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Icarus
The epic Astronomicon Universe continues to grow with this standalone book telling the story of the Icarus. Set in 2078, whilst working the Trojan asteroid cloud, Captain Taylor and the crew of the deep space mining vessel Icarus discover a mysterious prototype ship drifting in space that has suffered a catastrophic failure.
Battling the dangers of the asteroid field, the Icarus crew attempt to rescue the survivors of the stricken ship. Meanwhile a vessel from Earth is coming to deal with the damaged prototype but with a conflicting agenda. After unwittingly discovering the bizarre secret of the prototype vessel, the crew of the Icarus end up fighting for their very survival.
This strong addition to the Astronomicon book series will appeal to fans of Science Fiction and thrillers alike.
Battling the dangers of the asteroid field, the Icarus crew attempt to rescue the survivors of the stricken ship. Meanwhile a vessel from Earth is coming to deal with the damaged prototype but with a conflicting agenda. After unwittingly discovering the bizarre secret of the prototype vessel, the crew of the Icarus end up fighting for their very survival.
This strong addition to the Astronomicon book series will appeal to fans of Science Fiction and thrillers alike.
164 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2013
13 people want to read
About the author
Paul Vincent
6 books16 followersCurrently writing the Astronomicon series of Science Fiction Novels, covering human exploration and developments over the next few decades. "Inception Point", "Distant Relatives", "Those Left Behind" and "Icarus" have already been published.
To see my Patreon page, click here.
I was born in Stratford-upon-Avon (UK) in the early 70s. That’s the same town in which the great William Shakespeare was born, so maybe that bodes well? Due to my parents’ careers, I grew up in a variety of places around Worcestershire, completing my school education in the City of Worcester itself.
University took me to Cardiff, Wales, to study Computer Science. I’ve lived in Cardiff ever since, moving to several locations around the city. I’ve been married for two decades now, with three children, one of whom has now finished school. I feel old!
I’ve been writing creatively ever since school, writing my first (and now long lost) book in my late teens. Although my career path has never followed anything remotely like a literary theme, I’ve been writing as a hobby continuously. My career has been rooted in computers and related technology, from programming fruit machines to working as a web developer. So far, that has all proved to be useful life experience for writing fiction.
I have been developing the Astronomicon idea for over two decades now, creating a huge, detailed and well-thought-out (hopefully!) universe in which to base the series of science fiction novels. I would very much love to have the opportunity to work on this project full time, but even working in what little spare time I have available, I have completed five novels and am working on the sixth, seventh and eighth.
To see my Patreon page, click here.
I was born in Stratford-upon-Avon (UK) in the early 70s. That’s the same town in which the great William Shakespeare was born, so maybe that bodes well? Due to my parents’ careers, I grew up in a variety of places around Worcestershire, completing my school education in the City of Worcester itself.
University took me to Cardiff, Wales, to study Computer Science. I’ve lived in Cardiff ever since, moving to several locations around the city. I’ve been married for two decades now, with three children, one of whom has now finished school. I feel old!
I’ve been writing creatively ever since school, writing my first (and now long lost) book in my late teens. Although my career path has never followed anything remotely like a literary theme, I’ve been writing as a hobby continuously. My career has been rooted in computers and related technology, from programming fruit machines to working as a web developer. So far, that has all proved to be useful life experience for writing fiction.
I have been developing the Astronomicon idea for over two decades now, creating a huge, detailed and well-thought-out (hopefully!) universe in which to base the series of science fiction novels. I would very much love to have the opportunity to work on this project full time, but even working in what little spare time I have available, I have completed five novels and am working on the sixth, seventh and eighth.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 2, 2013
Paul Vincent has come up with an original idea (at least to me). Set in the near future, the story involves two space agencies, one a European Union operation involving multiple countries and another for the USA. Of course, the US has developed a "black-project" spaceship, the Oppenheimer, but it's lost in space. The US agency goes to the European (primarily British) group to enlist their help in finding it.
The British project chief is grateful to get the money required to complete their own ship for the rescue mission. Kefler believes this will be a straightforward rescue mission, although the US agency insists that six of the nine-man crew be American. The excuse is that the six are trained to be able to repair and fly the Oppenheimer.
In the meantime, a mining ship in the asteroid belt is going about their business when they spot the lost ship. It's clearly dead in space. The Captain orders his own ship (the Icarus) to get to the ship as is the duty of captains throughout history.
Now two ships are converging on the third black-project ship. Then, we get to the really fun part. The Icarus crew boards the Oppenheimer and it's immediately clear that something really horrible has happened. They find the first officer who surprises them by first saying he thought they were another hallucination. Captain Taylor has already noticed a strangeness about the ship from oddly warped passages to phantom crewmen who appear and disappear.
The reader can guess that things will not go well, especially for the crew of the Icarus.
To say anything else would be a spoiler.
One minor complaint I had is mostly due to my faulty memory. The Captains of the Oppenheimer's and Wagner's names were too generic: Lee and Smith. I always had to stop to figure out which was which. On the other hand, the crew of the Icarus had very unique and unusual names, which made it easier to remember which was which.
