Aurora: Pegasus

Aurora #2

by Amanda Bridgeman

Before they can rise victorious, they must first descend into hell

Captain Saul Harris of the UNF Aurora gets the call he does not want to receive. Forced to pull his team back together and go hunt down and capture old enemies, he finds himself faced with a whole new terror.

He thought the Darwin mission was over, but all those unanswered questions are beginning to haunt him.

Corporal Carrie Welles has no choice but to rejoin the Aurora crew and help her captain finish what they started. But is this mission as straight forward as it seems? Is she really prepared for the fight of her life?

Genres: Science Fiction

758 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2013

About the author

Amanda is a Scribe Award winner, a two-time Tin Duck Award winner, an Aurealis and Ditmar Awards finalist and author of several science fiction and thriller novels. Her works include sci-fi mystery SALVATION series, consisting of THE SUBJUGATE and THE SENSATION (published by Angry Robot Books, UK), which is being developed for TV by Aquarius Films and Anonymous Content (True Detective, Mr Robot, The Alienist).

THE SUBJUGATE is also currently being studied at two German universities (Düsseldorf and Cologne) as part of a program on Australian speculative fiction, in conjunction with the Centre for Australian Studies.

Born in the seaside/country town of Geraldton, Western Australia, she moved to Perth (Western Australia) to study film & television/creative writing at Murdoch University, earning her a BA in Communication Studies. Perth has been her home ever since, aside from a nineteen-month stint in London (England) where she dabbled in Film & TV ‘Extra’ work.

Amanda is a versatile writer who enjoys working across different genres and creative formats, be it novels, screenplays, short stories, etc, and creating both original and tie-in work.

Her Scribe Award winning novel PANDEMIC: PATIENT ZERO is the first novel set in the award-winning Pandemic tabletop board game universe.

She has written short stories for Marvel (X-Men) and Black Library (Warhammer 40k) anthologies.

Her new novel, Sound of Light, set in the Marvel X-Men universe and featuring mutant Dazzler, is out now!

Reviews

[dennis barron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aurora: Pegasus Amanda Bridgeman

Book two in the series. It's so hot, the page's catch fire! This is a sci-fi thriller of epic proportions! Set in the future, the classic good against evil. Peace on planet Earth and the galaxy depends on who wins!! Extremely fast paced! I highly recommend!

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Aurora: Darwin and was thrilled to receive
Aurora: Pegasus from NetGalley. Whoa! Even more action as the Aurora crew is faced with their new mission-- attempting to tie up loose threads (and killers) from the previous mission.

Quickly drawn in as Captain Saul Harris begins gathering his team, along with new recruits to replace the men lost on Darwin, I read raced through this one, completely engrossed.

At first, I was a bit horrified with the decision to use Corporal Carrie Welles as bait. In Aurora: Darwin, the three women the UNF forced Captain Harris to include in his crew were, without Harris' knowledge, intended as "incubators" in a genetic experiment taking place on Darwin. Bridgeman's characterization is so good, that my fears for Welles were upsetting...with good cause.

If you decide to read this, begin with Aurora: Darwin; the original mission lays the groundwork for this second mission.

Once again, great characterization and great action. Now, waiting for the next book is driving me crazy.

My only niggling complaint is the repetition of the word "deadpan." Other than that, the Aurora novels are in my list of favorite science fiction.

If you like this genre, do look at Bridgeman's series. Highly recommended. 4.5/5 stars.

NetGalley/Momentum Books.

Science Fiction/Action. Dec. 1, 2013. Print version: 660 pages.
(??? 660 pages? Can't believe that, I raced through this one, and it never felt long enough!)

[Jill Van · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible Book

In all my years of reading, I’ve never given a bad review like this. I enjoyed the first book in the series, but this was a total disappointment. If I want to read about men abusing women, I can read the news. I certainly don’t want to read it in a sci-fi, book written by a woman.

[Dave T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a standalone

These are really good books; well written and very intense. Based on the first book I thought that they would be stand alone stories but they are not.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

Aurora: Pegasus is book two (more to come) in the Aurora series and continues directly from Aurora: Darwin with a series long arc. As with the first book, the story suffers from uneven pacing and a bit too much bloat. The progression of the plot entails a first part where nothing happens, a middle part that quickly devolves into torture porn, and then an overwrought third part where everyone goes off half-cocked. So while not a terrible book, the violence (physical and psychological) becomes a bit much and this feels more like "Hostel in Outer Space" disguised in military sci fi trappings. As with the first book, the paranormal 'voo-doo' with Harris and lovesick mooning Welles/Doc adds to the unevenness, making the book lack direction.

Harris, Carrie, and the crew have returned to Earth after lengthy debriefings and a court martial trial. But their stay is short lived as once again they are recalled, this time as bait, to entrap Sharley and the Jumbos. It's Welles herself who will be the worm on the hook - and it is up to the Aurora crew to protect her. Meanwhile, shifting alliances within the UNF means Harris has no idea who he can, and can't trust. With Welles' life on the balance, he must decipher the rest of the Jumbo manifesto and uncover Sharley's full plan.

The first book definitely showed that author Bridgeman doesn't shy away from casual, vicious violence or psychological games. How much you enjoy the series likely originates from your ability to accept and assimilate the torture and mental degradation. Admittedly, I have a low threshold of tolerance and prefer to read science fiction and not horror. As such, I left the second book dissatisfied and a bit queasy - I was still hoping for military sci fi and not science gone wrong.

The pacing issues in both books were frustrating. Action starts and stop, starts and stops, and never really gets a chance to reach a satisfying crescendo. Dense writing and far too much superfluous or trivial musings/interactions don't help propel the story or give character insight. Especially in the beginning, I kept wanting to skim quite a bit. Both Darwin and Pegasus have their 'ending' at about 75% in - making the rest of the 1 hour of reading very anticlimactic. I still do prefer the normal plot structure of 3 parts.

In all, as with the first book, this is not a terrible story and I think many will enjoy it. For me, it wasn't an enjoyable read and I won't be continuing with the third book. Received as an ARC from the publisher.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Aurora series is shaping as a heavily character centric space adventure in a futuristic world where interplanetary inhabitation is reminiscent of the American wild west. The UNF, the leading government force is one that both protects and neglects its loyal servants. For the team aboard space shuttle Aurora, this is something they know all too well and now find themselves on that dusty red frontier, Mars cleaning up the UNF’s mess – trying to contain and capture the man responsible for creating a new breed of super soldier called Jumbos.

Welles, Harris, Doc, McKinley, Hunter, Packham, and Brown are joined by a batch of new recruits in a bid to lure Sharley and his jumbos out of hiding – the bait, Carrie Welles, the select female member of the Aurora team whose not only a crack member of the unit but is perfect breeding material for the jumbos next evolution, a pure bread jumbo. If Welles can lure Sharley, the UNF can put an end to this rogue program. But looming in the background is the question ‘does the UNF want to continue or mask the jumbo experiment?’ Harris and co find themselves yet again the puppets, controlled by a higher power on a deadly mission that once again threatens to tear apart the team limb by limb.

There were some great character defining moments in AURORA: PEGASUS, the relationship between Carrie and Doc for one, and Harris’ unrelenting determination to keep the surviving members of the team safe as they slowly piece together their lives and man-up for another confrontation is another. That said, after a while the Doc/Carrie subplot took over and distracted from what was a very solid and entertaining broader story in the hunt for Sharley. At times, feeling more of a romantic drama than sci-fi thriller.

The place setting is superb; I love the likeness of Mars to the Wild West; a bold and dangerous new frontier town where salons and gun toting men dominate the early stages of inhabitation. The space shuttles themselves also add a distinct sense of place with the Aurora already well established as a key locale. Bridgeman also teases a superior and imposing warship called the Barbican which I hope to read more of in later instalments. Then there’s Hell Town – the super max prison home to the worst of the worst...

Overall, there’s a lot to like about the second Aurora novel yet it doesn’t hit the same cords as the initial instalment, largely due to the lengthy period of time dedicated to the Doc/Carrie romance. Certainly worth a look if you read and enjoyed AURORA: DARWIN.

This review also appears on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...

[Anika Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captain Saul Harris and the rest of the crew from the Aurora are enjoying some much needed time off after their ill-fated Darwin mission. Captain Harris can’t forget the fact that the evil Sharley is still at large, and the Aurora‘s crew are the best ones to try to bring him in. But what Sharley has planned for them is much more horrifying than they first believed.

I read the first book in this series, Aurora: Darwin quite a while ago now but I remembered enjoying it. This is hard sci-fi with heart. The characters are well developed, have realistic conversations and relationships and I found myself really caring about what was happening to each of them – something that doesn’t often come with militaristic science fiction.

This book is roughly split into three sections: First, the character development, which lets us get to know Harris, Carrie and Doc a bit better. Secondly, the psychological thrill of a hostage situation including torture and humiliation. Thankfully, no rape, although this section may still be triggery for abuse survivors. The third section is basically where everyone reacts to and tries to cope with the trauma they’ve just been through.

Poor Carrie. She had just got out of one nightmare situation and was able to enjoy a little downtime with her new beau when she’s dragged right back into the thick of the conflict. And what’s worse is that she is to be used as the bait to lure Sharley and his cronies into the open! I had real problems with this plan – the fact that Harris was completely happy to send Carrie out to be picked up and treated poorly, with only a chance that they would be able to find her again! Thankfully the suspense kept me biting my fingernails all through the dramatic parts, after I got over my horror about them throwing Carrie in the deep end, anyway.

Aurora: Pegasus is very well written, so I can forgive the slightly odd structure and life-threatening plans, and I really did enjoy reading it. It’s not as action-driven as Aurora: Darwin was, but the psychological aspects were very interesting. I’ll be happy to read further in this series – the fourth book, Aurora: Centralis has just come out, and you can read a guest post from Amanda on Tea in the Treetops from just a few days ago!

Originally posted on Tea in the Treetops blog in April 2015.

[Elizabeth Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aurora: Pegasus is a bit of a different beast to its predecessor. Classic sci-fi/horror in the vein of Alien has been traded for a more character-driven story that spreads out the action over a greater number of locations. Given I'm not really a horror fan and usually love stories that focus on character, I was surprised to find I didn't enjoy Aurora: Pegasus quite as much as the previous book.

Some of this was due to personal taste. I've mentioned before that I don't like seeing characters humiliated. A little bit is bearable, but Corporal Welles has it heaped on her by friend and foe. The former was especially difficult to witness, when throughout the story Welles constantly shows herself to be capable and loyal. She was a character I could empathise with and while her stubborn streak was occasionally discomforting, it was also something I could admire.

In terms of the characters, the book does a good job of building on the foundation created by Aurora: Darwin. Like most human beings, the majority of the Aurora's crew strive to do what is right but they don't always make the best choices. The flaws of the entire cast begin to emerge.

Unfortunately, I found the story somewhat predictable. Characters were slow to reach obvious conclusions. I also felt the villains were undercut. It is hard to say more without giving away spoilers, but I felt they didn't present as convincing a threat as they did in the previous book, though they certainly get up to some horrible things. This led to a bit of a lack of tension for me, though the internal squabbles among the crew of the Aurora counterbalanced this somewhat.

The pace of the last quarter was slow. This was in keeping with the stronger focus on character but overall I thought it would have served better as the introduction to the next instalment.
Having said that, the ending left me teary and did what it was supposed to do: hook me in for Aurora: Meridian.

[Lily Malone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm having an Amanda Bridgeman Aurora series 'binge' at the moment because I won the first 3 of the series in a recent giveaway. The first book, Darwin, was a 4 star read for me and I really enjoyed meeting the characters in that book, which set off events that continue through the second, Pegasus.
Pegasus is darker. The heroine of the story, Carrie Welles, is set up to be 'bait' to capture the seriously warped psychologist Dr Sharley who we met in the first book, and know will be there to plague Carrie and her colleagues once again. Then the Aurora crew are double-crossed and Sharley escapes not only with Carrie, but with Doc and McKinley as well.
What follows gets fairly gory (well, I never minded gore); and downright depressing in terms of what happens to the three captives, while Captain Harris is doing his best to find and save them.
In Darwin, something I really enjoyed was the tension of the space station scenes - before we know what 'Jumbos' even are - and with the Aurora crew going in blind to the situation. Because we now know the horror that awaits McKinley, Doc and Carrie, that tension isn't quite there. This time the tension is all based on Harris' search for them, and the 'ticking clock' of the program Sharley has put in place to turn the three captives into Jumbos.
I thought the despair of Carrie, McKinley and Doc when they're captives was really well done. I think I know which of the crew in the Aurora is the secret agent... will have to see if I'm right in the next book, Meridian.
I'm really enjoying this series. It's a different concept (the Jumbos), and the characters are drawn well.

[Rick Keuning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in Amanda Bridgeman’s Aurora Series and picks up the story where book one, Aurora: Darwin, left off. Where Aurora: Darwin was good, Aurora: Pegasus is better, mostly.

Amanda has developed as a writer from book one to book two. From the beginning the story telling feels tighter and cleaner. She builds more depth into her established characters and introduces the new ones seamlessly. She builds great tension, writes good action scenes and has well written plot twists. The old antagonist returns with a new depth and greater agenda. The story’s main conflict is played out and resolved in such a way that leaves the reader both satisfied and wanting more.

Sadly, the book does not concluded well, unlike book one. In book one the aftermath of the main conflict between the crew of the Aurora and their enemies on the Darwin was well handled and the book maintained a good pace and tone right to the end. However, I found the last section of Pegasus a bit of a plod. It felt to me like it was just marking time or just padding out the book so it was a certain length. I kept wondering if something else was going to happen, but it didn’t.

Aurora: Pegasus is still a great book. I spent most of the book thinking this is better than the first, which I loved.

This is a series worth getting into. Book three, Aurora: Meriden, is due out on the 11 of September. I recommend that you buy and read books one and two to be ready for book three. I’m certain this series is only going to get better.

[Steve Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Episode two in the battle of Carrie Welles and Saul Harris against, frankly, one of the most ice cold villains I've ever read - Prof Sharley. The majority of Pegasus takes place on Mars, and the quality of Amanda Bridgeman's world building is on display. We delve deeper into the crew's psyche as their plan to capture Sharley doesn't quite go to plan (to say the least). 4.5 stars, only because it took a little longer to get into the action than I'd like.

[marz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very dark

[Todd Lesswig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. I will read the next one in the series when it come out

[Elliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and pretty grim, the characters really made the book. I wouldn't say it's an enjoyable read, but very good.