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Novum #1
Novum: Genesis
ASIN B00E0NVLK6 moved to the most recent edition here
Forced to dwell beneath the surface of a distant water planet, the last descendants of Earth struggle to survive in an aging undersea colony. When a young cargo ship captain, Jacob Stone, agrees to take on a job he doesn't want, he inadvertently awakens an ancient power that could destroy what's left of the human race or be the key to its future. But, is it a future he is willing to fight for, let alone die for?
Forced to dwell beneath the surface of a distant water planet, the last descendants of Earth struggle to survive in an aging undersea colony. When a young cargo ship captain, Jacob Stone, agrees to take on a job he doesn't want, he inadvertently awakens an ancient power that could destroy what's left of the human race or be the key to its future. But, is it a future he is willing to fight for, let alone die for?
- GenresScience FictionAmazon
164 pages, ebook
First published July 1, 2013
62 people are currently reading
492 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Rhea
8 books22 followersMeet Joseph Rhea: Novelist, Screenwriter, Game Designer, and Ocean Scientist.
Advised by his high school English teacher to pursue a life of writing, he instead chose a career in engineering and science, driven by his need to explore the world and help create new technologies. Now he has come full circle and is using that experience to become a new voice in today's science fiction. His work has been praised as "high-concept science fiction that blends hard science with relentless momentum." His books include Cyberdrome, a near-future techno-thriller about a rogue programmer navigating a computer-generated virtual world to rescue the love of his life, and the Novum Chronicles, a 5-book series that immerses readers in the depths of an alien ocean where a young cargo-sub captain faces an enemy threatening humanity’s survival. He has also written several spec screenplays, including one adapted from the first book of his Novum saga and an original screenplay that was later adapted into the first book of his Novem prequel trilogy; Rogue Wave.
Advised by his high school English teacher to pursue a life of writing, he instead chose a career in engineering and science, driven by his need to explore the world and help create new technologies. Now he has come full circle and is using that experience to become a new voice in today's science fiction. His work has been praised as "high-concept science fiction that blends hard science with relentless momentum." His books include Cyberdrome, a near-future techno-thriller about a rogue programmer navigating a computer-generated virtual world to rescue the love of his life, and the Novum Chronicles, a 5-book series that immerses readers in the depths of an alien ocean where a young cargo-sub captain faces an enemy threatening humanity’s survival. He has also written several spec screenplays, including one adapted from the first book of his Novum saga and an original screenplay that was later adapted into the first book of his Novem prequel trilogy; Rogue Wave.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 24, 2015
This was a fun read. There were some wonderful things the author did with the MC. I loved the emotional struggle he had. He experienced some PTSD from the death of his GF. I really enjoyed it. I really wanted the story to continue. It was a bit short for my taste. But I have to say I wasn't discouraged by the ending. There were some parts in regards to describing the setting that caught me up a little, but overall a very enjoyable read. I would definitely read the second installment. I have to know what's on the other side of the Rift! The story was clear, and clarity is so important in story telling. Bravo!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2013
Novum is a nice little underwater adventure. It's set in the future after "the fall of man" and people live underwater in big underwater cities and such. I enjoyed Novum and the little adventure had by Jake Stone and what is the new crew of his ship the Rogue Wave.
Only "complaint" i have is that the story wasn't longer. I would definitely like to see more in the future of this character and from author Joseph Rhea.
Only "complaint" i have is that the story wasn't longer. I would definitely like to see more in the future of this character and from author Joseph Rhea.
January 24, 2015
I think it was wonderfully written. I gave it 4 stars because I think the writer could have used a little more detail in describing the Jane Doe. But I guess it's explained more in the second book. :) Over all an excellent read. A little short, but good.
May 13, 2015
What a great surprise this book is.
Humans don't live anymore on Earth, their civilization in now doomed in underwater cities in a different planet.
Jake have inherited a vessel ship that is said cursed and without a single person willing to work in that ship, he is broke. The opportunity to work transporting a cargo is taken as he desperate need some many.
The employer has her own crew and the cargo isn't exactly what he expected.
This book was super engaging. I liked a lot the author's idea of this new under water human society. And the plot became more intriguing as each chapter was read.
I'm definitely interested on reading the following book on the series.
Humans don't live anymore on Earth, their civilization in now doomed in underwater cities in a different planet.
Jake have inherited a vessel ship that is said cursed and without a single person willing to work in that ship, he is broke. The opportunity to work transporting a cargo is taken as he desperate need some many.
The employer has her own crew and the cargo isn't exactly what he expected.
This book was super engaging. I liked a lot the author's idea of this new under water human society. And the plot became more intriguing as each chapter was read.
