The fighting doesn’t stop at the end of the world.
Hundreds of years after cataclysmic nuclear war destroys most of the globe, the impossibly vast city of Ametsapolis is the last refuge of humanity. Advanced implanted technology provides the only means of survival in this harsh new world, and also a means of oppression and control unlike any other in human history.
Jonas Evermount is born in the wilderness, but his discovery of his own incredible powers bring him to the attention of powerful forces within the shadowy Zorastran Order.
Emmanuelle Rouseau is a prominent scientist conducting ground-breaking research into human augmentation and adaptation, research which threatens the ruling elite’s grip on the city.
Zachary Montague has spent his life in the Zorastran Order, teaching its young students to harness powerful implants for decades, but is growing despondent and disillusioned with the suffering in the city at large.
Together these three strangers will come to shape a revolution that will change the face of Ametsapolis forever.
"Shaun Myandee is a 24 year old London-born author for whom the future has always been more interesting than the present. Ametsapolis Rising is his first novel, and hopefully the world won’t end before he writes his second."
...short, huh? Well I am young and at the beginning of my career still. I've been a law student and an online marketer before I became a writer, and as I write more books and do more awesome stuff I'll update this bio!
I read moe than one book at a time so sometimes it is a little difficult for me to become fully immersed into the story. There are times however where a book grabs onto me and compells me to read it faster than I might otherwise. This was one of those books. The story is full and rich and once I got into it I was held in it and felt need to finish. This book is one of the best reads I have been involved in for quite some time. The world building is excellent and the characters are wonderfully fleshed out (at least for the main characters.).
Genuinely, I did not come to this book with high expectations. We have all read dystopian stories, and I half expected a riff on The Hunger Games or Divergent. But two things convinced me this was different. First, the narrative voice was less pleading. Second, the characters had a bit more darkness in them.
The only negative to the story for me was the seeming invincibility of the main character. But Joshua was so interesting that I let it slide.
I despise reviews that spoil the story. So let me just say that Shaun Myandee does something well here, and that is tell a good story in a clear voice with memorable characters with being cliche. Give this one a chance.
I downloaded this for free years ago whn first getting my Kindle e-reader. It was an excellent novel & I look forward to a sequel if there is one out there!
I would actually rate this a 2.5 if I had that option. I enjoyed some of if but found myself skimming other parts. Overall, I thought it was a good effort and the author was more creative than a lot of post-apocolypse writers.
The positives are: 1) The author created a complete environment/world and history for this dysporian novel. 2) The fighting scenes were well-detailed without overdoing it. 3) The political and social aspects, which some might feel were preachy, reminded me of Dune. To me, good science fiction is a commentary on current political, social, and econmic issues portrayed in other worlds and futures. 4) I liked the main characters.
The negatives: 1) Repititious. While the story is presented from 3 character perspectives, it would have been better used to develop characters rather than repeating things we already knew. 2) Jonas changes from child of an exile, to superman, to revolutionary. I wanted to understand those changes more than what the story provided. He briefly thinks about it, the other characters notice it, but it was not really explored and should have been. 3) The science did not feel correct. I am not a geneticist, environmentalist, doctor, or nuclear scientist, but can the virus in the water overnight equalize humans; even the doctors in the stories did not know how they created it. As much radiation and other toxins that existed, according to the story, how did exiles survive to even have children? 4) As is much too common in books today, spelling errors. I suggest a better proofreader.
This was an interesting book about the power of imagery in making statments and creating a movement for a more equal economical world. The post-apocolyptic background really enhanced the fact that the trait of the need for power that humans possess will ultimately find its way into any new culture that is created after an incident on a large scale. The story takes on multiple layers and the protagonist, while I was routing for him the whole way, powerfully manipulated his imagery and ultimately his power from the imagery to work towards a goal that was "better" for all people. The author shows how maybe his better wasn't actually better for all. So often we feel that our "better" should be forced upon or shared and enlightened upon another culture or even socio-economic status when it shouldn't be. We can share ideas and options, but this books shows how one movement or idea can be helpful to some, detrimental to others, and still not answer the question "How do we make everyone equal". Thought provoking book that I really enjoyed.
A well written story of the last city on earth in the far future where a strange sect, almost a cult, have some kind of an implant to give them almost super-human powers. This is the story of a young boy who's parents were exiles and lives outside the city. He is discovered to have almost super-human powers even without the implants. He is captured and taken into the city and turned over to the Zorastrans to be given an implant and trained by them. As time goes on he's taken under the wing of one of his trainers and given a mission that he strives to fulfill. This is a great book, a real "page turner". Seems like it could be continued in a followup book the way it ends. I'd definitely recommend this book.
This book has an interesting futuristic spin on the typical apocalypse theme. There was a lot of imagery of a steam punk / high tech environment, and a story that could very well mirror some of the issues that we have today. The writing in this book was simple, and not hard to follow. I enjoy an easy read in which I don't have to look up words every few pages. I don't think I had to look any up in this particular book. The story line flowed nicely enough, but I did find myself re-reading a few parts. I am not sure if it was a product of my hectic life right now, or if there were a few areas that were just hard to follow. I did find it a little hard to connect to the characters, as this book spans over roughly 2-3 years in such a short time. I have found myself reading a lot of series books lately, and I find that it usually take me a bit of time to care for a character. Regardless, I still found the characters enjoyable. As for the story itself; I enjoy reading apocalypse stories that have a good spin on what would be considered "typical". There was a lot of futuristic technology involved in the main plot, and it was creative and unique. I feel that I would have liked the story to have a little bit more "meat" to it. There was a long period of time covered in this book, and it doesn't reveal that until the end. Overall, I gave this book three stars. It was enjoyable to read, but I don't think it is one that I would pick up again. A good book to fill your time when waiting for your favorite author's new release.
Several centuries after a nuclear war, the city of Ametsapolis, founded by the few known survivors of the war, has grown to several hundreds of millions of residents. Due to lingering radiation, all residents are dependent on some form of cybernetic enhancement. The cost of those enhancements has resulted in ever widening gaps between three segments of the population. Then, a man found outside of the city walls, who has managed to survive in the wild without any cybernetic implants, is brought into the city and draws the attention of all the competing groups. For me, dystopian stories are either hit or miss. For me, this was a hit. The political intrigue was well plotted. The distinction between the three rival groups was well explained. The big pharmaceutical element added a philosophical perspective that was tough to determine if it was misguided rather than evil. There were several action sequences that were intense, and at times gory, but not pointless. I was very satisfied with the conclusion.
So - the writing isn't bad. I did enjoy the first 'third'. And I think the 2nd 'third'. Despite the fact that it took me an absurd amount of time to get through those sections (other books, not as much Kindle time). But the last third was terrible and I just kind of pushed my way through it, speed reading an entire section that sort of gave an overview of everything I'd just read from another point of view. I don't think I felt much pay off on the ending, it just sort of happened. I'm afraid I won't pick up the next book in the series.
A masterfully crafted story of life in the far future, post holocaust world. After a while you can picture the cybernetic people walking around trying to just survive. The antagonist brings a fresh look and new hope to the problem. I would highly recommend this story.
This is a truly terrific read. There is friendship, allies, enemies, war, science, and politics in this story. It flows well and makes you want to keep reading.
I enjoyed this one more than I expected I would. Decent story and some good characters. The storyline was a little scattered at times with some informational asides that slowed down the plot. The kindle version had a few grammatical typos, but nothing too distracting.
I bought this book on a whim after an "introductions" sort of thread on reddit, and I'm glad I did. I am not *overly*-familiar with dystopian sci-fi, but this did not strike me as your typical hackneyed and overdone plot and environment. The majority of the characters were well-developed and clearly voiced, and it was overall a very enjoyable read.
