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In a Time Where They Belong
This highly anticipated sequel to "In Strange Worlds" answers to big questions:
What happened to Meg?
What caused the global tragedy?
What happened to Meg?
What caused the global tragedy?
300 pages, Paperback
First published July 10, 2014
3 people are currently reading
241 people want to read
About the author
Brenda Cheers
11 books31 followersBrenda Cheers is a novelist and short-story writer who lives in Brisbane, Australia. "Requiem for Titus" is her eighth published novel.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 20, 2014
Spoilers ahead….
There are vague spoilers ahead, so skip this review if you want a cold reading of the book.
ADOLF, EVA AND A TIME MACHINE
This book has many, many warmhearted scenes that explore camaraderie, budding romantic relationships, parent-child bonding and community building. These scenes comprise the majority of the book. Yet, as the book nears its end, the narrative becomes quite sinister.
Imagine being able to guide the hand of evolution. Imagine being able to tinker with the genetics of your ancestors and thereby create a superior, super-intelligent race of people.
Book two of the Strange Worlds series occurs in a post-Ragnarok setting where a lone couple must repopulate the earth. A Nazi-styled character helps the young couple survive, and also helps with the survival of the couple’s growing collective of offspring and allies. Years pass, and eugenics takes front stage as a Third Reich-style population is created which eventually (after a very, very long time) becomes a race of genetically engineered Ubermenschen. The fitness of this future race relies on the initial fitness of the collective that created it, and so the Mengele-like character mentioned above is tasked with keeping the initial collective healthy whatever the cost may be.
In the strange world of this novel, if you’re uneducated, have a low IQ, and haven’t passed psychometric testing, then you’re considered trailer trash and are instantly cremated. You must be outstanding in some way (a scientist, environmentalist, etc.) or else you are deemed disposable and killed off along with the majority of the human race.
Did the human race die out accidentally? Or was the virus, which wiped out 99.999999% of the planet’s population, engineered? With so much talk of advanced genetic engineering, forced breeding and highly-evolved, time travelling humans, it’s hard to believe that the pandemic in book one was accidental and not an engineered holocaust. This series has me thinking of Oedipus Rex (who kills his father) and I can’t help but wonder if book three will reveal that humanity’s children have their parents’ blood on their hands.
Sorry for being cryptic and not naming names or describing particular scenes. I don’t want to give away the story and so there’s so much that I want to say that I can’t say. Whatever the case, READ THIS BOOK! And the one before it. They are both very good. A recurring theme in this series is that characters feel safe and secure, and then suddenly realize that they have been duped and taken advantage of in the worst of ways (like the German civilians during WWII who had no idea of what was really going on in their country).
This dystopian series has so much potential for social commentary and criticism. It talks about topics of great social significance, but does so in a subtle way without bombast or over the top theatrics. It took a long time for me as a reader to realize that, within in the novel’s carefree and wonderful world, something was terribly, terribly wrong. The feeling crept up on me gradually, and I appreciate the author’s flair for narrative subtlety. Meg’s betrayal at the end of book two took me completely by surprise.
This book exceeded my expectations. I’d give it six stars if I could, but five will have to do.
There are vague spoilers ahead, so skip this review if you want a cold reading of the book.
ADOLF, EVA AND A TIME MACHINE
This book has many, many warmhearted scenes that explore camaraderie, budding romantic relationships, parent-child bonding and community building. These scenes comprise the majority of the book. Yet, as the book nears its end, the narrative becomes quite sinister.
Imagine being able to guide the hand of evolution. Imagine being able to tinker with the genetics of your ancestors and thereby create a superior, super-intelligent race of people.
Book two of the Strange Worlds series occurs in a post-Ragnarok setting where a lone couple must repopulate the earth. A Nazi-styled character helps the young couple survive, and also helps with the survival of the couple’s growing collective of offspring and allies. Years pass, and eugenics takes front stage as a Third Reich-style population is created which eventually (after a very, very long time) becomes a race of genetically engineered Ubermenschen. The fitness of this future race relies on the initial fitness of the collective that created it, and so the Mengele-like character mentioned above is tasked with keeping the initial collective healthy whatever the cost may be.
In the strange world of this novel, if you’re uneducated, have a low IQ, and haven’t passed psychometric testing, then you’re considered trailer trash and are instantly cremated. You must be outstanding in some way (a scientist, environmentalist, etc.) or else you are deemed disposable and killed off along with the majority of the human race.
Did the human race die out accidentally? Or was the virus, which wiped out 99.999999% of the planet’s population, engineered? With so much talk of advanced genetic engineering, forced breeding and highly-evolved, time travelling humans, it’s hard to believe that the pandemic in book one was accidental and not an engineered holocaust. This series has me thinking of Oedipus Rex (who kills his father) and I can’t help but wonder if book three will reveal that humanity’s children have their parents’ blood on their hands.
Sorry for being cryptic and not naming names or describing particular scenes. I don’t want to give away the story and so there’s so much that I want to say that I can’t say. Whatever the case, READ THIS BOOK! And the one before it. They are both very good. A recurring theme in this series is that characters feel safe and secure, and then suddenly realize that they have been duped and taken advantage of in the worst of ways (like the German civilians during WWII who had no idea of what was really going on in their country).
This dystopian series has so much potential for social commentary and criticism. It talks about topics of great social significance, but does so in a subtle way without bombast or over the top theatrics. It took a long time for me as a reader to realize that, within in the novel’s carefree and wonderful world, something was terribly, terribly wrong. The feeling crept up on me gradually, and I appreciate the author’s flair for narrative subtlety. Meg’s betrayal at the end of book two took me completely by surprise.
This book exceeded my expectations. I’d give it six stars if I could, but five will have to do.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2014
“In A Time Where They Belong” by Brenda Cheers does a fine job with a genre that has enjoyed healthy, popular interest recently, and with good reason. As the second in a series, the novel opens with a bit of a scramble to establish setting in the post-apocalyptic earth of the present. However the novel quickly advances, and a small community of survivors led by Derek, a pediatrician and India, a geneticist plan to overcome the many obstacles of surviving and repopulating the earth, or so they think. Early on, however, there is feeling that a greater power is controlling their destiny and ultimately relegated the evolution of humanity to the confines of virtual petri dish.
Cheers crafts a cleverly disturbing tale made partly so because of the timeliness of the questions raised. Reminiscent of Lovelock’s “Gaia”, the author raises the reality in which we now live, which is that of a sickened earth shedding its parasitic occupants. Although there are times when the prose feel scripted, and the relationships clinical (necessary for the plot, perhaps), but the plot moves along well and is thoroughly engaging. The author uses excellent description of Australia’s rugged landscape, and a terrific scene with an Aboriginal folklorist.
As we read and follow the ever resourceful parasites humans eventually become, Cheers shows chillingly how natural selection has little to do with the human race’s concern over how it will evolve. Again, in a time where infectious disease is causing tremendous suffering for the poorest countries, “In A Time Where They Belong” attempts to address how the intellectually unskilled, poor, etc. are culled. I found myself referencing how often in history society has regressed in this regard and darkly enough, continues to do so. The novel is engaging, and I recommend it. A copy of this book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
Cheers crafts a cleverly disturbing tale made partly so because of the timeliness of the questions raised. Reminiscent of Lovelock’s “Gaia”, the author raises the reality in which we now live, which is that of a sickened earth shedding its parasitic occupants. Although there are times when the prose feel scripted, and the relationships clinical (necessary for the plot, perhaps), but the plot moves along well and is thoroughly engaging. The author uses excellent description of Australia’s rugged landscape, and a terrific scene with an Aboriginal folklorist.
As we read and follow the ever resourceful parasites humans eventually become, Cheers shows chillingly how natural selection has little to do with the human race’s concern over how it will evolve. Again, in a time where infectious disease is causing tremendous suffering for the poorest countries, “In A Time Where They Belong” attempts to address how the intellectually unskilled, poor, etc. are culled. I found myself referencing how often in history society has regressed in this regard and darkly enough, continues to do so. The novel is engaging, and I recommend it. A copy of this book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
November 1, 2014
Ever since finishing the previous book in this series "In Strange Worlds" I have been looking forward to the sequel. I had so many questions - What happened to Meg? What caused most of the human race to die suddenly? And who are the strange guys in the helicopters? Without giving too much away I can reveal that several pressing questions are answered within "In A Time Where They Belong"... as well as many new twists and turns that I didn't see coming.
Continuing on from where Is Strange Worlds left off, the small community in Maleny on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland faces many new challenges. Again I can't reveal too much but suffice to say frightening new illnesses, animal plagues and some new survivors all add to the mix. As the story progressed I gained a deeper understanding of the concepts the author explores. Having not much read much in this genre before it is certainly an eye opening exprience.