I also note that British spelling is used, but I'm at a loss at the rank Coronel (as in Colonel). Perhaps because the Coronel is Spanish? Even so, it's a usage that bothered me enough to be irritated, especially since the Coronel is a minor character. There's no purpose in confusing the reader unless there's a big plot point surrounding its use.
This is a good read and straight SF (despite the weirdness on the Oppenheimer). I enjoyed it and easily recommend it to anyone who enjoys SF.
The British project chief is grateful to get the money required to complete their own ship for the rescue mission. Kefler believes this will be a straightforward rescue mission, although the US agency insists that six of the nine-man crew be American. The excuse is that the six are trained to be able to repair and fly the Oppenheimer.
In the meantime, a mining ship in the asteroid belt is going about their business when they spot the lost ship. It's clearly dead in space. The Captain orders his own ship (the Icarus) to get to the ship as is the duty of captains throughout history.
Now two ships are converging on the third black-project ship. Then, we get to the really fun part. The Icarus crew boards the Oppenheimer and it's immediately clear that something really horrible has happened. They find the first officer who surprises them by first saying he thought they were another hallucination. Captain Taylor has already noticed a strangeness about the ship from oddly warped passages to phantom crewmen who appear and disappear.
The reader can guess that things will not go well, especially for the crew of the Icarus.
To say anything else would be a spoiler.
One minor complaint I had is mostly due to my faulty memory. The Captains of the Oppenheimer's and Wagner's names were too generic: Lee and Smith. I always had to stop to figure out which was which. On the other hand, the crew of the Icarus had very unique and unusual names, which made it easier to remember which was which.
I also note that British spelling is used, but I'm at a loss at the rank Coronel (as in Colonel). Perhaps because the Coronel is Spanish? Even so, it's a usage that bothered me enough to be irritated, especially since the Coronel is a minor character. There's no purpose in confusing the reader unless there's a big plot point surrounding its use.
This is a good read and straight SF (despite the weirdness on the Oppenheimer). I enjoyed it and easily recommend it to anyone who enjoys SF.
March 7, 2014
This review is based on an unproofed file conversion.
Set in the near future after a limited colonisation of the Solar System, this novel blends hard science-fiction and reasonable speculation with a layered international conspiracy.
A stand-alone novel in the Astronomican series. When the mining vessel Icarus detects a distress signal in the Trojan asteroid cloud, Captain Taylor attempts to offer aid, despite the risks. But when the missing craft turns out to be using an experimental drive, the dangers of space are only the beginning.
Beginning with two initially unconnected threads, Vincent successfully weaves political manoeuvring with overt threats, to create a plausible series of victories and reversals for both the crew of the Icarus and the joint US/UK rescue mission. This careful balance of internal tensions within the various crews with the differing goals of three crews produces a story that is accessible yet complex.
The descriptions of technology and astrophysics are detailed and realistic, both giving the book a solid basis in current astrophysics and allowing readers unfamiliar with astrophysics to appreciate better why events are dangerous, difficult, or both.
However, this detail might also reduce some reader engagement. Vincent often errs on the side of thoroughness, so readers who are already familiar with modern space travel might find some areas a touch obvious. Also, the drier style needed for technological exposition does slightly reduce the tension in some of the character-oriented sections toward the front of the book.
The main characters are well-rounded, with a suitable balance between having quirks and the likelihood people who do a similar job will have common traits.
Vincent is also not afraid to have personal sub-plots be both entirely separate from the main plot and subordinate to it. Unlike some books, the revelation of an odd background leads to neither a convenient skill at a later point nor the abandonment of major goals to play out a detailed critique of society’s inner tensions.
Overall I enjoyed this book. I recommend it to readers seeking a layered thriller or realistic science-fiction.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
Set in the near future after a limited colonisation of the Solar System, this novel blends hard science-fiction and reasonable speculation with a layered international conspiracy.
A stand-alone novel in the Astronomican series. When the mining vessel Icarus detects a distress signal in the Trojan asteroid cloud, Captain Taylor attempts to offer aid, despite the risks. But when the missing craft turns out to be using an experimental drive, the dangers of space are only the beginning.
Beginning with two initially unconnected threads, Vincent successfully weaves political manoeuvring with overt threats, to create a plausible series of victories and reversals for both the crew of the Icarus and the joint US/UK rescue mission. This careful balance of internal tensions within the various crews with the differing goals of three crews produces a story that is accessible yet complex.
The descriptions of technology and astrophysics are detailed and realistic, both giving the book a solid basis in current astrophysics and allowing readers unfamiliar with astrophysics to appreciate better why events are dangerous, difficult, or both.
However, this detail might also reduce some reader engagement. Vincent often errs on the side of thoroughness, so readers who are already familiar with modern space travel might find some areas a touch obvious. Also, the drier style needed for technological exposition does slightly reduce the tension in some of the character-oriented sections toward the front of the book.
The main characters are well-rounded, with a suitable balance between having quirks and the likelihood people who do a similar job will have common traits.
Vincent is also not afraid to have personal sub-plots be both entirely separate from the main plot and subordinate to it. Unlike some books, the revelation of an odd background leads to neither a convenient skill at a later point nor the abandonment of major goals to play out a detailed critique of society’s inner tensions.
Overall I enjoyed this book. I recommend it to readers seeking a layered thriller or realistic science-fiction.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews