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Project Ark #1
Project Ark
What if everything you thought you knew about the universe was a lie?
Fourteen year old Mia McAdams’ world is turned upside down when she finds herself torn from her life on Earth and transplanted onto the planet Usonia – a secret utopic world colonized after the second world war to safeguard the human race.
Submerged into this new reality, Mia quickly falls in love with the glittering planet and its alluring, other-worldly inhabitants. But when the future of Usonia comes under threat, it soon becomes clear that Mia holds the key to its survival.
Fourteen year old Mia McAdams’ world is turned upside down when she finds herself torn from her life on Earth and transplanted onto the planet Usonia – a secret utopic world colonized after the second world war to safeguard the human race.
Submerged into this new reality, Mia quickly falls in love with the glittering planet and its alluring, other-worldly inhabitants. But when the future of Usonia comes under threat, it soon becomes clear that Mia holds the key to its survival.
- GenresYoung Adult
186 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 2014
3 people are currently reading
675 people want to read
About the author
L.T. Gibbons
4 books38 followersLT Gibbons is a social science fiction writer, best known for the Project Ark trilogy, including books Project Ark, Operation Earth and Planet Salvation.
Although she primarily writes for young adults, her books appeal to people of any age and gender.
She works both as a writer and as an actress in film and television. Her writing has been said to be very visual, written for screen as much as for the imagination.
She is inspired by great science fiction writers of the past and present, from George Orwell and HG Wells, to Suzanne Collins and Andy Weir.
LT is a firm believer in peace, wellbeing, equality, unity, honesty, sustainability and human rights.
Although she primarily writes for young adults, her books appeal to people of any age and gender.
She works both as a writer and as an actress in film and television. Her writing has been said to be very visual, written for screen as much as for the imagination.
She is inspired by great science fiction writers of the past and present, from George Orwell and HG Wells, to Suzanne Collins and Andy Weir.
LT is a firm believer in peace, wellbeing, equality, unity, honesty, sustainability and human rights.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 18, 2015
Project Ark follows Mia, a teenager who finds out that Earth has been secretly colonising another planet for 40 years.
The book opens in typical YA fashion, with our protagonist being dumped by her mother. We then follow her trip to New Mexico to meet her, never met before, great grandfather. She then finds out that her distant relative lives on another planet.
I got through this book by the skin of my teeth and I only finished because it was short.The problems I had were numerous, starting with the completely unrealistic main character. Who goes to meet their grandfather and doesn't argue when they're shoved into a barrage of unexpected tests? Then there's this little gem (I nearly gave up at this point) Given that we're dealing with present day tech, how the hell can a spacecraft reach another solar system in 3.... yep I said 3, days when it can take a year to get to Mars? When we get to the planet, it's ludicrously perfect with the very best socialist, hippy, green philosophy that everyone buys into. They all live happily together with no crime and ridiculously long lives.
There is zero conflict in this book, there is nothing for the protagonist to strive for or against. Hell the only bone of contention is the evil earthlings who actually want them to do what they set the colony up for to do in the first place. Even this little snag is solved in a quick and painless way. And of course out main character is happily converted to this new way of life, so much so that she hates....really hates her one trip home because she suddenly feels homesick.
This book is poorly written with absolutely no pacing or plot. It reads like a idealists dream of utopia but completely fails the human condition test. There is no decent reasoning as to why post WW2 governments would band together on such a project secretly whilst entering into the Cold War publicly. Even more ludicrous is the thought of early 50's American society being happy to adopt a communist lifestyle.
In short and before I really start ranting one star.
The book opens in typical YA fashion, with our protagonist being dumped by her mother. We then follow her trip to New Mexico to meet her, never met before, great grandfather. She then finds out that her distant relative lives on another planet.
I got through this book by the skin of my teeth and I only finished because it was short.The problems I had were numerous, starting with the completely unrealistic main character. Who goes to meet their grandfather and doesn't argue when they're shoved into a barrage of unexpected tests? Then there's this little gem (I nearly gave up at this point) Given that we're dealing with present day tech, how the hell can a spacecraft reach another solar system in 3.... yep I said 3, days when it can take a year to get to Mars? When we get to the planet, it's ludicrously perfect with the very best socialist, hippy, green philosophy that everyone buys into. They all live happily together with no crime and ridiculously long lives.
There is zero conflict in this book, there is nothing for the protagonist to strive for or against. Hell the only bone of contention is the evil earthlings who actually want them to do what they set the colony up for to do in the first place. Even this little snag is solved in a quick and painless way. And of course out main character is happily converted to this new way of life, so much so that she hates....really hates her one trip home because she suddenly feels homesick.
This book is poorly written with absolutely no pacing or plot. It reads like a idealists dream of utopia but completely fails the human condition test. There is no decent reasoning as to why post WW2 governments would band together on such a project secretly whilst entering into the Cold War publicly. Even more ludicrous is the thought of early 50's American society being happy to adopt a communist lifestyle.
In short and before I really start ranting one star.
May 27, 2015
*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review*
Project Ark tells the story of Mia McAdams who is uprooted from her life on Earth to live on the secretly colonised planet Usonia. The novel shows how Mia adjusts to her new life and the very different way of living on the utopian-like planet.
I really liked the concept of Usonia, the whole new society and way of life, which is greatly different to that on Earth. There were amazing and very creative technological advancements. Project Ark high-lights environmental issues, and I like how it addresses them and also heightens the awareness of climate changes that we face today.
However, for me the pacing and the characterisation of Mia was disappointing. I felt as though it needed more chapters to expand on some areas. I would have liked to see more of Mia’s life before leaving for Usonia and also seen more of an interaction between her, her parents and best friend as I felt that her back-story and relationships were somewhat side-lined. The conflict later in the novel was brought to a rather rapid conclusion and I would have preferred this to play out for a bit longer.
I liked Mia’s character, but found myself wishing for a bit more depth to her. At times her swift adjustment to life on Usonia was frustrating. It felt as though she was now looking down on people from Earth and had forgotten that it wasn’t too long ago that she use to live there and be one of them. Perhaps Mia could have been used to bridge the gap that I felt existed between Usonia and Earth as there is lots that the two planets’ societies could have learned from each other.
Overall I did enjoy reading Project Ark. L .T Gibbons is very talented and has a great imagination. In my opinion it could have been longer and expanded on in some areas but this doesn’t detract from it being a good read.
Project Ark tells the story of Mia McAdams who is uprooted from her life on Earth to live on the secretly colonised planet Usonia. The novel shows how Mia adjusts to her new life and the very different way of living on the utopian-like planet.
I really liked the concept of Usonia, the whole new society and way of life, which is greatly different to that on Earth. There were amazing and very creative technological advancements. Project Ark high-lights environmental issues, and I like how it addresses them and also heightens the awareness of climate changes that we face today.
However, for me the pacing and the characterisation of Mia was disappointing. I felt as though it needed more chapters to expand on some areas. I would have liked to see more of Mia’s life before leaving for Usonia and also seen more of an interaction between her, her parents and best friend as I felt that her back-story and relationships were somewhat side-lined. The conflict later in the novel was brought to a rather rapid conclusion and I would have preferred this to play out for a bit longer.
I liked Mia’s character, but found myself wishing for a bit more depth to her. At times her swift adjustment to life on Usonia was frustrating. It felt as though she was now looking down on people from Earth and had forgotten that it wasn’t too long ago that she use to live there and be one of them. Perhaps Mia could have been used to bridge the gap that I felt existed between Usonia and Earth as there is lots that the two planets’ societies could have learned from each other.
Overall I did enjoy reading Project Ark. L .T Gibbons is very talented and has a great imagination. In my opinion it could have been longer and expanded on in some areas but this doesn’t detract from it being a good read.
April 8, 2015
Check out the complete review at Views She Writes - WordPress Reviews
I am normally not a fan of Fantasy Fiction but the blurb of the book seemed different from the normal fantasy books that I come across. It is just because of the blurb that I tried the book. And the saying “do not judge a book by its cover (or even genre)” got reinforced in me all over again. Project Ark was an amazing adventure for me.
Mia’s parents are very adventurous and having a child did not stop them from pursuing their dreams. Her dad had left for his own adventures long time back (although he always maintained contact with Mia) and when her mom got an opportunity, she also chose her work over Mia. That made Mia uproot herself and relocate to her great-grandfather, who was her next guardian, and that is where the adventure begins. Mia’s great-grandfather is one of the founders of life in a new planet! So Mia is going to a new planet Usonia to live the rest of her life, if she chose so.
The concept of mankind uprooting and relocating to a new planet has been going on in our science world for a long time and we had always wondered how the life would be. Now Gibbons have given us a very optimistic view of how our future just might be in that new life, if the people let that happen. The story is very futuristic but believable because of the concept. It makes us hope for such a life in future, when the possibility is open.
