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Old Colony
355 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 19, 2026
About the author
John Walker
1,089 books188 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
April 14, 2026
BUILD A LEGACY FOR THE GENERATIONS TO COME BEFORE YOU DIE...WHAT A NOBLE WAY TO SPEND YOUR FINAL DAY
4/13/26 Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Old Colony by John Walker is a well-written, action intense, and suspenseful tale of a group of seniors set out from Earth to set up the planet for future generations by an old group of seniors at the end of their lives on a planet that will kill them within five to ten years if not sooner. It's a one way trip in order to build a life for future generations without a loss of life or a shortened life expectancy due to the hard environmental challenges of the planet per previous scans and prior study. Though the planet can abstain life, at its current environmental hazards, it would take the lives of a younger population before they were able to build a new colony and before they obtained old age naturally. There for the use of a senior group of seniors to build for the next generation that are already at their end of life so to speak and the group signed up for this risk knowing fair well that they would be separated from their families and would never see them before they pass, all for the opportunity to build something that their children and grandchildren will have a chance at a life they wouldn't have otherwise.
The planet was supposed to be a hardship that would most likely result in their death instead the planet seems to have just the opposite effect on the builders of the new settlement on Elysium which Greek mythology translates to a paradise for heroes and a home for survivors. Instead of speeding up the aging process and the native wildlife killing the new residents, their aging seems to be reversing leaving the group of sixty plus seniors feeling and looking more like thirty somethings with aches and pains disappearing, joints and prior injuries seemingly to repair themselves, and even hair loss reversing.
On top of everything, the colonists stumble upon ancient ruins of an alien technology that changes their view of the universe and opens up new relationships with multiple species that previously their existence was unknown. They build a partnership through hard work, compassion, and with a common goal against a new enemy set out to rule the universe.
This is a well-written book that sets the stage for additional books that will open up new discoveries, new possibilities, new challenges, and new dangers for the settlers of Elysium and even Earth itself. John Walker has written his with characters that are easy to relate to and you'll find yourself glued to the pages to find out how they deal with the things the universe is throwing their way both for good and bad. I enjoyed this first book in what will no doubt be a great series and hope you too will find yourself enjoying this book as well as I have.
4/13/26 Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Old Colony by John Walker is a well-written, action intense, and suspenseful tale of a group of seniors set out from Earth to set up the planet for future generations by an old group of seniors at the end of their lives on a planet that will kill them within five to ten years if not sooner. It's a one way trip in order to build a life for future generations without a loss of life or a shortened life expectancy due to the hard environmental challenges of the planet per previous scans and prior study. Though the planet can abstain life, at its current environmental hazards, it would take the lives of a younger population before they were able to build a new colony and before they obtained old age naturally. There for the use of a senior group of seniors to build for the next generation that are already at their end of life so to speak and the group signed up for this risk knowing fair well that they would be separated from their families and would never see them before they pass, all for the opportunity to build something that their children and grandchildren will have a chance at a life they wouldn't have otherwise.
The planet was supposed to be a hardship that would most likely result in their death instead the planet seems to have just the opposite effect on the builders of the new settlement on Elysium which Greek mythology translates to a paradise for heroes and a home for survivors. Instead of speeding up the aging process and the native wildlife killing the new residents, their aging seems to be reversing leaving the group of sixty plus seniors feeling and looking more like thirty somethings with aches and pains disappearing, joints and prior injuries seemingly to repair themselves, and even hair loss reversing.
On top of everything, the colonists stumble upon ancient ruins of an alien technology that changes their view of the universe and opens up new relationships with multiple species that previously their existence was unknown. They build a partnership through hard work, compassion, and with a common goal against a new enemy set out to rule the universe.
This is a well-written book that sets the stage for additional books that will open up new discoveries, new possibilities, new challenges, and new dangers for the settlers of Elysium and even Earth itself. John Walker has written his with characters that are easy to relate to and you'll find yourself glued to the pages to find out how they deal with the things the universe is throwing their way both for good and bad. I enjoyed this first book in what will no doubt be a great series and hope you too will find yourself enjoying this book as well as I have.
April 16, 2026
Good premise that was kind of pushed to the wayside halfway through by a mysterious discovery.
I love stories about new colonies and the struggles they face. So a story about a colony started by old people, who are good workers but have creaky knees and aches and pains, seemed right up my alley. And it was at first. Then things did a 180, though they never did figure out why. Later things turned upside-down with the typical mysterious alien ruins trope (which I also like). By the end it felt like two novels that were ripped apart and stuck together. All I can hope is that the author has thought all of this out ahead of time and that there will be a big reveal in a future novel. That's assuming there will be a sequel. It sure seemed like there should be. So that's one of the reasons this novel, although written well as far as the craft of writing goes, got downgraded to 3 stars.
Another reason is the strange writing style and lack of full characterization. The writing style seemed a little terse to me. Written in 3rd person from multiple viewpoint characters, and that can be in the same section or chapter. Like the chapter starts from Otis' POV. Then we read from Marcus' POV. Then I get the two characters mixed up because the author goes back and forth between characters in the same chapter. I'm used to one character per section or chapter. I don't like reading from one person's POV then a few paragraphs later it's from a different person's POV.
The characters were not flat 2D but neither were they full 3D. One guy is a good engineer, another fixes things, a woman is a good scientist, etc. And no one is as asshole. Are you kidding me? 300 people and no assholes at all? What are the chances of that. Seriously. I know they went through a rigorous selection process before they were chosen but some assholes can hide, appear to be nice at first until they knife you in the back (not literally). Ah well. So in this colony everyone seems to get along. Maybe it's something in the air.
I love stories about new colonies and the struggles they face. So a story about a colony started by old people, who are good workers but have creaky knees and aches and pains, seemed right up my alley. And it was at first. Then things did a 180, though they never did figure out why. Later things turned upside-down with the typical mysterious alien ruins trope (which I also like). By the end it felt like two novels that were ripped apart and stuck together. All I can hope is that the author has thought all of this out ahead of time and that there will be a big reveal in a future novel. That's assuming there will be a sequel. It sure seemed like there should be. So that's one of the reasons this novel, although written well as far as the craft of writing goes, got downgraded to 3 stars.
Another reason is the strange writing style and lack of full characterization. The writing style seemed a little terse to me. Written in 3rd person from multiple viewpoint characters, and that can be in the same section or chapter. Like the chapter starts from Otis' POV. Then we read from Marcus' POV. Then I get the two characters mixed up because the author goes back and forth between characters in the same chapter. I'm used to one character per section or chapter. I don't like reading from one person's POV then a few paragraphs later it's from a different person's POV.
The characters were not flat 2D but neither were they full 3D. One guy is a good engineer, another fixes things, a woman is a good scientist, etc. And no one is as asshole. Are you kidding me? 300 people and no assholes at all? What are the chances of that. Seriously. I know they went through a rigorous selection process before they were chosen but some assholes can hide, appear to be nice at first until they knife you in the back (not literally). Ah well. So in this colony everyone seems to get along. Maybe it's something in the air.
April 13, 2026
An incredibly wonderful and powerful read. I enjoyed every single paragraph and every single minute of it!
Profound, exciting, enthralling, engaging, inspiring, and emotional, with all the best action possible, fast paced, creative writing and with very interesting and versatile characters and aliens. Not your typical colonising a planet storyline, it has a unique and original plot.
Impatient to read book-2.
Profound, exciting, enthralling, engaging, inspiring, and emotional, with all the best action possible, fast paced, creative writing and with very interesting and versatile characters and aliens. Not your typical colonising a planet storyline, it has a unique and original plot.
Impatient to read book-2.
May 2, 2026
It wants to be some version of Old Man’s War and about five other Sci-Fi books but it ends up feeling like “my uncle wrote this on AI and didn’t bother editing for grammar or context.”
July 7, 2026
Three hundred people sent to die on a hostile world, and instead they’d found … what? A miracle? A trap? The greatest setup for humanity’s greatest discovery or its next great war?
The Ripe Stuff meets Star Wars. Capable but senior earthlings are recruited for a suicide mission on the theory they have little to lose. Nothing turns out as expected. Appropriately slow start with accelerating pace and risk as new revelations mount. Clean storytelling and varied characterizations reflect the unraveling skein of unexpected discoveries.
“You’re allowed to enjoy the view on the way down, That’s what humans do. Find beauty in whatever time we have.”
Invites comparison with John Scalzi’s Old Man's War. It mines the same strata—old folks recycled for apparent suicide mission—but this story is respectful of both its characters and its readers. Better storytelling. Finally, a realistic blue-collar hero. Better than Eric Flint’s 1632-series phony union organizer. Walker has made a business of this approach. It works. Steadily unfolding surprises keep raising the stakes.
“Whatever mechanism is protecting local biology from environmental stress …. It appears to be affecting us as well.”
Better grasp of science than most science fiction, but that’s a low bar. Quibbles: No point on the surface of a rotating planet is fixed on any of that planet’s Lagrange points. Lagrange L4 is the radius of the solar orbit away—travel and communications should be appropriately longer. Tubers with seventeen amino acids cannot give “complete amino acid profiles.” Humans stumble onto weird biology and technology, and immediately begin optimizing them beyond the capabilities of their inventors and long-time users. The bore closure timing does not compute. Top rating despite the flaws.
The planet that should have killed him had given him decades instead. The sky that should hold only stars now held alien wreckage and the promise of civilizations beyond counting.
(Kindle version is currently on sale for a dollar at Amazon, undoubtedly chum to draw you into buying more.)
Re-reading to confirm five-star rating.
The Ripe Stuff meets Star Wars. Capable but senior earthlings are recruited for a suicide mission on the theory they have little to lose. Nothing turns out as expected. Appropriately slow start with accelerating pace and risk as new revelations mount. Clean storytelling and varied characterizations reflect the unraveling skein of unexpected discoveries.
“You’re allowed to enjoy the view on the way down, That’s what humans do. Find beauty in whatever time we have.”
Invites comparison with John Scalzi’s Old Man's War. It mines the same strata—old folks recycled for apparent suicide mission—but this story is respectful of both its characters and its readers. Better storytelling. Finally, a realistic blue-collar hero. Better than Eric Flint’s 1632-series phony union organizer. Walker has made a business of this approach. It works. Steadily unfolding surprises keep raising the stakes.
“Whatever mechanism is protecting local biology from environmental stress …. It appears to be affecting us as well.”
Better grasp of science than most science fiction, but that’s a low bar. Quibbles: No point on the surface of a rotating planet is fixed on any of that planet’s Lagrange points. Lagrange L4 is the radius of the solar orbit away—travel and communications should be appropriately longer. Tubers with seventeen amino acids cannot give “complete amino acid profiles.” Humans stumble onto weird biology and technology, and immediately begin optimizing them beyond the capabilities of their inventors and long-time users. The bore closure timing does not compute. Top rating despite the flaws.
The planet that should have killed him had given him decades instead. The sky that should hold only stars now held alien wreckage and the promise of civilizations beyond counting.
(Kindle version is currently on sale for a dollar at Amazon, undoubtedly chum to draw you into buying more.)
Re-reading to confirm five-star rating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2026
Good book
Excellent story interesting premise and well thought out characters.
...im hoping for another book to come out im the future soln
Excellent story interesting premise and well thought out characters.
...im hoping for another book to come out im the future soln
March 28, 2026
Second Chances
There were a lot of surprises. The concept was new to me. Being older, I appreciate the colonists being given a second chance.
There were a lot of surprises. The concept was new to me. Being older, I appreciate the colonists being given a second chance.
March 23, 2026
Nice....
This was a pretty good story. Interesting too. I think I will enjoy reading the second book when it comes out.
So go ahead and take a chance. I don't think you will be disappointed ....
jrwii
This was a pretty good story. Interesting too. I think I will enjoy reading the second book when it comes out.
So go ahead and take a chance. I don't think you will be disappointed ....
jrwii
April 5, 2026
old Colony by John Walker review
I’m gonna be blunt, honest, and quick.
Not at all what I anticipated from the title or the ad for the book. Yes, it initially introduced characters that were senior citizens arriving on a new planet that supposedly was going to age them, but hopefully not before they established a colony for future generations. A skilled and intelligent group of humans found themselves on a new planet that slowly reversed aging (send my wrinkled behind there) and were able to establish a functional colony while worried about how the discovery of this miracle would affect not only them, but the rest of humanity.
Then, focus shifted from this aspect as they discovered something on the planet that indicated an ancient race had been there (while nothing about them was discovered) and poof, the story shifted from whatever was going on on the planet now became they unlocked a secret device that opened wormholes and suddenly the story is about aliens and galactic battles.
I truly wish the author had stuck with his original story idea and not gone all Battlefield Earth (although this does not take place on Earth) and gone off on a different tangent than what he originally proposed…it just seemed that he could have stuck with the main theme and if he intended on introducing another theme he could have done that after actually providing the story he seemed to promote instead shifting gears and going into overdrive mid story.
It felt more like two different stories that were merged together without really providing the proper foundation.
Great idea.
Easy reading.
But wasn’t something that I can recommend based on the haphazard way the story seems to stray from the original premise. However, I would read more of his work just to see if he follows through on his promise. This might have been a deviation from his normal style. Don’t promise an ocean view and then send me to cabin in the woods with a leaky roof.
I’m too old for that.
I’m gonna be blunt, honest, and quick.
Not at all what I anticipated from the title or the ad for the book. Yes, it initially introduced characters that were senior citizens arriving on a new planet that supposedly was going to age them, but hopefully not before they established a colony for future generations. A skilled and intelligent group of humans found themselves on a new planet that slowly reversed aging (send my wrinkled behind there) and were able to establish a functional colony while worried about how the discovery of this miracle would affect not only them, but the rest of humanity.
Then, focus shifted from this aspect as they discovered something on the planet that indicated an ancient race had been there (while nothing about them was discovered) and poof, the story shifted from whatever was going on on the planet now became they unlocked a secret device that opened wormholes and suddenly the story is about aliens and galactic battles.
I truly wish the author had stuck with his original story idea and not gone all Battlefield Earth (although this does not take place on Earth) and gone off on a different tangent than what he originally proposed…it just seemed that he could have stuck with the main theme and if he intended on introducing another theme he could have done that after actually providing the story he seemed to promote instead shifting gears and going into overdrive mid story.
It felt more like two different stories that were merged together without really providing the proper foundation.
Great idea.
Easy reading.
But wasn’t something that I can recommend based on the haphazard way the story seems to stray from the original premise. However, I would read more of his work just to see if he follows through on his promise. This might have been a deviation from his normal style. Don’t promise an ocean view and then send me to cabin in the woods with a leaky roof.
I’m too old for that.
March 31, 2026
too may errors and inconsistencies
Interesting premise, sadly I couldn’t continue after reading about half the book. Too many inconsistencies and errors in the book. Without spoiling it for those who may read it- one example is Karl can’t be away from the site for the 3rd time and yet Otis finds a place to stand near him at the same time. There’s a couple of others including a glaring error where something is supposed to be happening faster, as in half the time, yet the phrasing clearly says it’s taking double the expected time. Add to that numerous repeats of phrases which makes it sound like a report trying to hit a word count. Whoever edited the book failed miserably. Hopefully they see and fix these errors (and check for more) as I think this could be a good series.
Interesting premise, sadly I couldn’t continue after reading about half the book. Too many inconsistencies and errors in the book. Without spoiling it for those who may read it- one example is Karl can’t be away from the site for the 3rd time and yet Otis finds a place to stand near him at the same time. There’s a couple of others including a glaring error where something is supposed to be happening faster, as in half the time, yet the phrasing clearly says it’s taking double the expected time. Add to that numerous repeats of phrases which makes it sound like a report trying to hit a word count. Whoever edited the book failed miserably. Hopefully they see and fix these errors (and check for more) as I think this could be a good series.
June 8, 2026
I almost finished by skimming. Cannot fathom the 4 star reviews. Started out so promising, a new colony on a new planet, older people with a second chance, just the type of story I would have liked. Then devolved into wormholes and alien races and technical jargon, almost like another book just took over. Nothing about the planet they were sent to, flora and fauna almost completely ignored, even tho one person was killed by an animal. What animal? No explanation. Bad editing too.
March 24, 2026
Wow, very good
I really enjoyed this book. It had quite different concepts. I am 73 and man I’d like to find that planet. A fun book. Looking forward to the next one. Highly recommended.
I really enjoyed this book. It had quite different concepts. I am 73 and man I’d like to find that planet. A fun book. Looking forward to the next one. Highly recommended.
March 24, 2026
Great read!
I really enjoyed this book! Great read, adventure, I'm old so this appealed to me! Simpatico! Looking forward to the next one.
I really enjoyed this book! Great read, adventure, I'm old so this appealed to me! Simpatico! Looking forward to the next one.
March 25, 2026
Quite a different storyline. Found it quite compelling and refreshingly different. Recommend as a good read.
March 22, 2026
Different
Not what I was expecting. This kept my interest going. Finished it in one day. Ready for the next book to come out. It was a fun read.
Not what I was expecting. This kept my interest going. Finished it in one day. Ready for the next book to come out. It was a fun read.
April 6, 2026
didn’t see these twists coming
Ready for round two, please.
Picked it up expecting one thing, which turned into two things, then three things, then four things. Possibly heading for a fifth thing.
Ready for round two, please.
Picked it up expecting one thing, which turned into two things, then three things, then four things. Possibly heading for a fifth thing.
April 24, 2026
Hated it. Warning (plot reveals in description)
A really good idea
Great potential
Very poorly executed
Repeated dialogue
Using the same description twice to describe things over and over again
Felt like a word salad
He did finally get to some action
It's obvious he's never been in the military
And I doubt he's ever played chess or any other strategy game.
His battles had massive plot holes in them
when they delivered the colonists to the planet
It felt like it was incredibly rushed to get the landing pods down in an emergency
During a violent storm. And yet the next chapter they're calmly running shuttles up and down without any rush and the delivery ship hangs around for three months
So why did they need to hurry to get the colonists down, oh yeah because he needed all of the pods in one place. Should have used a different mechanism to accomplish that or plan that from the start (or he wanted to describe the storm from inside it, either way weak)
And the final space battle
He's got a Corvette taking repeated poundings from a battleship (whatever this ship was) for over an hour
And then the undamaged battleship just sits there while another ship suicides into it
This would have worked had he made the battleship Chase the Corvette and the Corvette run towards the suicide ship and at the last second slide away and allow a head on collision with the battleship.
Struggled to finish but I guess I did.
Just not planning on reading any sequals or other books from this author.
Man I had high hopes for this one!
A really good idea
Great potential
Very poorly executed
Repeated dialogue
Using the same description twice to describe things over and over again
Felt like a word salad
He did finally get to some action
It's obvious he's never been in the military
And I doubt he's ever played chess or any other strategy game.
His battles had massive plot holes in them
when they delivered the colonists to the planet
It felt like it was incredibly rushed to get the landing pods down in an emergency
During a violent storm. And yet the next chapter they're calmly running shuttles up and down without any rush and the delivery ship hangs around for three months
So why did they need to hurry to get the colonists down, oh yeah because he needed all of the pods in one place. Should have used a different mechanism to accomplish that or plan that from the start (or he wanted to describe the storm from inside it, either way weak)
And the final space battle
He's got a Corvette taking repeated poundings from a battleship (whatever this ship was) for over an hour
And then the undamaged battleship just sits there while another ship suicides into it
This would have worked had he made the battleship Chase the Corvette and the Corvette run towards the suicide ship and at the last second slide away and allow a head on collision with the battleship.
Struggled to finish but I guess I did.
Just not planning on reading any sequals or other books from this author.
Man I had high hopes for this one!
June 7, 2026
Interesting concept for a story, but it really should have been proofread before publishing. There are several inconsistencies with the story, and it sometimes seems like it skips important information. Could do with another edit and republishing.
Read
April 12, 2026Good premise, needs editing
Overall the story is nice. Original. But the editing! My god.
Super repetitive. Not just here and there. Whole sections of content repeated. And the start was super cluttered that way. Pacing would be so improved if that was removed.
Characters are mixed up in several scenes throughout.
Continuity is off (Reyes staying, happens right in front of Otis, but then he claims she has flown back to Earth, asking why the Elysium effect worked the 2nd time they left orbit when the story clearly stated they took measures against decline by bringing vegtation, etc. ).
Quotation marks aren't used correctly throughout. This really screwed up dialogue.
So many other things that were stated as fact then changed throughout the story.
Please get a good editor that will help your writing because your ideas are good.
Overall the story is nice. Original. But the editing! My god.
Super repetitive. Not just here and there. Whole sections of content repeated. And the start was super cluttered that way. Pacing would be so improved if that was removed.
Characters are mixed up in several scenes throughout.
Continuity is off (Reyes staying, happens right in front of Otis, but then he claims she has flown back to Earth, asking why the Elysium effect worked the 2nd time they left orbit when the story clearly stated they took measures against decline by bringing vegtation, etc. ).
Quotation marks aren't used correctly throughout. This really screwed up dialogue.
So many other things that were stated as fact then changed throughout the story.
Please get a good editor that will help your writing because your ideas are good.
April 6, 2026
The plot is ok-ish but the writing suuuuuuuucks.
There are lots of inconsistencies and some pieces of the book just seem to be missing? Either the author really needs an editor or he needs to lay off the ChatGPT.
There are lots of inconsistencies and some pieces of the book just seem to be missing? Either the author really needs an editor or he needs to lay off the ChatGPT.
April 3, 2026
I don’t understand how this book is rated so high. It’s possibly the worst written book I’ve ever read.
June 20, 2026
One of the best written books I've read in a while. Walker provides enough technical talk to make the plot believable and does a good job capturing the human relationships that develop. I have mixed feelings about the major twist in the plot. His first premise of a new colony being developed is good, the twist of the planet's effects on people is a great idea and I wanted to see where that went. However, the plot turns from a good colonization story into a first contact and interstellar war story. Once the war story starts, Walker tends to drag out the descriptions of the battles and I found myself skimming that part so I could see where the plot goes. It's good enough that I'm reading the second book. Four stars for a well written book but not quite five because of the abrupt plot change.
April 1, 2026
I enjoyed this story, however there were things that didn’t seem quite right.
1. The main character seemed to be Otis at the beginning of the book but seemed to shift from him as the book progressed.
2. There were leaps and bounds in the plot that left gaps for me. Jenna said she’d be back, and then she was in the colony. When the aliens came into play there were descriptions of 3? Of them but then there were more.
It does seem like there may be more content forthcoming as the author teased at something with Elena as well as through the ending but the story seemed to gloss over much on its journey to conclusion.
Overall, I did enjoy the story, but it seemed like there was so much more that didn’t get discussed.
1. The main character seemed to be Otis at the beginning of the book but seemed to shift from him as the book progressed.
2. There were leaps and bounds in the plot that left gaps for me. Jenna said she’d be back, and then she was in the colony. When the aliens came into play there were descriptions of 3? Of them but then there were more.
It does seem like there may be more content forthcoming as the author teased at something with Elena as well as through the ending but the story seemed to gloss over much on its journey to conclusion.
Overall, I did enjoy the story, but it seemed like there was so much more that didn’t get discussed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2026
interesting but mixed..
This started off being one thing, a solid story about a group of old but capable colonists heading to an unusual planet. The story then takes a sharp turn into something very different with an inter-systems war on the horizon.
At the end this felt like a good single story turned into something which could be a series but for no real reason.
There were also way too many plot assumptions and leaps which felt like editing had simply chopped chucks out without re-working the context they provided.
I would have preferred an more open-ended story about the humans and the new ways they would need to deal with things rather than a random selection of aliens and a stereo-typed set of bad guys.
A really good premise let down in the finessing.
This started off being one thing, a solid story about a group of old but capable colonists heading to an unusual planet. The story then takes a sharp turn into something very different with an inter-systems war on the horizon.
At the end this felt like a good single story turned into something which could be a series but for no real reason.
There were also way too many plot assumptions and leaps which felt like editing had simply chopped chucks out without re-working the context they provided.
I would have preferred an more open-ended story about the humans and the new ways they would need to deal with things rather than a random selection of aliens and a stereo-typed set of bad guys.
A really good premise let down in the finessing.
June 21, 2026
So this was not written very well - a lot of errors, misspelling, repetitions of whole paragraphs and so on.
I really liked the premise, but the logic holes in that story were just soooo glaring.
I tried hard to ignore logic (why even try to colonize a planet that ages humans so much faster than Earth? Why send 300 old people there to do what exactly? Build some fences and shelters before they die? Because it makes cost-wise a lot of sense to send them on a three months space journey if the expectation is that they won't survive long???) - but when the big reveal came I lost all interest.
It was just too unrealistic - it didn't feel like SciFi, more like a fairy tale.
I really liked the premise, but the logic holes in that story were just soooo glaring.
I tried hard to ignore logic (why even try to colonize a planet that ages humans so much faster than Earth? Why send 300 old people there to do what exactly? Build some fences and shelters before they die? Because it makes cost-wise a lot of sense to send them on a three months space journey if the expectation is that they won't survive long???) - but when the big reveal came I lost all interest.
It was just too unrealistic - it didn't feel like SciFi, more like a fairy tale.
April 2, 2026
THE WAY SCIENCE FICTION BEGAN
Reader of SCI-FI for 65 years and this is the first book to remind me why I have spent so many years reading this genre. No Jules Verne , no H. G. Wells, those were the movies.
This is the character creation, alien tech, detective work that I remember. Also the growing younger is interest catching. A really good read. I was fussy about some of the story flow jumps, but I see why it gave Walker the pacing to build to the surprise climax.
I really liked Walker's creativity.
Reader of SCI-FI for 65 years and this is the first book to remind me why I have spent so many years reading this genre. No Jules Verne , no H. G. Wells, those were the movies.
This is the character creation, alien tech, detective work that I remember. Also the growing younger is interest catching. A really good read. I was fussy about some of the story flow jumps, but I see why it gave Walker the pacing to build to the surprise climax.
I really liked Walker's creativity.
April 29, 2026
Fascinating!
Wonderful and exciting new world which was supposed to be deadly, so only experienced, driven, and brilliant elders were sent to break ground and prepare foundations for future young people to come and colonize later. Only the planet surprised them with new biology, ANCIENT technolgy, and new civilizations. I'm so ready to continue this story but I can't find any sequels.
Lol! No wonder! This was first published last week. Oh dear. Please write quickly and well again, John Walker. I highly recommend.
Wonderful and exciting new world which was supposed to be deadly, so only experienced, driven, and brilliant elders were sent to break ground and prepare foundations for future young people to come and colonize later. Only the planet surprised them with new biology, ANCIENT technolgy, and new civilizations. I'm so ready to continue this story but I can't find any sequels.
Lol! No wonder! This was first published last week. Oh dear. Please write quickly and well again, John Walker. I highly recommend.
May 11, 2026
A fascinating space colony story
this is a story about colonists that are older who were building a colony who were essentially expected to die or are expected to age and have younger people common replace them once they built the colony itself. That only makes sense if you consider them to be completely expendable. I really can’t go into the plot without revealing a whole lot of twists. I can say that, even though it got off to a slow start, it ended up being very twisty and exciting.
this is a story about colonists that are older who were building a colony who were essentially expected to die or are expected to age and have younger people common replace them once they built the colony itself. That only makes sense if you consider them to be completely expendable. I really can’t go into the plot without revealing a whole lot of twists. I can say that, even though it got off to a slow start, it ended up being very twisty and exciting.
July 5, 2026
in desperate need of an editor.
Such an enjoyable book. Problem is it makes jumps without explanation.
How did Jenna suddenly stay on the colony? How did the name of the ancient aliens suddenly become known? These and other little foot faults popped up as you read.
I went back and reread the middle of the book to see if I’d missed pages. I’m tempted to read the next book, but I hope the author hasn’t made the same annoying mistakes that gnawed at me as I read this first book.
Such an enjoyable book. Problem is it makes jumps without explanation.
How did Jenna suddenly stay on the colony? How did the name of the ancient aliens suddenly become known? These and other little foot faults popped up as you read.
I went back and reread the middle of the book to see if I’d missed pages. I’m tempted to read the next book, but I hope the author hasn’t made the same annoying mistakes that gnawed at me as I read this first book.
April 14, 2026
Really good book about a a colony and 1st contact
Wasn't familiar with the author, thought I'd give it a try. Oh my. Excellent story focusing on age, engineering, mechanics. Read it in one sitting. Looking for the sequels! Don't expect detailed info on aliens anatomy, food etc. - this is an emotional book- told in broader swaths of feelings, relationships, capabilities. In this universe, I would be proud to be selected as one of the 300 capable colonists.
Wasn't familiar with the author, thought I'd give it a try. Oh my. Excellent story focusing on age, engineering, mechanics. Read it in one sitting. Looking for the sequels! Don't expect detailed info on aliens anatomy, food etc. - this is an emotional book- told in broader swaths of feelings, relationships, capabilities. In this universe, I would be proud to be selected as one of the 300 capable colonists.
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