The immediate action drags you in to the lives of the characters involved and I felt for them straight away. There's a good mix of personalities, some seem obvious and others are more mysterious. I'm always saying that story is king and I'm happy to accept some clumsy prose if the story is good. Here we have the gem of good quality writing to carry an excellent and interesting plot. Some of the description really stood out and for a first novel is impressive.
The quality extends to the action prevalent in the later part of the book. Not only is this well written it draws more on the characters in the situation rather than the technology as happens in many science fiction stories. Although there was an interesting development on that front which I'm looking forward to learning more of.
The world that the book takes place in is well realised. However one of the aspects that struck me was the glimpses of the wider universe that are dotted throughout the story. There's potentially a lot to explore here so I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. With this world is a history that reaches back to our own time and the consequences of choices that are made and how they effect the future.
This is fine science fiction adventure and a strong debut from a new author, may there be more to come from him.
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| Click on image to buy book from Amazon |
Earth is gone.
Centuries have passed since the First Cataclysm ended life on the blue planet. Humanity’s survivors are now dispersed among distant colonies, thousands of light years from the barren, frozen rock that was once their home.
A new Republic has formed – one in which freedom no longer exists. In return for the protection of the Consulate Magistratus, citizens must concede their rights absolutely. The Magistratus controls interstellar travel, access to technology – even procreation. Every citizen is implanted with a device to monitor location, health and nutrition, and emotion. Perhaps more. Organised religion is forbidden. All crime is punished by banishment or a lifetime of penal servitude aboard the Kolyma prison fleet.
And humanity’s true history survives only in whispers of a secret archive.
Yet there are those who preach a new religion and who want to be free.
A revolution is coming…
The Heretic is the first book in the Beyond the Wall series, an epic story about the future of humanity and the discovery of the truth of its past.
Click here to buy The Heretic from Amazon US / UK (and it's a stunning sci-fi adventure)
Thank you very much indeed and I am very glad you liked it.
ReplyDeleteYes, there is a much wider universe to come. I deliberately kept the opening book narrow in scope, but with references to the much larger setting beyond it. I am working hard on DEFIANCE, which will feature completely different characters (another risk), but will root itself very much in time so the events in THE HERETIC make some sense, albeit with the reasons behind them to be revealed much later.
I envisage at least 7 books, all around 200 pages (50,000 words) in the first 'season' - this gives me the room I need to expand the story - and then a dramatic shift in the story at the 'season finale'. I want to release these one every three months to keep the pass of the wider story up.
That's quite a pace you're setting for yourself :-)
DeleteI have the time now as I am writing full-time. I have other projects I want to get started on too. You know the feeling, I am sure – when something huge and exciting is blooming inside your head, desperate to get out and onto a page...
DeleteI know the feeling - I already know what what my five next books will be :-)
DeleteWow this sounds really good! I can't get it, though through the UK link.
ReplyDeleteYou'll find it on .com as well.
ReplyDelete