The narration is first person from Mia’s perspective and her curious mind makes us see so much in the black and white letters on paper. The only thing missing were pictures of the new planet. But part of that was already covered by graphic explanation of everything around Mia. The overall experience with the book was brilliant and in spite of being a non-fantasy reader, this one definitely made the reading worth the while till the very end. I sure hope there is more parts of the story coming up.
I am normally not a fan of Fantasy Fiction but the blurb of the book seemed different from the normal fantasy books that I come across. It is just because of the blurb that I tried the book. And the saying “do not judge a book by its cover (or even genre)” got reinforced in me all over again. Project Ark was an amazing adventure for me.
Mia’s parents are very adventurous and having a child did not stop them from pursuing their dreams. Her dad had left for his own adventures long time back (although he always maintained contact with Mia) and when her mom got an opportunity, she also chose her work over Mia. That made Mia uproot herself and relocate to her great-grandfather, who was her next guardian, and that is where the adventure begins. Mia’s great-grandfather is one of the founders of life in a new planet! So Mia is going to a new planet Usonia to live the rest of her life, if she chose so.
The concept of mankind uprooting and relocating to a new planet has been going on in our science world for a long time and we had always wondered how the life would be. Now Gibbons have given us a very optimistic view of how our future just might be in that new life, if the people let that happen. The story is very futuristic but believable because of the concept. It makes us hope for such a life in future, when the possibility is open.
The narration is first person from Mia’s perspective and her curious mind makes us see so much in the black and white letters on paper. The only thing missing were pictures of the new planet. But part of that was already covered by graphic explanation of everything around Mia. The overall experience with the book was brilliant and in spite of being a non-fantasy reader, this one definitely made the reading worth the while till the very end. I sure hope there is more parts of the story coming up.
March 9, 2015
Project Ark is an interesting YA book. I really enjoyed the imaginative ideas in this book. The book starts off following Mia, the daughter of divorced adventure seeking parents. Her mother decided to ship her daughter off to her great grandfather when she had the option to advance her career. I was saddened by that part, abandonment is the worst. Little did she know, she was about to have to time of her life. Her great grandfather should have lived in New Mexico, imagine her shock when she is flown to a different planet. The planet, Usonia, is hidden by the government as a 'human ark'. It seems like the perfect world, to be honest, I would willingly live there. I found Project Ark's plot very interesting, it didn't need multiple plot twists or a serious villain to keep my attention. I really loved Mia's character - she was strong and showed young teens that they can make a difference not matter what they're dealing with. I enjoyed the positive eco-friendly message in Project Ark. I feel the book moved at a steady pace without becoming dull. L T Gibbons is on my watch list for young adult books. This is a great introduction into what I hope is going to be a fantastic series of books. 5/5
October 11, 2014
Project Ark is new and refreshing. I have never read sci-fi like this. The story is fast and focus very much on this uthopian planet called Uthopia. A climate justice activist like myself cannot help but falling in love with this planet. Everything is sustainable and eco-friendly. Now the only question is - where do I sign up for the first emigration to Uthopia?
January 14, 2017
it was awesome, I just discovered this gem hidden in my bookshelf. it's a great scifi tale, I cant wait to read the next book.
It have romance, intrigue and well who doesnt want to go to another planet and live an idilic live, and see how to better human life, I really liked that part.
and then conspirancies yay, is just a neccesary plot aid in this kind of plots, loved it a lot.
It have romance, intrigue and well who doesnt want to go to another planet and live an idilic live, and see how to better human life, I really liked that part.
and then conspirancies yay, is just a neccesary plot aid in this kind of plots, loved it a lot.
August 29, 2015
Naive
Sorry, but this reads like a Jr. High School closet drama. There is no depth of thought, poor character development, and an unrealistic plotline. Thank goodness it was short.
Sorry, but this reads like a Jr. High School closet drama. There is no depth of thought, poor character development, and an unrealistic plotline. Thank goodness it was short.
November 17, 2014
Fantastic read. L T Gibbons had me hooked from the first page. I can't wait for the next installment of this trilogy!
December 30, 2014
Great book for young people. An engaging read, bringing up vital issues and encouraging us to think out of the box!
September 19, 2015
WOW
I'm speechless. This book was amazing. If only it was real. I really would like a second book to tell the story of the newcomers.
I'm speechless. This book was amazing. If only it was real. I really would like a second book to tell the story of the newcomers.
January 28, 2016
Loved this story!!! Very unique story line. Characters were all great. Can't wait to see where book 2 takes us.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews