I am doing a couple of giveaways on Tears of Gallia, book four in the Dave Brewster science fiction series, so I thought I’d delve into that story a bit. The cover is one of my favorites created by Ron Calica, a graphic artist who did several covers for me. It depicts the meeting between our hero and Fa-u-Bay, the greatest hero in Gallicean history. Dave is standing on the moon Solander, one of the two main moons orbiting the gas giant Lubna. The other moon in the distance is Fistan, an earthlike world.

The planet and its moons have significance because of who Fa-u-Bay was. He was a priest from long ago when the Galliceans were violent conquerors and empire builders. Fa-u-Bay lived on the planet Gallicea. When the then emperor of Gallia decided to slaughter the humans living on a nearby planet, Fa-u-Bay raised an army to fight back. Even though they were heavily outnumbered, the priest and his soldiers prevailed. Fa-u-Bay was immediately made emperor. The bloodstains on his hands overwhelmed him though. He took a new starship and crew and left Gallia to repent for his sins. There was an engine problem and the ship raced out of control. When they managed to regain control, they were beyond the edge of the galaxy, approaching a single planetary system adrift in open space. That system was dominated by the gas giant, which they named Lubna after a famous mythological mother. Hence, the Daughters of Lubna.

Tears of Gallia is a wide-ranging story, focusing on friendship, faith and courage. It is action-packed. If you like time travel and space battles, I think you will like it. If you get a chance to read it, please let me know what you think. #RRBC