138 ratings | 84 reviews | avg rating:3.86

Alan’s Year In Books

Alan’s 2024 Year in Books

Take a look at Alan’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Alan’s 2024 Year in Books

Alan Zendell’s Followers (14)

Alan’s Bookshelves

to-read (0)
currently-reading (9)
read (142)
couldn-t-finish (1)

Alan’s Friends (55)

Angie Boyter

3,724 books | 94 friends

Steven

9,204 books | 471 friends

Denis

1,356 books | 157 friends

Natalia

507 books | 41 friends

Stephanie Lorée

2,938 books | 554 friends

Patricia

265 books | 417 friends

Seeley James

284 books | 2,724 friends

Linda Rondeau

136 books | 2,400 friends

More friends…

Alan Zendell

Goodreads Author

Born

in Brooklyn, New York, The United States

Website

http://alanzendell.com/

Genre

Science Fiction & Fantasy, Politics, Short Stories

Member Since

May 2011

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/alanz

edit data

Alan Zendell spent more than forty years as a scientist, aerospace engineer, software consultant, database developer, and government analyst. He spent two years working on the first manned lunar mission, then moved on to a variety of near-Earth satellite projects, and Pentagon support for anti-ballistic missile systems. As the aerospace industry became more oriented toward the military, he applied his skill set to health care and social service systems, and ultimately branched out into software and database consulting.

No matter what he did to earn a living, he never lost his fascination with science fiction and speculating about the future. He always wrote a lot, but it was generally really boring stuff like proposals and technical papers, Alan Zendell spent more than forty years as a scientist, aerospace engineer, software consultant, database developer, and government analyst. He spent two years working on the first manned lunar mission, then moved on to a variety of near-Earth satellite projects, and Pentagon support for anti-ballistic missile systems. As the aerospace industry became more oriented toward the military, he applied his skill set to health care and social service systems, and ultimately branched out into software and database consulting.

No matter what he did to earn a living, he never lost his fascination with science fiction and speculating about the future. He always wrote a lot, but it was generally really boring stuff like proposals and technical papers, reports, business letters, and policy memoranda. But trapped inside him all that time were stories he wanted to tell and ideas he wanted to share, so with encouragement and cajoling from a loving baby sister he plunged into fiction.

He has written several short pieces in a variety of genres and completed five novel manuscripts, three of which have three of which have found their way into print and e-books. “Wednesday’s Child” is hard science fiction with a different twist on time travel; “The Portal” is a science-fiction love story set in a dystopian twenty-second century America; and “Critical Focus” is a contemporary political novel that addresses the major issues facing present-day America. But regardless of the story lines and subject matter, his writing is about more than aliens and technical marvels. He creates strong, three-dimensional characters a reader can care about, because it’s people and the way they live and feel that are important. It’s the things they believe in and how much they’re willing to invest to preserve them that make a story worth telling. It’s convincing interactions and well-researched credible plots that make a story worth reading.

Alan has six book currently listed on Goodreads, including sample chapters. ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Alan Zendell questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
Alan Zendell’s books

Average rating: 4.35 · 68 ratings · 29 reviews · 12 distinct works

	The Portal 4.37 avg rating — 19 ratings — published 2011 — 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
	Wednesday's Child 4.22 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 2010 — 6 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
	Element 42: Book 1 4.50 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 2012 — 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
	Earth Emerges (Element 42 #2) 4.14 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2012 — 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
	Temporally Misplaced 4.20 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2012	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
	Critical Focus 4.50 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2011 — 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
	KARRYN 4.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2012	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 Boy and His Dog - an Unfinished Love Story it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2012	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
	Trains, Planes, Cars & Spaceships 0.00 avg rating — 0 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
	A Boy and His Dog: an Unfinished Love Story ... and other Stories 0.00 avg rating — 0 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

More books by Alan Zendell…

31 posts
Alan Zendell's Blog: It's About Time

The Next Big Thing - An Interview About My Book, The Portal

The Next Big Thing is an author interview series currently generating lots of buzz for its inside look into how writers, working in a variety of genres, create their best work. My special thanks to Toby Devens, who invited me to participate and provided the questions. You can see Toby’s interview about her book, Happy Any Day Now at: http://midlifepassions.blogspot.com/ .

And now, it’s my turn to Read more of this blog post »

2 likes · Like • 1 comment • flag

Published on March 22, 2013 13:23 • Tags: next-big-thing, the-portal

View all 31 posts »

Series by Alan Zendell

Element 42 (2 books)
by

Alan Zendell (Goodreads Author)

4.35 avg rating — 17 ratings

Alan is Currently Reading

Alan Zendell is currently reading

The Object

by Joshua T. Calvert (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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

Apr 13, 2025 01:06PM

Alan Zendell is currently reading

Sandstorm (Sandstorm #1)

by T.W. Piperbrook (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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

Apr 13, 2025 12:20PM

Alan Zendell is currently reading

Jezero City: Colony Four Mars (Colony Mars #4)

by Gerald M. Kilby (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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

Nov 24, 2024 05:32PM

rss
Alan’s Recent Updates

Alan Zendell is currently reading The Object by Joshua T. Calvert (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
Apr 13, 2025 01:06PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Object by Joshua T. Calvert. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Object by Joshua T. Calvert <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alan Zendell is currently reading Sandstorm (Sandstorm #1) by T.W. Piperbrook (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
Apr 13, 2025 12:20PM · like
Alan Zendell is currently reading Jezero City: Colony Four Mars (Colony Mars #4) by Gerald M. Kilby (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
Nov 24, 2024 05:32PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Jezero City by Gerald M. Kilby. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Jezero City by Gerald M. Kilby <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alan Zendell is currently reading Colony Three Mars (Colony Mars #3) by Gerald M. Kilby (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
Oct 19, 2024 08:08AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Colony Three Mars by Gerald M. Kilby. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Colony Three Mars by Gerald M. Kilby <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alan Zendell is currently reading Colony Two Mars (Colony Mars #2) by Gerald M. Kilby (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
Oct 04, 2024 12:46PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Colony Two Mars by Gerald M. Kilby. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Colony Two Mars by Gerald M. Kilby <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alan Zendell finished reading Colony One Mars (Colony Mars #1) by Gerald M. Kilby (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
Oct 04, 2024 12:36PM · like
Alan Zendell is currently reading Colony One Mars (Colony Mars #1) by Gerald M. Kilby (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
Sep 14, 2024 01:43PM · like
Alan Zendell is currently reading Time's Agent by Brenda Peynado (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
Aug 25, 2024 06:18PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Time's Agent by Brenda Peynado. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Time's Agent by Brenda Peynado <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alan Zendell finished reading In Any Lifetime by Marc Guggenheim (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 27, 2024 07:20AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of In Any Lifetime by Marc Guggenheim. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — In Any Lifetime by Marc Guggenheim <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alan Zendell is currently reading In Any Lifetime by Marc Guggenheim (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 02, 2024 11:50AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of In Any Lifetime by Marc Guggenheim. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — In Any Lifetime by Marc Guggenheim <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Alan's books…

Alan’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-3) post a comment »

date

newest »

message 3: by Alan

Sep 14, 2012 12:13PM

Yes, Catherine, we do seem to have similar interests. Nice to meet you.

reply | flag

message 2: by Catherine

Sep 13, 2012 07:33AM

Hi, Alan, thanks for friending me. Similar writing and reading interest in scifi! Catherine Stine

reply | flag

message 1: by Book Club

Jun 30, 2012 12:28PM

Hi Alan,

Here are some affordable marketing tools for authors to increase their books' visibility on the Internet. Each service costs only $39.95.

Press Releases HQ - Send a custom release to 3,000+ media outlets. Include links back to you book, improving your book's SEO!
Cheap eBooks - $0.99 or Less - 1) Add your book to this highly ranked website, and 2) a press release is sent out announcing your book's addition ... includes links back to you book.
Book Club Reading List - 1) Add your book to this highly ranked website, 2) your book is added to the quarterly newsletter sent to book clubs, and 3) a press release is sent out announcing your book's addition ... includes links back to you book.

reply | flag

Alan Zendell’s Followers (14)

Alan Zendell

Goodreads Author

rssAlan’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — The Object by Joshua T. Calvert

See a Problem?

Preview — Jezero City by Gerald M. Kilby

See a Problem?

Preview — Colony Three Mars by Gerald M. Kilby

See a Problem?

Preview — Colony Two Mars by Gerald M. Kilby

See a Problem?

Preview — Time's Agent by Brenda Peynado

See a Problem?

Preview — In Any Lifetime by Marc Guggenheim

See a Problem?

Preview — In Any Lifetime by Marc Guggenheim

rss
Alan’s Recent Updates