The Path of a Titan: The Pathfinder

by John Bennett

Introducing the offical prequel novella of The Path of a Titan series.

Captain Geohn Blake sets off on Earth's last galaxyCruiser with hundreds of thousands of human souls to save the human race from extinction. Accompanying him is the strongest weapon known to mankind, a titan. An immortal, born to Defend, Protect, and Preserve the sanctity of the human race. Both heroes will soon realize that the people they sacrificed everything for were never to be trusted in the first place.

155 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 15, 2025

About the author

Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

John^Bennett

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Path of a Titan: The Pathfinder
by John Bennett
This is the prequel to the Titan series. It introduces many characters and their roles, the background of these characters, and the background of the whole thing. I found it very enjoyable and interesting. I found it relatable that a religion popped up and tried to control everything. The news made up stories to suit themselves, too.
It gets violent at times.

[Graham | The Wulvers Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Pathfinder is the prequel novella of John Bennett's The Path of a Titan series and it's a great introduction to an absolutely chaotic world

This novel was filled to the brim with action and from the very start we are thrust into fast-paced scenarios, intense fights which all make sense in this dark, destructive world. I enjoyed Bennett's descriptions as they helped shape the overall image of the novella. I did find the writing jarring at times however the overall novella is something that I would recommend.

I am eager to read the rest of the series. I do think that this was a great way of starting this series and it does the job of making me want to check out the rest of the books.

[Liz Fully Booked · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Pathfinder is a prequel novella from the Path of the Titan series. It explains how the last humans left earth to colonize a new world, and how Harmony (from the subsequent books) is established.

Personally, while this book was entertaining in and of itself, I didn’t really see how it tied into the series much. I felt like it was too disconnected from the main storyline. I also had a hard time with the actions/dialogues of the two main characters, Melvin and Geohn. They seemed pretty juvenile and just sometimes way out there in their actions, but this is a YA series, so that might be why.

This novella was still fun to read, the author does a good job of world building and imagining new life forms and terrains. I’d still continue reading the series to see what happens next.

Thank you to the author for the advance reader copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is something undeniably compelling in the image of Earth’s last galaxy cruiser leaving a dying home world, carrying with it humanity’s last chance at survival. The Pathfinder begins with historical interludes that at first left me somewhat confused, but once the ship lands the pace quickens and there are glimpses of a fascinating new world, filled with strange plants, eerie wildlife, and flashes of discovery.

The novella blends sweeping action with deeper undercurrents: the clash of religions, the fragility of belief, and the sobering reminder that history is only ever written by the victors. But in the novella’s brevity these threads remain more suggested than fully explored. That same compression lends the narrative its speed, but also means events escalate very quickly. At times so abruptly that battles and crises lose some of their emotional weight and tip towards the comic.

Part of this comes from the book’s humour: expedition members banter with a goofy warmth that undercuts the gravitas of their roles. For some readers, this levity will be a feature, a welcome breath of camaraderie amidst the tension. For me, it jarred against the darker tones and made figures meant to embody strength and leadership sometimes feel too flippant.

Still, what The Pathfinder offers is clear: a swift, action driven military science fiction story spiked with humour. For my taste I wanted more depth and weight, but readers who enjoy the military camaraderie, and don’t mind dialogue that occasionally veers toward the irreverent, with a darker edge will likely find much to enjoy here.

My thanks to the author for the arc

[Evan Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Path of a Titan: The Pathfinder by John Bennett.

This book is a prequel novella for the Path of a Titan series by John Bennett and it helps set up the world John has created with that series. The story primarily follows Captain Geohnn Blake and Titan Melvin Bok as their colony space arrives at a new world following humanity's downfall on Earth. It is a story of new beginnings, discovery, loss, and betrayal.

I generally enjoyed this novella and I really liked the premise behind the series. The dialogue at times was a little bit basic and I had a hard time figuring out if Melvin Bok was oblivious to human emotions or if he is more of a child in a superhumans body as his character seemed somewhat childish at times. The story starts off with a lot of information with the prologue but once the novella starts it feels a little slow. That is until it isn't and the plot accelerates with a lot of twists and turns.

This story really did get me excited to dive into the rest of the Path of the Titan series and I can't wait to see what John Bennett does with such a fun universe he has created!

[Ovium_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a prequel to The Path of a Titan series. I haven't read those yet so this seems to be a good introduction into that world. This is very fast-paced and easy to digest. The action was intense and the overall tone of this fit what was going on story-wise. It was pure chaos in some parts in a good way! The vivid descriptions of the world and creatures were great and made them easy to visualize. The only downside for me was some of the dialog in some areas was a little weird for me. But this got me interested in checking out the main series soon!