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Seeders Universe #0
Dust and Kisses
USA Today bestselling writer Dean Wesley Smith weaves a tale of survival in a devastated future world. When Carey Noack returns to the ruined Portland, Oregon, hoping to meet other survivors after three years of living alone, she doesn’t expect the man of her dreams. At first, Matt Ladel, the only person living in the old city, thinks he imagined the beautiful woman weaving through dead cars. Then he finds the reality behind the fantasy. Suddenly, the two experts in survival and living alone must learn to work together, and trust again, in the face of an even greater danger. A novel of hope and a new future, Dust and Kisses is the prequel novel to Dean Wesley Smith’s popular Seeders Universe series.
- GenresScience FictionRomance
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 21, 2014
7 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Dean Wesley Smith
822 books177 followersPen Names
Edward Taft
Dee W. Schofield
Sandy Schofield
Kathryn Wesley
Dean Wesley Smith is the bestselling author of over ninety novels under many names and well over 100 published short stories. He has over eight million copies of his books in print and has books published in nine different countries. He has written many original novels in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, thriller, and romance as well as books for television, movies, games, and comics. He is also known for writing quality work very quickly and has written a large number of novels as a ghost writer or under house names.
With Kristine Kathryn Rusch, he is the coauthor of The Tenth Planet trilogy and The 10th Kingdom. The following is a list of novels under the Dean Wesley Smith name, plus a number of pen names that are open knowledge. Many ghost and pen name books are not on this list because he is under contractual obligations not to disclose that he wrote them. Many of Dean’s original novels are also under hidden pen names for marketing reasons.
Dean has also written books and comics for all three major comic book companies, Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse, and has done scripts for Hollywood. One movie was actually made.
Over his career he has also been an editor and publisher, first at Pulphouse Publishing, then for VB Tech Journal, then for Pocket Books.
Currently, he is writing thrillers and mystery novels under another name.
Edward Taft
Dee W. Schofield
Sandy Schofield
Kathryn Wesley
Dean Wesley Smith is the bestselling author of over ninety novels under many names and well over 100 published short stories. He has over eight million copies of his books in print and has books published in nine different countries. He has written many original novels in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, thriller, and romance as well as books for television, movies, games, and comics. He is also known for writing quality work very quickly and has written a large number of novels as a ghost writer or under house names.
With Kristine Kathryn Rusch, he is the coauthor of The Tenth Planet trilogy and The 10th Kingdom. The following is a list of novels under the Dean Wesley Smith name, plus a number of pen names that are open knowledge. Many ghost and pen name books are not on this list because he is under contractual obligations not to disclose that he wrote them. Many of Dean’s original novels are also under hidden pen names for marketing reasons.
Dean has also written books and comics for all three major comic book companies, Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse, and has done scripts for Hollywood. One movie was actually made.
Over his career he has also been an editor and publisher, first at Pulphouse Publishing, then for VB Tech Journal, then for Pocket Books.
Currently, he is writing thrillers and mystery novels under another name.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 15, 2015
This book is short and expensive for the length. Fortunately, I managed to pick it up in a one-day-only sale that brought the eBook down to where I'd take a chance on it. And that worked out reasonably well, all told.
The book is a light survival romance rather than the more moody post-apocalypse type I've come to loathe. Matt and Carey start off alone, three years after most of the population of the planet suddenly died. The timeframe is a bit odd as it takes the sting from the survival as they've both managed to get things mostly under control by this point. Indeed, Carey is returning to Portland after snugging into the coast, returning mostly in an exploratory, see if anybody is there kind of way. Matt has built himself a relatively ritzy setup leveraging his electrician training and the mild climate for his comfort. So most of the heavy-duty survival is in the past leaving this story mostly a romance with an interesting setting.
The most interesting aspect of both characters is the feeling Smith harbors of how deeply alone they are, and the lack of a basis or foundation for trust they find themselves in. No laws, no help, nothing but their own weapons and willingness to defend themselves if they run into someone who wants what they have. Weapons are, perhaps fortunately, plentiful but that cuts both ways so, again, how do you build trust even if you do manage to find other people? I really liked how this worked out and how both were cautious and open about their caution.
And I liked both Matt and Carey quite a bit, though together they're a bit unlikely. I mean, two competent, mutually attractive people of the exact same age finding each other in abandoned downtown Portland. It's a stretch, even if neither can quite believe their luck. I had a hard time believing it, too. Smith is quite good, however, so getting over this hurdle didn't take long. Fortunately. And they're both great characters, wonderfully written.
The plot meanders, but that's not unexpected in this type of story. More unexpected, though, is the lack of drama. While there's plenty of danger and planning and option-considering, and some major developments and surprises, not a lot actually eventuates. Good planning and being careful pays off, I suppose, but I found myself both relieved and just a little let down when so much anticipated trouble fails to happen.
All told, this is a solid 3 stars and a lovely fun read. I like the setup and I'll gladly pick up following stories, assuming the prices ease a bit. This is supposed to be the setup for a series and I hope that materializes.
A note about Steamy: The steam in this book is really light--enough so that I'm not going to flag it "steamy". At least some of the tension is will they or won't they, so I'm going to wrap how it went with a spoiler tag. No that does not mean they did. Doesn't mean they didn't, either.
The book is a light survival romance rather than the more moody post-apocalypse type I've come to loathe. Matt and Carey start off alone, three years after most of the population of the planet suddenly died. The timeframe is a bit odd as it takes the sting from the survival as they've both managed to get things mostly under control by this point. Indeed, Carey is returning to Portland after snugging into the coast, returning mostly in an exploratory, see if anybody is there kind of way. Matt has built himself a relatively ritzy setup leveraging his electrician training and the mild climate for his comfort. So most of the heavy-duty survival is in the past leaving this story mostly a romance with an interesting setting.
The most interesting aspect of both characters is the feeling Smith harbors of how deeply alone they are, and the lack of a basis or foundation for trust they find themselves in. No laws, no help, nothing but their own weapons and willingness to defend themselves if they run into someone who wants what they have. Weapons are, perhaps fortunately, plentiful but that cuts both ways so, again, how do you build trust even if you do manage to find other people? I really liked how this worked out and how both were cautious and open about their caution.
And I liked both Matt and Carey quite a bit, though together they're a bit unlikely. I mean, two competent, mutually attractive people of the exact same age finding each other in abandoned downtown Portland. It's a stretch, even if neither can quite believe their luck. I had a hard time believing it, too. Smith is quite good, however, so getting over this hurdle didn't take long. Fortunately. And they're both great characters, wonderfully written.
The plot meanders, but that's not unexpected in this type of story. More unexpected, though, is the lack of drama. While there's plenty of danger and planning and option-considering, and some major developments and surprises, not a lot actually eventuates. Good planning and being careful pays off, I suppose, but I found myself both relieved and just a little let down when so much anticipated trouble fails to happen.
All told, this is a solid 3 stars and a lovely fun read. I like the setup and I'll gladly pick up following stories, assuming the prices ease a bit. This is supposed to be the setup for a series and I hope that materializes.
A note about Steamy: The steam in this book is really light--enough so that I'm not going to flag it "steamy". At least some of the tension is will they or won't they, so I'm going to wrap how it went with a spoiler tag. No that does not mean they did. Doesn't mean they didn't, either.
March 1, 2016
This is more of an apocalyptic science fiction romance than anything else. Basically about a man and woman who are among the small number of people left alive after a cataclysmic event. It doesn't really have a classic story structure; there is really not much conflict. It is more about discovery, hopes, and fears. It is an easy, enjoyable read... although perhaps a bit heavy on the romance element for some readers.
March 3, 2014
I enjoy survival stories and this is one of the better ones I have read recently. Dealing more with the emotional toll and fear that takes place and ending with hope, it makes for a wonderful read.
March 20, 2022
This is a fairly short novel (I finished in just over a day of on and off reading.) which deals with a post apocryphal world where one morning 90% plus per cent of the population of the world died. Set 3 years from the event it deals with initially two survivors one male one female who meet and fall in love. Yes, this book while sci-fi has a strong romance aspect something I wasn't sure that I liked initially but despite being a little teenage in its emotional spectrum it wasn't too bad.
The story proceeds at pace, and we learn more about the couple and more about the disaster. Then a large group of bikers enter the city where our couple are located. How this developed was something I liked as my initial expectation was, oh here comes the bad guys, time for a fight and a shootout. I am pleased to say those impressions were wrong and the story takes a completely different aspect.
That switch was enough to take my rating from a 3 to 4. The only other negative I found was from then on the story was wrapped up a bit fast. I had got to know and like the main character and wanted more and I didn't get it. Always room for a sequel I guess and enough for me to get the next few books in the series.
The story proceeds at pace, and we learn more about the couple and more about the disaster. Then a large group of bikers enter the city where our couple are located. How this developed was something I liked as my initial expectation was, oh here comes the bad guys, time for a fight and a shootout. I am pleased to say those impressions were wrong and the story takes a completely different aspect.
That switch was enough to take my rating from a 3 to 4. The only other negative I found was from then on the story was wrapped up a bit fast. I had got to know and like the main character and wanted more and I didn't get it. Always room for a sequel I guess and enough for me to get the next few books in the series.
February 21, 2023
I love this genre and this novel is very engaging although perhaps overly idealistic in its view of humanity. Very romantic.
March 21, 2014
Unvenetful.
March 12, 2016
Read this in the first issue of Smith's Monthly, Oct 2013. I thought this was the first in the Seeders Universe series.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews