Behind the invaders, know as
the HecTrlb, is Ceis'tl, an alien
woman who loves the Earth
and hates what she is forced to
do against humanity. The world
is seen through her and her
struggle to conquer an entire
planet while staying true to her
own values.
Missteps with Heavy Feet is a
diary of the war of the future
that reflects today's methods of
warfare, international justice,
vengeance, terrorism, survival,
freedom and the choices we all
must make.
Jess Rudolph was nominated
for a Nebula award in 2008 for
his short story, "My Daughter's
Ears", one story out the
growing collection from his
The Breaking of the Black Shell
universe. He wanted to write
before he could write and had
his first stage play performed in
fourth grade. His other novels
include Twist and Unbelief and
The Braided Fountain. Mr.
Rudolph currently lives in
Cleveland, Ohio with two cats,
where he continues to write and
teach Commedia dell'Arte.
Praise for Missteps with Heavy Feet
"Finally, a brand new and refreshing take on the alien invasion genre!"
-- Cory Panshin, Hugo winner
"Now, that's a fascinating way to depict an alien invasion of Earth. And it
gives the rare explanation as to why humanity can resist that's both plausible
and exciting."
-- Harry Turtledove, author of the Worldwar / Colonization series
"Some of the best science-fiction to come out of Ohio!"
-- Professor Mary T. Brizzi
"It's a realistic depiction of America and the world in case - yet with aliens
and giant robots that jump and it still works! Now that's something."
-- Stephen Chbosky, executive producer, Jericho
JESS RUDOLPH MISSTEPS WITH HEAVY FEET
(continued from front flap).
prevent further escalation and
death.
JESS RUDOLPH
From the Nebula nominated
writer of The Knot of Universes
series, Jess Rudolph creates a
new world with an homage to
H. G. Wells's classic The War
of the Worlds updated for 21st
century warfare and global
socio-political climate.
After a series of nuclear bombs
falls on America, a college
student named Terra and her
cousin Beth, a specialist at the
Pentagon, journey across the
country as it falls into panic
and no one knows who is
behind the attacks. They are
sucked into the spreading chaos
as massive city-destroying
machines appear across the
world with rumors of an alien
invasion. As they try to reach
the embattled Secretary of
Defense in the fractured
country, Terra questions the
motives of the aliens that seem
to be out to help humanity as
much as harm it.
MISSTEPS WITH
HEAVY FEET
A business man and scientist in
China, tries to understand
aliens' strange lack of battle
tactics while working against
the alliance his government
seeks with the invaders. In
England, a young delinquent
and an Interpol agent join a
resistance led by the mysterious
journalist and international
criminal Douglas Marsh who
seems invincible in his defiance
against the aliens. A physicist
in Australia tries to understand
the giant war machines while
possibly facing a separate and
worse alien threat. In Iran, a
terrorist leader must make an
uneasy peace with the aliens to
(continued on back flap)
Additional reviews of Jess Rudolph’s Missteps with Heavy Feet
"Missteps is lead by strong women, both human and alien, that are far from the stereotype in
science-fiction and fantasy. Terra is unabashedly sexual while being fragile and compassionate.
She finds her way to change with the world around her and discovers her own strength yet
remains true to who she is. Beth suffers trauma as what she believes is destroyed and turns to
vengeance in the name of justice to resurrect herself. But she can find understanding and
companionship again. Stephens is the Secretary of Defense who values friendship and advice.
Forced to be the leader of America she learns weighs to balance her desire to defeat the enemy
and her need to understand. And reflecting everyone else is the unlikely narrator, the female
alien leading the invasion. Ceis'tl is strong and determined while possibly having the biggest
'heart' of all, wielding both incredible power and a healing touch."
-- Marleen Barr, Fordham University
"Many people have tried to remake The War of the Worlds but they miss the point H. G. Wells
made. It's not just a story about alien invasion - but a reflection on humanity views and practices
warfare. Jess Rudolph has captured the current events with such ideas as 'defensive preemptive
strike' and 'we fight them over there so we don't have to fight them at home'. War in the late 19th
century was about destruction, killing, and self-superiority - as the Martians in their great war
machines delivered to the people of Earth. Today we face conflicts with hopes of limiting
causalities and gaining the love of the conquered people and aiding those we have already hurt.
The HecTrlb base their entire strategy on not killing while humans will use any means necessary
to fight back."
-- Yvette Baur, chief editor, The Wellsian
"When I picked up Missteps with Heavy Feet, I thought I would be reading a novel. Instead, I
read what felt like a series of short stories - but that was incredible. The book did not need to
follow the threads of many characters around the world from beginning to end, finding an
implausible way to gather the entire ensemble into the same room. Everyone had their own story
to tell - and it was just that, their own story. They all lived in the same world with the same
major events but they experienced their own journeys. Uncountable stories could be told but
each one written forwards the plot or expands the world. In its structure alone, Missteps with
Heavy Feet stands out from the crowd on the shelves at your local bookstore."
-- Eamon Brown, Playboy
"When I heard this novel was called an allegory to the United States's War on Terror I expected
another far-left outcry against America's policy and actions. I was pleasantly surprised to find out
it was anything but. The comparisons are subtle and - I'm told - originally unintentional. It's more
a metaphor on the current state of warfare today, with both the good and the bad that brings. The
alien invaders are never vilified and thus neither is America or it's recent leaders. Interestingly,
America and the other nations of the world are placed into the role of the occupied and the
resistance, making terrible choices when fighting back. Yet they are not condemned either. The
only thing truly evil in this book is war itself and the necessity many feel to engage in it."
-- Justin Lucas Seely, The Internet Review of Science Fiction
"Mr. Rudolph has taken the overly used plot of alien invasion and given it a new and interesting
twist. But the enormous cast of characters includes no actual villains. While it is true that not all
stories require a personified evil, we do love to hate the 'bad guy'. Instead, everyone is a safe
shade of light grey. The alien invaders are not sinister but passive and unwilling to act if it causes
harm. The more terrible act one of them does is shown to be due to extreme traumatic insanity
after we readers were made to feel sympathetic to him in a brutal torture scene. Even most of the
human characters show virtue. One partakes in nuclear terrorism - but for the good of humanity.
Another manipulates millions of people into nearly deifying him - but again it's so he can protect
them from the aliens and themselves. Everyone has faults but no one is truly sinister. It's a world
of almost Apocalypse but we lack the warlords and murders and barbarians. It's difficult to pull
the reader in when he has no one to root against."
-- Andrew M. Butler, Canterbury Christ Church University
Author’s Note
Of course the above is entirely a work of fiction. For those I am showing this to who are not in
my class, this was created for ENGL 406 when we were asked to review our own work as if it
was published. A passing comment I made about “quoting” actual real people as if on the back
of the jacket cover stuck in my head and I thought we were to actually write the jacket cover
blurb too. Of course I went and made an entire jacket because that’s just who I am.
The intense praise is because every author needs an ego boost. I did want to throw in some
negative criticism since I do find a few faults in the current vision.
The beautiful artwork used for the cover is by Robert – aka TroC – from his website Graphique
3D - http://www.graphique3d.republika.pl/ He grants permission to use his images if he is
noted. The above image has been flipped only because I wanted the large ship on the front cover
and the open sky on the back for the quotes. Also, the ships in this scene are nothing like the
ships described in the text but we all know that book covers often look nothing like they’re
supposed to.