What do you think?
Rate this book
Terminus: a novel of beginnings
Physicist and civil engineer Dr. Richard St. James lives on the Mars Settlement and works for the Mars Administration. A failed relationship on the Moon propelled him to seek out a new beginning on the Red Planet. Now he must contend with the ever-changing face of science.But it is a new galaxy. Following the economic and political collapse of Earth's governments, powerful groups organize the Economic Zones to replace national boundaries. The Economic Council promulgates facts, forbids the teaching of history, philosophy, metaphysics, and spiritual faith, instead channeling their energy into fielding planetary colonies and space stations. A generation grows up that has never seen the sun from Earth, or experienced any culture other than the self-centered, hard-scrabble struggle to survive in the darkness of space.It is this very darkness that St. James must confront, especially when he meets the beautiful and exotic Socorro, a chemist recently transferred to the Mars Administration. Memories return to haunt him as he struggles to understand his place in this new world, one far removed from his humble Southern U.S. beginnings.A mysterious artifact found during an exploration propels Socorro and St. James into an uncertain future, one guaranteed to change their lives forever.
308 pages, Paperback
First published March 11, 2005
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 23, 2011
Book Review: Terminus by Mike Read
In recent years, our society has seen some major trends toward secularism. Some groups have even been anti-Christian and anti-religious, attacking any form of religious expression whatsoever in public venues. In the past few months, some openly atheist authors have published books denouncing Christianity.
What if some day this anti-God attitude became law? What would it be like to live in a society that has forgotten about God, where his name cannot even be mentioned? That's the premise of Mike Read's science fiction novel, Terminus. He has recently adapted the book as a screen play.
The book takes place a few generations in the future and is set on a Mars colony and on a space station. In the society of that time, people are only allowed to talk about the physical realm: that which can be seen, touched and felt. All forms of abstract thought, including the spiritual, are forbidden. Day-to-day life for the characters seems gray and tedious without God.
Then hope arrives. Socorro, a beautiful young women with the forbidden knowledge of the spiritual lands at the Mars colony. She begins to share it with one of the male residents, Rick St. James. The book traces the experiences of the couple, their friends and coworkers as they discover God and his Word. This experience transforms their lives as well as exposing them to persecution and danger.
Mike's book is an interesting read as the characters discover the simple pleasures of prayer, Bible reading, fellowship and God's presence in their lives, developing their own terminology for these spiritual phenomena. His novel serves as a warning of what could happen to our society if we are not vigilant, prayerful and on fire for God, including passing this zeal on to the next generations. I'm not just saying this because Mike is my friend and fellow author. His book is worth reading and thinking about.
At the same time, I see many examples of what I believe is the Christian church re-awakening, re-discovering our spiritual roots and returning to Jesus. We've all read the end of THE book and we know what happens. We win. Big time. God is capable of doing all of this without us but he really wants us to experience the joy of working with him.
-- Frank Lewandowski
In recent years, our society has seen some major trends toward secularism. Some groups have even been anti-Christian and anti-religious, attacking any form of religious expression whatsoever in public venues. In the past few months, some openly atheist authors have published books denouncing Christianity.
What if some day this anti-God attitude became law? What would it be like to live in a society that has forgotten about God, where his name cannot even be mentioned? That's the premise of Mike Read's science fiction novel, Terminus. He has recently adapted the book as a screen play.
The book takes place a few generations in the future and is set on a Mars colony and on a space station. In the society of that time, people are only allowed to talk about the physical realm: that which can be seen, touched and felt. All forms of abstract thought, including the spiritual, are forbidden. Day-to-day life for the characters seems gray and tedious without God.
Then hope arrives. Socorro, a beautiful young women with the forbidden knowledge of the spiritual lands at the Mars colony. She begins to share it with one of the male residents, Rick St. James. The book traces the experiences of the couple, their friends and coworkers as they discover God and his Word. This experience transforms their lives as well as exposing them to persecution and danger.
Mike's book is an interesting read as the characters discover the simple pleasures of prayer, Bible reading, fellowship and God's presence in their lives, developing their own terminology for these spiritual phenomena. His novel serves as a warning of what could happen to our society if we are not vigilant, prayerful and on fire for God, including passing this zeal on to the next generations. I'm not just saying this because Mike is my friend and fellow author. His book is worth reading and thinking about.
At the same time, I see many examples of what I believe is the Christian church re-awakening, re-discovering our spiritual roots and returning to Jesus. We've all read the end of THE book and we know what happens. We win. Big time. God is capable of doing all of this without us but he really wants us to experience the joy of working with him.
-- Frank Lewandowski
Displaying 1 of 1 review