Top five books that influenced the 'Caitlin Star' series

The epic, dystopian, action-adventure "Caitlin Star" books were influenced by many things: My own personal experiences, the "Planet of the Apes" franchise, "Tomb Raider", "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", and many of my favorite books. Here is a list of the top five books that influenced the 'Caitlin Star' series

Birds of Prey – DC Comics

The resident female characters of Gotham City are among my favorite in all of fiction. No “Batman” book has ever captured the sense of empowerment embodied by the woman of the Dark Knight’s city than the early 2000s run of “Birds of Prey”, written by Gail Simone and penciled by Ed Benes.

The influence on "Caitlin Star"?

There is little bit of all the Gotham girls in "Caitlin Star", especially Black Canary, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy from an anti-hero's perspective.

Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors

“Before the Dawn” by Nicholas Wade is a furious and fascinating page turner that I could not get enough of. It is a non-fiction science book that attempts to solve the mysteries of human prehistory, especially the lost years between the exodus of modern humans out of Africa 50,000 years ago until the beginnings of recorded human history and urbanized civilization  roughly 5000 years ago.

The influence on "Caitlin Star"?

The scientific discoveries reported on in this book were a major launching pad for the pre-history timeline and Bull Mongoni mythology of the “CaitlinStar” series.

“Shadows of the Empire” by Steve Perry

This book excels at world-building just as much as it does characters. The setting is richly detailed, a vast underworld of the "Star Wars" universe hinted at in the final act of "Empire" and the opening set-piece in "Jedi" and fully explored here in an irresistible fashion by author Steve Perry.

At its core, "Shadows of the Empire" is an epic gangster story that makes fantastic use of the most interesting period in all of the "Star Wars", the time between "Empire" and "Jedi".

The influence on "Caitlin Star"?

The way author Steve Perry uses viewpoint and balances character and action is what I was striving for in the “Caitlin Star” books.

Brak the Barbarian by John Jakes

First published in 1968 at the amid a torrid Frank Frazetta/Robert E. Howard inspired sword and sorcery boom that lasted right up into the early 1980s, this John Jakes “Conan” rip off is a glorious pulp masterwork in its own right.

What sets the “Brak” series apart from other Conan posers is John Jakes himself. He is a fantastic storyteller and a brilliant craftsman who writes visually and has a keen sense of pacing. There is a reason all of those historical novels of his (“The Bastard”, “North and South”, etc.) sold by the tens of millions. The guy can flat out write great fiction.

The influence on "Caitlin Star"?

The vivid, colorful prose, the visceral physicality, and the attitude.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

The original dystopian, big brother, social commentary satire novel that often gets overshadowed by "1984" and the rest of the recently re-surging genre. I first read this book in an eighth grade literature class. I was blown by away it then and still love it today.

The influence on "Caitlin Star"?

The idea of a society where the powers to be (be it state, corporate, or otherwise), want to impose their own perverted sense of moral superiority on others in order to control them.

Related posts:

Timeline of the ‘Caitlin Star’ series

Caitlin Star: The Motion Picture

Top five influences on 'Caitlin Star and the Guardian of Forever' 

Fantastic fiction: The short stories of James J. Caterino

Best known for his exciting, action-packed "Caitlin Star" series, and the harrowing and heartfelt coming of age story, "The Last Neanderthal", the wildly imaginative and always entertaining author, James J. Caterino, now has five knockout short stories available on Amazon Kindle that will blow you away.

'Rollercoaster', a wicked thrill ride of a short story

Sixteen year-old Gina Zeneski is leading a good life. She is smart, beautiful, a track star, and has a sweet gig babysitting the Robinson kids. One fateful Saturday she takes the children for what was supposed to be a fun Saturday at the amusement park. But when she and the kids witness something they were not supposed to see, it turns out to be a deadly day of harrowing danger.
“Rollercoaster” is another knockout, action-packed short story from the lurid imagination of James J. Caterino,author of “The Eco-Warrior”, “Watch the Skies”, and the “Caitlin Star” series.

'Barry's Run', a riveting, cautionary, action-packed science fiction short story

Barry Baton dies in a car accident and is cryogenically frozen in suspended animation. When the technology to bring him back arrives in ten years, he is revived. He awakens into a Trumpian, fascist nightmare—a dark, dystopian, oppressive world, more terrifying than anything he could have imagined.

“Barry's Run” is a riveting, cautionary, action-packed science fiction short story from the lurid imagination of James J. Caterino, the wildly controversial author of “The Eco-Warrior”, “Battle of the Network Superheroes”, and the “Caitlin Star” series.


John Kregar is 'The Eco-Warrior' in new action-packed short story

Alycia is on the trip of a lifetime. She is deep in the rain forest of the Congo Basin, conducting field research for her doctoral thesis in Anthropology. She leads a team of fellow students and a professor. All is going well until they come across a murderous group of poachers who hold them at gunpoint, determined to torment the group of academics before leaving them for dead. Things get ugly and all appears lost, until, a mysterious bare-chested man appears, giving the poachers more than they bargained for.

They say he lost someone in one of the countless American mass shootings. They say he snapped, hoisted a NRA stooge Senator over his head, tossed him like a rag doll, and was sent to jail. They say he came to the Congo to escape humanity, and protect the last patch of paradise on Earth. They call him the Eco-Warrior.

John Kregar is, the Eco-Warrior.

'The Selfie', a bold, romantic, imaginative short story

An illustrator at an ad agency creates a drawing of a woman taking a selfie for a smart phone ad campaign. Then, he comes across a real-life, living version of the exact same woman and image.

In the tradition of "The Twilight Zone", "The Outer Limits", and "Amazing Stories", "The Selfie" is a bold, shocking, romantic, unforgettable short story from the lurid imagination of James J. Caterino, author of “The B Girl” and “Caitlin Star: The Trilogy.”

Battle of the Network Superheroes'

When they decided to bring back a new, re-imagined version of “The Battle of the Network Stars”, writer James J. Caterino knew he had to find a way to get into the competition. And when he did, it became the adventure of a lifetime.
“Battle of the Network Superheroes” is another wild, wickedly entertaining tale from the fevered imagination of controversial author James J. Caterino, creator of “Steel Phantom”, “Among the Stars”, “The Last Neanderthal”, and the “Caitlin Star” series. 

'Rollercoaster', a wicked thrill ride of a short story

Sixteen year-old Gina Zeneski is leading a good life. She is smart, beautiful, a track star, and has a sweet gig babysitting the Robinson kids. One fateful Saturday she takes the children for what was supposed to be a fun Saturday at the amusement park. But when she and the kids witness something they were not supposed to see, it turns out to be a deadly day of harrowing danger.

“Rollercoaster” is another knockout, action-packed short story from the lurid imagination of James J. Caterino, author of “The Eco-Warrior”, “Watch the Skies”, and the “Caitlin Star” series.