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Beyond the Ranges
After Earth is destroyed, Jason Graham finds himself—along with tens of thousands of others—offered a second chance on a planet on the far side of the galaxy. For one man, it's a chance at the life he never led—and this time he'll get it right.
Jason Graham dies when the world ends.
Then he wakes up on a space station on the other side of the galaxy, and the adventure begins.
Jason and five hundred million other humans have been resurrected (and rejuvenated to young adulthood) by alien benefactors in orbit around an Earth-like world that is abundant in natural resources and totally untamed. For the newly-awakened humans, this is a chance to start society with a clean slate and a bright future. For Jason, who has knocked about aimlessly in several different careers in his Earth life, it's an opportunity to unleash his creativity and ambition and see what he can really do.
But who are the alien benefactors that have contrived this second act for some of Earth's denizens? And what do they really want?
Jason Graham dies when the world ends.
Then he wakes up on a space station on the other side of the galaxy, and the adventure begins.
Jason and five hundred million other humans have been resurrected (and rejuvenated to young adulthood) by alien benefactors in orbit around an Earth-like world that is abundant in natural resources and totally untamed. For the newly-awakened humans, this is a chance to start society with a clean slate and a bright future. For Jason, who has knocked about aimlessly in several different careers in his Earth life, it's an opportunity to unleash his creativity and ambition and see what he can really do.
But who are the alien benefactors that have contrived this second act for some of Earth's denizens? And what do they really want?
464 pages, Hardcover
Published May 7, 2024
168 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
About the author
John Ringo
101 books1,831 followersJohn Ringo is a prolific author who has written in a wide variety of genres. His early life included a great deal of travel. He visited 23 foreign countries, and attended fourteen different schools. After graduation Ringo enlisted in the US military for four years, after which he studied marine biology.
In 1999 he wrote and published his first novel "A Hymn Before Battle", which proved successful. Since 2000 Ringo has been a full time author.
He has written science fiction, military fiction, and fantasy.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
In 1999 he wrote and published his first novel "A Hymn Before Battle", which proved successful. Since 2000 Ringo has been a full time author.
He has written science fiction, military fiction, and fantasy.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
September 4, 2024
I acknowledge that I’m probably not the target audience of this book and that impacted my enjoyment. I could tell that early on when the book used the word “breastaurants” on the first page. However, mama didn’t raise no quitter, so I finished this book despite my better judgement and I have thoughts.
First, there is really no plot to speak of. We have an old guy who was a washout on Earth but was given a second chance after being de-aged by alien robots and he becomes a rich happy guy instead. That’s it. Thank goodness our main character is a sci-fi fan and can take to all this new technology like a fish in water! He's the only one smart enough to take advantage and come up with these good ideas. There’s also a nice side “plot” of an old farmer who doesn’t like tech coming to terms with being surrounded by tech…but yeah, no. No plot here. The entirety of the book is big game hunting, deforestation, and capitalist propaganda.
Second, there are a lot of memes about being able to tell a book was written by a male author. That’s this book.
“Gil’s wife, Charlene, was an Amazonian brunette with a Mediterranean look that had to be at least six feet without the six-inch platform heels. With them she overtopped every guy in the group. Gil clearly enjoyed mountain climbing as much as he enjoyed hunting.”
Every female character is introduced this way. Name, sex appeal level. And that’s it character development wise, unless you count the times that women don’t know something, like how concrete is made, and have to have it explained in a dumbed-down fashion to them. We do get Storm, but she’s “one of the boys” (and yet still judged by her appearance throughout the book).
Some of the worst examples of this are the most significant female characters to the story. Jewel, the AI servant of the main character, is asked to keep the busty appearance of the waitress he encountered before they got kidnapped by the robots. The AI jokes about appearing naked to him (though thankfully he keeps her clothed). This level of weird sexualization impacts all of their interactions as she prepares food for him and surprises him with a house for his birthday. She even pairs him up with the perfect IRL girl for him after multiple pages of discussing what his type was after he debated just paying a prostitute because he was lonely. I feel bad for whoever the nameless girl is that has to be the face of this AI. She never consented to being used like that.
Then there is Elisa, an actual 18-year-old, is selected from all the women on the station to be the perfect match for Jason, who may look 20 but is actually 62. It’s gross, and not helped by the fact that he, on numerous occasions, says he’s not into kids. He is also, on numerous occasions, shown to be a bit of a creep incidentally. Within minutes of meeting him, Elisa reveals her American flag bikini, compliments his cooking, and starts talking about politics. After a week of getting to know each other, she’s ready to marry him and start having as many babies with him as possible. Don’t forget her being topless or in skin-tight clothes for the majority of her time on the page. And while she’s nearly perfect, she does like anime, “but that’s just one of those things you accepted in someone you loved.”
Some levels of “I don’t understand women and so can’t write realistic women” is understandable as some authors are better than others. But this is not acceptable, especially since not only the handful of female characters but also the male characters were horribly flat characters, even our main guy Jason. So, third, I have problems with the writing in general. There’s a lot of sexual innuendo, such as a phallic mushroom being named after the guy who married his ex-wife, or “how long is it, Jewel?” “that’s a rather personal question” jokes. Too much of the “humor” of the book relies on interactions like these for my taste.
A lot of things, like the premise of people being divided up by political view, are just also odd and never really explained or explored. There might be a liberal system out there, but why would we care? We have freedom and democracy here and are obviously the best. The robots say that our planet was destroyed and they saved us, but we don't know that for sure and don't really care.
There is a lot of military jargon and abbreviations throughout the book (LZ, SOP, MOS, etc.) without any explanation of what those words or abbreviations mean. There are also certain words or concepts that get latched onto for some reason. The phrase “make it so,” humping as a descriptor for how something moves, the Great Santini, “gubmint,” and every girl dimpling after saying something or replying archly. Finally, there are pages and pages of breaking down economics or engineering. To some degree, I thought maybe the book was heading in a satirical direction because of how heavy handed it was about freedom, democracy, and the superiority of capitalism, but nope. We just really like being conservative. It was honestly so boring and dry to read and I am so glad I’m done.
There’s a lot more to say, but yeah…not a good book.
First, there is really no plot to speak of. We have an old guy who was a washout on Earth but was given a second chance after being de-aged by alien robots and he becomes a rich happy guy instead. That’s it. Thank goodness our main character is a sci-fi fan and can take to all this new technology like a fish in water! He's the only one smart enough to take advantage and come up with these good ideas. There’s also a nice side “plot” of an old farmer who doesn’t like tech coming to terms with being surrounded by tech…but yeah, no. No plot here. The entirety of the book is big game hunting, deforestation, and capitalist propaganda.
Second, there are a lot of memes about being able to tell a book was written by a male author. That’s this book.
“Gil’s wife, Charlene, was an Amazonian brunette with a Mediterranean look that had to be at least six feet without the six-inch platform heels. With them she overtopped every guy in the group. Gil clearly enjoyed mountain climbing as much as he enjoyed hunting.”
Every female character is introduced this way. Name, sex appeal level. And that’s it character development wise, unless you count the times that women don’t know something, like how concrete is made, and have to have it explained in a dumbed-down fashion to them. We do get Storm, but she’s “one of the boys” (and yet still judged by her appearance throughout the book).
Some of the worst examples of this are the most significant female characters to the story. Jewel, the AI servant of the main character, is asked to keep the busty appearance of the waitress he encountered before they got kidnapped by the robots. The AI jokes about appearing naked to him (though thankfully he keeps her clothed). This level of weird sexualization impacts all of their interactions as she prepares food for him and surprises him with a house for his birthday. She even pairs him up with the perfect IRL girl for him after multiple pages of discussing what his type was after he debated just paying a prostitute because he was lonely. I feel bad for whoever the nameless girl is that has to be the face of this AI. She never consented to being used like that.
Then there is Elisa, an actual 18-year-old, is selected from all the women on the station to be the perfect match for Jason, who may look 20 but is actually 62. It’s gross, and not helped by the fact that he, on numerous occasions, says he’s not into kids. He is also, on numerous occasions, shown to be a bit of a creep incidentally. Within minutes of meeting him, Elisa reveals her American flag bikini, compliments his cooking, and starts talking about politics. After a week of getting to know each other, she’s ready to marry him and start having as many babies with him as possible. Don’t forget her being topless or in skin-tight clothes for the majority of her time on the page. And while she’s nearly perfect, she does like anime, “but that’s just one of those things you accepted in someone you loved.”
Some levels of “I don’t understand women and so can’t write realistic women” is understandable as some authors are better than others. But this is not acceptable, especially since not only the handful of female characters but also the male characters were horribly flat characters, even our main guy Jason. So, third, I have problems with the writing in general. There’s a lot of sexual innuendo, such as a phallic mushroom being named after the guy who married his ex-wife, or “how long is it, Jewel?” “that’s a rather personal question” jokes. Too much of the “humor” of the book relies on interactions like these for my taste.
A lot of things, like the premise of people being divided up by political view, are just also odd and never really explained or explored. There might be a liberal system out there, but why would we care? We have freedom and democracy here and are obviously the best. The robots say that our planet was destroyed and they saved us, but we don't know that for sure and don't really care.
There is a lot of military jargon and abbreviations throughout the book (LZ, SOP, MOS, etc.) without any explanation of what those words or abbreviations mean. There are also certain words or concepts that get latched onto for some reason. The phrase “make it so,” humping as a descriptor for how something moves, the Great Santini, “gubmint,” and every girl dimpling after saying something or replying archly. Finally, there are pages and pages of breaking down economics or engineering. To some degree, I thought maybe the book was heading in a satirical direction because of how heavy handed it was about freedom, democracy, and the superiority of capitalism, but nope. We just really like being conservative. It was honestly so boring and dry to read and I am so glad I’m done.
There’s a lot more to say, but yeah…not a good book.
July 11, 2024
If I could give it a zero, I would.
My biggest complaint about this book is that there's no plot. The main character doesn't struggle at all with the new situation he's been thrust into, or his circumstances. Every time he encounters something that may be an issue, it's solved within 3 pages.
It does help that, on top of the complete absence of plot or struggle, the book is based in a strange conservative power fantasy. The entire human race has been raptured by strange aliens (who never come up again, oddly) and then are split by political alignment. We're left with the conservative group, which could be interesting if they explored ideological differences within conservatism or what that society looks like. But, no, instead the book just turns into a general celebration of conservatism, how good it is, and how generally bad liberals are. I don't mind reading conservative fiction - when it's done well, explores interesting ideas, and most importantly has a plot!! This did none of those things. I've read John Ringo's books before and liked them, so I'm left to assume that the secondary author did much of the writing and whiffed it.
Also the author(s) have a real thing for Tim Scott - he comes up by name no less than 5 times. It doesn't make much sense in any context but....it's there.
Don't read this. The fact that it has above 3 stars on Goodreads says awful things about American media literacy, and shows that no rating on this app should be taken seriously.
My biggest complaint about this book is that there's no plot. The main character doesn't struggle at all with the new situation he's been thrust into, or his circumstances. Every time he encounters something that may be an issue, it's solved within 3 pages.
It does help that, on top of the complete absence of plot or struggle, the book is based in a strange conservative power fantasy. The entire human race has been raptured by strange aliens (who never come up again, oddly) and then are split by political alignment. We're left with the conservative group, which could be interesting if they explored ideological differences within conservatism or what that society looks like. But, no, instead the book just turns into a general celebration of conservatism, how good it is, and how generally bad liberals are. I don't mind reading conservative fiction - when it's done well, explores interesting ideas, and most importantly has a plot!! This did none of those things. I've read John Ringo's books before and liked them, so I'm left to assume that the secondary author did much of the writing and whiffed it.
Also the author(s) have a real thing for Tim Scott - he comes up by name no less than 5 times. It doesn't make much sense in any context but....it's there.
Don't read this. The fact that it has above 3 stars on Goodreads says awful things about American media literacy, and shows that no rating on this app should be taken seriously.
May 20, 2024
Autistic libertarian fiction, with a side of politics
I don’t know any other way to describe it.
The politics is like extra sweet, sweet tea. I like sweet tea, but when someone *doubles* the sugar content I don’t like it.
The ‘acting president’ makes an introductory speech that gets deep in the weeds of nonsense. Things that aren’t really necessary for him to say, but I guess are important to the story.
It’s just not great writing. And I’ve read a lot of Ringo. Troy, Black Tide, Council Wars, Aldenata… I’ve got them all. This doesn’t measure up.
I don’t know any other way to describe it.
The politics is like extra sweet, sweet tea. I like sweet tea, but when someone *doubles* the sugar content I don’t like it.
The ‘acting president’ makes an introductory speech that gets deep in the weeds of nonsense. Things that aren’t really necessary for him to say, but I guess are important to the story.
It’s just not great writing. And I’ve read a lot of Ringo. Troy, Black Tide, Council Wars, Aldenata… I’ve got them all. This doesn’t measure up.
June 5, 2024
Hmmmmmmmm
I typically love books written by or with John Ringo. That said, this was very average.
I felt like I was getting a continuous lecture on logistics, forestry, woodworking, carpentry, fishing, hunting and guns. I do like those subjects, but I typically like SciFi for the fun escapism, not the day to day mechanics of frontier living. Or if I am getting a learning moment it should be more spread out between bits of some suspense or action of which there was none in this book.
As a 50+ year old conservative, I did like the set up. It’s nice to think that something cool like this could happen. Especially something like Elisa, but that story line just wasn’t enough to carry the book.
And the Cade story line was a flop.
Not sure I am up for another book in this series if it’s as slow as this one.
Bummed this wasn’t better.
I typically love books written by or with John Ringo. That said, this was very average.
I felt like I was getting a continuous lecture on logistics, forestry, woodworking, carpentry, fishing, hunting and guns. I do like those subjects, but I typically like SciFi for the fun escapism, not the day to day mechanics of frontier living. Or if I am getting a learning moment it should be more spread out between bits of some suspense or action of which there was none in this book.
As a 50+ year old conservative, I did like the set up. It’s nice to think that something cool like this could happen. Especially something like Elisa, but that story line just wasn’t enough to carry the book.
And the Cade story line was a flop.
Not sure I am up for another book in this series if it’s as slow as this one.
Bummed this wasn’t better.
May 30, 2024
Finally!
I'm a huge Ringo fan, full stop. That said it seems like it takes forever to get new material out. I'm still waiting for him to finish the Council Wars. Beyond my bitching though, I loved this book. I loved the premise, enjoyed the characters, and the world building is awesome. I'm hoping there's a follow-up soon.
I'm a huge Ringo fan, full stop. That said it seems like it takes forever to get new material out. I'm still waiting for him to finish the Council Wars. Beyond my bitching though, I loved this book. I loved the premise, enjoyed the characters, and the world building is awesome. I'm hoping there's a follow-up soon.
August 21, 2024
Very, very good and a really neat idea!
Quite a good book and I’m hoping for a sequel. Or seven.
I quite like the idea behind it all as well as how it’s fleshed out. Extremely well written and edited, great characters, and the right amount of action. Lots of figuring things out (kind of like the Martian movie).
Very much worth reading!
Quite a good book and I’m hoping for a sequel. Or seven.
I quite like the idea behind it all as well as how it’s fleshed out. Extremely well written and edited, great characters, and the right amount of action. Lots of figuring things out (kind of like the Martian movie).
Very much worth reading!
May 11, 2024
fantastic
As is usual for a John Ringo book it’s great. I know it’s a collaborative book but I’m also sure he has a large influence on it. The bad part is now I have a new author to checkout his other works on🤣
As is usual for a John Ringo book it’s great. I know it’s a collaborative book but I’m also sure he has a large influence on it. The bad part is now I have a new author to checkout his other works on🤣
October 11, 2024
With John Ringo, you know the action will be good and the politics will be conservative. The world building is excellent and I am looking forward to more by this author duo.
December 24, 2024
This is the worst story that John Ringo ever has had his name associated with. I'm immediately going to be charitable and note that there is a co-author - James Aidee - and I have never heard of him before. Perhaps ... it's not all Ringo's fault.
I was struck by similarities to the premise of the Philip Jose Farmer Riverworld stories. In "Beyond the Ranges", everyone living on earth suddenly transported (magic!) to a massive spaceship orbiting an earthlike planet in a galaxy far, far away. If you were alive at 80, or 40... you are back to being 20 years old. If you were younger...no age change.
And, the only humans on *this* ship are right wing thinking. Lefties, moderates, ... atheists? ... they must be on another ship around another planet. So, here they all are, a billion or more, and they don't have to worry about politics...everyone basically subscribes to the core beliefs. No more war!
(Personal note, and an indication of part of my criticism of the book) If this happened to ME ... I would be on another ship around another planet.)
Most of the novel is about one guy, Jason Graham, ex-60 y.o., with multiple careers, a Jack of All trades. He decides to do something with his new life, down on the planet. He has ideas, he has magic fibers to make anything he needs, he has an AI helper he names Jewel to fulfil his desires. He faces massive bears, wolves, crocodiles. Everything he does works. Nothing goes wrong. No missteps.
No drama.
The plot, characterizations, descriptions, explanations are contained in conversation. A novel of this breadth seems to require tremendous amounts of prose to let the reader understand the situation. (To me) putting it all in dialog is a weak way to craft the story.
Ron DeSantis (with a different name) governor of Florida, is the spokesperson for whoever it is behind the (magical) spaceship that saved all humanity. Other real persons show up - Tim Scott, famous for the phrase “I just love you.”. He gets to use his own name.
I did finish the book. It moves along, despite the absurdity.
But, while reading it, I was reminded of Robert Heinlein, one of the greatest writers in SF history. What I was reminded of, was how, the last few books he wrote, he stopped telling stories to his readers and wrote stories to himself. "The Cat Who Walks Through Walls" or "To Sail Beyond the Sunset". I read everything that Heinlein wrote, and, to me, the last few stories were embarrassing.
This book, Beyond the Ranges, seems to me the last hurrah, and downward spiral, of a truly good author. He wrote the book for himself to read.
There will undoubtedly be sequels. I will undoubtedly not be reading them.
I was struck by similarities to the premise of the Philip Jose Farmer Riverworld stories. In "Beyond the Ranges", everyone living on earth suddenly transported (magic!) to a massive spaceship orbiting an earthlike planet in a galaxy far, far away. If you were alive at 80, or 40... you are back to being 20 years old. If you were younger...no age change.
And, the only humans on *this* ship are right wing thinking. Lefties, moderates, ... atheists? ... they must be on another ship around another planet. So, here they all are, a billion or more, and they don't have to worry about politics...everyone basically subscribes to the core beliefs. No more war!
(Personal note, and an indication of part of my criticism of the book) If this happened to ME ... I would be on another ship around another planet.)
Most of the novel is about one guy, Jason Graham, ex-60 y.o., with multiple careers, a Jack of All trades. He decides to do something with his new life, down on the planet. He has ideas, he has magic fibers to make anything he needs, he has an AI helper he names Jewel to fulfil his desires. He faces massive bears, wolves, crocodiles. Everything he does works. Nothing goes wrong. No missteps.
No drama.
The plot, characterizations, descriptions, explanations are contained in conversation. A novel of this breadth seems to require tremendous amounts of prose to let the reader understand the situation. (To me) putting it all in dialog is a weak way to craft the story.
Ron DeSantis (with a different name) governor of Florida, is the spokesperson for whoever it is behind the (magical) spaceship that saved all humanity. Other real persons show up - Tim Scott, famous for the phrase “I just love you.”. He gets to use his own name.
I did finish the book. It moves along, despite the absurdity.
But, while reading it, I was reminded of Robert Heinlein, one of the greatest writers in SF history. What I was reminded of, was how, the last few books he wrote, he stopped telling stories to his readers and wrote stories to himself. "The Cat Who Walks Through Walls" or "To Sail Beyond the Sunset". I read everything that Heinlein wrote, and, to me, the last few stories were embarrassing.
This book, Beyond the Ranges, seems to me the last hurrah, and downward spiral, of a truly good author. He wrote the book for himself to read.
There will undoubtedly be sequels. I will undoubtedly not be reading them.
May 24, 2024
Beyond the Ranges
Wow! The authors did a wonderful job of bringing about this new reality, and the characters! Welcome to the New Earth , or Belle top him as the new world has been dubbed. Lots of changes but ingenious way of setting up the Earth resettlement. By politics.
Can't wait to see what happens in the next book , if there is a next book.
I recommend this book to every one it makes you think and is entertaining, to boot!
Wow! The authors did a wonderful job of bringing about this new reality, and the characters! Welcome to the New Earth , or Belle top him as the new world has been dubbed. Lots of changes but ingenious way of setting up the Earth resettlement. By politics.
Can't wait to see what happens in the next book , if there is a next book.
I recommend this book to every one it makes you think and is entertaining, to boot!
May 17, 2024
May I have some more, sir?
I am almost in tears, because the book has been read and I know it will be a while before the next one. Interesting take on the "aliens take humans to another planet" trope. Loved the set-up of how the humans have been allocated, and the financial structure. After that, a good guy games the system to help everyone, which is partly possible due to the previously noted set-up. Also a heart warming side plot. Good interactions between recognizable character types to support the main character, because no man is an island, even when he names one for himself. LOVED IT!
I am almost in tears, because the book has been read and I know it will be a while before the next one. Interesting take on the "aliens take humans to another planet" trope. Loved the set-up of how the humans have been allocated, and the financial structure. After that, a good guy games the system to help everyone, which is partly possible due to the previously noted set-up. Also a heart warming side plot. Good interactions between recognizable character types to support the main character, because no man is an island, even when he names one for himself. LOVED IT!
August 18, 2024
Great start, next book now!
This hits close to home. Paratrooper who likes sci-fi with a, um, broad resume? Likes the outdoors and problem solving? Only issue is when AIR and the big drop are mentioned, my brain started clicking. "Operation Longstreet, string of pearls colony seeding. Looking for graduates of the engineer course at JOTC, used to large scale projects like bridges made from trees."
This hits close to home. Paratrooper who likes sci-fi with a, um, broad resume? Likes the outdoors and problem solving? Only issue is when AIR and the big drop are mentioned, my brain started clicking. "Operation Longstreet, string of pearls colony seeding. Looking for graduates of the engineer course at JOTC, used to large scale projects like bridges made from trees."
August 21, 2024
It begs a sequel!
This is a terrific story. It stands alone very well. It could easily be translated to a series. Read and enjoy.
This is a terrific story. It stands alone very well. It could easily be translated to a series. Read and enjoy.
August 21, 2024
When does the next in the series come out?
Excellent! Another homerun from Ringo. There is a lot of this story to tell and I am looking forward to reading more of this tale.
Excellent! Another homerun from Ringo. There is a lot of this story to tell and I am looking forward to reading more of this tale.
July 21, 2024
Over all, a fun book to read.
The Galactic Adults got tired of human politics and realized the humans would not play nice, so they separated the human race, then moved them to different parts of the galaxy. To maintain the peace and realitive quite, didn't tell anyone were each of the politically divided groups were located.
The Galactic Adults got tired of human politics and realized the humans would not play nice, so they separated the human race, then moved them to different parts of the galaxy. To maintain the peace and realitive quite, didn't tell anyone were each of the politically divided groups were located.
July 18, 2024
Great read! could hardly put it down!
Awesome as nearly every John Ringo book I have read! Hopefully there will be a series of this one! Will bee looking for it!
Awesome as nearly every John Ringo book I have read! Hopefully there will be a series of this one! Will bee looking for it!
May 27, 2024
So happy to find a new book from Ringo
This is, as expected, a great read and a fine story. I love this new world that Ringo and Aidee have created. Wonderful characters, great concept that is well fleshed out, and I couldn't wait to go to each new page.
I have been a John Ringo fan for many years and all his books are on my reread repeatedly list. This collaboration is at the high standard I expected. I very much hope to see a follow up to this one.
