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Justice Keepers Saga #1
Symbiosis
Ten thousand years ago, a mysterious race that we only know as the Overseers took primitive humans and scattered them on dozens of worlds across the galaxy. Now, some of those people have found their way back to Earth. A young Justice Keeper named Anna Lenai has tracked a criminal through unexplored regions of space in the hopes of recovering a symbiont that grants its host the ability to bend space and time. Her search leads her to Earth, where she befriends a young man named Jack Hunter. Together, they will face enemies with advanced technology as they struggle to recover the symbiont before its power falls into the wrong hands.
330 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 29, 2014
438 people are currently reading
453 people want to read
About the author
R.S. Penney
46 books56 followersI was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario where I attended Saltfleet High School and McMaster University. I've spent most of my life fighting for the little guy in one form or another, advocating for the poor, for environmental sustainability, for minority rights.
Throughout my twenties, I wrote about five novels and threw them all out because they weren't very good. But I improved and honed my skills with each new manuscript. About two years ago, I had an offer from a traditional publishing house, but I chose to go indie instead. Writing is my passion; if I could dedicate myself to one thing, it would be bringing the ideas in my head to life.
Throughout my twenties, I wrote about five novels and threw them all out because they weren't very good. But I improved and honed my skills with each new manuscript. About two years ago, I had an offer from a traditional publishing house, but I chose to go indie instead. Writing is my passion; if I could dedicate myself to one thing, it would be bringing the ideas in my head to life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
July 5, 2019
From my TBR list of 2016.
This is one of those books that’s hard to make a judgment call on. I had to force myself to finish it just because I liked the storyline. Though I figured out what was going to happen between the two main characters – Anna & Jack- way before the halfway mark.
Anna is a Justice Seeker looking for an alien that was kidnapped and brought to Earth. There she runs into Jack, an ordinary down-in-the luck type of person. He doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life. Yada, Yada. After he gets entangled with Anna’s quest, his whole world changes. Now, he’s put his sister in danger from one of the most powerful and evil men on Earth.
Like I said before, I had to force myself to keep reading. And the reason why are the same complaints in the other 2 and 3 stars reviews left for this book. Everyone, and I mean everyone, kept hanging their heads, bowing to each other, clasping hands behind their backs, moping their faces. Sigh. It was teeth-clenching unbearable.
Since I downloaded this book back in 2-016, I thought I’d go back and read the sample chapters just to see if it had been re-edited. Sadly, no it hasn’t Which means I’m not even interested in trying to read the next book in the series.
If this ebook were free or only 99 cents, I’d recommend buying it. But save your money until it is. Creativia puts all their ebooks on sale or free every 90 days, so just keep an eye out. I give it 3 stars and that’s being generous.
This is one of those books that’s hard to make a judgment call on. I had to force myself to finish it just because I liked the storyline. Though I figured out what was going to happen between the two main characters – Anna & Jack- way before the halfway mark.
Anna is a Justice Seeker looking for an alien that was kidnapped and brought to Earth. There she runs into Jack, an ordinary down-in-the luck type of person. He doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life. Yada, Yada. After he gets entangled with Anna’s quest, his whole world changes. Now, he’s put his sister in danger from one of the most powerful and evil men on Earth.
Like I said before, I had to force myself to keep reading. And the reason why are the same complaints in the other 2 and 3 stars reviews left for this book. Everyone, and I mean everyone, kept hanging their heads, bowing to each other, clasping hands behind their backs, moping their faces. Sigh. It was teeth-clenching unbearable.
Since I downloaded this book back in 2-016, I thought I’d go back and read the sample chapters just to see if it had been re-edited. Sadly, no it hasn’t Which means I’m not even interested in trying to read the next book in the series.
If this ebook were free or only 99 cents, I’d recommend buying it. But save your money until it is. Creativia puts all their ebooks on sale or free every 90 days, so just keep an eye out. I give it 3 stars and that’s being generous.
April 28, 2017
I only made it to 17% of this book. The premise sounded interesting and had potential, but I found myself overly distracted while reading it.
I didn't find a lot of typos, however the novel is in need of a good copy editor. There were so many "red faces", "pursed lips", "trying not to tremble", "feeling" things, (felt sweat dripping down their face, felt herself frown, felt this, felt that), and physical descriptions were way over the top.
I just couldn't slog through all the distractions to read on to see if the story had merit or not.
I didn't find a lot of typos, however the novel is in need of a good copy editor. There were so many "red faces", "pursed lips", "trying not to tremble", "feeling" things, (felt sweat dripping down their face, felt herself frown, felt this, felt that), and physical descriptions were way over the top.
I just couldn't slog through all the distractions to read on to see if the story had merit or not.
June 29, 2025
Interesting Characters and premise
I enjoyed the interaction between the characters. I also liked the divergence of the human race. The differences between world is worth exploring further.
I enjoyed the interaction between the characters. I also liked the divergence of the human race. The differences between world is worth exploring further.
January 26, 2025
DNF at 10%. The dialogue is cheesy, the descriptions are dull, and everything is characterised the same way. I can’t put myself for 900 pages of this, sadly
May 9, 2022
.
My GOD!!! I wish I were a woman and could kick the asses of 4 men at once !!!!!
“…Anna kicked the gun out of his hand. She spun like a whirlwind, driving her elbow into his nose. The man's head jerked backward, blood dripping from his nose. He stumbled about, then fell over sideways. Now there were four security officers on the ground. A fat lot of good she'd done here. Anna felt her mouth tighten as she stared down at him, her blue eyes flicking back and forth. She winced and shook her head. “I didn't want to do this….”
For me, this book STINKS, and I gave it back and quit reading really fast.
STINKS!!
.
My GOD!!! I wish I were a woman and could kick the asses of 4 men at once !!!!!
“…Anna kicked the gun out of his hand. She spun like a whirlwind, driving her elbow into his nose. The man's head jerked backward, blood dripping from his nose. He stumbled about, then fell over sideways. Now there were four security officers on the ground. A fat lot of good she'd done here. Anna felt her mouth tighten as she stared down at him, her blue eyes flicking back and forth. She winced and shook her head. “I didn't want to do this….”
For me, this book STINKS, and I gave it back and quit reading really fast.
STINKS!!
.
January 8, 2023
The writing is very poor* and detracted considerably from the storyline, which though not original was interesting. By the time I was about a third of the way through the book I could no longer bear it and DNF’d.
*All characters were described the same way: by height, hair color, shape of face, and clothing. Everyone blushed and turned red every time they spoke. The narrator told rather than showed. There were excessive adverbs. There were missing words from sentences.
*All characters were described the same way: by height, hair color, shape of face, and clothing. Everyone blushed and turned red every time they spoke. The narrator told rather than showed. There were excessive adverbs. There were missing words from sentences.
November 1, 2022
Takes a bit to get into it, but it has fast-paced action and interesting world building. The main characters have some good witty dialogue, as long as you don't mind a hefty dose of pop culture references. The romance is fairly well done and honestly pretty cute.
You get a good sense of the humanity of each character you follow; their emotions and hopes are believable and well expressed.
What was distracting for me is that the author has several pet phrases and actions that EVERY character takes. I'll hide them here in case you don't want to notice them, but you likely will anyway because you'll see them a LOT.
Aside from that there were a couple typos and some overused tropes.
But overall? It was entertaining. I enjoyed reading it and might consider getting book two.
You get a good sense of the humanity of each character you follow; their emotions and hopes are believable and well expressed.
What was distracting for me is that the author has several pet phrases and actions that EVERY character takes. I'll hide them here in case you don't want to notice them, but you likely will anyway because you'll see them a LOT.
Aside from that there were a couple typos and some overused tropes.
But overall? It was entertaining. I enjoyed reading it and might consider getting book two.
December 15, 2017
This is an excellent read if you realize the genre, and accept the notions being far fetched, but not within the genre. I am not normally a consumer of science fiction books. As with few I have read though this book held my attention. I enjoyed the story line. I liked the characters even though the author might have missed a wonderful opportunity to extend the story with the addition of a love affair. The principal characters were well developed and even a minor character was presaged into the next iteration of the Justice Keepers. I am not going to tell you the story for that would spoil your read. What I will say is that I start reviews with the thought in mind the author earns a five star review rather easily. Well, if the author has a good story line that is consistent, if he or she has chosen a pathway to tell the story, or a series of pathways, if the characters have reality and are believable, and if there are not a series of distracting grammar or usage errors, then the five stars are awarded. Those things are not easy to accomplish. This author has done them all very well, and without any distractions at all. Well done Rich Penney.
September 25, 2019
Set in Ottawa, Symbiosis is a gripping sci fi thriller brimming with action. Refreshingly clean prose, good characterisation and narrative control, a minimum of exposition dragging the pace, all make for a terrific read.
After an initial setup at an archeological dig, which launches the reader into an intriguing science fiction mystery, Penney straight into the action and keeps you there. I enjoyed the flits between various points of view including Jack Hunter and Detective Harry Carlson, and I especially liked the portrayal of Anna, the Justice Keeper, with her fabulous perspective on modern humanity as she seeks to recover an escapee alien.
Symbiosis is an easy read: pure, imaginative entertainment.
After an initial setup at an archeological dig, which launches the reader into an intriguing science fiction mystery, Penney straight into the action and keeps you there. I enjoyed the flits between various points of view including Jack Hunter and Detective Harry Carlson, and I especially liked the portrayal of Anna, the Justice Keeper, with her fabulous perspective on modern humanity as she seeks to recover an escapee alien.
Symbiosis is an easy read: pure, imaginative entertainment.
June 29, 2022
Good instructional book.
The story is a fairly good one but if you've ever wanted to learn how to blush or stare into your lap, then this is definitely the book for you. Every character in the story does that repeatedly for the entire story in every situation. Cheek coloration and eyeball direction seem to be the number one way to understand what the characters are feeling.
Hey, I hope the author goes far with these books but that sort of in a rut characterization just puts me off. Maybe his later books have gotten beyond that, but I've got way too many other books to read to go see.
The story is a fairly good one but if you've ever wanted to learn how to blush or stare into your lap, then this is definitely the book for you. Every character in the story does that repeatedly for the entire story in every situation. Cheek coloration and eyeball direction seem to be the number one way to understand what the characters are feeling.
Hey, I hope the author goes far with these books but that sort of in a rut characterization just puts me off. Maybe his later books have gotten beyond that, but I've got way too many other books to read to go see.
February 8, 2025
Very readable
Rather enjoyed this style of writing which kept me flipping the pages over. The plot as was different as was the aliens who were related to earth humans but unlike earth humans they don't like rudeness or violence. Bit disappointed that after they got into bed he didn't give her one. A bit reminiscent of my youthful days when I enacted a similar scenario when I courted a girl I was totally belated by and when bedding her I decided she was too nice for that. Unfortunately some other fella went behind my back and did it for me. Really made me chuckle reading it. I'm looking forward to the next novel in the saga. Well done RD Penney
Rather enjoyed this style of writing which kept me flipping the pages over. The plot as was different as was the aliens who were related to earth humans but unlike earth humans they don't like rudeness or violence. Bit disappointed that after they got into bed he didn't give her one. A bit reminiscent of my youthful days when I enacted a similar scenario when I courted a girl I was totally belated by and when bedding her I decided she was too nice for that. Unfortunately some other fella went behind my back and did it for me. Really made me chuckle reading it. I'm looking forward to the next novel in the saga. Well done RD Penney
April 16, 2022
A good Book , good read and holding
They storyline is familiar with some different approaches. Chasing a being form another world to earth. Advanced powers are not new
. It will be interesting to observe what is in store for the human world at the hands of the Overseers. I do not know if I like the fact of big brother in very large terms as seem to be about to come forward in another books. Hopefully we will see something other than the usual
They storyline is familiar with some different approaches. Chasing a being form another world to earth. Advanced powers are not new
. It will be interesting to observe what is in store for the human world at the hands of the Overseers. I do not know if I like the fact of big brother in very large terms as seem to be about to come forward in another books. Hopefully we will see something other than the usual
June 6, 2022
I struggled with the fact that humans from another part of the universe with vastly superior technology had no problem assimilating into 21st century earth and seemingly intrinsically understanding the local laws and customs without any issues. Perhaps it was simply that alien culture is very similar to Canadian.
Aside form this it was a good read, particularly as it was a free. I am not sure that I will pay for the rest of the series.
Would have given it 3.5 stars but can't do half stars
Aside form this it was a good read, particularly as it was a free. I am not sure that I will pay for the rest of the series.
Would have given it 3.5 stars but can't do half stars
April 22, 2022
Anna lands on Earth chasing a fugitive and is stranded. She finds her mark and also finds Jack who is destined to help her, any more and you won't need to read the book. Good start to a series but a bit sorry for Jack when Anna is reassigned to another planet but at least he now has a job with a purpose not just drifting along. Saving the planet is pretty important.
May 29, 2022
Prodigal daughter
A alien comes to earth while following a fugitive from justice, only to find out this is their lost home world. Amazing interaction between the first human native Canadian and the alien human being. Finding the fugitive and keeping alive becomes a full time job for them both.
A alien comes to earth while following a fugitive from justice, only to find out this is their lost home world. Amazing interaction between the first human native Canadian and the alien human being. Finding the fugitive and keeping alive becomes a full time job for them both.
November 6, 2022
The premise is interesting and holds a great deal of promise. I too found it distracting with the reddening of faces, fist to mouth, emotions constantly causing physical reactions. I was very happy to know the author had a kickstarter fund to start off his writing career and wish him success and continue to hone his craft. It's a good story.
July 8, 2025
Not sure how I feel about this book.
The plot was good but predictable. I was tweaked by some overused phases, baring of teeth being the most annoying to me. In processing the book, it read more as a young adult novel than a serious adult sci-fi story. I will probably give the second book a try, but I have lots more to read before that.
The plot was good but predictable. I was tweaked by some overused phases, baring of teeth being the most annoying to me. In processing the book, it read more as a young adult novel than a serious adult sci-fi story. I will probably give the second book a try, but I have lots more to read before that.
March 3, 2020
I loved this book and on to the next one in the series. I don't want to give anything away but it kept me going. A different take of "Are we alone?" Lot's of action. I'm into this series and already started reading the second book.
March 28, 2020
I did write a review on this earlier, but it seems to have disappeared.
I enjoy Sci-fi on occasion, which is why I thought to give this book a try. I did finish it, and I did enjoy a good bit of it, the ending wasn't too bad. But overall it left me confused and unsatisfied.
I enjoy Sci-fi on occasion, which is why I thought to give this book a try. I did finish it, and I did enjoy a good bit of it, the ending wasn't too bad. But overall it left me confused and unsatisfied.
April 27, 2022
Good story but is slapping yourself in the face a Canadian thing? Plus looking down at the ground. These descriptions were numerous and quite irritating after the first few. Won’t continue on with the series even tho I liked the story.
April 12, 2023
Symbiosis Justice Keeper
This story leaves me looking forward to more. If this can keep to a good idea in this storyline. I will be in for a good time. I'm positive it's going to be a fantastic ride.
This story leaves me looking forward to more. If this can keep to a good idea in this storyline. I will be in for a good time. I'm positive it's going to be a fantastic ride.
January 10, 2025
interesting, captivating
Good story so far, interested as to where this is going to lead.
The enemy is known but twisted, they think they have the upper hand but there is something missing just lurking in the background.
Good story so far, interested as to where this is going to lead.
The enemy is known but twisted, they think they have the upper hand but there is something missing just lurking in the background.
January 12, 2025
Complex...
... and unfinished. It's a fascinating tale of first contact but the play between good and evil forces is... a LOT. Not sure I'm up to more of this, even though I hope there's eventually a satisfying resolution.
... and unfinished. It's a fascinating tale of first contact but the play between good and evil forces is... a LOT. Not sure I'm up to more of this, even though I hope there's eventually a satisfying resolution.
May 5, 2025
Why did we need to know the color of the carpet in every room? Spoiler alert: gray. Interesting story but too many descriptions in how things appeared and not enough in how things happened. Liked that it was set in Canada.
June 28, 2025
A tedious read. I started optimistically in an attempt to explore a new genre. It wasn't great but an easy subtle way to experience Scifi. Then the long winded fight scenes followed by the last half a dozen pages had me questioning why I stuck with it.
October 7, 2025
It’s weird and it doesn’t hold my interest. It’s a DNF. I got about 30% in, but life is too short to bore myself. It reads like it was written by the alien. Almost every character wears a black suit, black pants, or a black skirt, and they bow their heads all the time.
March 31, 2018
Good read
I am enjoying the science fiction and this one is full of romantics. Looking forward to see how the battle between good and evil will develop in the next book.
I am enjoying the science fiction and this one is full of romantics. Looking forward to see how the battle between good and evil will develop in the next book.
May 6, 2018
Symbiosis
A remarkable story with a gaggle of subplots. It is a great book of suspense, drama, adventure, and more. A hard story to put down once you begin reading. I Loved It!!!
A remarkable story with a gaggle of subplots. It is a great book of suspense, drama, adventure, and more. A hard story to put down once you begin reading. I Loved It!!!
October 21, 2019
A great read.
Very well developed characters and a captivating storyline made it hard not to just read this in one go. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Very well developed characters and a captivating storyline made it hard not to just read this in one go. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
April 25, 2022
History overturned
An interesting view of how the Earth was colonised and the Universe. A helpful alien meets and helps Earth , Anna
An interesting view of how the Earth was colonised and the Universe. A helpful alien meets and helps Earth , Anna
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews