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John’s 2025 Year in Books

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2026 Reading Challenge

2026

READING

CHALLENGE

John Wegener has read 21 of 30 books.

70%

John Wegener

Goodreads Author

Born

Australia

Website

https://www.johnwegener.com

Genre

Science Fiction

Influences

Asimov, Arthur. C Clarke, J.R.R. Tolkien,

Member Since

February 2019

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/johnwegener

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I'm a dreamer…always have been.

I have dreamed of flying to the stars since I was a child, looking up at the Milky Way on a moonless and cloudless winter’s night, wondering what’s out there.

I started writing in 2016 and now write full time. Ten published books later, I’m still writing strong with many more stories in my head for others to enjoy. My stories revolve around science fiction, primarily space based stories with as strong an element of hard science as I can place into the stories. This means they usually occur in the near future (next one to two hundred years). But I do delve into the fantastic sci fi for stories of intrigue and adventure other than hard science based ones.

Before taking up writing, I undertook chemical engineering I'm a dreamer…always have been.

I have dreamed of flying to the stars since I was a child, looking up at the Milky Way on a moonless and cloudless winter’s night, wondering what’s out there.

I started writing in 2016 and now write full time. Ten published books later, I’m still writing strong with many more stories in my head for others to enjoy. My stories revolve around science fiction, primarily space based stories with as strong an element of hard science as I can place into the stories. This means they usually occur in the near future (next one to two hundred years). But I do delve into the fantastic sci fi for stories of intrigue and adventure other than hard science based ones.

Before taking up writing, I undertook chemical engineering in the steel industry for 35 years.

So I now write, drawing on my many experiences in exotic places throughout my working life. These were incredible at times! I also draw on many other experiences. Some are funny and interesting.

Being an avid reader, I read almost anything. It is common for me to read three or four books at the same time on completely differing topics, both fiction and non-fiction. I mainly enjoy reading science fiction and fantasy books, my favorite authors being Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke and J.R.R. Tolkien. I also enjoy crime mysteries. Ancient and medieval history in Europe fascinate me and I use extrapolated facts from this history in my stories at times.

Cosmology, general relativity and quantum physics intrigue me. New concepts and understanding continually develop in these fields. This is exciting to me and is the way of the future. Humanity is finally escaping the shackles of Earth and seriously reaching out into space.

I rarely use aliens in my stories as the aliens I encounter in the stories I read are usually humans dressed up as aliens. So why not use humans. I do delve into genetic engineering. That is a realistic scientific development worth exploring in science fiction.

You can get to know me better by viewing my website and subscribing to my emails, where I provide more information on my activities and explore interesting topics. Or follow me on facebook.

I live in Wollongong, Australia with my wife and family.
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Combine Editions
John Wegener’s books

Average rating: 4.4 · 163 ratings · 18 reviews · 26 distinct works • Similar authors

	FTL (Reach For The Stars #1) 4.36 avg rating — 70 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Centauri (Reach For The Stars #2) 4.39 avg rating — 28 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ceti (Reach For The Stars, #3) 4.68 avg rating — 25 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lunar Rift (Solar Dawn Book 1) 4.13 avg rating — 15 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Scorpius 4.50 avg rating — 8 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Dark Ages 4.40 avg rating — 5 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Reach For The Stars: Books 1-3 Collection it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 4 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	SAGI 4.33 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2022 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Libra 3.33 avg rating — 3 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Loki's Fall it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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John Wegener's Blog

Chooli and the Stela

Chooli and the Stela

Chooli Richards was five years old, inquisitive and intelligent, a perfect scion of her parents — Ethan and Jade — but that inquisitiveness sometimes led her into situations she shouldn’t have ventured into and beyond the immediate attention of her parents. The events that follow describe one such time, one that had far-reaching consequences for her and the Cetusian race.

Series by John Wegener

Reach For The Stars (3 books)
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John Wegener (Goodreads Author)

4.27 avg rating — 167 ratings

John is Currently Reading

John Wegener is currently reading

How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America

by Lee Child (Goodreads Author)

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Jul 14, 2026 10:53PM

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Summer of Sci-Fi & Fantasy: Volume One (Summer of Sci-Fi & Fantasy Collection Book 1)

by Dustin Bilyk (Goodreads Author)

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Jun 27, 2026 06:45PM

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Exodus: The Archimedes Engine (Archimedes Engine, #1)

by Peter F. Hamilton (Goodreads Author)

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May 22, 2026 03:30AM

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John Wegener is on page 59 of 336 of How to Write a Mystery How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America by Lee Child (Goodreads Author) progress:	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 18, 2026 07:08PM · like · see status · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of How to Write a Mystery by Lee Child. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — How to Write a Mystery by Lee Child <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Wegener is on page 234 of 928 of Exodus Exodus: The Archimedes Engine (Archimedes Engine, #1) by Peter F. Hamilton (Goodreads Author) progress:	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 18, 2026 07:08PM · like · see status · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Exodus by Peter F. Hamilton. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Exodus by Peter F. Hamilton <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Wegener is currently reading How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America by Lee Child (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 14, 2026 10:53PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of How to Write a Mystery by Lee Child. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — How to Write a Mystery by Lee Child <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Wegener rated a book really liked it Scarecrow (Shane Schofield, #3) by Matthew Reilly	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
More of the same death defying feats, the next one become more Farr fetched than the current one. Good story writing and it keeps you reading to the end. I just find that it stretches the believability to the limit.
Jul 14, 2026 10:51PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Scarecrow by Matthew Reilly. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Scarecrow by Matthew Reilly <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Wegener is currently reading Scarecrow (Shane Schofield, #3) by Matthew Reilly	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 30, 2026 08:40PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Scarecrow by Matthew Reilly. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Scarecrow by Matthew Reilly <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Wegener rated a book really liked it Area 7 (Shane Schofield, #2) by Matthew Reilly	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Another all guns blazing, propulsive story from Matthew Reilly featuring Scarecrow. This man is hard to kill!
Jun 30, 2026 08:35PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Area 7 by Matthew Reilly. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Area 7 by Matthew Reilly <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Wegener is currently reading Summer of Sci-Fi & Fantasy: Volume One (Summer of Sci-Fi & Fantasy Collection Book 1) by Dustin Bilyk (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 27, 2026 06:45PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Summer of Sci-Fi & Fantasy by Dustin Bilyk. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Summer of Sci-Fi & Fantasy by Dustin Bilyk <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Wegener rated a book really liked it Distant Telepaths: Stories by Timothy Zahn (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The story seemed to drag a bit.
Jun 27, 2026 06:43PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Distant Telepaths by Timothy Zahn. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Distant Telepaths by Timothy Zahn <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Wegener rated a book it was amazing Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction by Patricia Highsmith	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A good read with Patricia providing her experiences with writing suspense fiction, giving the reader her tips for what makes a great suspense story along the way.
Jun 14, 2026 03:24AM · like · see review
John Wegener is currently reading Area 7 (Shane Schofield, #2) by Matthew Reilly	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 14, 2026 03:24AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Area 7 by Matthew Reilly. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Area 7 by Matthew Reilly <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">