One thing I really like about In A Time Where They Belong is that the characters are well drawn and believable. I can really relate to most of them, which helped my understanding of the "out there" elements this story embraces.
Once again Brenda Cheers has written an egaging and thought provoking book that challenges the reader to expland their horizons and consider what they might do if the world as they know it suddenly ceased to exist. And once again I look forward to the next installment.
Continuing on from where Is Strange Worlds left off, the small community in Maleny on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland faces many new challenges. Again I can't reveal too much but suffice to say frightening new illnesses, animal plagues and some new survivors all add to the mix. As the story progressed I gained a deeper understanding of the concepts the author explores. Having not much read much in this genre before it is certainly an eye opening exprience.
One thing I really like about In A Time Where They Belong is that the characters are well drawn and believable. I can really relate to most of them, which helped my understanding of the "out there" elements this story embraces.
Once again Brenda Cheers has written an egaging and thought provoking book that challenges the reader to expland their horizons and consider what they might do if the world as they know it suddenly ceased to exist. And once again I look forward to the next installment.
August 16, 2014
In a Time Where They Belong is a very compelling story. I came to this having not read the first in the series, which did not do me a disservice. I liked this book and characters enough to go back and read the first one, but was impressed with Cheers ability to explain the backstory in a natural way. The setting is stark and the circumstances are both horrifying and intriguing, and Cheers weaves a plot of complex and natural interest. I have one unfulfilled wish, and that is to understand more about the relationships of the individuals to each other and to the children in the story. Each of the main characters has a clinical dissociation from each other that may be necessary given what is happening in their world but did keep me from fully engaging with them. Nonetheless, this is a brilliant plot and there is a third book to which I look forward! I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
September 1, 2015
Another great read form Brenda Cheers. The sequel to 'In Strange Worlds' opened up deeper insight to the lives of the characters, with twists and turns I didn't see coming. It's well-written, well thought out, and transports you further into a world that feels scarily real. Recommended for people in book clubs, because you'll want to talk about it!
January 23, 2020
I really loved this book by an Australian author. It is post-apocalyptic and a small community works together to survive. Plus some trippy time travel. Brenda Cheers, write some more science fiction!! It is great.
April 22, 2020
This book was just as good as the original. I'm considering reading Cato's Prophecy. Brenda is definitely an underrated author that could use more publicity for her fine work.
September 13, 2014
This is the second book in a series. I also read the first one (“In Strange Lands’). This is post-apocalyptic fantasy-fiction, and if you’re on a post-apocalyptic binge, you can certainly add these to your reading list.
There are several main characters we follow through these two books. Meg is a strong, capable woman who really doesn’t need anyone else, but who enjoys others when they’re around and has a strong protective instinct. She’s also able to figure out how to do just about anything and is brave enough to do it. I appreciated having a non-stereotypical heroine. Secondarily, there’s Derek, who, although he’s not in as much of the action, feels like one of the most important characters. He was also my favorite and felt the most complete and understandable to me. Despite spending more time with Meg and appreciating her characteristics, I never really clicked with her. I couldn’t feel her ups and downs the way I could with Derek. There’s also a young couple, Luke and Connie, neither of whom I connected with very well, which is okay, because they pretty much become part of the background.
The plot centers around life after an apocalyptic event. Much of it, in both books, covers daily life, figuring out how to do things and get places. All of this gets taken care of with no serious issues. The mystery of what happened to cause the event is a distant idea, and although it’s referred to several times, it isn’t a main point. The eventual partial explanation at the end of the first book feels a bit bootstrapped, and it isn’t explained any more thoroughly here. In fact, there’s a lot that isn’t explained and I was left feeling unsatisfied, perhaps because I like to feel that there’s a reasonable and believable explanation for things even in my sci-fi reading.
The pacing is better in this book than it was in the first one, which was mostly exposition, due partly to the fact that Meg didn’t have anyone to talk to for a while. The dialogue in this book, while it’s certainly welcome, almost goes the other way: conversations are often unnecessarily brought all the way down to conclusion, and some of it seems extraneous. It often doesn’t move the plot along or serves only to show that an issue one might consider after a post-apocalyptic event has been taken care of and isn’t a problem anymore.
In the end, it merits three stars for the good writing and lack of errors, but I’m afraid the story was fairly clichéd to this long-time sci-fi reader and lacked satisfying explanations for many of the premises and events. After some thought, I’ve decided it wouldn’t serve any purpose to list the issues I had, as most of them would be spoilers. For those just starting out in post-apocalyptic fiction, these books would likely be a fun exercise in imagining what it would be like to be one of the only people left alive. It might also appeal to fans of Stephen King’s “The Stand”.
There are several main characters we follow through these two books. Meg is a strong, capable woman who really doesn’t need anyone else, but who enjoys others when they’re around and has a strong protective instinct. She’s also able to figure out how to do just about anything and is brave enough to do it. I appreciated having a non-stereotypical heroine. Secondarily, there’s Derek, who, although he’s not in as much of the action, feels like one of the most important characters. He was also my favorite and felt the most complete and understandable to me. Despite spending more time with Meg and appreciating her characteristics, I never really clicked with her. I couldn’t feel her ups and downs the way I could with Derek. There’s also a young couple, Luke and Connie, neither of whom I connected with very well, which is okay, because they pretty much become part of the background.
The plot centers around life after an apocalyptic event. Much of it, in both books, covers daily life, figuring out how to do things and get places. All of this gets taken care of with no serious issues. The mystery of what happened to cause the event is a distant idea, and although it’s referred to several times, it isn’t a main point. The eventual partial explanation at the end of the first book feels a bit bootstrapped, and it isn’t explained any more thoroughly here. In fact, there’s a lot that isn’t explained and I was left feeling unsatisfied, perhaps because I like to feel that there’s a reasonable and believable explanation for things even in my sci-fi reading.
The pacing is better in this book than it was in the first one, which was mostly exposition, due partly to the fact that Meg didn’t have anyone to talk to for a while. The dialogue in this book, while it’s certainly welcome, almost goes the other way: conversations are often unnecessarily brought all the way down to conclusion, and some of it seems extraneous. It often doesn’t move the plot along or serves only to show that an issue one might consider after a post-apocalyptic event has been taken care of and isn’t a problem anymore.
In the end, it merits three stars for the good writing and lack of errors, but I’m afraid the story was fairly clichéd to this long-time sci-fi reader and lacked satisfying explanations for many of the premises and events. After some thought, I’ve decided it wouldn’t serve any purpose to list the issues I had, as most of them would be spoilers. For those just starting out in post-apocalyptic fiction, these books would likely be a fun exercise in imagining what it would be like to be one of the only people left alive. It might also appeal to fans of Stephen King’s “The Stand”.
September 28, 2014
In a Time Where They Belong by Brenda Cheers is the welcome sequel to In Strange Worlds. The earlier novel had both unexpected elements and (for this reader) too many unanswered questions. Now that I've read the sequel, many of my questions have been answered - perhaps not to my satisfaction, but nonetheless, answered. The book is well-written and well edited.
IATWTB starts in a post-apocalypse world with a small community in eastern Australia that is attempting to rebuild civilization, two at a time. No time is wasted introducing these survivors and their offspring; five characters are named on page 1 as the reader is thrown into this new world. Readers soon greet Derek, a character from the last book who disappeared. Derek quickly learns that Meg (the main character from the first book) is no longer. Saddened, Derek sets as his main goal to figure out what happened. It is his explorations that address questions from the first book. The author is to be commended for coming up with creative answers to what easily could have been a dead end.
As in the first novel, dreams are important in this sequel. A new twist is the introduction of time travel. There is no scientific babble explaining either this exciting technology, or miraculous medical methods. The reader is simply presented with magical advances. While time travel helps solve certain problems and can be interesting, it inevitably introduces paradoxes, as it does in this story. The interplay between dreams and time travel intrigued me.
Even though almost everyone on the planet has died before the start of this story, it's not a dystopia. Resources abound. No one goes hungry. There is power and water. The biggest conflicts tend to be interpersonal except for the occasional attack from mysteriously massed reptiles. The biggest essential conflict of the story is survival but this community has it too easy for that conflict to be compelling for me. There are other conflicts and problems such as vehicles breaking down and babies dying but they are neither intrinsic nor compelling.
This novel is twenty-two chapters. After the first ten chapters, there is a page labeled "Part 2" which starts what could be a totally independent parallel / alternate story. As with the first book, a situation is created in which a reader more intrigued with the journey of the story will enjoy it better than a reader who wants more in terms of a writer-defined destination.
It should be noted that IATWTB does not work as a stand-alone novel. If you have read "In Strange Worlds," this novel is recommended. I feel the sequel is better written than the first but in both cases, my overall rating is similar. If both books were combined, then that streamlined work might rate four stars. I was provided with a free copy in return for an honest review.
IATWTB starts in a post-apocalypse world with a small community in eastern Australia that is attempting to rebuild civilization, two at a time. No time is wasted introducing these survivors and their offspring; five characters are named on page 1 as the reader is thrown into this new world. Readers soon greet Derek, a character from the last book who disappeared. Derek quickly learns that Meg (the main character from the first book) is no longer. Saddened, Derek sets as his main goal to figure out what happened. It is his explorations that address questions from the first book. The author is to be commended for coming up with creative answers to what easily could have been a dead end.
As in the first novel, dreams are important in this sequel. A new twist is the introduction of time travel. There is no scientific babble explaining either this exciting technology, or miraculous medical methods. The reader is simply presented with magical advances. While time travel helps solve certain problems and can be interesting, it inevitably introduces paradoxes, as it does in this story. The interplay between dreams and time travel intrigued me.
Even though almost everyone on the planet has died before the start of this story, it's not a dystopia. Resources abound. No one goes hungry. There is power and water. The biggest conflicts tend to be interpersonal except for the occasional attack from mysteriously massed reptiles. The biggest essential conflict of the story is survival but this community has it too easy for that conflict to be compelling for me. There are other conflicts and problems such as vehicles breaking down and babies dying but they are neither intrinsic nor compelling.
This novel is twenty-two chapters. After the first ten chapters, there is a page labeled "Part 2" which starts what could be a totally independent parallel / alternate story. As with the first book, a situation is created in which a reader more intrigued with the journey of the story will enjoy it better than a reader who wants more in terms of a writer-defined destination.
It should be noted that IATWTB does not work as a stand-alone novel. If you have read "In Strange Worlds," this novel is recommended. I feel the sequel is better written than the first but in both cases, my overall rating is similar. If both books were combined, then that streamlined work might rate four stars. I was provided with a free copy in return for an honest review.
August 24, 2014
I waited for this sequel with bated breath. It is not as good as the first book, but still a very enjoyable read.
It certainly defies convention – it is a risky albeit interesting twist to exterminate the main heroine, because I feel it didn’t pay off in the end. Meg comes back later on but she seems a changed woman; gone is the feisty introspective leader, in is a meek, desperate community/charity worker, who infrequently happens to form her own opinions. Or maybe they’re just lost among the author’s attention which in this book shoots off in too many different directions. I was a bit lost in the many dialogues which were never-ending; nearly everything was clarified via dialogues – what a shame, I found the understated style of the first book less laborious and smoother.
We are told of much emotion but it’s never shown. The feelings are shallow and the plot around them rushed, underdeveloped. Same with the plentiful characters mentioned in the novel.
It seems like Meg and William end up falling in love really fast and without much depth, bordering on sickly sweet towards the end. The affectionate language William uses to address Meg made me squirm in my seat. It was quite painful to imagine this half-fossilized elderly time-travelling virgin utter cringeworthy stuff like ‘my gorgeous woman’ and ‘lovely girl’ after getting laid for the first time in his seventies (or so), and that’s without any former chemistry between them. To me as a reader, this sudden infatuation came as unexpectedly as doorbells do in my property (because I’m a sad cantankerous bugger who lives like a hermit and understandably has no friends).
The most incredible thing is that in future, nobody is obese as they only eat what they need, having special tailor-made formulas prepared. Really? The pleasure-seeking species that we are? Having all the time in the world to ourselves, we are not bored enough to pick during the day?
No sex in future? Whaaaaaaat?! Outrageous, especially with so much time at your disposal, I would have thought this is all we would do. No, the human race is not capable of only progressing without occasionally ending up in the gutter or at least giving into our primitive urges. The future lifestyle reeks of a sterile conscience which is unlikely to ever exist among humans.
Please do ignore the ratio of my nitpicking to praise – this novel is still extremely entertaining and will capture your attention. It’s like a perfectly delightful quickie which you never expected to satisfy your emotional neediness anyway.
It certainly defies convention – it is a risky albeit interesting twist to exterminate the main heroine, because I feel it didn’t pay off in the end. Meg comes back later on but she seems a changed woman; gone is the feisty introspective leader, in is a meek, desperate community/charity worker, who infrequently happens to form her own opinions. Or maybe they’re just lost among the author’s attention which in this book shoots off in too many different directions. I was a bit lost in the many dialogues which were never-ending; nearly everything was clarified via dialogues – what a shame, I found the understated style of the first book less laborious and smoother.
We are told of much emotion but it’s never shown. The feelings are shallow and the plot around them rushed, underdeveloped. Same with the plentiful characters mentioned in the novel.
It seems like Meg and William end up falling in love really fast and without much depth, bordering on sickly sweet towards the end. The affectionate language William uses to address Meg made me squirm in my seat. It was quite painful to imagine this half-fossilized elderly time-travelling virgin utter cringeworthy stuff like ‘my gorgeous woman’ and ‘lovely girl’ after getting laid for the first time in his seventies (or so), and that’s without any former chemistry between them. To me as a reader, this sudden infatuation came as unexpectedly as doorbells do in my property (because I’m a sad cantankerous bugger who lives like a hermit and understandably has no friends).
The most incredible thing is that in future, nobody is obese as they only eat what they need, having special tailor-made formulas prepared. Really? The pleasure-seeking species that we are? Having all the time in the world to ourselves, we are not bored enough to pick during the day?
No sex in future? Whaaaaaaat?! Outrageous, especially with so much time at your disposal, I would have thought this is all we would do. No, the human race is not capable of only progressing without occasionally ending up in the gutter or at least giving into our primitive urges. The future lifestyle reeks of a sterile conscience which is unlikely to ever exist among humans.
Please do ignore the ratio of my nitpicking to praise – this novel is still extremely entertaining and will capture your attention. It’s like a perfectly delightful quickie which you never expected to satisfy your emotional neediness anyway.
January 3, 2015
In a Time Where They Belong is a delightful next installment, following In Strange Worlds. The story takes place after a catastrophic virus kills off all but a very few people. Ms. Cheers does an excellent job of creating and developing this sometimes frightening world. The twists and turns kept me wondering what could possibly happen next. The story unfolds in an easy to get into narrative. The twists and turns, along with eventual explanations kept me intrigued right up to the last page.
A number of things made this novel stand out for me. First and most important are the characters. The two main characters explored in this novel are Derek and Meg. Their stories are separate but parallel, which I found fascinating. Derek’s character evolved in a very engaging way. I was thrilled to see Meg’s continuing journey into the story in Part Two. Her ups and downs; how she grew and even how she was manipulated near the end kept me turning pages. The separate and again parallel involvement of Martin and William captured my interest as well. They each became pivotal characters, essential to the working of the story.
Connie, Luke, Heather, George and India are not the main protagonists, but they are strong, very well developed characters. They are believable people, dealing as best they can with their own “brave new world.” How their various personalities react and interact is fascinating. I felt like I knew each one. Connie and Luke especially grew from the first story to the second. It takes a talented author to truly allow the characters to become themselves, so to speak. I am looking forward to the continuing story and will be watching for it.
I loved the absence of annoying grammar and spelling errors. The dialogue between characters is crisp and flows naturally. The pacing is consistent and the story never ceases to move forward. The only problem I experienced in reading were that a few times I had trouble following which character was speaking and point of view shifts within scenes occurred frequently. I read very quickly, and several times needed to go back and make sure I understood who was talking and whose point of view was being expressed. Losing myself in the story was wonderful, and those two things I found distracting.
Another thing I thoroughly enjoyed were the rich descriptions. Ms. Cheers effectively weaves the new world into the real world of Maleny and the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia. I’ve never been there, but feel as though I have!
A number of things made this novel stand out for me. First and most important are the characters. The two main characters explored in this novel are Derek and Meg. Their stories are separate but parallel, which I found fascinating. Derek’s character evolved in a very engaging way. I was thrilled to see Meg’s continuing journey into the story in Part Two. Her ups and downs; how she grew and even how she was manipulated near the end kept me turning pages. The separate and again parallel involvement of Martin and William captured my interest as well. They each became pivotal characters, essential to the working of the story.
Connie, Luke, Heather, George and India are not the main protagonists, but they are strong, very well developed characters. They are believable people, dealing as best they can with their own “brave new world.” How their various personalities react and interact is fascinating. I felt like I knew each one. Connie and Luke especially grew from the first story to the second. It takes a talented author to truly allow the characters to become themselves, so to speak. I am looking forward to the continuing story and will be watching for it.
I loved the absence of annoying grammar and spelling errors. The dialogue between characters is crisp and flows naturally. The pacing is consistent and the story never ceases to move forward. The only problem I experienced in reading were that a few times I had trouble following which character was speaking and point of view shifts within scenes occurred frequently. I read very quickly, and several times needed to go back and make sure I understood who was talking and whose point of view was being expressed. Losing myself in the story was wonderful, and those two things I found distracting.
Another thing I thoroughly enjoyed were the rich descriptions. Ms. Cheers effectively weaves the new world into the real world of Maleny and the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia. I’ve never been there, but feel as though I have!
October 3, 2014
Book two in the 'Strange Worlds' series continues the story of a small group of people living in a post-apocalyptic Australia. Book one left off on a bombshell twist regarding the main character Meg. Book two begins with a shift in the main point of view from Meg to Derek. All of the other characters are unaware of what happened to Meg.
There's a lot of recap at the beginning of the story. There's some that serves the plot, such as Derek investigating what happened to Meg, and reacting to her journal entries of events in the previous book. Then there is just moments of straight retelling of what happened in the previous book. Not much time is spent doing this, but it is all material that the reader is already aware of, and feels unnecessary.
Derek begins looking for the same answers Meg was looking for in book one. About halfway through the story, he finds the answers. The real twist of the story is revealed, and the reader knows what actually happened to Meg at the end of book one. Derek's story is resolved, and the main story reverts back to the end of book one. Meg is back as the main character, and begins looking for answers, and starts covering the same ground as Derek did just prior. That's my main problem with this book, is it just comes off as repetitive. Halfway through the story a big mystery is solved, and then it goes back and has another character solve that same mystery. What happened to Derek ultimately seems like a waste of time.
There are a few other nitpicks I had with the story, though they are about unanswered questions. A major concern in book one were the strange Acts of God, or whatever you want to call them. Strange wildfires, storms, and animal behavior. These events seem to have been forgotten by the characters, and the mystery Meg and Derek uncover does not provide any answers for why they occurred. These types of events don't occur in book two either, leaving me unsure if the author decided to do away with them as an important plot detail, or if it is being saved for book 3.
There's a lot of recap at the beginning of the story. There's some that serves the plot, such as Derek investigating what happened to Meg, and reacting to her journal entries of events in the previous book. Then there is just moments of straight retelling of what happened in the previous book. Not much time is spent doing this, but it is all material that the reader is already aware of, and feels unnecessary.
Derek begins looking for the same answers Meg was looking for in book one. About halfway through the story, he finds the answers. The real twist of the story is revealed, and the reader knows what actually happened to Meg at the end of book one. Derek's story is resolved, and the main story reverts back to the end of book one. Meg is back as the main character, and begins looking for answers, and starts covering the same ground as Derek did just prior. That's my main problem with this book, is it just comes off as repetitive. Halfway through the story a big mystery is solved, and then it goes back and has another character solve that same mystery. What happened to Derek ultimately seems like a waste of time.
There are a few other nitpicks I had with the story, though they are about unanswered questions. A major concern in book one were the strange Acts of God, or whatever you want to call them. Strange wildfires, storms, and animal behavior. These events seem to have been forgotten by the characters, and the mystery Meg and Derek uncover does not provide any answers for why they occurred. These types of events don't occur in book two either, leaving me unsure if the author decided to do away with them as an important plot detail, or if it is being saved for book 3.
November 17, 2014
Cheers seems to have done a nice job with her novel. Although I didn’t read the first in the series but I didn’t find many difficulties connecting with the plot. But I felt that characters are too many so many times I lost who is who. The story is entertaining and shows a distant futuristic world. Few things were difficult to believe that we humans will be doing or to say truly not be doing. Still I will appreciate the great imagination Cheers has and her capacity of building a new world right in front of your eyes is great. I would have appreciated some less dialogue between the characters and story be told in a bit more descriptive manner. There are enough twists to keep you interested but author failed to answer many questions that naturally come in readers’ minds. Any way I liked it and was greeted by a wonderful read.
October 21, 2016
Not as good as the first...
It was good, but didn't have the same feel as the first. It was a little disjointed, but it was a good jump to the next one.
It was good, but didn't have the same feel as the first. It was a little disjointed, but it was a good jump to the next one.
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