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Cretaceous Station #1
Nodal Convergence
Cretaceous Station Book I
The early adventure!
Mankind is on the threshold of establishing it's first colonies on other stars. One company, GraviDynamics, has led the way with first their discovery of near instantaneous communications and now a star drive.
GraviDynamics has already launched a starship using it's proprietary interstellar drive pushing it to the Sun's nearest neighbor. This marks a major goal for the researchers but they still have one big problem. Contrary to the predictions of their models, their ships refuse to accelerate faster-than-lightspeed (FTL) and colonization, even at the speed of light, would require hundreds of years to travel to the nearest human-friendly stars. However, the scientists think they have a solution.
The researchers are convinced that the problem is in the design theory for their StarShip Drives and they only need to fine-tune the models. This presents another major problem since the tests must measure the universal constants of the universe at least 50 million years in the past or the future.
Nodal Convergence records the experiences of Mark Nolen, Matthew Zoeller and the 322 scientists, engineers, soldiers, women and children, explorers all, and their quest to propel mankind to the stars!
The research team and their security personnel use their Argos starship to set up a Cretaceous Era research station on the shores of a tropical inland sea in an area sixty-five million years in the past that today we call Texas.
The crew of the Argos discovers a tropical earth without seasons and of unexpected beauty. Surprises begin with their first steps on the vaguely familiar yet strange Earth of the Cretaceous. Then the discoveries being to quickly appear and even their early results suggest that the expense and risks of the expedition may be justified.
Then the humans encounter the dinosaurs. They are not the slow, leather covered, drudging reptiles of paleontology but the perfected product of a hundred million years of evolution.
The expedition discovers an ecology of unexpected beauty hiding a world of intense danger. An ecology filled with a vibrancy of life that will soon be lost in the tragic passing of an era through cataclysmic events. It is also a world filled with menace of a very alien intelligence that threatens their very existence.
Ironically, their experiments soon find that the seeds of one species extinction harbor an unanticipated opportunity for the ultimate survival and continued evolution of the human race … and perhaps others. If they can survive.
The early adventure!
Mankind is on the threshold of establishing it's first colonies on other stars. One company, GraviDynamics, has led the way with first their discovery of near instantaneous communications and now a star drive.
GraviDynamics has already launched a starship using it's proprietary interstellar drive pushing it to the Sun's nearest neighbor. This marks a major goal for the researchers but they still have one big problem. Contrary to the predictions of their models, their ships refuse to accelerate faster-than-lightspeed (FTL) and colonization, even at the speed of light, would require hundreds of years to travel to the nearest human-friendly stars. However, the scientists think they have a solution.
The researchers are convinced that the problem is in the design theory for their StarShip Drives and they only need to fine-tune the models. This presents another major problem since the tests must measure the universal constants of the universe at least 50 million years in the past or the future.
Nodal Convergence records the experiences of Mark Nolen, Matthew Zoeller and the 322 scientists, engineers, soldiers, women and children, explorers all, and their quest to propel mankind to the stars!
The research team and their security personnel use their Argos starship to set up a Cretaceous Era research station on the shores of a tropical inland sea in an area sixty-five million years in the past that today we call Texas.
The crew of the Argos discovers a tropical earth without seasons and of unexpected beauty. Surprises begin with their first steps on the vaguely familiar yet strange Earth of the Cretaceous. Then the discoveries being to quickly appear and even their early results suggest that the expense and risks of the expedition may be justified.
Then the humans encounter the dinosaurs. They are not the slow, leather covered, drudging reptiles of paleontology but the perfected product of a hundred million years of evolution.
The expedition discovers an ecology of unexpected beauty hiding a world of intense danger. An ecology filled with a vibrancy of life that will soon be lost in the tragic passing of an era through cataclysmic events. It is also a world filled with menace of a very alien intelligence that threatens their very existence.
Ironically, their experiments soon find that the seeds of one species extinction harbor an unanticipated opportunity for the ultimate survival and continued evolution of the human race … and perhaps others. If they can survive.
- GenresScience Fiction
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 26, 2012
8 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Terrence Zavecz
11 books7 followersConstruction laborer, carpenter, toolmaker, photographer, historian, physicist, metallurgist, materials engineer, semiconductor scientist, researcher, marketing manager, executive, CEO, entrepreneur, world traveler and most of all a father ... and I've loved every minute of it!
Terrence Zavecz is a semi-retired physicist/engineer/entrepreneur who has been an avid Sci-Fi and History reader for all his life. Sci-Fi was the seed that germinated his professional career in the sciences and drives his love for the cultures of the world. He has written non-fiction for more than forty years and more than a few fictional market proposals and grant submissions.
A vocation in research, marketing and new company startups resulted in years of living and travel across every part of the globe providing more time to read Sci-Fi and the chance to meet many wonderful people and learn the beauty of ancient cultures.
Today, retirement from the sciences presents a chance to start a new career as a writer of speculative science and historic fiction. After a few self-published novels, he spent three years learning the unique style and demands of commercial fiction under the tutelage of Steve Alten, NY Times best-selling author of MEG & VOSTOK. The soon-to-be-released novel, Crucible of a Species is the result of this endeavor.
Zavecz holds advanced degrees in Engineering Physics, Metallurgy and Materials Science.
Learn more at Zavecz.net.
Terrence Zavecz is a semi-retired physicist/engineer/entrepreneur who has been an avid Sci-Fi and History reader for all his life. Sci-Fi was the seed that germinated his professional career in the sciences and drives his love for the cultures of the world. He has written non-fiction for more than forty years and more than a few fictional market proposals and grant submissions.
A vocation in research, marketing and new company startups resulted in years of living and travel across every part of the globe providing more time to read Sci-Fi and the chance to meet many wonderful people and learn the beauty of ancient cultures.
Today, retirement from the sciences presents a chance to start a new career as a writer of speculative science and historic fiction. After a few self-published novels, he spent three years learning the unique style and demands of commercial fiction under the tutelage of Steve Alten, NY Times best-selling author of MEG & VOSTOK. The soon-to-be-released novel, Crucible of a Species is the result of this endeavor.
Zavecz holds advanced degrees in Engineering Physics, Metallurgy and Materials Science.
Learn more at Zavecz.net.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 28, 2014
Brilliant in its concept, and fantastic in its descriptions and involvements. I was particularly interested in the factual write ups at the end of each chapter - a little strange at first but well worth the additions. The story flows very well to start with, but tends to get slightly disjointed towards the end. Admittedly there is a lot of action and intrigue, which is well described, but I feel that there is a lack of overlap between events and characters. There are also a few annoying context spelling mistakes throughout which could benefit from a proof reading (i.e. site vs. sight, and coral vs. choral). However this was a thoroughly enjoyable read that will keep you sitting on the edge of your seat, that is spiced with a few lateral-thinking surprises.
If you like dinosaurs then this book will provide all of the dangerous situations, combined with a new tantalising insight into their lives.
If you like dinosaurs then this book will provide all of the dangerous situations, combined with a new tantalising insight into their lives.
December 25, 2012
This was a really interesting story idea and book one ends with nice potential for the follow up book(s). The story seemed to drag a little in places and there were a few editing errors, but overall it was a good read.
May 14, 2013
Too much reference to science, both actual and near within the book itself. Poor mans Jurassic Park.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews