Evan Gabriel wasn’t always a feared and respected North American Federation Navy Commander. Before dangerous missions to the ice-bound planet of Poliahu, the deadly jungle world of Eden, and politically corrupt Mars, he was a simple recruit, fighting to make his mark in the elite Naval Special Forces…and was part of a top-secret military experiment that would change his life forever.GABRIEL: ZERO POINTPrequel Novella to the Evan Gabriel TrilogyEvan Gabriel wasn’t always a feared and respected North American Federation Navy Commander. Before dangerous missions to the ice-bound planet of Poliahu, the deadly jungle world of Eden, and politically corrupt Mars, he was a simple recruit, fighting to make his mark in the elite Naval Special Forces…and was part of a top-secret military experiment that would change his life forever.Zero Point tells the tale before the science fiction/adventure trilogy, a tale of a young man faced with difficult choices and dangerous trials. Fans of the series will see part of the mysterious past Evan Gabriel carries with him, while readers new to the series get a preview of what is to come in a military man’s haunted life.Zero Point is the true beginning of Evan Gabriel, and his story is just getting started.Also available: Gabriel's Redemption (Book 1), Gabriel's Return (Book 2), Gabriel's Revenge (Book 3), Gabriel's Journey (complete collection) Approximately 22,000 words (88 pages printed). Includes sneak preview of Gabriel’s Redemption (not included in word count).WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE GABRIEL TRILOGY~” Umstead can write an action-packed adventure story better than most. He is an artist in designing a high-tech battlefield and weaving in the human element with his character's depth and color. If you like action in a science fiction setting then you really need to pick this up from book one and give it a shot." - Tom Clementson, The Kindle Book Review~ "If John Scalzi and Tom Clancy got combined in a transporter accident a la The Fly....and I mean that in a good way."~ "This series brings me back to the old days when Sci-Fi was about ass kicking, great friends, loyalty and action."~ "Umstead has a way of putting you right into the scene, whether it be on a Jamaican beach, a rundown apartment or the icy surface of a distant planet." ~ “Character-rich story, non-stop adventure (think Jason Bourne travels the stars). Completely immersive read."~"...the military fiction of Tom Clancy, the hardware of Heinlein's Starship Troopers, and the intrigue of Dan Brown." ~ "The detail of the world-building pulled me in and made everything utterly believable." ~ "Well-thought-out universe with a tightly woven history, timeline, and culture." ~ "The author's imagination is amazing...he has knowledge of combat tactics, both with squads and hand-to-hand." ~ "Umstead's writing is solid, as good as it gets, not only in the genre, but in general." ~ "Umstead deals with issues like honor, responsibility and human nature. While deep in thematic content the forward thrust of the story never stops.”

Can a disgraced soldier find redemption, and will redemption cost him more than just his own life? North American Federation Navy Commander Evan Gabriel lost his rank, his squad, and his freedom on a far off world called Eden. Now, he’s being offered an opportunity to command a new team, on a new world, with a new mission, but the true motives behind the mission are unclear. A reluctant Gabriel and his team must travel hundreds of light years across the galaxy to an ice-bound planet, where a nameless, faceless cartel is producing a highly-addictive drug brutally extracted from the brains of the native inhabitants. His former commanding officer, Admiral Llewelyn “Dredge” MacFarland, now the Director of Naval Intelligence for the NAF, is running the covert Special Forces mission, but has a hidden agenda Gabriel can only guess at. Gabriel and his team arrive only to find that things aren’t as they were briefed on. The natives aren’t what they expected, the drug cartel isn’t as they were portrayed, and the mission planners aren’t as transparent as they had believed. Evan Gabriel must now decide if personal redemption is worth more than he bargained for. Gabriel’s Redemption is a near-future military science fiction story of a personal journey seen from the perspective of a soldier who has lost everything, one who desperately needs to redeem himself not only in his government’s eyes, but also his own. Interstellar action mixes with one-on-one encounters on the surface of a frozen planet in this exciting tale of salvation.

Evan Gabriel wasn’t always a feared and respected North American Federation Navy Commander. Before dangerous missions to the ice-bound planet of Poliahu, the deadly jungle world of Eden, and politically corrupt Mars, he was a simple recruit, fighting to make his mark in the elite Naval Special Forces…and was part of a top-secret military experiment that would change his life forever. Zero Point tells the tale before the science fiction/adventure trilogy, a tale of a young man faced with difficult choices and dangerous trials. Fans of the series will see part of the mysterious past Evan Gabriel carries with him, while readers new to the series get a preview of what is to come in a military man’s haunted life. Zero Point is the true beginning of Evan Gabriel, and his story is just getting started.