Plantona Regalia 1294 2 is a man of many talents. He divides his time between his day job as a spacecraft engineer and his hobby of tracking down dangerous criminals as a vigilante assassin. Using disguises that are unique down to facial features and mannerisms, Tomek feels secure in his anonymity until his involvement in two deadly cases leads to the unmasking of his alter ego, Negative Zero.

The book opens with a suspenseful action sequence involving the takedown of a criminal who feeds human flesh to her exotic, hypnotizing birds. While the book is largely plot-driven, Grogan does include some backstory on Tomek’s transformation into Negative Zero, a change shaped in large part by the tragic, unsolved murders of his mother and father. The dangerous cases that Tomek takes on, including a government conspiracy that has cost thousands of lives on the planet Zimvia, all seem to interconnect with clues that could unlock the secrets of the past. Grogan has neatly set up Negative Zero for a sequel or series.

A smattering of grammar and punctuation errors exists, including an occasional dropped article and extra spacing between words; these minor details are easy to dismiss thanks to the fast pacing and page-turning suspense.

An illustrated appendix of races provides a convenient reference point for the six major species mentioned in Negative Zero, although Grogan does specify that the “Azten empire is home to citizens of about twenty different races. However there are significant populations of only about seven of them.” Duncan Long’s drawings complement the text, outlining complex social customs and appearances of each, whether they be human, orwallin, zimvi, or navino.

Although Negative Zero, with its futuristic technology and civilization, is pure science fiction, it will also appeal to lovers of mysteries, crime novels, conspiracy theories, action-adventures, or any genre wherein good overcomes evil.

– Forward Clarion Reviews

Availability

Negative Zero is published in several editions

 Negative Zero, with original illustrations, paperback edition at CreateSpace.

 

 

 

 

 

Negative Zero, second edition, paperback and Kindle edition at Amazon. Read three chapters free.

Also available as a NookBook at Barnes & Noble.

 

 

Negative Zero, iBook edition at the iBook Store