Vijaya Schartz, author of Ashes for the Elephant God, Archangel Crusader, Archangel Checkmate, book reviewer, novelist, writer of visionary fiction and fantasy suspense

Zack woke up with a start, unable to see anything. Anything at all. Had the power gone out? A subtle vibration permeated the house. Earthquake? No. Earthquakes didn’t make the walls sing.

Something was wrong. With no glow from the digital clock or from his computer screen, Zack tossed his blanket aside and felt his way to the window. He pulled up the black roman shade and lifted the glass pane. The sweet fragrance of roses from the front yard filled the room. As he craned his neck outside, the second story view revealed a full moon but no street lights in the whole residential area of Granada Hills. Had all of Los Angeles blacked out?

Outside, the strong vibration shook the foliage of the eucalyptus trees. As far as Zack could see, the streets and houses looked dark and quiet. Too dark, too quiet, with no breeze, no birds, not even the chirp of a cricket.

Moonlight filtering into the room illuminated the life-size poster of Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider. As the vibration intensified, something familiar tugged at Zack’s mind. Ashley? His baby sister screeched for help in his head! She was terrified.

Rushing out of the bedroom, Zack stumbled over his sneakers and stepped into the ink black hallway. The vibration shook the hardwood under his bare feet. The smell of burnt rubber or heated machinery assaulted his nostrils. How weird!

Feeling his way along the wall, Zack turned the corner and saw an outline of white radiance around Ashley’s door. He’d left it ajar last night.

Wearing only his boxers and tee-shirt, Zack shivered when a malevolent breeze coursed across his skin, as if to keep him away. Was he dreaming? He bit his lip. It hurt, and the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth. Wide awake! His heart beat so hard, it threatened to explode.

Outside Ashley’s door, their Persian cat arched his back and hissed, spooked. His bristled tail rose straight up in the air, sparking with static electricity.

“What’s going on in there, Dude?” Zack whispered, his heart faltering. He swallowed with a dry throat, remembering the horror movies he used to enjoy watching. But this was no movie, and he couldn’t stand the thought of his baby sister in any danger.

Zack moved sluggishly, like through water with weights on his ankles. Had the air become dense? Had he landed in the middle of a strange videogame? Finally he pushed the door open. Blinded by bright light, Zack stood paralyzed. He tried to step inside, to no avail. His legs refused to move.

Unable to scream his frustration, he remained frozen in the doorway, immobilized by a strange force that controlled his body. As his eyes adjusted to the brightness, the unobstructed view of his sister’s room chilled his spine.

Bent over the bed, a tall creature of humanoid proportions hovered above the floor, wearing a long, shimmering cape that accentuated its square shoulders. Seven-year-old Ashley, her blue eyes wide with terror, blonde curls framing her tan face, clutched her favorite Barbie Doll, her mouth open in a silent wail.

The creature turned to face Zack. Under the hood, the bald skull glowed from within, blue, pink and green, like a see-through phone. The face had large oval eyes, milky skin, elongated cheeks, and a straight thin mouth etched with grim determination.

Hang on, Ashley, I’m coming. When Zack attempted to rush the creature, his feet stuck to the floor. He tried to yell but his vocal cords remained mute. He wanted to break the freak’s skull, bloody the monster’s small nose, make it feel pain. What did this thing want with his baby sister?

The creature turned its attention to a small device it held in spidery fingers. The bright light shrunk to a wide oblique beam that angled out through the gaping window. Beyond it, an ominous shadow hung above the house. The vibration emanated from it. Zack couldn’t believe what he saw. A spacecraft?

Howling inside, but unable to intervene, Zack watched as the creature lifted his frightened sister from the bed. Ashley didn’t protest when the monster wrenched the Barbie doll from her grip and threw it back on the blanket. Then the monster stepped into the beam of light and floated out the window with its prize. The paralyzing hold ebbed. Zack staggered into the room toward the window. He wanted to call for help but his throat still refused to make any sound.

As Zack stepped after them into the beam of light, the creature had almost reached the waiting craft. The alien pointed a small device at Zack. The shot sizzled and shook him like an electroshock. Zack’s legs buckled from the pain. He hit the plush pink rug and darkness engulfed him.

What would you do if faced with the stuff of nightmares coming to life in your sister’s bedroom? Zack did the only thing he could; vow to get the aliens, the Anaz-Voohri, and rescue his sister Ashley. After many years spent psychically communicating with his sister, he knew his alien enemy intimately. Having given up his childhood to embark on a quest to strengthen his mind and body, he was ready to take on any and every foe alone, until the FBI recruited him for his vast knowledge and gave him a platoon of soldiers. Could he finally meet his nemesis head on?

Tia Vargas was the best of the best at West Point, and when her schooling was over, had been assigned to oversee the conditioning of a special unit of soldiers. Unaware of the mission they faced, she strove to make sure these men could handle any situation with no questions asked. She excelled at all weaponry, all weather survival, and could handle herself in battle. The only thing that challenged her was her occasional nightmare, filled with strange, disconnected images of an arid unknown landscape which left her shaken and filled with dread. One soldier defied her at every turn, but proved to be her greatest ally. When he told her of their impending mission, all her nightmares came back with startling clarity. Could her mother’s ramblings of alien abductions be true?

Tia and Zack embark on a mission after Captain Kavak of the Anaz-Voohri asks him to meet her concerning his sister. What he encounters is the shell of his sister and a warning to the world. After a decade of silence they are in love in secret, and investigating possible Anaz-Voohri activity, when Zack gets mortally wounded saving Tia from a booby trapped cache of weapons. Feeling responsible for his injuries, Tia responds to an emergency summons and disappears. Zack, alone after being in a coma for months, wonders what became of Tia. Will these two ever reconcile? Is their love strong enough to endure time and circumstance?

Ms.Vijaya Schartz has written an epic novel of enduring love despite Herculean obstacles and extraterrestrial intrigues. I was caught up from the first sentence. I fell for Zack and his plight early on and admired his fight and determination to go after those who took his sister. The heartbreak and feelings of helplessness were communicated in his zeal for strength and mastery of his circumstances. Tia, in her unusual way, manifested the best in a partner displaying an unflinching loyalty and undying love for Zack dispite their frequent separations. Any reader who loves Sci-Fi action and adventure, along with romance, will love this journey. Ms Schartz’s prose will draw you into the book and make you feel for her characters. I adored this book.

"fast paced with just the right amount of action... The romance between Zack and Tia was very realistic... I couldn’t put the book down until I finished it... very memorable."
Five angels rating - Teresa - Fallen Angels Reviews -

Operation: Pleiades - Anaz-Voohri by Vijaya Schartz is the first book in the Pleiades series. This story begins with the telling of an old tale about how the great ones came to Earth and took the greatest of the Anasazi warriors away and changed them. That was the beginning of the Anaz-Voohri who overcame their captors and now they have returned to take over the Earth.

Zack is awakened in the dead of night by a vibration throughout his home with his baby sister, Ashley, mentally screaming for his help. Zack saw something human-like floating over her bed, but before he could do anything, he was knocked out. This is the beginning of Zack’s fight against the Anaz-Voohri, to bring her home. At the same time in outer space, Captain Kavak, the Anaz-Voohri leader, is angry about the nearly botched kidnapping of Ashley and the interference of Zack. The kidnapped girls are going to be altered by the alien scientists and used as weapons. Zack spends his youth looking for Ashley on his own until he meets up with his fate, in the shape of one person, Tia Vargas. Zack and Tia join forces with the government and others to fight off the impending alien invasion. There are many twists and unexpected turns in this fast paced book that are riveting to the reader. The unfolding love story between Tia and Zack forms the basis for the unfolding of the plot.

Ms. Schartz has created a fast paced romance with just the right amount of action that will hold the reader’s desire to find out what will happen next. I couldn’t put the book down until I finished it. The romance between Zack and Tia was very realistic in that even though things didn’t work out the way they wanted, they never forgot or truly gave up on each other. To maintain their belief in spite of all the information to the contrary made this book very memorable. I felt the use of the old legends of Anasazi added another level of reality to this book. I liked how Ms. Schartz created both good and bad humans and aliens, just the way it is in real life. I look forward to reading other books in the Pleiades series.

"The reader will be glued to the pages. This promises to be a great series"
Candy - Ecataromance - 4.5 star rating

"This one will keep you wondering till the end of the book and, even then..."
4-star rating - Ann M. Beardsley - Scribes World

Zack Duncan is eighteen when his seven-year-old sister is captured by aliens -- yes, those bald, bug-eyed, monsters who abduct upstanding citizens for nefarious purposes. But now, the aliens -- the Anaz-voohri, have a plan, and nothing is going to stop them. Zack, however, isn't going to let that get in his way, and he dedicates his life to getting his sister back. When part of his plan takes him into field training with Lieutenant Tia Vargas, the last thing either one of them had on their mind was romance. But war makes for strange bedfellows, and soon romance is blooming. But is Tia really an alien plant, a hybrid? And when Zack suffers a tragic accident, can they overcome the distance that's now between them?

This one will keep you wondering till the end of the book and, even then, I suspect the author's plotting a sequel or two (hurrah!). The dialogue is natural, and the plot is imaginative. Schartz's writing is so good, you can easily see the scenes in your head as if a movie were unfolding there. If you like science fiction but with more of an emphasis on romance, this book is for you.

"a fantastic futuristic science fiction adventure...definitely out-of-this-world!"
4.5 clovers rating - Debbie, ck2kwips&Kritiques

Twelve families experienced the loss of a female child in one frightful night in July 2003. Zack Duncan’s sister, Ashley, was one of those taken but Zack has vowed to get her back, no matter what it takes. The aliens, known as the Anaz-voohri, haven’t realized just how strong the bond between Zack and Ashley is so Zack is able to learn about the alien culture through his telepathy with Ashley.

The FBI doesn’t want the secret of the aliens revealed. Instead, they are tracking Zack’s every move until the day they ask him to join forces with them to defeat the Anaz-voohri. Zack agrees and finds himself training for the Special Forces under Tia Vargas, whom he is instantly attracted to. Tia and Zack’s love will face many obstacles and together they will have to work towards defeating the Anaz-voohri. After all, the ultimate goal of the Anaz-voohri is to take over the earth through a stealthy invasion that threatens life as all humans know it.

ANAZ-VOOHRI is a fantastic futuristic science fiction adventure that manages to span many years in its telling. It is part of the Operation Pleiades series but can definitely be read as a stand alone novel. The stories of several of the minor characters appear in other books in the series but Vijaya Schartz provides the reader with a complete story in ANAZ-VOOHRI. The glimpses of the secondary characters are very telling as to their personalities, however, as the evil Captain Kavak certainly ranks as one of the worst villains ever encountered!

Vijaya Schartz has taken a core group of characters and allows the reader to see the twists and turns that life offers each of them. Generally, one is only given a peek into a character’s past or future through flashbacks, a prologue, or an afterward. Ms. Schartz has attempted a very different approach as the story progresses to a certain point and then jumps forward a few years into the future. The story flows well, however, and one is easily able to follow the sequence of events.

ANAZ-VOOHRI is a worthwhile addition to the library of all science fiction/futuristic fans who want a taste of romance in their books. The overall plot focuses on Zack’s efforts to thwart the alien culture that kidnapped his sister but the romantic element is still present and intertwined in the storyline. Vijaya Schartz has written a book that is definitely out-of-this-world!

We meet main character Zack as a teenager on the day he witnesses the alien abduction of his little sister. From that night on, he is relentless in his pursuit of the truth, defying the CIA, the FBI, and the American government while he’s at it. Eventually, he begins to cause too many problems and is given a choice - either he works with the powers that be as a consultant or he faces elimination. The story would have been pretty short if he chose the latter, so luckily he goes off to boot camp.

At Camp Hell, he meets Tia, his drill sergeant. She’s tougher than anyone he’s ever met, but motivates him to try harder, dig deeper, achieve more. When he eventually finishes his month at camp, he is promoted immediately to just below her, and the two become friends.

The aliens that abducted Zack’s sister and eleven other girls are not ET, ALF, Mork & Mindy type friendly. They’re nasty and bent on destroying humanity, and through the course of the story, commit some pretty nasty deeds. Zack and Tia are part of a team trying to, in all actuality, save the world.

Now, I’m sure you can see the romance here, but the alien invasion/human counterattack is always at the forefront, even during the romance scenes. It’s not that the romance is lacking; in fact, it’s quite sweet and the characters are very natural.

The book is the start of a series from Triskelion, although Anaz-voohri stands alone quite well. It’s not very long but quite dense. A lot of action is packed in, and the pace very rarely slows. There is good character development, and I quite liked the subtle dig at witch-hunts in America, not unlike the criticism implicit in Bryan Singer’s X-Men trilogy. The author, Schartz, makes her point, but doesn’t preach.

This book is not a romance but it does have a love story at its heart. It is actually a science fiction story about aliens planning to take over the world and the men and women devoted to stopping them. When Zack Duncan was a young man his little sister Ashley was snatched from her bed by an alien being. Zack witnessed the kidnapping and should have died, but Kavak, the war leader of the Anaz–Voohri, messed up and he survived and recovered. From then on he was determined that the truth should be heard and devoted his life to finding his sister. Along the way he met an army lieutenant Tia Vargas and despite the tough training he endured at her hands, he began to fall in love with her. However, these are dangerous times and when Zack is terribly injured protecting Tia it leads them down separate paths for some years. I have to admit that this isn't my favorite genre, though I thought the book was tense, exciting and imaginative. I liked Zack's tenacity and the way the story panned out at the end. I think this must be one of a series, which I am sure will enthrall lovers of this genre for some books to come. For the romance that it does contain I award four red roses.

When Zack Duncan awakes one July night in 2003 to no power in the house and a strange vibration permeating the wall little does he know that before the night is over he will embark on a journey the likes of which even the X-Files could not have imagined. To Zack’s horror, once he finally gains his sister Ashley’s room, he finds a tall alien in the process of taking his little charge. Despite his near heroic efforts, he cannot get to his sister in time and she is taken by Anaz-Voohri leader Kavak.

A natural psychic, over the years Zack is able to communicate with Ashley and slowly but surely, he learns of the Anaz-Voohri race and their intent to systematically annihilate the human race. With the help only of his friend Logo, he constructs a website, writes a book and undergoes a one man mission to rescue his sister. When long last he is brought within a secret government agency dedicated to save the planet, he also again sees his beloved sister. Ashley, however, is not only older, she has completely bought into the Anaz-Voohri philosophy and no longer sees herself as human, but as one of them. The Anaz-Voohri seem invincible and despite his training and a strong team Zack’s life hangs in the balance.

This reviewer began reading this amazing series when Full Contact first came out and eagerly awaited each book. While ANAZ-VOOHRI is mainly a pre-quel it is also a stand-alone story and definitely a must read for the series. In its pages, Ms. Schartz not only weaves Zack and Ashley’s stories, she presents readers with the very beginnings of the race determined to obliterate the human race, their history and, even their own internal political disputes.

For the conspiracy theorist as well as fans of science fiction stories that speculate on space travel to and from earth, Ms. Schartz offers her readers an enthralling story. She aptly answers the questions devoted readers of this series will have had. Zack is a charming, headstrong, and determined character, the likes of which anyone would be pleased to call “friend.” When he is injured, it is the hero of our hearts that suffers.

ANAZ-VOOHRI is a definite “must” read for both existing fans of this series as well as those new to it.

In a plot to take over Earth, the Anaz-Voohri kidnap twelve young girls. One of these exceptional children was the sister of Zack Duncan. Thus begins his lifelong quest to destroy the Anaz-Voohri and rescue his sister. The only thing in his life as important is Tia Vargas.

Born with exceptional strength, stamina and intelligence, Tia Vargas has always excelled at everything and tended to intimidate everyone, with the exception of Zack Duncan. Working with Zack in a special task force formed to study and eliminate the Anaz-Voohri, they fall in love. However, injuries and the manipulations of others manage to separate this team. Will they be able to find their way back to each other?

ANAZ-VOOHRI by Vijaya Schartz is an engrossing tale of the fight against an alien race determined to have the planet Earth for themselves. Full of secrets, ambitions and political machinations, ANAZ-VOOHRI keeps the reader on her toes just trying to absorb all the information that is put forth... still the story itself makes it all worthwhile... ANAZ-VOOHRI is the first book in an ambitious multi-author series, Operation Pleiades.

For this reviewer, the hero Zack is what causes the whole tale to be so engrossing. He is just a teenager when his sister is kidnapped and the reader is able to follow this remarkable man’s tale until his late 30’s. Zack is a very intelligent and complex man that this reader would love to be able to sit down and talk over a good cup of tea.

"...well-written characters ...bad-guy aliens intent on destroying humanity...romance, adventure and plenty of futuristic shoot-'em-up action. "
Karen Sweeny-Justice - Romantic Times Magazine -

With a time span of almost two decades and well-written characters that include bad-guy aliens intent on destroying humanity, Schartz's story has romance, adventure and plenty of futuristic shoot-'em-up action. Although it's part of the Operation: Pleiades series, this book works as a stand-alone adventure.

Summary: After witnessing his sister's kidnapping by aliens, Zack Duncan is determined to get her back, even going against the FBI. But Ashley wasn't the only girl taken, nor was this the first time the aliens appeared over Earth. The government is watching them, and when Zack makes what he knows public, they silence him by putting him to work.

Tia Vargas, the best cadet at West Point, is anxious to complete her training and engage the terrorists responsible for killing her brother on 9/11. She accepts a special assignment and meets a student who teaches her about an alien culture called the Anaz-Voohri.

Zack and Tia become an effective team both on and off duty, until an enemy assault cripples him. Tia flees, burying herself in the hunt for terrorists, while Zack undergoes radical medical treatments.

The government, meanwhile, expands its search for alien-human hybrids who have been enhanced by technology and returned to Earth as sleeper agents. Against the odds, Tia and Zack reunite, determined to undermine the Anaz-Voohri and a government that has betrayed them. (Triskelion, Jan., 320 pp., $6.99)

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