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The Grand Plan
The Grand Plan is Book One of The Grand Plan Saga—a chronicle of life on Earth in a universe where humanity is not alone.
The Grand Plan is the story of how extraterrestrials brought civilization to Earth, drawing on the ancient Sumerian legends and poems that predate the Bible by thousands of years and provide the earliest account of a universal flood. Here's a sneak preview . . .
. . . Earth is in crisis, suffering from “the Torments,” social and political turmoil brought on by runaway climate change.
On board the Abzu, astrogeologist Nick Adamstock and physician and geneticist Helena Minnahan are rocketing through a temporary fold in spacetime to the barren, outermost planet in the solar system. Their to mine the gold desperately needed for artificial photosynthesis to save their home. But when the untested spacetime fold fails, the Abzu is marooned in a distant galaxy on an eerily familiar planet, rich with gold but also teeming with Earth-like life based on identical DNA.
As they explore, the two scientists soon stumble upon “the People,” a clan of primitive hunter-gatherers who appear intelligent but seem to lack the mental spark—curiosity, imagination, inventiveness—that makes intelligence truly useful. The exception is Ava, an attractive and exceptionally gifted member of the clan.
Nick and Ava soon fall in love, and she persuades the People to help the Abzu crew mine the gold and grow the crops necessary for long-term survival. In return, Helena and Nick, now one of many of the crew who’d started families, teach the clan basic skills, introducing them to new tools and concepts and exposing them to the institutions they will need in an organized society; Helena even secretly modifies the hybrid children’s genes.
Discovering life on “New Earth” was astonishing enough, but discovering “life like us” stretches the bounds of credibility and chance. As they watch the People quickly adapt to their new way of life, Nick and Helena speculate that it was no accident that brought them there but something more far-reaching and consequential.
Are they part of a “grand plan” to spread civilization throughout the universe?
The Grand Plan is the story of how extraterrestrials brought civilization to Earth, drawing on the ancient Sumerian legends and poems that predate the Bible by thousands of years and provide the earliest account of a universal flood. Here's a sneak preview . . .
. . . Earth is in crisis, suffering from “the Torments,” social and political turmoil brought on by runaway climate change.
On board the Abzu, astrogeologist Nick Adamstock and physician and geneticist Helena Minnahan are rocketing through a temporary fold in spacetime to the barren, outermost planet in the solar system. Their to mine the gold desperately needed for artificial photosynthesis to save their home. But when the untested spacetime fold fails, the Abzu is marooned in a distant galaxy on an eerily familiar planet, rich with gold but also teeming with Earth-like life based on identical DNA.
As they explore, the two scientists soon stumble upon “the People,” a clan of primitive hunter-gatherers who appear intelligent but seem to lack the mental spark—curiosity, imagination, inventiveness—that makes intelligence truly useful. The exception is Ava, an attractive and exceptionally gifted member of the clan.
Nick and Ava soon fall in love, and she persuades the People to help the Abzu crew mine the gold and grow the crops necessary for long-term survival. In return, Helena and Nick, now one of many of the crew who’d started families, teach the clan basic skills, introducing them to new tools and concepts and exposing them to the institutions they will need in an organized society; Helena even secretly modifies the hybrid children’s genes.
Discovering life on “New Earth” was astonishing enough, but discovering “life like us” stretches the bounds of credibility and chance. As they watch the People quickly adapt to their new way of life, Nick and Helena speculate that it was no accident that brought them there but something more far-reaching and consequential.
Are they part of a “grand plan” to spread civilization throughout the universe?
464 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 6, 2025
62 people are currently reading
1538 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 5, 2025
I liked this book. Some of the relationships between characters felt a little bit stereotyped to me, but it didn't keep me from wanting to read the entire book. An interesting glimpse into how modern humans could influence the development of ancient humans, and the moral dilemma it can cause. Overall, a well-written beach/vacation read.
Note: I won my Kindle copy through the Goodreads Giveaways. A big thank you to Goodreads and the author.
Note: I won my Kindle copy through the Goodreads Giveaways. A big thank you to Goodreads and the author.
June 17, 2025
more of a text book than a story!
July 29, 2025
What a twist!
This book flips the usual human alien encounter tale. T
He characters are well developed and the plots
for each of them tied the story well.
This book flips the usual human alien encounter tale. T
He characters are well developed and the plots
for each of them tied the story well.
April 23, 2025
All told an interesting novel. Definitely made me think and ponder the universe and our place in it. Interesting characters and general premise.
My reason for only 4 instead of 5 stars is the authors penchant for using words completely unknown to me. Constantly having to refer to a dictionary is frustrating. To be honest, made me feel stupid.
My reason for only 4 instead of 5 stars is the authors penchant for using words completely unknown to me. Constantly having to refer to a dictionary is frustrating. To be honest, made me feel stupid.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews