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The Human Chronicles #1
The Fringe Worlds
Adam Cain is an alien with an Attitude!
After all, how would you feel if you were abducted by aliens and transported into a strange, new universe away from your home, your family -- everything familiar to you? Would it make you happy? Not likely!
Now imagine you're stronger, faster and more coordinated than every alien you encounter. Would you start kicking some ass? Of course you would!
This is the story of Human superiority in the galaxy, a gritty, realistic profile of a young Navy SEAL who doesn't like aliens very much -- and he makes them pay for disrupting his happy life back on Earth!
After all, how would you feel if you were abducted by aliens and transported into a strange, new universe away from your home, your family -- everything familiar to you? Would it make you happy? Not likely!
Now imagine you're stronger, faster and more coordinated than every alien you encounter. Would you start kicking some ass? Of course you would!
This is the story of Human superiority in the galaxy, a gritty, realistic profile of a young Navy SEAL who doesn't like aliens very much -- and he makes them pay for disrupting his happy life back on Earth!
171 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 12, 2011
428 people are currently reading
1160 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
June 2, 2012
One reason I bought a Kindle is to indulge my love for cheap science fiction without cluttering my bookshelves with paperbacks that I will probably never open again. Somehow, I just can't discard a book, even a cheap science fiction paper back.
The Fringe Worlds (The Human Chronicles - Book One) is a perfect example. This ain't great literature folks, but it is a fun and enjoyable yarn. It is the story of a Navy Seal who is kidnapped by aliens and wakes up in a universe very different than the one he thought he knew. The kicker is that the aliens, though very intelligent, are weak and slow. They think the human is some kind of super being because of his incredible strength, speed, and agility.
I love that part of the story. I am sick and tired of stories where the aliens have the special powers and we humans are the weak ones. Please. I think that only reveals the authors' low opinion of their humanity (and therefore of themselves) or their intellectual laziness in just following a line of story-telling that has been around since at least My Favorite Martian.
This novel is the first in what is apparently to be a trilogy, consequently, it ends rather abruptly and with an obvious plug for the next installment in the series. It is self published and does have more than the usual typos and grammar mistakes that can be jarring.
The Fringe Worlds (The Human Chronicles - Book One) is a perfect example. This ain't great literature folks, but it is a fun and enjoyable yarn. It is the story of a Navy Seal who is kidnapped by aliens and wakes up in a universe very different than the one he thought he knew. The kicker is that the aliens, though very intelligent, are weak and slow. They think the human is some kind of super being because of his incredible strength, speed, and agility.
I love that part of the story. I am sick and tired of stories where the aliens have the special powers and we humans are the weak ones. Please. I think that only reveals the authors' low opinion of their humanity (and therefore of themselves) or their intellectual laziness in just following a line of story-telling that has been around since at least My Favorite Martian.
This novel is the first in what is apparently to be a trilogy, consequently, it ends rather abruptly and with an obvious plug for the next installment in the series. It is self published and does have more than the usual typos and grammar mistakes that can be jarring.
March 3, 2012
All in all this wasn't bad for light reading. It moved along at a pretty good clip for a book that was trying to set up for future books. The writing was good, the characters were interesting enough and it did offer a little different viewpoint of humans out in the universe. At times, though, it seemed like the author had watched a little too much 'Farscape' during the writing process. Since that thought kept running through my head while I was reading it, I'm mentioning it here. I'm not going to go into why self-published authors should pay close attention to the editing process since it doesn't really affect the storyline. Having said that, there's every possibility that I'll read the next one just to find out what happened. I basically liked it, but have other books to finish before I get back to the series.
August 13, 2014
I'm going to start this review by saying that I'm kind of ashamed of myself for giving this novel three stars. Honestly, it only deserves 2.5 at MOST, and that's me being kind because I liked the premise of the story. The problem lied entirely in the execution. I'm just going to go ahead and give my issues in list form, because I can't really be bothered to think coherently enough to give a true review.
1) Uh, Jesus parable, much? Start with the tagline: "WE are the supermen!" Superman alone is enough of a Jesus parable, but Harris apparently didn't think that huge hint was clear enough. His main character is named Adam Cain, and his wife's name is Maria. Don't ask me what his daughter's name is, though; it's only mentioned once early on in the book, and I don't remember it. The point is: couldn't he have chosen a name that wasn't biblical?
2) These two are related, so I'll put them under one number: the aliens have a lot of things that are eerily similar to human designs, and Adam remarks on this constantly--and also has pretty annoying reactions. Again, early on in the book, Adam is led to a bathroom by Kaylor and Jym. Upon entering the room, he's stunned to find a row of sinks with mirrors over them, and, uh, toilet-shaped toilets. He thinks to himself how strange it is that the mirror/sink combination looks like any public restroom, but then is shocked, ridiculously shocked, that the aliens use toilets. C'mon, Adam, you're on a spaceship. What did you expect them to have? A hole in the floor? There are also a couple similar instances later on, each just as annoying.
3) One very glaring inconsistency that annoyed the hell out of me: at one point, Adam bends a bar that we must assume is metal because it's in a prison, right? He has a little bit of difficulty with it, but he manages to do it. Same thing with a random wall; he has to hit it multiple times, but he does break a meter-large hole in the wall. Then he's considering how to escape the compound, and decides that he doesn't want to try to break the outer walls because they're made of brick and he doesn't know if he'll get through them. To this I say: so you can bend theoretically-steel bars without breaking a sweat, but bricks are beyond you? Oh, please.
4) Adam Cain is an asshole. I'm sorry, but there's no other way to say it: he's just a complete shithead. The author honestly attempts to make him a good man by giving us his inner thoughts, but those attempts fall flat. Why? Well, because within two pages, he can go from not wanting to do something because it might kill billions of innocent aliens and humans, to describing killing a couple of aliens as crushing bugs. Oh, and SPOILER, he ends the book by deciding to become an assassin. For the love of the Jesus parable, Adam, PICK A THOUGHT AND STICK WITH IT. Oh, he's also racist. Not just against aliens, either.
5) All the aliens smell bad. Kid you not. This is pretty much the first thing Adam thinks in the entire book, that the ship he's on smells bad. And so do the lizardlike aliens that he kills. Oh, and so do the Juiran, who are the leaders of the collection of alien worlds Adam has found himself in. Every. Single. Alien. Smells.
6) Two things on the history of the known universe: a) there were seven habitable planets on the same star, and b) they could see each other with primitive telescopes. Look, I'm no expert on astronomy, but neither of those seems likely. What are the aliens of those seven planets like? Only every single one of them is humanoid. And, tiny bit of astronomy I DO know: there's something called the Goldilocks Zone that a planet must exist in to make it habitable for humanoid life. That zone is very small, and it is simply not possible for seven planets to exist in it at once. So what I want to know is this: what kind of alien lives on the planet closest to the sun, what kind of alien lives on the theoretically-existing gas giants, and what kind of alien lives on the planet so far out it is made out of ice? ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS, HARRIS.
7) When Adam gets into a fight with an alien from the most dangerous known race, he whips out a weapon that he's never used before and kills two or three aliens before any of them can get a shot off. Woo, quickdraw! Go Adam! Except then you learn that the reason none of the others could get a shot off is because Adam moved faster than the targeting computer, and the aliens can't do that. The reason for this? "That's just the way things are." Really? That's the best explanation you can come up with? That's JUST HOW THINGS ARE?
8) The bad guy, Riyad, is a) Middle Eastern, b) a former terrorist (in comparison to Adam being a Navy Seal), c) ruthless, d) power-hungry, and e) a complete caricature of all bad guys ever. See, Riyad and Adam have a little heart-to-heart in which they talk about what they did on Earth and what they believe (among other, more relevant things), and here's what you take from it: Adam is a good, patriotic, caring average white American, and Riyad is AN EVIL TERRORIST FROM THE MIDDLE EAST OMG. I don't see why this is necessary at all. Do we really need an "AMERICA RULES" parable in the middle of this Jesus parable? No. No, we don't.
9) And, finally, because I'm sick of talking about this damn book: abrupt ending is abrupt. No, I'm not talking about the ending of my "review;" the ending of the book is literally "spaceship explodes, Adam and Riyad contemplate how they were SO CLOSE to getting back to Earth before describing what they're likely going to be doing for the entirety of the next book." Yup, that's the ending. And it kindly includes an advertisement for the sequel! How kind of you, Mr. Harris!
So yeah. There were a couple redeeming qualities to the book, but nothing to allow me to say this book was actually good. I kind of liked Kaylor, at least at first: he reminded me a lot of Mal from Firefly--at first. Sadly, he's who Mal would be if Mal was a coward. Harris also had some really good ideas spread throughout the book: the premise, for one thing, and then near the end Adam thinks to himself that humanity isn't ready to be introduced to the alien world because they'd just, you know, be humans and kill everything in their way. I'd really have liked to see what this book could have become under the guidance of a competent editor, but that is sadly not meant to be.
Still, I probably will read the next book. Because 1) my dad's already bought it, so why not, and 2) this was just entertaining enough to keep me awake while I was supposed to be paying attention in class, so the sequel will likely come in handy next semester. Yay!
1) Uh, Jesus parable, much? Start with the tagline: "WE are the supermen!" Superman alone is enough of a Jesus parable, but Harris apparently didn't think that huge hint was clear enough. His main character is named Adam Cain, and his wife's name is Maria. Don't ask me what his daughter's name is, though; it's only mentioned once early on in the book, and I don't remember it. The point is: couldn't he have chosen a name that wasn't biblical?
2) These two are related, so I'll put them under one number: the aliens have a lot of things that are eerily similar to human designs, and Adam remarks on this constantly--and also has pretty annoying reactions. Again, early on in the book, Adam is led to a bathroom by Kaylor and Jym. Upon entering the room, he's stunned to find a row of sinks with mirrors over them, and, uh, toilet-shaped toilets. He thinks to himself how strange it is that the mirror/sink combination looks like any public restroom, but then is shocked, ridiculously shocked, that the aliens use toilets. C'mon, Adam, you're on a spaceship. What did you expect them to have? A hole in the floor? There are also a couple similar instances later on, each just as annoying.
3) One very glaring inconsistency that annoyed the hell out of me: at one point, Adam bends a bar that we must assume is metal because it's in a prison, right? He has a little bit of difficulty with it, but he manages to do it. Same thing with a random wall; he has to hit it multiple times, but he does break a meter-large hole in the wall. Then he's considering how to escape the compound, and decides that he doesn't want to try to break the outer walls because they're made of brick and he doesn't know if he'll get through them. To this I say: so you can bend theoretically-steel bars without breaking a sweat, but bricks are beyond you? Oh, please.
4) Adam Cain is an asshole. I'm sorry, but there's no other way to say it: he's just a complete shithead. The author honestly attempts to make him a good man by giving us his inner thoughts, but those attempts fall flat. Why? Well, because within two pages, he can go from not wanting to do something because it might kill billions of innocent aliens and humans, to describing killing a couple of aliens as crushing bugs. Oh, and SPOILER, he ends the book by deciding to become an assassin. For the love of the Jesus parable, Adam, PICK A THOUGHT AND STICK WITH IT. Oh, he's also racist. Not just against aliens, either.
5) All the aliens smell bad. Kid you not. This is pretty much the first thing Adam thinks in the entire book, that the ship he's on smells bad. And so do the lizardlike aliens that he kills. Oh, and so do the Juiran, who are the leaders of the collection of alien worlds Adam has found himself in. Every. Single. Alien. Smells.
6) Two things on the history of the known universe: a) there were seven habitable planets on the same star, and b) they could see each other with primitive telescopes. Look, I'm no expert on astronomy, but neither of those seems likely. What are the aliens of those seven planets like? Only every single one of them is humanoid. And, tiny bit of astronomy I DO know: there's something called the Goldilocks Zone that a planet must exist in to make it habitable for humanoid life. That zone is very small, and it is simply not possible for seven planets to exist in it at once. So what I want to know is this: what kind of alien lives on the planet closest to the sun, what kind of alien lives on the theoretically-existing gas giants, and what kind of alien lives on the planet so far out it is made out of ice? ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS, HARRIS.
7) When Adam gets into a fight with an alien from the most dangerous known race, he whips out a weapon that he's never used before and kills two or three aliens before any of them can get a shot off. Woo, quickdraw! Go Adam! Except then you learn that the reason none of the others could get a shot off is because Adam moved faster than the targeting computer, and the aliens can't do that. The reason for this? "That's just the way things are." Really? That's the best explanation you can come up with? That's JUST HOW THINGS ARE?
8) The bad guy, Riyad, is a) Middle Eastern, b) a former terrorist (in comparison to Adam being a Navy Seal), c) ruthless, d) power-hungry, and e) a complete caricature of all bad guys ever. See, Riyad and Adam have a little heart-to-heart in which they talk about what they did on Earth and what they believe (among other, more relevant things), and here's what you take from it: Adam is a good, patriotic, caring average white American, and Riyad is AN EVIL TERRORIST FROM THE MIDDLE EAST OMG. I don't see why this is necessary at all. Do we really need an "AMERICA RULES" parable in the middle of this Jesus parable? No. No, we don't.
9) And, finally, because I'm sick of talking about this damn book: abrupt ending is abrupt. No, I'm not talking about the ending of my "review;" the ending of the book is literally "spaceship explodes, Adam and Riyad contemplate how they were SO CLOSE to getting back to Earth before describing what they're likely going to be doing for the entirety of the next book." Yup, that's the ending. And it kindly includes an advertisement for the sequel! How kind of you, Mr. Harris!
So yeah. There were a couple redeeming qualities to the book, but nothing to allow me to say this book was actually good. I kind of liked Kaylor, at least at first: he reminded me a lot of Mal from Firefly--at first. Sadly, he's who Mal would be if Mal was a coward. Harris also had some really good ideas spread throughout the book: the premise, for one thing, and then near the end Adam thinks to himself that humanity isn't ready to be introduced to the alien world because they'd just, you know, be humans and kill everything in their way. I'd really have liked to see what this book could have become under the guidance of a competent editor, but that is sadly not meant to be.
Still, I probably will read the next book. Because 1) my dad's already bought it, so why not, and 2) this was just entertaining enough to keep me awake while I was supposed to be paying attention in class, so the sequel will likely come in handy next semester. Yay!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2018
In fairness to the author and the fact that there are apparently 23 books in this series I will at the very least read the next one. As for this first book I honestly thought it sucked. Two humans, both kidnapped by aliens meet in outer space. One is a Marine and the other a Syrian terrorist who wants to get back to earth and take over the planet. Are you kidding me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2022
1/2 a star. I knew it would be terrible. It was. The end.
May 15, 2013
Okay, so this book looked interesting, so I decided to give it a try. It basically has a similar start to many Sci-Fi stories like Buck Rogers, or Farscape, in which a modern day character is thrust unwillingly into a sci-fi setting. What I like about it is that much of these events are viewed from the point of view of the aliens. This feels quite fresh as we read about this mysterious 'alien'.
Another thing that's interesting is the concept that humans are superior to the aliens in most ways. It's almost a reverse Superman (though Adam is no way near as powerful).
There are some well done comedic moments, like when the aliens' translator translates planet Earth to planet Dirt, as well as a few colourful insults that the aliens struggle to work out.
One of the best parts of the book though is something that's not fully realised, but I hope will be fleshed out in future books is the relationship between Adam and Riyad. Being political enemies on Earth, they are now thrust into this unfamiliar environment and both are trying to get home, though for different reasons. It's a 'put your differences aside' kind of thing, and Harris does a good job of writing from both POVs and doesn't fall into the trap of Riyad being 'evil' just because America went to war against his country.
There are a few things I didn't like however. While the world is detailed and has a large background, we have far too many info dumps of stuff we don't really need to know, like the inner workings of ships, or some of the histories. Also, with the over enthusiastic blurb, and the repetition of the Vitruvian Man for each chapter heading, I feel Harris is trying too hard. The writing itself could do with a bit of work, but I've certainly read worse, and bad writing can only detract from a story if you are unable to know what's going on, so here, he succeeds.
All in all, a decent book. I've bought the rest in the series, and am looking forward to reading them all.
Another thing that's interesting is the concept that humans are superior to the aliens in most ways. It's almost a reverse Superman (though Adam is no way near as powerful).
There are some well done comedic moments, like when the aliens' translator translates planet Earth to planet Dirt, as well as a few colourful insults that the aliens struggle to work out.
One of the best parts of the book though is something that's not fully realised, but I hope will be fleshed out in future books is the relationship between Adam and Riyad. Being political enemies on Earth, they are now thrust into this unfamiliar environment and both are trying to get home, though for different reasons. It's a 'put your differences aside' kind of thing, and Harris does a good job of writing from both POVs and doesn't fall into the trap of Riyad being 'evil' just because America went to war against his country.
There are a few things I didn't like however. While the world is detailed and has a large background, we have far too many info dumps of stuff we don't really need to know, like the inner workings of ships, or some of the histories. Also, with the over enthusiastic blurb, and the repetition of the Vitruvian Man for each chapter heading, I feel Harris is trying too hard. The writing itself could do with a bit of work, but I've certainly read worse, and bad writing can only detract from a story if you are unable to know what's going on, so here, he succeeds.
All in all, a decent book. I've bought the rest in the series, and am looking forward to reading them all.
April 22, 2014
Very entertaining — it kept me reading, and made me laugh several times. The first surprise was that it wasn't a mindless shoot 'em up, which is what some of the reviews warned of. I wouldn't class it as a shoot 'em up at all, since the action scenes all moved the plot forward, and weren't just added for show.
The story was interesting, and every time I thought I knew where it was going, it took a sharp turn and went somewhere else. I loved the unexpected plot twists. I loved the well-thought-out alien technology, much of which made perfect sense such as how to know what to feed an alien (Humans are the aliens in this book.) Little details such as the concept of keeping track of time, days, or years, in space, added flavor to the story.
The humor had me laughing in several places, and I won't clue you in with spoilers. One of my favorite segments was our introduction to Humans in the book, through the eyes of the aliens. We don't step back often enough to see ourselves as others might see us, and I loved this aspect of the story.
There are a few cuss words here and there, which I only mention because I give this book 10 stars for the "Best Use of a Cuss Word EVER!"
One distraction for me was that a potential bad guy (at least he's a bad guy in Book One, I don't know whether this will change as the series progresses) was stereotypical, so I'm hoping that he turns out to be a good guy later. Also, that Humans could actually be such bad asses in the universe — obviously we are mentally capable of every conceivable mode of badness, it's just hard to believe that we could pull it off with such advanced races.
The distractions did not detract from the entertainment value, or the joy of reading Fringe Worlds. I like reading alien books that give you things to think about even after you're done reading. Well done!
BTW — Fringe Worlds is the epitome of being Lost in Space. That was one of my favorite thinkers.
The story was interesting, and every time I thought I knew where it was going, it took a sharp turn and went somewhere else. I loved the unexpected plot twists. I loved the well-thought-out alien technology, much of which made perfect sense such as how to know what to feed an alien (Humans are the aliens in this book.) Little details such as the concept of keeping track of time, days, or years, in space, added flavor to the story.
The humor had me laughing in several places, and I won't clue you in with spoilers. One of my favorite segments was our introduction to Humans in the book, through the eyes of the aliens. We don't step back often enough to see ourselves as others might see us, and I loved this aspect of the story.
There are a few cuss words here and there, which I only mention because I give this book 10 stars for the "Best Use of a Cuss Word EVER!"
One distraction for me was that a potential bad guy (at least he's a bad guy in Book One, I don't know whether this will change as the series progresses) was stereotypical, so I'm hoping that he turns out to be a good guy later. Also, that Humans could actually be such bad asses in the universe — obviously we are mentally capable of every conceivable mode of badness, it's just hard to believe that we could pull it off with such advanced races.
The distractions did not detract from the entertainment value, or the joy of reading Fringe Worlds. I like reading alien books that give you things to think about even after you're done reading. Well done!
BTW — Fringe Worlds is the epitome of being Lost in Space. That was one of my favorite thinkers.
July 3, 2013
This book was a quick paced and pretty mindeless read, you can easily read it in the bus or the train.
In this book the humans are the super race, we are faster, stronger, more intelligent and more cunning than any other race out there.
Not because our technologie is superior or we used gen modifications on the whole race, we are just better.
It is not clearly described why we are, our gravity is higher than standard and we are more primitve then the advanced races, these are the only explanations given in this book.
Now normally that would not let me rate this book bad, but the author goes a bit over the line with it. The aliens also have really shitty technologie and the only thing they can do better than humans is spacetravel.
The maincharacter is a navy seal from the team that killed Obama, later there is a second human introduced who is evil and wants to rule the world.
Now just guess which nationality and what religion this guy could have ? Yeah right ...
All in all the book was ok and a good way to waste some time, i however do not feel like i want to continue and read the rest of the series.
In this book the humans are the super race, we are faster, stronger, more intelligent and more cunning than any other race out there.
Not because our technologie is superior or we used gen modifications on the whole race, we are just better.
It is not clearly described why we are, our gravity is higher than standard and we are more primitve then the advanced races, these are the only explanations given in this book.
Now normally that would not let me rate this book bad, but the author goes a bit over the line with it. The aliens also have really shitty technologie and the only thing they can do better than humans is spacetravel.
The maincharacter is a navy seal from the team that killed Obama, later there is a second human introduced who is evil and wants to rule the world.
Now just guess which nationality and what religion this guy could have ? Yeah right ...
All in all the book was ok and a good way to waste some time, i however do not feel like i want to continue and read the rest of the series.
July 7, 2012
Kaylor and Jym are out in the Fringe - a kind of no-man's-land where there aren't too many rules - when they notice a space ship being attacked by pirates. They carry out a plan to trick the pirates into abandoning the ship and find everyone on the ship dead - well, not every one... one of the unwilling passengers was still alive, confused and angry!!
The unwilling passenger, Adam Cain, a US Navy Seal, was confused because his last memory was a mission in Afghanistan and no memory of how he got to be in this predicament - and just who - or what - are Kaylor and Jym anyway?
A fairly enjoyable story with a few twists along the way.
Unfortunately, the book was spoiled with several spelling and grammar errors: for example, use of the word staked instead of stacked, this instead of his, way instead of away - the list goes on. If you can overlook those, a good read.
The unwilling passenger, Adam Cain, a US Navy Seal, was confused because his last memory was a mission in Afghanistan and no memory of how he got to be in this predicament - and just who - or what - are Kaylor and Jym anyway?
A fairly enjoyable story with a few twists along the way.
Unfortunately, the book was spoiled with several spelling and grammar errors: for example, use of the word staked instead of stacked, this instead of his, way instead of away - the list goes on. If you can overlook those, a good read.
February 13, 2014
This is the first book in a five-book series that makes a human the alien in the Fringe Worlds. Abducted by the Zlin from earth and transported many light-years from his home planet, Adam Cain is confronted with an assortment of sentient races as he survives and tries to find a way back to Earth and his family. The characters and the plot are well-developed, but Adam's journey is just beginning (after all, there are at least four more books in this part of the series and a second part of the Human Chronicles that has at least three more books). I really enjoyed reading this book and will continue the series. By the way, a number of the books can be read for free if you have a Kindle e-book reader and an Amazon Prime membership. If you like science fiction, I think you will like this book.
May 24, 2015
Navy SEAL Adam Cain wakes up and finds himself on an alien ship that was about to be boarded by pirates but had been intercepted instead by a salvage ship.
After the shock of realising where he is wears off, he then discovers that no one knows the location of earth to get him back home.
Clues are on the alien ship, but various factions want the secrets for themselves. Adam and the salvage crew get into various scrapes along the way. They also find out that humans are better and stronger than most other species they encounter.
The characters behave believably enough, the uneasy alliance between the salvagers and Adam as they get to know about each other is done quite well.
The other species all have their own quirks and customs to make them unique.
After the shock of realising where he is wears off, he then discovers that no one knows the location of earth to get him back home.
Clues are on the alien ship, but various factions want the secrets for themselves. Adam and the salvage crew get into various scrapes along the way. They also find out that humans are better and stronger than most other species they encounter.
The characters behave believably enough, the uneasy alliance between the salvagers and Adam as they get to know about each other is done quite well.
The other species all have their own quirks and customs to make them unique.
November 25, 2017
Едва ли много от нас знаят, че ние хората сме доста страховити физически, сравнени с останалото животинско царство на планетата ни. Да, нямаме нокти и зъби и не сме много силни, но дори да изключим интелекта си от уравнението, никое друго животно не може да се сравни със способността ни да бягаме на дълги разстояния, да хвърляме най-различни предмети с убийствена скорост и точност и да се лекуваме бързо от изумително тежки наранявания и дори загуби на крайници.
Така за останалите животни (повечето от които сме успели да изтребим и изядем още по времето на палеолита) пещерните хора са нещо като Терминатори - неуморима, неизтребима машина, която не само може да те утрепе от разстояние, но ако не е на кеф да го направи, просто ще те преследва неумолимо, намира те където и да се скриеш и колкото и бързо да бягаш отново и отново, докато не паднеш от изтощение и не зачакаш примирено милостивата смърт.
Това е в силно противоречие с повечето фентъзи и научнофантастични книги и игри, в които хората са, ако не слабата, то поне скучнaтa, с нищо неинтересна, базова раса.
Освен в серията романи на Т.Р.Харис, където хората с изненада откриват, че силната гравитация и приматските им прадеди (и съответно инстинкти), комбинирани с хилядолетната ни история на кръвопролития и войни прави хората, поне сравнени с останалите извънземни раси, еволюирали от тревопасни, в практически супермени.
Иначе книжката е кратка и лека, нищо дълбоко, но става за убиване на два часа и леко напомпване на видовото самочувствие.
Така за останалите животни (повечето от които сме успели да изтребим и изядем още по времето на палеолита) пещерните хора са нещо като Терминатори - неуморима, неизтребима машина, която не само може да те утрепе от разстояние, но ако не е на кеф да го направи, просто ще те преследва неумолимо, намира те където и да се скриеш и колкото и бързо да бягаш отново и отново, докато не паднеш от изтощение и не зачакаш примирено милостивата смърт.
Това е в силно противоречие с повечето фентъзи и научнофантастични книги и игри, в които хората са, ако не слабата, то поне скучнaтa, с нищо неинтересна, базова раса.
Освен в серията романи на Т.Р.Харис, където хората с изненада откриват, че силната гравитация и приматските им прадеди (и съответно инстинкти), комбинирани с хилядолетната ни история на кръвопролития и войни прави хората, поне сравнени с останалите извънземни раси, еволюирали от тревопасни, в практически супермени.
Иначе книжката е кратка и лека, нищо дълбоко, но става за убиване на два часа и леко напомпване на видовото самочувствие.
October 21, 2020
I can not figure out what audience this book is intended for.
It is basically a "My daddy is a marine and he's the strongest man in the whooole universe and he can beat everyone!" story.
It is not science fiction, since science does not allow spacecraft and buildings to be manufactured out of tissue paper. And it makes no sense that hundreds (or thousands) of different species all evolve without eye-hand coordination. To name just a few things that make no sense in the books setting.
So this leaves it in the heavy fiction part.
But the unrealistic way the main character is overpowered compared to the rest of the world would not even land well with the Young Adult genre, so that would leave only children and early teens as the target audience.
But I wouldn't recommend this book for those audiences either, since the main character indiscriminately murders everyone that stands in his way, considering them collateral damage. Unless you want to teach your children that, hey, if you're stronger than someone, just beat them up and kill them.
It is basically a "My daddy is a marine and he's the strongest man in the whooole universe and he can beat everyone!" story.
It is not science fiction, since science does not allow spacecraft and buildings to be manufactured out of tissue paper. And it makes no sense that hundreds (or thousands) of different species all evolve without eye-hand coordination. To name just a few things that make no sense in the books setting.
So this leaves it in the heavy fiction part.
But the unrealistic way the main character is overpowered compared to the rest of the world would not even land well with the Young Adult genre, so that would leave only children and early teens as the target audience.
But I wouldn't recommend this book for those audiences either, since the main character indiscriminately murders everyone that stands in his way, considering them collateral damage. Unless you want to teach your children that, hey, if you're stronger than someone, just beat them up and kill them.
October 13, 2019
This was a fanciful romp through space. Adam wakes up and find he's no longer in Afghanistan where he was a Navy SEAL but in space with nothing but a sheet around his waist. He suddenly having to navigate completely unknown territory with the help of the tow aliens who "saved" him. He soon finds out that he's got a huge physical advantage over the alien races though because of his physical strength. And then the fun begins.
This was an interesting concept but I have to admit because it's not my usual cup of tea, sometimes it was hard for me to stay interested. I liked the fighting but getting into he politics of the alien worlds made me zone at times.
The story ended cliffhanger style so I think I would revisit the series at some point.
This was an interesting concept but I have to admit because it's not my usual cup of tea, sometimes it was hard for me to stay interested. I liked the fighting but getting into he politics of the alien worlds made me zone at times.
The story ended cliffhanger style so I think I would revisit the series at some point.
September 18, 2017
For some reason - don't ask me why - I didn't have very high expectations for this book after reading portions of the book's description, and seeing as how I picked this up for free during a Kindle promotion I almost moved on to something else when I was looking at my electronic "to be read" pile on my Kindle: I'm glad I decided to read it, as it was a very good "hard" science fiction that blends in a little technology, action and adventure, with various aliens thrown into the mix. The author does a good job of weaving a tale that you don't want to put down, and in my case I stayed up really late one night reading this as I lost all track of time.
January 3, 2019
Adam Cain was an elite soldier on Earth but woke one day in a world he did not recognise. He soon discovered that he was lost in space, initially an apparent prisoner, or cargo, on an alien ship. Adam had no idea how he got there but knew that he wanted to return home, back to his wife and child. But, instead, he found that he was fighting for his life – albeit with apparently elite strength and skills – and the drama into which he has been pulled, by the pair of aliens who rescued him from the ship, brought him to realise that Earth could be in grave danger.
The Fringe Worlds is the first book in a series, and I want to know what happens next!
The Fringe Worlds is the first book in a series, and I want to know what happens next!
April 20, 2020
“The Fringe Worlds, Book I of the Human Chronicles Saga” by T.R. Harris begins with an interesting premise – humans are being abducted to serve as warriors for a race thought to be extinct because they are supermen compared to other galactic races.
Adam Cain wakes up a long long way from home, in a ship under attack by pirates. Salvage hunters chase the pirates away and take the ship – and Adam – to a local planet to claim salvage rights. Then things get complicated.
This is an interesting idea (although I seem to recall it being used before) and reasonably well-written. The story hangs together pretty well and ended on a “I want to read book 2” note.
Adam Cain wakes up a long long way from home, in a ship under attack by pirates. Salvage hunters chase the pirates away and take the ship – and Adam – to a local planet to claim salvage rights. Then things get complicated.
This is an interesting idea (although I seem to recall it being used before) and reasonably well-written. The story hangs together pretty well and ended on a “I want to read book 2” note.
December 2, 2020
Fringe Worlds first rating
This is the first novel of Mr.Harris I've read and I'm proud to announce I really enjoyed it. I do believe Adam Cain is going to become a VIP in the near future.
Really a good read with rather unexpected power from a human warrior who is totally outside his comfort zone. Alone no friends, strange environment, on a farther weird ship of some kind with noises that sound like some kind of battle all around him.
Check this out see if you would be able to handle that!
This is the first novel of Mr.Harris I've read and I'm proud to announce I really enjoyed it. I do believe Adam Cain is going to become a VIP in the near future.
Really a good read with rather unexpected power from a human warrior who is totally outside his comfort zone. Alone no friends, strange environment, on a farther weird ship of some kind with noises that sound like some kind of battle all around him.
Check this out see if you would be able to handle that!
December 29, 2022
Adam Cain was a Navy Seal who did tours of duty in Afghanistan, etc. Then suddenly he wakes up in a spaceship on the other side of the Galaxy, with 80 other humans who were murdered. He finds he is part of a cargo of the mysterious Klin who plan to take over the Galaxy usinga human army, humans being fighters and not soft like many aliens. He is helped by two dodgy aliens as he comes up against pirates fighting the present rulers of the Galaxy.
This book is the first of some three dozen books about Adam Cain and with just 171 pages,it could easily be read in one day.
This book is the first of some three dozen books about Adam Cain and with just 171 pages,it could easily be read in one day.
April 14, 2024
I literally made a whole account just to leave a review about how insane I am about this series. I could honestly care less about how it’s debatably bad, I love this series. It’s exactly what I had been looking for in a concept when I found it, and the characters make it so much better.
My favorite character is in all honesty Riyad, the development his and Adams friendship is something I can’t put words to. I love the series, and even though I’m only on book three I can’t wait to see the rest!
My favorite character is in all honesty Riyad, the development his and Adams friendship is something I can’t put words to. I love the series, and even though I’m only on book three I can’t wait to see the rest!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2018
A navy seal is abducted by aliens and ends up in a galaxy far far and away. His mission is to get home as soon as he can. He has to learn to live & work with aliens. He does run across another human in this new reality who used to be a terrorist. The fun soon begins. Great cast of characters with a great story line propels you into another way of life which is quite interesting and fun. Great Read.
September 18, 2020
Strongly Earth-centric Sci-Fi
While there are only two active Earthlings in this tale, the storyline definitely gives all assumed advantages to those from Earth. Lots of “magic” technologies, loosely based on known science and many assumptions which carry more impact than perhaps they should. Conflict, particularly between individuals, is markedly violent. All-in-all a quick, short read with possibilities.
While there are only two active Earthlings in this tale, the storyline definitely gives all assumed advantages to those from Earth. Lots of “magic” technologies, loosely based on known science and many assumptions which carry more impact than perhaps they should. Conflict, particularly between individuals, is markedly violent. All-in-all a quick, short read with possibilities.
November 29, 2016
A fun read
Enjoyable, though I have a hard time imagining reading 13 more books in the series. The characters are likely too flat to hold my interest that long. Definitely want to learn more about the setting!
Worth a read and although it leaves plenty of questions for future books, it has a satisfying conclusion.
Enjoyable, though I have a hard time imagining reading 13 more books in the series. The characters are likely too flat to hold my interest that long. Definitely want to learn more about the setting!
Worth a read and although it leaves plenty of questions for future books, it has a satisfying conclusion.
August 31, 2019
Now this was a great Space Opera story. It might turn into a military sci-fi in future books (something like 24+ books!) as the main character is a US soldier, but the first one was everything I love about Space Opera: various aliens, mysterious ancient alien race, planet hopping adventure and plenty of action. The main character is fun and well rounded and the fact that Humans are the superior fighting force in the universe is refreshing. The writing style is very smooth and straightforward and served the fast pace of the story perfectly. So let's keep reading, one down twenty+ more to go.
July 17, 2017
Ehhhhhhh. Bit puerile really.
Ignoring the variety of grammar and spelling mistakes, the plot itself is vicious to little point and despite a rather eloquent explanation for Fermi's paradox fails to really capture what intelligent life is likely to be like.
Ignoring the variety of grammar and spelling mistakes, the plot itself is vicious to little point and despite a rather eloquent explanation for Fermi's paradox fails to really capture what intelligent life is likely to be like.
August 1, 2017
I absolutely love the twist on the place of humans in the hierarchy of aliens. It was fascinating seeing how a human would fit into this expansive universe and take a different perspective on human evolutionary characteristics.
June 20, 2019
Yawn!!
Sounded like a good book. It probably could be if told by a different author. It is an excellent story, held back by disjointed sentences and jerky jerky writing. It’s good enough that I will read another book.
Sounded like a good book. It probably could be if told by a different author. It is an excellent story, held back by disjointed sentences and jerky jerky writing. It’s good enough that I will read another book.
October 11, 2019
Trapped in space
Kidnapped from Earth, our hero struggles to find his way home while battling alien politics and being alone. Good story but the author desperately needs a good editor.
Kidnapped from Earth, our hero struggles to find his way home while battling alien politics and being alone. Good story but the author desperately needs a good editor.
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March 26, 2024Very enjoyable
A very good story but I think some of the decisions the main character made did not fit what had been his actions earlier in the story. None the less a great story. Disappointed it was not a longer story.
A very good story but I think some of the decisions the main character made did not fit what had been his actions earlier in the story. None the less a great story. Disappointed it was not a longer story.
July 4, 2017
Am amazing start to a series. Cleaver idea carried out perfectly.
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