Broken Hourglass

by Kielen King

Galilee Walker is a technical needle in a haystack of hypocritical, posturing charlatans. Born and raised in the capital city of Alevva on the planet Corinth, Walker and her family lived as followers of The Hourglass; a technology-banning sect holding religious, political, and financial control of the entire planet. However, Galilee Walker had grown weary - weary of the sermons, the restrictions, the punishments, all of it. Having spent her time on Corinth learning everything she could about modern technology, frustrating her parents, and making connections in the Corinthian underworld, she was ready to strike. No longer would Galilee, or anyone, live under such self-righteous, hypocritical liars while denying the masses the wonders and benefits of modern technology. Walker fell in love with technology as a youngster and now as a 32-year-old woman in control of her own destiny, she would either expose the clergy for its misdeeds or make absolutely sure they lived up to their oath.

77 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 2, 2024

About the author

KIELEN (key-len) KING is a musician, podcast professional, author, and avid gamer. He is a lifelong science fiction fan, creator of the Star Pilot Music trilogy (starpilotmusic.com), and author of Ion the Young Shuttle (iontheshuttle.com), his first children's book.

Kielen continuously looks for ways to further the art of science fiction storytelling through various mediums. He resides in southwest Washington state with his wife, daughter, and their black lab/border collie mix, Lando.

Reviews

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Broken Hourglass hooked me from the beginning. This book remained engaging --- I wanted to know what was going to happen next, as well as, the transitions were easy to follow and understand what was happening in this story. I don't easily lean into Science Fiction literature, but I do enjoy a great mystery. This book read like a blend of these two genres.
My question is, when is the next book coming out. I'm ready!

[Erik Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chalk me up as another victim of dive headfirst into this world and has been left drooling for more.

What Kielen King has been able to with just over 60 pages is fantastic: we get a solid foundation built to a fascinating futuristic and plausible world, excellent pacing to a story with haunting modern day undertones and themes, and a well layered main character.

Needless to say, I’m thirsty for more!

[Stefan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book sucks you in from the start. My only complaint is: it's way too short! When I finished the book I really wanted to know more. I'm definitely hoping for a sequel.

[Spooky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly went back and forth between giving this 3 or 4 stars. This is a solid book, and my rating has less to do with the quality of the story or the author and more to do with the fact that I’m just not a big science fiction reader.

That said, I really enjoyed the setting and world-building, which were immersive and interesting, and the action kept the story engaging. The world itself was one of the strongest parts, and I would’ve loved to learn even more about it.

My main critique is that the main character felt a little flat at times, and the ending felt slightly rushed. Even so, this was still a good reading experience overall.

I’ll absolutely be supporting this book regardless and indie books deserve love, and I’m always happy to support indie authors, even when a genre isn’t usually my thing.