A Tale of Two Colonies

by Aurora Springer

Four hundred years earlier the great spaceships had departed from Terra to colonize distant planets. Few ships reached their destinations; their sporadic signals waned and disappeared. No one knew whether the colonists survived. Now, construction of a new generation of hyperdrive ships was scheduled at one every five years. Planet Delta was selected as the next target for survey because the arrival of a brief signal suggested the descendants of the colonists were alive.
Tiger Lily longs for freedom. In her fight to escape the subterranean slums of Terra, Lily competes to join the scout team selected for the next spaceship along with a new set of prospective colonists. Their mission to discover the lost colony faces the challenges posed by the voracious predators of the planet. In the mountains, they encounter Conley, a grim warrior who longs to escape the confines of his isolated valley. Has Tiger Lily met her match in this tortured warrior? But, where is he leading them? Danger lies ahead, and conflicts between humans and aliens. Can they ensure the safety of the new human colonists, or must they retreat to Terra?

Genres: Romance

146 pages, Paperback

First published August 4, 2014

About the author

Aurora Springer is a scientist morphing into a novelist. She has a PhD in molecular biophysics and discovers science facts in her day job. She has invented adventures in weird worlds for as long as she can remember. In 2014, Aurora achieved her life-long ambition to publish her stories. Her works are character-driven romances set in weird worlds described with a sprinkle of humor. Some of the stories were composed thirty years ago. She was born in the UK and lives in Atlanta with her husband, a dog and two cats to sit on the keyboard. Her hobbies, besides reading and writing, include outdoor activities like gardening, watching wildlife, hiking and canoeing.

Reviews

[Celestine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had loads of imagination and a great premise, but suffered some on delivery. This felt like a relatively new author's work, and with a little stylistic tweaking and sound advice from experienced SFR writers, I think Aurora Springer could be outstanding.

What I liked:
Springer is fanciful and her creativity really cut loose in the final portion of the book once the voyagers landed on Delta. Using the terrain as a challenge itself was interesting. It is almost like Lily and crew are on an obstacle course that only the most fit can survive. Warrior Conley is well-written and Springer unfolds his backstory in a sinister way that hints at societal repression. Then, there is an abrupt left turn into something truly alien, but which will be oddly familiar to those of us on Earth. The plot really was surprising in the end of the book.

What I didn't like:
Style: Honestly, I think if I were to try my hand at writing a book, my narrative would come off sounding a little like Springer's in A Tale of Two Colonies. There would be good grammar, complete sentences, extensive vocabulary, few contractions, and heavy use of conjunctions. Unfortunately, people don't usually speak in that manner. Looser, more conversational grammar would go a long way to make the characters come alive. As it stands, each person sounds the same in the way he or she speaks, with the exceptions of Conley and Flower-9.

Tripartite Plot: There were three distinct parts to this book: the contest in the slums of Terra, the space ship voyage, and the trek between the two colonies on Delta. That was two too many parts.

The only reason this book is getting just an "okay" from me is because of the wooden dialogue. I just couldn't get past it, and the story suffered for it. However, the book was so imaginative that I will be giving this author another try.

[Kathy Harrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this sci fi story. 400 years after the humans left earth to distant planets. Hoping to find any trace left of their flight. This was a good good description of just one of those off shoots.

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A SYFY Novel of Earth Settlers in a Newly Found Plan

AS. Had penned a SYFY novel about the citizens of Earth colonizing a new planet similar to Earth. The first set of settlers never sent back any messages. The second set departs and as they do a message arrives. The message does not bode well for the settlers. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS

[Danny L Walling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great First Book

This book and story has alot of potential in becoming a great series. Love the main characters and supporting cast. I hope the author develops other books that will continue their story. Fast read, but with great feeling. Not to many books can say that.

[Lafayette · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book for teen girls imo. Only 120 pages, so a lot of explanations are missing.

[Hans Bronkhorst Bronkhorst · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the story line, but wasn´t impressed at all with the writing, which, in my opinion, is very immature.