The only person who I felt sadly lacked in development was the original POV character. At first he had a clear voice and felt fleshed out, but I think we suffer from not seeing his transformation through his own eyes. Having said that, the other POV characters that we are introduced to throughout make up for this with their own stories; I'm not sure that I would want to give up these other characters entirely for more time in Jonas' head.
The plot itself is interesting, and I definitely felt myself being pulled through the book and keen to see what happened next. There is definitely a political and moral commentary throughout (as you might expect) but there is no evangelising, and it's not at all shoved down your throat. No scoffing and eye-rolling here!
The book does suffer somewhat from poor editing. There was a noticeable amount of typos and grammatical errors, as well as the occasional word which is used a bit too often. However, as long as you are happy to overlook such minor things - especially from a new author - then you will definitely enjoy Ametsapolis Rising!
I am a fan of dystopian books and of those with intertwining stories. This book covers both in a somewhat believable way, bringing the characters together and keeping the story fresh with each new vantage.
The book struggles with the dark side of human nature - how far will someone go to hold onto power, how far will someone else go to remove that power from them, how easily would that power corrupt those that hold it? As other reviewers have mentioned, Jonas's seemingly invincible power detracts some from the story, and the third section does start rather slow because of the giant addition of missing back story. Otherwise this is a great, fast-paced read that keeps you engaged and wandering how the characters will progress.
I don't like spoilers, so pick up a copy for yourself.
In honesty, it's really a 3.5. Premise and concept are great. It's more science fiction than a lot of the dystopian fiction you see, which I think is great. I felt like events and character development were too rushed. Events and long periods of time were referred to without having been described, often making me feel like I missed something. Simple "show, not tell" concept seemed to be lacking there. However, when I realized the author was going to tell the story from 3 different points of view, I was able to forgive some of that. I was definitely intrigued enough that I would love to read a sequel or prequel.
Review: The world building of this story was fantastic. The way the author describes the world, the scenery, and the characters shows the author put a lot of focus on detail. The attention to detail is what really brings the plot alive. I love, love, love post-apocalyptic stories, and this story has gone on my “Will Read Again” category on my kindle. I would recommend this story to any Post-Apocalyptic fan!
An original story, with good character development. The third section drags a bit and fills in the background all in a big gulp, this makes it feel slow for a time but it picks back up at the end. I also got the feeling that the author ran a bit short of creative description for the uses of the multitude of powers that could have been developed, not sure if this was his fault or that of overzealous editing. This is a good book, give it a read.
Like many other times in history I would imagine, this story is a parable of today's world in an.ominous, unsettling way. There are so many parallels with the reality of oppression and power of life in our world. At the same time, this is a very fun read and an intriguing tale that takes you in and has you rooting for the main characters and their journey. It was simply compelling and satisfying on so many levels.
I couldn't finish this novel. The premise was intriguing, but the execution flawed. Characters committed actions inconsistent with their characterizations, and without sufficient development to be believable. Dialogue was cliched. History and descriptions of society were dumped rather than explained through story. Still, two stars because -- who am I kidding -- I can't write a novel.
Interesting study of a futuristic city where everyone's role is well defined. If you don't fit into a role you are cast out of the city to die. The police keep tight rein on everyone. The Zorastrans are a society of enhanced people with special gifts. Then a man born in a village of outsiders catches their eyes. He could become any one of their three specialties. Is revolution far behind?
This was one of the best books I had the chance to read this year. The writing style was so good that I got attached to both the city and it's inhabitants and although I'm happy I finished reading it, I'm also sad that the story finished that way. Hopefully Shaum Myandee will make a sequel one day and this amazing story will continue.
I found the book to be an absorbing read with many wonderful climaxes. The characters seemed honest and well written. There were even glimpses of a possible commentary on the current, and possible future, of our own government.
The plot of the story was great but I think I would have liked it better if it had less swear words and inappropriate language. I would recommend this book to people who do not mind extensive cursing and who can look past it to the actual plot of the story.
Ok book. Kind of a mash up of several classic sci-fi themes in one package. Writing is a little clunky and cliched at times but overall not a bad story.