Colonization

The Seamus Chronicles #3

by K.D. McAdams

Luck played a big part in getting them safely to a new planet. Will the good fortune continue or is their luck about to run out?

Book 3 of The Seamus Chronicles

As a scientist Seamus Robinson prefers facts over chance. The harsh truth is that crashing into a planet that can support human life was never part of the plan, it was just good luck. His father has dubbed the new planet Locus, Latin for opportunity, and they are ready to put in the hard work to establish a human colony away from Earth. The opportunity may be short lived as the planet is bombarded with poisonous radiation and home to an unknown alien species. If the human race is going to survive Seamus will have to use his brains and take all the good luck he can get.

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2014

About the author

K. D. McAdams is a fiction author writing thriller, dystopian and horror stories. His new thriller series, featuring Dylan Cold, is set in Southern New Hampshire where his small farm town is anything but quiet. K. D.’s first series, The Seamus Chronicles, follows a teen genius and his family from the apocalypse into the stars. His horror series, Metropolitan Zombie Survivors watches unlikely survivors struggle to escape major cities overrun with Zombies. K. D.’s works can be found on all major eBook platforms with select titles also available in print.

Reviews

[Marion Marchetto · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a band of travelers jump a time warp to escape an Earth destroyed by a man-made killer virus, they crash land on a planet capable of sustaining human life. Seamus Robinson, the teen would-be scientist, comes into his own in this book. His method of working out problems in a scientific manner soon puts him on a par with the real scientists who have come along on this journey. As Seamus, his family, and the other refugees set about building the rudiments of their new lives they are forced to deal with high radiation from this sun, acid rain clouds, and days that are equivalent to multiple Earth days. The planet, named Locus by Seamus's dad, seems to be friendly but lurking nearby are sounds and movements that give the explorers reason to fear. Soon there is a small colony and the women begin the process of procreation. Seamus and Sofie, his sometime girlfriend, finally settle down together and become a couple. At the core of this book is the way in which everyone pulls together. When one of the government scientists insist that a leader of the coloy be named, a vote is taken. The new leader, Seamus's pregnant mother, agrees to take on the job but only for a short while. Then they must all vote again for a successor. The entire book can be summed up in the phrase uttered by not only Seamus but also by his mother: "We have the chance to build a new civilization based on trust and respect". What remains to be seen is whether or not their dreams become a reality and how these space travelers adapt to their new surroundings? Will they adapt and flourish? Or will they succumb to the hardships of life on this new planet?

Colonization is the continuation of The Seamus Chronicles, a very plausible scenario of how our world is killed by a man-made virus and how this small band of refugees is determined that mankind as we know it should not pass into extinction. Having survived the post-apocalyptic chaos of Earth, the tribulations of finding and settling a new planet that is partially hospitable to Earthlings takes its toll on the survivors. But they persevere and soon a small colony is created. Author K.D. McAdams draws a fine picture of what the new planet and its new inhabitants face. We delve even deeper into the psyche of a cross-section of humans as we make ourselves at home on the new planet called Locus.

I thoroughly enjoyed Colonization as I did the first two books of The Seamus Chronicles. Author McAdams has a fine voice in the science-fiction genre and his technical details are well-researched. A believable scenario of how mankind can adapt and survive beyond anything I've read. The coming-of-age of a teen-aged Seamus has the twist of living on another planet and facing challenges that no teen today could dream of. The interactions of Seamus and the other members of his family have a different dynamic as they all must accept equal responsibiities in their new lives.

The Seamus Chronicles - Annihilation, Evacuation, and Colonization - combine to provide an enjoyable escape from life here on Earth. A must-read for science fiction lovers. Looking forward to the next installment.

[Carly Kirk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh, slogged through this 3rd book and while I'm still not enamored with the story line (or the main character anymore), I feel obliged to find out how it all ends. There's so much strife among the 20-odd colonists that I wanted to slap everyone and send them to bed.