V One

by Simon Mortimer

One man. One island. One chance to shape the future. The fight for tomorrow begins the moment Sam steps ashore. Invited to V Island, Sam meets Marta his capable guardian and guide, who challenges him to transcend his past and embrace a new way. As the world outside crumbles, the island – once a beacon for a better future – becomes a magnet for destruction, and Sam must choose which side to fight for in a pivotal conflict between the old world and a promise of something new.

440 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 18, 2025

About the author

Simon is an English-born Australian author and engineer whose speculative fiction explores the boundaries between progress, morality, and survival. Having lived and worked across England, Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong, and now Australia, he has developed a perspective shaped by culture and landscape.

Simon’s writing blends technical insight with human depth, informed by years of working as an engineer and living among diverse communities across the world. His debut novel, V-One, examines what it means to remain human in an age of accelerating control -weaving philosophy and science into a story of conscience and survival.

Thoughtful and immersive, his writing invites readers to speculate on what may remain of the human spirit amid growing systems of power and technology. He lives in Sydney with his family.

 

Reviews

[Stefanie Verhelst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam meets Martha on island V. The story starts of in a mysterious way but soon the story gets in full action.

The island and its surroundings are described in perfect detail, which makes it cinematic! Fantastic!

Sam and Martha will have to work together to save what can be saved in this mind blowing sci fi action suspense!

I love the way the author blends sci fi with technology and a creative mind!

I’m very curious to read how the story continues in V two! 😎.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

The majority of this book deals with setting and character backgrounds, and the end comes pretty abruptly, only shortly after we see the first real action in the story. While I might be more critical of these points in a standalone book, understanding that this is the start of a future series makes them more excusable; and laying the groundwork is certainly necessary here.

That said, the world-building is creative and the author is very descriptive in this regard. I also walked away with a relatively clear understanding of each of the character and societal motivations, so overall I would say it is well-written and a good first entry to the series. I'll likely continue reading.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

A near future tale. Technology and advancement is created and protected by the Visionites on a secure island. The Alliance attacks to secure and take the technology for their own, possibly, nefarious reasons. Sam and Marta must work together to stop them and bring back into the fold, one of their own, who they both share some history.
The story, overall, was good; I just wish that there would be more in the narrative, ie. background of the characters, more definition and description of the surroundings and technology.
There were some slow spots and for sure some predictable outcomes, but overall a good story and I am interested to see what happens in V Two.