This is, as expected, a great read and a fine story. I love this new world that Ringo and Aidee have created. Wonderful characters, great concept that is well fleshed out, and I couldn't wait to go to each new page.
I have been a John Ringo fan for many years and all his books are on my reread repeatedly list. This collaboration is at the high standard I expected. I very much hope to see a follow up to this one.
June 22, 2024
Takes A Bit Getting Used To
John Ringo is one of my favorite authirs right up there with Weboer and Scalzi among othets.
The book starts out a little dry detailing specifics about a monetary and property system. After all the minutae is taken care of the story is well written and interesting. 8 was both surprised and annoyed at how fast the 560+ pages went. Looking forward to further volumes
John Ringo is one of my favorite authirs right up there with Weboer and Scalzi among othets.
The book starts out a little dry detailing specifics about a monetary and property system. After all the minutae is taken care of the story is well written and interesting. 8 was both surprised and annoyed at how fast the 560+ pages went. Looking forward to further volumes
May 11, 2024
outstanding
A fresh new look at the What ifs of Terraforming and what might happen. Well constructed characters, believable, environments, and an interesting storyline with plenty of twist and returns. Highly recommended!
A fresh new look at the What ifs of Terraforming and what might happen. Well constructed characters, believable, environments, and an interesting storyline with plenty of twist and returns. Highly recommended!
June 1, 2024
Reads like Ringo=)
Interesting take on the "aliens separate the different factions because we just can't play nice" trope. Has that golden age SF feel. Hopefully it's not just a one off because I would definitely enjoy reading a sequel!
Interesting take on the "aliens separate the different factions because we just can't play nice" trope. Has that golden age SF feel. Hopefully it's not just a one off because I would definitely enjoy reading a sequel!
May 14, 2024
Good book for Rings fans.
I've been waiting for something new from John Ringo for along time. This book did not disappoint me. It sets the stage for more following books.
As some other reviewers have stated, this book may upset non conservatives.
I've been waiting for something new from John Ringo for along time. This book did not disappoint me. It sets the stage for more following books.
As some other reviewers have stated, this book may upset non conservatives.
May 22, 2024
What an adventure!
Great idea and story premise. I can't he!p but what it would like to own an island and have an AI picked love. The whole I'm 20 again is pure lovely fantasy. Dreams are so seductive.
Great idea and story premise. I can't he!p but what it would like to own an island and have an AI picked love. The whole I'm 20 again is pure lovely fantasy. Dreams are so seductive.
May 9, 2024
Follow Jason as he explores Bellephone
When the earth was destroyed, AI's scooped up all the humans and took them to a new planet. Now the humans need to colonize the planet.
When the earth was destroyed, AI's scooped up all the humans and took them to a new planet. Now the humans need to colonize the planet.
May 12, 2024
Loved it!
Read this book in 2 days! Fast moving and hard to put down. Well written characters, very solid world-building. Heartily recommend.
Read this book in 2 days! Fast moving and hard to put down. Well written characters, very solid world-building. Heartily recommend.
May 22, 2024
New Series?
Good book, great idea or at least a retread, and I hope we get at least two more books, and it looks like it could be a lot more.
Good book, great idea or at least a retread, and I hope we get at least two more books, and it looks like it could be a lot more.
May 28, 2024
Enjoyable read
Quite a different premise from this author. Enjoyed the planet building and great characters. Hoping there is more to come.
Quite a different premise from this author. Enjoyed the planet building and great characters. Hoping there is more to come.
June 5, 2024
must read
really a fun book. Very well thought out and thorough in terms of all of the different dimensions that occur. Ringo strikes again. Please keep writing.
really a fun book. Very well thought out and thorough in terms of all of the different dimensions that occur. Ringo strikes again. Please keep writing.
June 13, 2024
another winner
Thank you, James and John, for a most enjoyable, read,,it ended to soon! Hope the Sequel will be coming soon…Mike B
Thank you, James and John, for a most enjoyable, read,,it ended to soon! Hope the Sequel will be coming soon…Mike B
June 20, 2024
This was an excellent Sci-Fi! A good story with enough science to keep it interesting. The plot implies there will be more books. I sure hope so!
February 23, 2025
Quite good!
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