On March 5, 2014,
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#1 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Military
For Blackmon Perry Stone coming of age is life threatening. He is struggling and barely manages to graduate from the empire’s cadet training using his talent for unusual problem solving. Stone fully expects to languish in an unassigned status for years. When given a shipboard assignment aboard a huge warehouse ship he is surprised. He assumes life will be enjoyable once he is onboard ship, but it doesn’t take long to find out how wrong he could be.
Life in the Emperor’s navy is not any easier than life at the academy and Stone is having trouble settling in. He has been assigned the most boring job, in the most uninteresting place, during the most monotonous shift possible. His supervisor is no help. He is having a hard time making few friends. Without anyone to turn to for comfort or help, navy life is not easy. Life is tricky when he uncovers a ring of thieves. Life is dangerous when they kill him.
Ejected into hyperspace in an escape pod without a hyperspace engine, he fully expects to die. He reconfigures the sub-light engine to escape the inescapable and to his amazement it works, but only to crash on an uncharted planet. If he can make the engine work again it will be a surprise, but not as much of a surprise to everyone who believes he is dead.
If Stone knew the challenges awaiting him when he returned to the Empire’s navy, he would have stayed on the uncharted planet.
- Paperback: 338 pages
- Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (September 21, 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1482774321
- ISBN-13: 978-1482774320
- Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
A really good read. Is there s follow up novel?
Michael, thanks. I am about halfway through writing a sequel to Metal Boxes. We will get it published and available by the end of the year. Book three shortly after that.
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I just finished reading your second book and I must say well done. Thank you very much.
Huge fan of metal boxes. Reading the sequel now. Great story.
Curt,
Thanks.
Have you read Metal Boxes – Trapped Outside?
Alan Black
Please get to work and write another one I love this series (Metal Boxes)
Paul,
Working on book 3 now. Metal Boxes – Rusty Hinges is about 70% completed in the rough draft. I should have it completed by the end of the year (holidays and all will slow me down somewhat). Editing, Cover and Publishing will take a while and we should see this hit Amazon around the end of May.
Alan Black
Need any beta/proof readers I would love to check out Rusty Hinges and help point out any errors if you wanted.
Jonathan,
Thank you for the offer. I may take you up on being a beta reader, however I am a long way from being at that stage since I am still only about 70% done with my rough draft. It may be a while yet and I haven’t polled my usual staff of beta readers to get their availability.
Alan Black
Can’t wait for your next Stone book! Sound like Rusty Hinges will be just as great as the first two. My only negative is the length of time between novels. Big Grin.
Jim,
My beta readers tell me Rusty Hinges is the best of the books so far.
I also have the same problem with the time in between the books, but you can have quality or speed…not both.
Alan Black
Just read all three books the past week. Excellent novels and very enjoyable. Will there be a fourth book in the series? Also, do you have a set total number of books expected for the series, I like to get an idea if you intend to give a good ending to the series.
Michael,
Thank you.
I am about halfway through writing book four. METAL BOXES – AT THE EDGE. We expect publication in October or November. At this point I am planning on trying to wrap this book up in five volumes, assuming I can do that without killing everyone off. Well…what the heck, just nuke ’em all.
Alan Black
No don’t kill them off please!!! And why only five books? You got a solid ground to do a lot more then five books. You can get the group all the way to where Stone is an admiral. Not to forget about all he drascos what about them? There intelligent and sentient so why not build on here burgeoning species into the galactic scene and the empire?
Jacob,
I will try not to kill of any essential personnel, however I am curious as to what might happen if I kill off Jay or Peebee…
I only planned of five books, because when I talk to readers, they say they get bored with a series after that. I don’t want to bore my readers. Let’s see what kind of feedback we get after book four METAL BOXES – AT THE EDGE in October 2016 and METAL BOXES – UNHINGED sometime in 2017.
I can say that Stone will NOT progress up the ranks in a nice, neat orderly fashion. The Emperor, the Navy, and Grandpa are not done screwing with his life.
Alan Black
Hi I am just listening to the Meal Boxes audibook and was wounder what if any your planes for the audiobook version of Trapped Outside where?
Thanks.
Max,
The audiobook producer and narrator (same guys as did Metal Boxes) are working on Metal Boxes – Trapped Outside now. We anticipate it will still be a month or so before all of the production gets wrapped up. You should see this soon.
Then, once that is done, they are going to start on Metal Boxes – Rusty Hinges right away. That should be available to you quickly. We are not under contract yet to have them do Metal Boxes – At the Edge, but I anticipate this team will also tackle book four as soon as it gets published in October.
Alan Black
After reading Metal Boxes-At The Edge I am already looking forward to the next installment -Unhinged. I firmly believe that this series could go on if not indefinitely at least two or three more books. There are enough story lines left at the end of, “At The Edge” to fuel at least a couple more books.
Mr. Black your books are a joy to read and definitely a cut above most other authors that are publishing today!
Tim,
Thank you. I am not sure how many more Metal Boxes there will be. I can say that I plan at least one more.
Alan Black
Hello.
Just wanted to say “Thank you!” for the books you write. Love this series and most of the other books i have read that you have also written. I tend to wait for them until they come out as audible books since they are really really good to listen to when i work. Have a great write/read/listen. 🙂
Susanne,
You’re welcome.
My next book out on audiobooks is QUEST FOR THE WHITE WIND. It is a fantasy lite/action/adventure read by Patrick Freeman, who has done some of my other books.
Alan Black
Loved the most recent entry. I look forward to books 5 and maybe a generation skip to when trey is #1 and has his own kid to screw with.