I'm definitely interested on reading the following book on the series.
January 17, 2014
I enjoyed Novum and would like to read more as the series develops. This first story gives a good introduction to the characters and setting, all of which seemed to be designed well with enough complexity to be interesting and believable without drowning the reader in too much detail. The character motivations are sound, as are interactions among them. There's enough to this book that it is a complete story, but it also leaves open enough conflict that there is plenty of room for story development, and the conflicts are important enough to leave you wanting to know how they are resolved.
September 19, 2017
This is an enjoyable, quick read of a twist of post-apocalyptic apocalyptic fiction – in this case, everything is underwater – and it lays the groundwork for future possible episodes. I do hope the author comes through with more episodes or a conclusion to the tale. I originally picked this up for free via a borrow with my Prime membership and, as I type this review, I see the pricing has reverted to $2.99 cents for the Kindle version: if you enjoy post-apocalyptic fiction type of science fiction I would recommend it.
March 14, 2015
I really enjoyed reading this one. I couldn't stop thinking about Firefly though (Firefly under water?). Lots of the themes in Novum mirrored Firefly (a lone/rogue ship, the crew, the government coverup and corruption/etc.). There's even a "River"-type character.
But all of those things are good things. The world seems huge and filled with potential and that brings me to my only real quibble. The book is too short!
But all of those things are good things. The world seems huge and filled with potential and that brings me to my only real quibble. The book is too short!
September 1, 2013
Quite short but has an enjoyable plot and interesting characters. A promising introduction to a story with a lot of potential, hopefully it will be expanded in a sequel or a series of novels.
October 29, 2020
I enjoyed this book it was decent. It was the start of a series it was very fast pasted but it was short so I guess it had to be. I am not sure about what the weapon is they found there is a bit of a mystery about everything as well as what happened to the earth that made mankind abandon it. I am intrigued enough to keep reading.
January 18, 2025
I was in the mood for an underwater adventure story. My wife found this series and I gave it a try. The story was enjoyable and the characters were fun. I like the Halo Deck scene. I am a Star Trek fan and it was neat to see that style technology in the story.
The story and the characters are easy to follow.. There is a little mystery and that is also fun..
I like hard core Sci-Fi, but I also like quick easy short stories like this book.
I am looking forward to reading the next book...
The story and the characters are easy to follow.. There is a little mystery and that is also fun..
I like hard core Sci-Fi, but I also like quick easy short stories like this book.
I am looking forward to reading the next book...
April 10, 2014
I like this book better now than I did when I was halfway finished with it.
This is the first book of a science fiction series, published by Amazon Digital Services, and I downloaded the Kindle edition for free. These are usually warning flags that forebode spelling errors, grammar errors, and a generally unprofessional book. I am glad to report that Novum is the exception. This is a book that has clearly either seen a professional editor or been scrupulously revised by its author. That was certainly a relief.
Aside from that, there are other things to like about this book as well. The protagonist, Jake Stone, is revealed to the reader to be a sympathetic and well-developed protagonist. I liked him and ended up wanting to read his story.
The action is high-stakes; the author has no problem digging his characters into deeper and deeper holes to keep his audience interested. It works in the second half of the book, and I wanted to keep reading to see how things developed.
The resolution of the plot is satisfying without being too pat. This is not a negligible concern in a book that is really just the teaser opening to get readers hooked on a series; a lot of things have to be left unresolved until later in the series.
This is an ambitious book, too, and the series promises to confront deeper themes than normally seen in an SF series.
But this isn't perfect book. The first half, frankly, drags. I nearly put the book down unfinished, and would have if it weren't so short.
There are a number of factors that are to blame. The author introduces a large cast of characters right away, but, except for the protagonist, they are generic, flat, and interchangeable. It was too much to keep up with, and not worth the effort.
Also, the hero's backstory doesn't become compelling until it is all revealed. Revelation is mostly done by large, clunky information dumps that break up the storyline. There is an honest effort made to reveal Jake Stone's back story gradually, a piece at a time, in a way that would engage the reader. But this effort mostly fails. I really didn't care what had happened to him in the past enough to wonder about it. As I said, once the backstory is revealed, the story becomes much more interesting. But I wish the revelation had been a bit more well-done.
There are a handful of rather trite stock characters and situations to be found in the book as well. It isn't terribly out of control, but it is noticeable.
All-in-all, this isn't a great book, but it isn't a bad one, either. I was surprised to find myself enjoying the second half. I'm not an avid SF series reader — I bought this book because I didn't realize it was the first in a series — but I may read the second book when it comes out.
This is the first book of a science fiction series, published by Amazon Digital Services, and I downloaded the Kindle edition for free. These are usually warning flags that forebode spelling errors, grammar errors, and a generally unprofessional book. I am glad to report that Novum is the exception. This is a book that has clearly either seen a professional editor or been scrupulously revised by its author. That was certainly a relief.
Aside from that, there are other things to like about this book as well. The protagonist, Jake Stone, is revealed to the reader to be a sympathetic and well-developed protagonist. I liked him and ended up wanting to read his story.
The action is high-stakes; the author has no problem digging his characters into deeper and deeper holes to keep his audience interested. It works in the second half of the book, and I wanted to keep reading to see how things developed.
The resolution of the plot is satisfying without being too pat. This is not a negligible concern in a book that is really just the teaser opening to get readers hooked on a series; a lot of things have to be left unresolved until later in the series.
This is an ambitious book, too, and the series promises to confront deeper themes than normally seen in an SF series.
But this isn't perfect book. The first half, frankly, drags. I nearly put the book down unfinished, and would have if it weren't so short.
There are a number of factors that are to blame. The author introduces a large cast of characters right away, but, except for the protagonist, they are generic, flat, and interchangeable. It was too much to keep up with, and not worth the effort.
Also, the hero's backstory doesn't become compelling until it is all revealed. Revelation is mostly done by large, clunky information dumps that break up the storyline. There is an honest effort made to reveal Jake Stone's back story gradually, a piece at a time, in a way that would engage the reader. But this effort mostly fails. I really didn't care what had happened to him in the past enough to wonder about it. As I said, once the backstory is revealed, the story becomes much more interesting. But I wish the revelation had been a bit more well-done.
There are a handful of rather trite stock characters and situations to be found in the book as well. It isn't terribly out of control, but it is noticeable.
All-in-all, this isn't a great book, but it isn't a bad one, either. I was surprised to find myself enjoying the second half. I'm not an avid SF series reader — I bought this book because I didn't realize it was the first in a series — but I may read the second book when it comes out.
April 14, 2014
Received free copy from Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review.
Just finished Joseph Rhea’s novella “Novum” and really enjoyed it. Clocking in at 155 pages it was a quick read and acted like a jump off to what should be a great new series of books by Mr. Rhea. It revolves around the main character Jake Stone and his ship Rouge Wave which is hired out to a group of people to pick up some secret cargo. The story suggests that the earth was destroyed and this is man’s last band of survives on a distant planet that is covered in water. The new earth has secrets and it looks like Jake and his new crew are going to find them out. I would recommend this story to anyone that likes science fiction. Looking forward to the next story in the new series. Mr. Rhea has a link on his website josephrhea.com where you can pick it up for a couple bucks. Well worth the price.
Just finished Joseph Rhea’s novella “Novum” and really enjoyed it. Clocking in at 155 pages it was a quick read and acted like a jump off to what should be a great new series of books by Mr. Rhea. It revolves around the main character Jake Stone and his ship Rouge Wave which is hired out to a group of people to pick up some secret cargo. The story suggests that the earth was destroyed and this is man’s last band of survives on a distant planet that is covered in water. The new earth has secrets and it looks like Jake and his new crew are going to find them out. I would recommend this story to anyone that likes science fiction. Looking forward to the next story in the new series. Mr. Rhea has a link on his website josephrhea.com where you can pick it up for a couple bucks. Well worth the price.
April 8, 2014
This story was interesting but a little flat. The characters were pretty flat and I felt no connection to any of them. The story was interesting with a post apocalyptic world and relics from a Pre-Fall world. It would have been interesting to learn more about the Pre-Fall and what happened there. It would also have been interesting to learn more about the Council and what happened there too. Lots of questions and not very much background was given for the story which I think is maybe why I am only giving it 3 stars. Mediocre characters didn't help either. Overall, 3 stars out of 5, interesting idea but the book itself was a little bit boring.
April 18, 2015
Good book but short
Why 3 stars. Well I felt a little cheated because the length of the book. The story shows potential but i was disappointed that it was as short as it was. I suggest that you wait for the omnibus version.
Why 3 stars. Well I felt a little cheated because the length of the book. The story shows potential but i was disappointed that it was as short as it was. I suggest that you wait for the omnibus version.
February 6, 2015
I liked this book except that it ended so abruptly. Of course I know it was because there are more books in the series but would liked to have seen more closure to this book.
April 10, 2015
I wish the author would have put a little more background into how this world became like it is, but I really enjoyed the story and look forward to reading the next one.
June 7, 2015
I'm almost impressed that a novel as short as this one managed to be so dull. Both the characters and the story itself were unremarkable.
December 26, 2015
Fun futuristic read. I wished there had been more in-depth world-building, but the characters were great, and I enjoyed the story.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews