The Rookie

From Siglerpedia

The Rookie

Title	The Rookie
Publisher	n/a
Published	n/a
Pages	n/a
ISBN	n/a
Podcasted	2007
Podiobooks.com Page

The Rookie is a thriller / science fiction podcast novel by American author Scott Sigler. It is the first in a four-book series following the career of Quentin Barnes, quarterbacking prodigy from the Purist Nation, in the Galactic Football League

[edit] Synopsis

The Rookie takes place in a galaxy of the future; a galaxy with a history of planetary colonization and conquest, and of interspecies warfare and cooperation. The events of this history have ultimately lead to the current 'pseudo-marshal law' state of society that is imposed by the current ruling species, the Creterakians. In this universe, the Creterakians, using their sheer overpowering numbers, have conquered several species and now control and oversee all 'official' aspects of the galaxy.

As a means to maintain order without violence, the Creterakians devised a distraction for the masses: the Galactic Football League. The GFL is a sports league modeled after the game of American football, with teams of varying skill separated into three tiers: the most skilled playing in Tier 1, the least skilled playing in Tier 3, with Tier 2 in the middle. The multi-species nature of society is reflected in the make-up of the GFL team lineups; the strengths of certain species make them natural fits for certain football positions. The quarterback, running back and tight-end positions are generally played by Humans. The female Sklorno, known for their speed and jumping ability, play the wide receiver and defensive back positions. The offensive and defensive lines are manned by Ki, a race of huge, agile creatures with enormous mass. And finally, the linebacker positions are played by Quyth Warriors and High-G Humans.

The Rookie is the story of Quentin Barnes, a human Tier 3 quarterback raised in the Purist Nation. As a Tier 3 quarterback, Quentin is a superstar and a hero among the Purists, and he has used his talents to easily lead his third rate team to the championship of a Tier 3 division. His natural talent, coupled with his ingrained Purist Nation self righteousness and bigotry have made him extremely arrogant.

The story begins with Quentin Barnes playing Tier 3 football on a backwater planet. His contract is purchased by underworld mogul Gredok the Splithead, who is a Quyth Leader , or Shamakath, and suddenly Quentin is on his way to The Combine to get cleared before he starts playing with the Ionath Krakens, a Tier 2 football team. Apparently there are a great deal many people who try to get through the Combine, a former Creterakian prison station, with biological and cybernetic enhancements in place. The Creterakians require all football players in Tier 2 or above to go through the extensive testing for enhancements in The Combine. Quentin passes the tests and is admitted to the team. He then goes to practice with the Ionath Krakens where, for the first time, he has to confront the reality of his new team-mates' alien origins.

Quentin's planetary religion is that of the Purist Nation, which is very species-ist. Even other evolutionary strains of human beings are clearly looked down upon - only "pure strain" humans are regarded as proper beings. As a result, Quentin has a very hard time trusting and working with his team-mates.

[edit] Theme Music

The Rookie podcast featured the song Heaven's a Lie by Lacuna Coil. This track can be found as the second track on the band's 2002 album Comalies, as well as Radio Edit, Acoustic and Live Acoustic versions from the 2007 Ozzfest Edition of the same album. It can also be found on the following albums: