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The Fear Saga #1
Fear the Sky
"Real science in Science Fiction. This is a must read for fans of SF." >(John S. Gertsch, Amazon Reviewer)
Perfect for fans of Peter F. Hamilton, Iain M. Banks, and Orson Scott Card, Fear the Sky is a hard-hitting sci-fi thriller that will have you looking at the stars in a different way.
In eleven years' time, a million members of an alien race will arrive at Earth. Years before they enter orbit, their approach will be announced by the flare of a thousand flames in the sky, their ships' huge engines burning hard to slow them from the vast speeds needed to cross interstellar space. These foreboding lights will shine in our night sky like new stars, getting ever brighter until they outshine even the sun, casting ominous shadows and banishing the night until they suddenly blink out. Their technology is vastly superior to ours, and they know they cannot possibly lose the coming conflict. But they, like us, have found no answer to the destructive force of the atom, and they have no intention of facing the onslaught of our primitive nuclear arsenal or the devastation it would wreak on the planet they crave. So they have flung out an advance party in front of them, hidden within one of the countless asteroids randomly roaming the void. They do not want us, they want our planet. Their Agents are arriving.
©2014 Stephen Moss (P)2015 Podium Publishing
Perfect for fans of Peter F. Hamilton, Iain M. Banks, and Orson Scott Card, Fear the Sky is a hard-hitting sci-fi thriller that will have you looking at the stars in a different way.
In eleven years' time, a million members of an alien race will arrive at Earth. Years before they enter orbit, their approach will be announced by the flare of a thousand flames in the sky, their ships' huge engines burning hard to slow them from the vast speeds needed to cross interstellar space. These foreboding lights will shine in our night sky like new stars, getting ever brighter until they outshine even the sun, casting ominous shadows and banishing the night until they suddenly blink out. Their technology is vastly superior to ours, and they know they cannot possibly lose the coming conflict. But they, like us, have found no answer to the destructive force of the atom, and they have no intention of facing the onslaught of our primitive nuclear arsenal or the devastation it would wreak on the planet they crave. So they have flung out an advance party in front of them, hidden within one of the countless asteroids randomly roaming the void. They do not want us, they want our planet. Their Agents are arriving.
©2014 Stephen Moss (P)2015 Podium Publishing
Audiobook
First published April 26, 2014
557 people are currently reading
3164 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Moss
4 books443 followersStephen Moss was born in England, but spent time as a child in wildly diverse places, including several years in Brazil, Belgium, and Malaysia.
He eventually settled in New York, but still travels avidly, something he uses as inspiration and input to his writing. Stephen is a fan of Hard SF by masters such as Iain M. Banks, Orson Scott Card, Peter F. Hamilton and the many other fantastic writers creating masterpieces every year.
His first novel, Fear the Sky, combines his passions for science fiction with a solid, realistic foundation, with his passion for travel. The novel takes place across the globe, from London, to Brussels, to DC, to the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan, to the back streets of Tel Aviv. The few places in the book which Stephen hasn't been to in person, he researches avidly, wanting to put his characters into the reality of their surroundings, and knowing that the settings for his stories are as important as the individuals he then paints into them.
While Fear the Sky is Stephen's first published work, the second book in the series, Fear the Survivors, is nearly finished, and the third and final installment is already well in hand. If you would like to know more, and know when the next installment is available, you can find Stephen on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheFearSaga, or you can send an email to TheFearSaga@gmail.com.
He eventually settled in New York, but still travels avidly, something he uses as inspiration and input to his writing. Stephen is a fan of Hard SF by masters such as Iain M. Banks, Orson Scott Card, Peter F. Hamilton and the many other fantastic writers creating masterpieces every year.
His first novel, Fear the Sky, combines his passions for science fiction with a solid, realistic foundation, with his passion for travel. The novel takes place across the globe, from London, to Brussels, to DC, to the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan, to the back streets of Tel Aviv. The few places in the book which Stephen hasn't been to in person, he researches avidly, wanting to put his characters into the reality of their surroundings, and knowing that the settings for his stories are as important as the individuals he then paints into them.
While Fear the Sky is Stephen's first published work, the second book in the series, Fear the Survivors, is nearly finished, and the third and final installment is already well in hand. If you would like to know more, and know when the next installment is available, you can find Stephen on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheFearSaga, or you can send an email to TheFearSaga@gmail.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 519 reviews
October 16, 2025
Humans work very well together in the long term for the sake of our species?! - that is definitely the fiction part of this book...not the aliens and mind bending tech.
January 8, 2015
I'm not sure why I'm not giving this book one star. I'm not even sure why I finished this book.
And yet... I'm not sure why I want to read the next book in the series, either.
Clearly it did something right, but GOODNESS, the quality of the prose was painful at times. Excess commas, comma splices, and run on sentences were all over the place. I put it up with it, though. I made it through to the end, despite the weird pacing, where months would pass with no comment, and then a chapter would be spent on a 3 second action sequence.
I dunno, man. I don't recommend this book, but if you like the idea of something like Battlestar Galactica (new series), then you might like this.
And yet... I'm not sure why I want to read the next book in the series, either.
Clearly it did something right, but GOODNESS, the quality of the prose was painful at times. Excess commas, comma splices, and run on sentences were all over the place. I put it up with it, though. I made it through to the end, despite the weird pacing, where months would pass with no comment, and then a chapter would be spent on a 3 second action sequence.
I dunno, man. I don't recommend this book, but if you like the idea of something like Battlestar Galactica (new series), then you might like this.
May 22, 2014
This appears to be Stephen's first novel and it is a first class piece of work. After a slow start, the pace builds rapidly. This is no ordinary SF novel, the depth of the characters, the speed and complexity of the plot, the technology encountered and developed by the protagonists and, most of all the power politics puts this in the top echelon of science fiction and even general fiction. Don't start reading it if you don't have time to keep at it, it will devour your spare time.
Well done Stephen.
Well done Stephen.
March 31, 2015
Badly written, badly edited, immature in its execution... And yet difficult to put down. This book manages to nail that somewhat rare combination of being utterly trashy but still compelling enough to keep you reading it (and just maybe to read its sequels, like I did. I'm still not sure why).
The story is cliché, the dialogue is unrealistic, and I can only think of one female character who isn't blatantly objectified by having her physicality described at length in her introduction while glossing over her story and motivation. Oh, and the book is riddled with spelling errors and incorrectly used words.
Like I said though, it has enough going for it - despite the air of being written by a teenager - to keep you interested. And I'm still not sure how it manages that.
The story is cliché, the dialogue is unrealistic, and I can only think of one female character who isn't blatantly objectified by having her physicality described at length in her introduction while glossing over her story and motivation. Oh, and the book is riddled with spelling errors and incorrectly used words.
Like I said though, it has enough going for it - despite the air of being written by a teenager - to keep you interested. And I'm still not sure how it manages that.
July 20, 2015
Terrible. The worst book I've experienced all year. It read like it was written by a 14 year old. The poor sentence and paragraph structure as well as questionable grammar and vocabulary use are are very distracting. There is a total lack of nuance and the author is very fond of "telling" instead of "showing" (like the book equivalent of Wiseau's "The Room"). There was no suspension of disbelief because the author has no understanding of how people interact/work or how groups of people behave. Most of the dialogue was awkward and contrived.
Everything is nauseatingly repetitive. I think I caught it the first time around that the robot aliens/weapons/characters/technology are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO awesome and the situation is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO dire. It was entirely unnecessary to emphasize this an additional 30 times a piece. Essentially it came across that the author had no real skills to speak of and/or no desire to edit.
The entire premise of the novel and the construction of the alien species was hackneyed and puerile in the extensive assumption of anthropomorphism.
The only reason I bothered to finish at all is that I was unfortunate enough to waste an audible credit on this and wanted to get the full play time out of it.
Do not waste your time or money with "Fear the Sky".
Everything is nauseatingly repetitive. I think I caught it the first time around that the robot aliens/weapons/characters/technology are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO awesome and the situation is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO dire. It was entirely unnecessary to emphasize this an additional 30 times a piece. Essentially it came across that the author had no real skills to speak of and/or no desire to edit.
The entire premise of the novel and the construction of the alien species was hackneyed and puerile in the extensive assumption of anthropomorphism.
The only reason I bothered to finish at all is that I was unfortunate enough to waste an audible credit on this and wanted to get the full play time out of it.
Do not waste your time or money with "Fear the Sky".
May 24, 2017
Should be called fear the thesaurus. Couldn't finish it, too hard to get past the shoddy writing style. Sorry. Might have some fun ideas but a third of the way through I was bored. Not my type of story.
Mr. Moss, here are some synonyms for 'vast': huge, extensive, expansive, broad, wide, sweeping, boundless, immeasurable, limitless, infinite; enormous, immense, great, massive, colossal, tremendous, mighty, prodigious, gigantic, gargantuan, mammoth, monumental;
giant, towering, mountainous, titanic, Brobdingnagian; **informal: jumbo, mega, monster, whopping, humongous, astronomical, ginormous
Mr. Moss, here are some synonyms for 'vast': huge, extensive, expansive, broad, wide, sweeping, boundless, immeasurable, limitless, infinite; enormous, immense, great, massive, colossal, tremendous, mighty, prodigious, gigantic, gargantuan, mammoth, monumental;
giant, towering, mountainous, titanic, Brobdingnagian; **informal: jumbo, mega, monster, whopping, humongous, astronomical, ginormous
September 30, 2015
In many books where humans encounter aliens, the aliens are knowable even if their technology is advanced. Take for example Worldwar: In the Balance by Harry Turtledove; the aliens were advanced when compared to the humans they had come to conquer, but their technology was understandable. Moss throws that concept completely out the window and describes a technology--and the entities on Earth that embody it--that is so advanced it is impossible to comprehend.
This creates a problem for the book in that it feels like the author has such broad scope that the invading Agents are like the child on a playground that insists they have invincible shields. There have been some that call the book "hard scifi," but it is not. The author does not explain the technology involved because it's impossible to describe. It lacks the grounding in meticulous math or knowable chemistry that you might find in "The Martian" or the works of Hal Clement. It is so far advanced that it can only be described in the broadest brushstrokes.
But the story the author wants to tell is engaging. An alien force with a Nietzschean will to power discovers another habitable world--Earth--and sets out to claim the planet for their own with no regard at all for the sentient race already there. Oxygen rich, water filled, habitable worlds might be exceedingly rare, and if they are, they are valuable beyond measure. Thus the author's general premise is terrifyingly logical.
What the novel suffers from is, frankly, the lack of a good editor and typesetter. The dead-tree version of the book has such small print that it is hard to read at times, and the (at times) uneven pacing and prose of the author, along with minor problems with grammar and punctuation, make the book challenging to read.
Though I enjoyed the arc of the story, I find it difficult to recommend the book to anyone but the most forgiving reader of sci-fi.
This creates a problem for the book in that it feels like the author has such broad scope that the invading Agents are like the child on a playground that insists they have invincible shields. There have been some that call the book "hard scifi," but it is not. The author does not explain the technology involved because it's impossible to describe. It lacks the grounding in meticulous math or knowable chemistry that you might find in "The Martian" or the works of Hal Clement. It is so far advanced that it can only be described in the broadest brushstrokes.
But the story the author wants to tell is engaging. An alien force with a Nietzschean will to power discovers another habitable world--Earth--and sets out to claim the planet for their own with no regard at all for the sentient race already there. Oxygen rich, water filled, habitable worlds might be exceedingly rare, and if they are, they are valuable beyond measure. Thus the author's general premise is terrifyingly logical.
What the novel suffers from is, frankly, the lack of a good editor and typesetter. The dead-tree version of the book has such small print that it is hard to read at times, and the (at times) uneven pacing and prose of the author, along with minor problems with grammar and punctuation, make the book challenging to read.
Though I enjoyed the arc of the story, I find it difficult to recommend the book to anyone but the most forgiving reader of sci-fi.
March 24, 2015
ABR's full Fear the Sky audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
A great book that trips over itself.
Mankind is infiltrated by powerful, greedy aliens who are going to wipe humankind off the planet so they can use it for themselves. However, they need to do this subtlety and efficiently, so mankind doesn’t find out, panic and launch nukes. No sense taking over a planet if it is spoiled. The aliens plant personalities into eight, super-strong, smart androids who can and do infiltrate the Earth’s countries with nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, stealthy satellites watch overhead, assisting the androids and zapping anyone who threatens their plan. It is a lucky, misanthropic astrophysicist who discovers the plot and recruits some unlikely friends to protect the Earth.
Fear the Sky starts off so well, so engaging, you just can’t stop listening. Funny, quirky, likable characters that are refreshing and real, and you know you are in for a great book. About a third of the way in, they seem to lose their shine and start become two dimensional. The plot, so interesting and engaging at first begins to flatten, becoming linear and predictable. There really is no doubt during the listen who is going to prevail.
But by this time, the story has so much momentum it is easy to slide into home. The book itself is not disappointing; rather it is fun and entertaining, well worth the listen, just that it could have been so much more. It never felt all that long, even at 20 plus hours (almost double most audio books), but it might have benefited from “less is more,” with some thoughtful editing.
R.C. Bray is the Narrator and he is brilliant. He has a unique, deep breathy voice that just keeps you wanting more. He could narrate a cookbook and make it exciting. Bray is one of those narrators you will follow regardless of the book.
This is a flawed great book, well worth the listen. Will you want to listen to volume 2? It seems likely, if simply to find out how the completely over-matched Earth will fight the aliens.
Audiobook purchased for review by ABR.
A great book that trips over itself.
Mankind is infiltrated by powerful, greedy aliens who are going to wipe humankind off the planet so they can use it for themselves. However, they need to do this subtlety and efficiently, so mankind doesn’t find out, panic and launch nukes. No sense taking over a planet if it is spoiled. The aliens plant personalities into eight, super-strong, smart androids who can and do infiltrate the Earth’s countries with nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, stealthy satellites watch overhead, assisting the androids and zapping anyone who threatens their plan. It is a lucky, misanthropic astrophysicist who discovers the plot and recruits some unlikely friends to protect the Earth.
Fear the Sky starts off so well, so engaging, you just can’t stop listening. Funny, quirky, likable characters that are refreshing and real, and you know you are in for a great book. About a third of the way in, they seem to lose their shine and start become two dimensional. The plot, so interesting and engaging at first begins to flatten, becoming linear and predictable. There really is no doubt during the listen who is going to prevail.
But by this time, the story has so much momentum it is easy to slide into home. The book itself is not disappointing; rather it is fun and entertaining, well worth the listen, just that it could have been so much more. It never felt all that long, even at 20 plus hours (almost double most audio books), but it might have benefited from “less is more,” with some thoughtful editing.
R.C. Bray is the Narrator and he is brilliant. He has a unique, deep breathy voice that just keeps you wanting more. He could narrate a cookbook and make it exciting. Bray is one of those narrators you will follow regardless of the book.
This is a flawed great book, well worth the listen. Will you want to listen to volume 2? It seems likely, if simply to find out how the completely over-matched Earth will fight the aliens.
Audiobook purchased for review by ABR.
March 12, 2023
This feels more like a political action thriller, even though there are aliens and a bit of advanced tech. The setting is present-day, and the focus is primarily on the human side of the struggle so this is probably more like near-fi than true sci-fi. But that's just being picky, because I loved it! The story was very engaging, and I couldn't stop until it was over. I thought the author did an excellent job of deftly weaving the alien threat into modern day life, just enough to make it believable. It definitely plays on our modern suspicions of perpetual surveillance and the omniscient powers of "big brother."
The technical information was interesting and enough to give you a good visual of an object's capabilities while still being relevant to the story, BUT not so much that it went off on lengthy, irrelevant tangents that make you wonder when your novel turned into a textbook (I'm looking at you, Neal Stephenson).
I experienced Fear the Sky as an audio book, so I was able to avoid the issues that others described with poor editing. I'm very glad I did, because I've put down other books for bad editing and it would be a shame to have missed this.
For reference, the audio book is narrated by R.C. Bray, who also narrated The Martian, and the performance was incredible. I felt totally involved in the story, and the inflection and pacing were right on point. If you tried to read this book previously and were turned off by things like bad punctuation and typesetting, try the audio version instead. You will hear it as the author intended, and you will not be sorry.
***SPOILER***
A criticism, imo, would be that if anyone got into any trouble, or there was a problem, one of the double agents, especially John Hunt, seemed to swoop in with his tireless, powerful android body to save the day. It wasn't a totally pervasive issue, but it happened often enough for me to notice and feel that the double agents were being used as a deus ex machina. It's a minor criticism, though, and it didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the book.
The technical information was interesting and enough to give you a good visual of an object's capabilities while still being relevant to the story, BUT not so much that it went off on lengthy, irrelevant tangents that make you wonder when your novel turned into a textbook (I'm looking at you, Neal Stephenson).
I experienced Fear the Sky as an audio book, so I was able to avoid the issues that others described with poor editing. I'm very glad I did, because I've put down other books for bad editing and it would be a shame to have missed this.
For reference, the audio book is narrated by R.C. Bray, who also narrated The Martian, and the performance was incredible. I felt totally involved in the story, and the inflection and pacing were right on point. If you tried to read this book previously and were turned off by things like bad punctuation and typesetting, try the audio version instead. You will hear it as the author intended, and you will not be sorry.
***SPOILER***
A criticism, imo, would be that if anyone got into any trouble, or there was a problem, one of the double agents, especially John Hunt, seemed to swoop in with his tireless, powerful android body to save the day. It wasn't a totally pervasive issue, but it happened often enough for me to notice and feel that the double agents were being used as a deus ex machina. It's a minor criticism, though, and it didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2014
This story was freaking awesome and I could hardly put it down. The character development and technical detail was great. So many layers going on. The story got more and more action packed with small skirmishes on land, and larger ones the atmosphere and in the air. War planes battling, aliens androids duking it out, subterfuge, tactical warfare, massive explosions, espionage, sci-fi..you name it. I was thoroughly impressed and can't wait for the continuation. If I had to complain about one thing it's the authors constant use of the word "proverbial" . I think he uses it around 26 times. But that's just nit picking. Get this book!
January 5, 2017
This was a fun one!
In an omg-the-end-is-coming scary kind of a way.
Alien race is coming. Obviously, they are more technologically advanced, otherwise we'd be coming to them. So... be exhilarated or be afraid?
Afraid, as we soon find out. They already did to their planet what we're now doing to ours and need to find a new home. And they really like our planet.
But they know we have nukes.
And the fear of making the entire planet uninhabitable in our pathetic efforts to defend ourselves made them come in quietly. A vanguard saboteur team of agents is dispatched to disable our nuclear defenses, so when the main army arrives and their intentions become crystal clear they are sure we cannot ruin the planet for them.
They don't care about humanity. We are pests to be exterminated. Perhaps enslaved if they could find a use for us, but that may be a troublesome task.
And so it begins.
Stephen Moss weaved a beautifully dark story. It's rich and flows naturally. I never felt elements of the story or characters forced because author had an idea and was leading events to that point. Things just fit together like a puzzle.
This version was narrated by R.C. Bray, who I absolutely loved in the Martian!
And just now I realized that for some inexplicable reason I haven't written a review of that book. Not like it needs it, though... the book has 250.000 5* ratings! :O
So if you haven't read it already, shame on you :-) If you have, I hope you listened to audiobook version! R.C. Bray was the best possible Mark Watney I could imagine.
Don't get me wrong, I'm such a big Ray Porter fanboy that I've decided 'Ray' is going to be my next kid's name if I get a boy. But R.C. was born to narrate that book.
In Fear the Sky he does an equally epic job. You're sucked in by his voice and the grand story shaping in front of your eyes that you'll miss that one bus stop just so you could walk back and listen some more.
Gods know it works on me! I'm supposed to run 5km in the gym but I always do extra. I'm going to become sexy and lean beast because of Stephen Moss' and R.C. Bray's combined goodness!
I can't wait for the second book!
My wife, too :-)
One thing I immediately liked about the book was the unusual start of it. It hinted at the way the story was going to be told.
There was a shift of perspective between the characters, and with it the power of their emotions, capabilities and intentions. Like when you have 10 people telling interesting stories and they take turns talking.
Whoever speaks next you instantly like! And can't wait to hear what they have to say. Absence of the main character can have a disastrous consequences if tale isn't told properly.
This one is deep, well paced and very interesting. You end up caring for the bad guys as well! What?! Stephen, I'd give your masterpiece 6* if I only could.
I split the reading (listening, really) in two parts, as I had to pick up the pace with other ones in order to finish them in time. End of 2016 reading challenge was approaching fast!
If you're wondering - I made it! 31/30!
If you weren't wondering... well, now you know anyway :-)
When I picked it up again yesterday I had almost 5 straight hours of listening and that much more to go. It was 3am and I had to give up. So I finished it today. I did nothing but listen to this audiobook.
I told my friends I have an important assignment so they won't call me out for drink. Told my boss I may be coming down with something and possibly won't be at work tomorrow, just in case I needed more time with the book.
I haven't had that feeling since Patient Zero! I told my wife I'll be away on a business trip back then, but please don't tell her :-)
Now I turned off my computer, my email, messengers, phone, tablet, you name it. I wanted complete and total silence so I could enjoy the end to the fullest. And enjoy it I did.
Fear the Sky is exactly the kind of a book I love. Compare your books to mine, and if we match over 70% stop whatever you're doing and go get the book.
When you're done with it, you'll be glad you chose this particular review to read to help you decide if the book is worth your time :-)
In an omg-the-end-is-coming scary kind of a way.
Alien race is coming. Obviously, they are more technologically advanced, otherwise we'd be coming to them. So... be exhilarated or be afraid?
Afraid, as we soon find out. They already did to their planet what we're now doing to ours and need to find a new home. And they really like our planet.
But they know we have nukes.
And the fear of making the entire planet uninhabitable in our pathetic efforts to defend ourselves made them come in quietly. A vanguard saboteur team of agents is dispatched to disable our nuclear defenses, so when the main army arrives and their intentions become crystal clear they are sure we cannot ruin the planet for them.
They don't care about humanity. We are pests to be exterminated. Perhaps enslaved if they could find a use for us, but that may be a troublesome task.
And so it begins.
Stephen Moss weaved a beautifully dark story. It's rich and flows naturally. I never felt elements of the story or characters forced because author had an idea and was leading events to that point. Things just fit together like a puzzle.
This version was narrated by R.C. Bray, who I absolutely loved in the Martian!
And just now I realized that for some inexplicable reason I haven't written a review of that book. Not like it needs it, though... the book has 250.000 5* ratings! :O
So if you haven't read it already, shame on you :-) If you have, I hope you listened to audiobook version! R.C. Bray was the best possible Mark Watney I could imagine.
Don't get me wrong, I'm such a big Ray Porter fanboy that I've decided 'Ray' is going to be my next kid's name if I get a boy. But R.C. was born to narrate that book.
In Fear the Sky he does an equally epic job. You're sucked in by his voice and the grand story shaping in front of your eyes that you'll miss that one bus stop just so you could walk back and listen some more.
Gods know it works on me! I'm supposed to run 5km in the gym but I always do extra. I'm going to become sexy and lean beast because of Stephen Moss' and R.C. Bray's combined goodness!
I can't wait for the second book!
My wife, too :-)
One thing I immediately liked about the book was the unusual start of it. It hinted at the way the story was going to be told.
There was a shift of perspective between the characters, and with it the power of their emotions, capabilities and intentions. Like when you have 10 people telling interesting stories and they take turns talking.
Whoever speaks next you instantly like! And can't wait to hear what they have to say. Absence of the main character can have a disastrous consequences if tale isn't told properly.
This one is deep, well paced and very interesting. You end up caring for the bad guys as well! What?! Stephen, I'd give your masterpiece 6* if I only could.
I split the reading (listening, really) in two parts, as I had to pick up the pace with other ones in order to finish them in time. End of 2016 reading challenge was approaching fast!
If you're wondering - I made it! 31/30!
If you weren't wondering... well, now you know anyway :-)
When I picked it up again yesterday I had almost 5 straight hours of listening and that much more to go. It was 3am and I had to give up. So I finished it today. I did nothing but listen to this audiobook.
I told my friends I have an important assignment so they won't call me out for drink. Told my boss I may be coming down with something and possibly won't be at work tomorrow, just in case I needed more time with the book.
I haven't had that feeling since Patient Zero! I told my wife I'll be away on a business trip back then, but please don't tell her :-)
Now I turned off my computer, my email, messengers, phone, tablet, you name it. I wanted complete and total silence so I could enjoy the end to the fullest. And enjoy it I did.
Fear the Sky is exactly the kind of a book I love. Compare your books to mine, and if we match over 70% stop whatever you're doing and go get the book.
When you're done with it, you'll be glad you chose this particular review to read to help you decide if the book is worth your time :-)
March 11, 2015
WINNER!
What a gripping story. We have a combination of excellent sci-fi with espionage, infiltration, military action, generally smart characters with excellent and varied personalities - including the AI and embedded personalities.
There's action on the sea, land, air, and space. The character Neil almost reminds me of Ellie from Contact. Humble beginnings but blossoms into full-blown center of focus. The military officers are more patriotic than selfish.
The dialog is mature and interesting. The thoughtfulness of the characters (good and bad) comes through well.
Just a great find for me. I can't wait until the second audio book is released later this month.
What a gripping story. We have a combination of excellent sci-fi with espionage, infiltration, military action, generally smart characters with excellent and varied personalities - including the AI and embedded personalities.
There's action on the sea, land, air, and space. The character Neil almost reminds me of Ellie from Contact. Humble beginnings but blossoms into full-blown center of focus. The military officers are more patriotic than selfish.
The dialog is mature and interesting. The thoughtfulness of the characters (good and bad) comes through well.
Just a great find for me. I can't wait until the second audio book is released later this month.
May 25, 2014
This one was a surprise to me. It lulls you into a false sense of security, even as it hints at something bigger, and then it really hits you. Then things return to normal and it seems almost safe for a while again and then the ground opens up underneath you and you are falling on a roller coaster to the very end. A lot going on here. Very creative. I am super keen for the next book.
August 10, 2017
This is what a book would be like if Tom Clancy wrote sci-fi. A fun thriller, albeit a bit simplistic, with technical undertones and non-stop action. My only complaint is the characters. They are too perfect. It feels like Stephen Moss is in love with them and they can do no wrong.
February 11, 2025
Fun 🤩 alien invasion story with lots of details about science and military legistics and politics that would b needed to survive.
An asteroid suddenly breaks into pieces before it hits earth and the pieces land in the deepest places of ocean around the globe, suspicious most governments dont look beyond this fortitous gift, until its noticed they all landed next to countries with known nuclear capabilities…. And lots of unexplained events begin to follow, leading to inly 1 conclusion… an invasion is coming.
While we follow a dedicated group of relatable characters, which one we follow most changes through the novel as events change. I found this to eventually erode my interest in the story, which is a shame. While I still enjoyed the general plot… it could have been something truely addictive but instead the author felt a bit inexperienced and got lost in superflous details.
An asteroid suddenly breaks into pieces before it hits earth and the pieces land in the deepest places of ocean around the globe, suspicious most governments dont look beyond this fortitous gift, until its noticed they all landed next to countries with known nuclear capabilities…. And lots of unexplained events begin to follow, leading to inly 1 conclusion… an invasion is coming.
While we follow a dedicated group of relatable characters, which one we follow most changes through the novel as events change. I found this to eventually erode my interest in the story, which is a shame. While I still enjoyed the general plot… it could have been something truely addictive but instead the author felt a bit inexperienced and got lost in superflous details.
March 21, 2020
Notes:
RC Bray is great!
Story has promise but the author is going the route of juggling many events/POV's.
RC Bray is great!
Story has promise but the author is going the route of juggling many events/POV's.
March 31, 2020
A slow, but necessary start to this book gives way to a helluva ride that i can only describe as a mix of the Three Body Problem and Terminator series. Even then, this book does such a great job of feeling unique in a genre that can often feel like a palette swap between books. I'm starting the second book immediately!
August 14, 2019
Fear the Sky sounds interesting enough. The synopsis hooked me, after all, and being on a huge sci-fi kick, I eagerly added it to my Audible library. Oh boy. Disclaimer: I gave up on this book at 20%, roughly 12 chapters in. You might say, "you didn't give it a chance." But I counter, at 20% in, I had already dedicated over 4 and a half hours! If a book can't hook you in that time, there is a problem. Or many problems!
Fear the Sky moves at an arduous pace, not unlike tree sap in the cold seasons. Copious exposition is used to describe the "object" moving through space, the odds of its trajectory, and how it would unlikely hit earth, and if it did, the odds of it making impact with the ground. This part wasn't uninteresting, but I grew impatient, wading through gobs of information and waiting for the story to start. Then we're introduced to our main character, or at least one of them. He's a PhD student working at a USAF monitoring station, and splitting his time between complaining about insufficient bandwidth and using government computers to search for porn. This is how memorable he is as a character - that I cannot remember his name. It should be no wonder, though. If you read the synopsis for the book, not only is the entire plot of the book spelled out for us, but nowhere are any of the character's of interest mentioned! Seriously? Strange. I know there are a lot of characters, evidently, but a story has to pivot around a few, strong, character's voices, and one would think they at least be included in the synopsis. Instead, we are treated to a spoiler-filled description, which like Moss's writing style, leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination.
That brings me to my next point - the writing. Moss's prose isn't bad, or he has a really good editor. But he insists on spoon feeding us every, tiny, bit or detail. Anything he feels we need know, we know. Even, mind you, information that isn't recognizable to the characters moving the plot along. We call this unearned information, and there is a lot of it. There is no nuance, - please don't mistaken nuance or subtlety for snarky or clever writing. Clever or snarky writing for its own sake is simply self serving. While reading, I found myself constantly imagining how the scenes, or elements, could have been written, and how the right approach could have crafted an incredibly intriguing and mysterious story. But that's just it, there is no intrigue, no mystery. Instead, the 3rd person/omniscient point of view jumps into every character's head, tells us exactly what they are thinking, and ultimately leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination. Good writers craft stories of people who are close to, or are affected by mysterious happenstances, and the story unfolds around them to reveal the larger plot at work. This story, gives us pretty much everything upfront, holds our hand along the way, like an automated, slow moving, guided tour. Achievement unlocked: imagination disengaged. For me, once that happens, I officially remove myself from the book.
R.C Bray isn't a horrible narrator. He has a good voice, But I found his tone to get a little monotone, and at times, it, mixed with the writing, lulled me into a stupor. It is one of the first audiobooks I've ever listened to that didn't hold my attention, and when I realized that I had missed something, or been distracted, I wasn't worried about backing up and investigating what I'd missed. I won't bother with any more of Moss's books. Granted, this is all my personal preference. Take each review for what they are, a person's personal reaction. If it's all the same, I recommend moving along, or giving the sample a good, hard listen. This book is not for everyone.
This is the first book, in any medium, I have ever returned.
Fear the Sky moves at an arduous pace, not unlike tree sap in the cold seasons. Copious exposition is used to describe the "object" moving through space, the odds of its trajectory, and how it would unlikely hit earth, and if it did, the odds of it making impact with the ground. This part wasn't uninteresting, but I grew impatient, wading through gobs of information and waiting for the story to start. Then we're introduced to our main character, or at least one of them. He's a PhD student working at a USAF monitoring station, and splitting his time between complaining about insufficient bandwidth and using government computers to search for porn. This is how memorable he is as a character - that I cannot remember his name. It should be no wonder, though. If you read the synopsis for the book, not only is the entire plot of the book spelled out for us, but nowhere are any of the character's of interest mentioned! Seriously? Strange. I know there are a lot of characters, evidently, but a story has to pivot around a few, strong, character's voices, and one would think they at least be included in the synopsis. Instead, we are treated to a spoiler-filled description, which like Moss's writing style, leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination.
That brings me to my next point - the writing. Moss's prose isn't bad, or he has a really good editor. But he insists on spoon feeding us every, tiny, bit or detail. Anything he feels we need know, we know. Even, mind you, information that isn't recognizable to the characters moving the plot along. We call this unearned information, and there is a lot of it. There is no nuance, - please don't mistaken nuance or subtlety for snarky or clever writing. Clever or snarky writing for its own sake is simply self serving. While reading, I found myself constantly imagining how the scenes, or elements, could have been written, and how the right approach could have crafted an incredibly intriguing and mysterious story. But that's just it, there is no intrigue, no mystery. Instead, the 3rd person/omniscient point of view jumps into every character's head, tells us exactly what they are thinking, and ultimately leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination. Good writers craft stories of people who are close to, or are affected by mysterious happenstances, and the story unfolds around them to reveal the larger plot at work. This story, gives us pretty much everything upfront, holds our hand along the way, like an automated, slow moving, guided tour. Achievement unlocked: imagination disengaged. For me, once that happens, I officially remove myself from the book.
R.C Bray isn't a horrible narrator. He has a good voice, But I found his tone to get a little monotone, and at times, it, mixed with the writing, lulled me into a stupor. It is one of the first audiobooks I've ever listened to that didn't hold my attention, and when I realized that I had missed something, or been distracted, I wasn't worried about backing up and investigating what I'd missed. I won't bother with any more of Moss's books. Granted, this is all my personal preference. Take each review for what they are, a person's personal reaction. If it's all the same, I recommend moving along, or giving the sample a good, hard listen. This book is not for everyone.
This is the first book, in any medium, I have ever returned.
May 19, 2018
All alien invasions are not alike!
(an audiobook review)
This story will take you down the a path to a whole other way our lonely blue world could be invaded. For once, the reasons why are thoroughly explained. Its not just some random invasion. A complete plan is presented and the story is told from several sides as this tale spreads out.
That characters are pretty well explained. Some a bit one directional in their purpose but its not done poorly. Coming to planet with near "terminator" like abilities really steps up the action in this story. At times I felt like this was a cross between the movie Species and Terminator actually. The aliens that come to earth are an advance assault team. They are all AI with copied mind states of actually living beings back on their home world.
Nothing about this story wasn't left to be assumed. Meaning everything was decently explained. It all fit into our existing modern world with a few steps up fitting in alien technology.
My biggest beef was with some of the story with how it was told. Its nothing bad. Not even terrible enough to really tack down but compared to other scifi tales I love, this does not fully measure up. Perhaps a central main character would have helped. The narrator did a decent job with voices and explaining things as well. I had zero problems with him.
So I can't say run out and buy or download this. Id recommend this to try out if you have nothing else on your plate while waiting for an exciting new title to come out.
(an audiobook review)
This story will take you down the a path to a whole other way our lonely blue world could be invaded. For once, the reasons why are thoroughly explained. Its not just some random invasion. A complete plan is presented and the story is told from several sides as this tale spreads out.
That characters are pretty well explained. Some a bit one directional in their purpose but its not done poorly. Coming to planet with near "terminator" like abilities really steps up the action in this story. At times I felt like this was a cross between the movie Species and Terminator actually. The aliens that come to earth are an advance assault team. They are all AI with copied mind states of actually living beings back on their home world.
Nothing about this story wasn't left to be assumed. Meaning everything was decently explained. It all fit into our existing modern world with a few steps up fitting in alien technology.
My biggest beef was with some of the story with how it was told. Its nothing bad. Not even terrible enough to really tack down but compared to other scifi tales I love, this does not fully measure up. Perhaps a central main character would have helped. The narrator did a decent job with voices and explaining things as well. I had zero problems with him.
So I can't say run out and buy or download this. Id recommend this to try out if you have nothing else on your plate while waiting for an exciting new title to come out.
October 30, 2015
This definitely had a Niven feel to it. An Alien invasion story that involves characters from around the world, different cultures and background all coming together to save humanity. I thought the plot was well developed without dragging. Once the action started it was hold on to your set time.
The aliens themselves were extremely interesting and as with many trilogies we don't get as much info as we would like in this first book. The aliens did not pass my personal test of "alienness". But I beleive we will get a better feel for them in the next book.
Nice escapism, recommended.
The aliens themselves were extremely interesting and as with many trilogies we don't get as much info as we would like in this first book. The aliens did not pass my personal test of "alienness". But I beleive we will get a better feel for them in the next book.
Nice escapism, recommended.
June 25, 2014
This book is brilliant. Really grabs hold of you and doesn't let you off, which is why I found myself still reading it at 1:15 in the morning before finally finding a chapter end where I could pause.
However, there are a number of spelling/grammar issues in it (you're instead of your, loosing instead of losing), which surprised me. Needs a better editor.
Really looking forward to the next one though.
However, there are a number of spelling/grammar issues in it (you're instead of your, loosing instead of losing), which surprised me. Needs a better editor.
Really looking forward to the next one though.
March 22, 2017
des ET façon super héros une simili science l'auteur bombardant le lecteur d'affirmations techniques répétitives et finalement peu intéressantes car bien trop longues pour une histoire qui se fonde sur une guerre entre ET et des préparations contre une invasion future
vite lu vite oublié
Ne restera pas dans ma bibliothèque même virtuelle mais je peux comprendre que certains y trouvent de quoi satisfaire leur imaginaire
vite lu vite oublié
Ne restera pas dans ma bibliothèque même virtuelle mais je peux comprendre que certains y trouvent de quoi satisfaire leur imaginaire
April 13, 2015
Tediously Boring
Do not get this book! I do not understand the Raving reviews. I skipped pages only to find that still nothing was happening. Author needs to get his head out of his own butt.
Do not get this book! I do not understand the Raving reviews. I skipped pages only to find that still nothing was happening. Author needs to get his head out of his own butt.
May 28, 2015
Riveting! A nail biter from start to finish. It is full of science fiction technology that is grounded just enough in real science that you believe that the fiction can really happen. This aspect pulls the reader in deeper than if it made this new technology more magic than science. Good book!
Read
December 28, 2021DNF for personal taste reasons. The prose style was okay, but there were small things that got under my skin and they just kept happening. Instead of trying to soldier through the rest of the book and give it a low grade I figured it would be better just to DNF.
I was intrigued because aliens coming to Earth is one of my more favored tropes in scifi. Scientists spot what they think is a meteor, but it turns out to be aliens. They send their people here to Earth because they want our planet -- that's about as far as I got since I wasn't gelling with the prose style or the characters.
I was intrigued because aliens coming to Earth is one of my more favored tropes in scifi. Scientists spot what they think is a meteor, but it turns out to be aliens. They send their people here to Earth because they want our planet -- that's about as far as I got since I wasn't gelling with the prose style or the characters.
April 7, 2025
4.5 stars, but not enough to put it over the edge to 5. Really enjoyed the story even though there are some inevitable holes between the all-powerful alien species. It's understandable how the team goes about their secret plans, but a little far-fetched at times given the capabilities of them.
I'll be moving onto book 2 (audio book) to see where it goes, but it won't have the longest leash.
I'll be moving onto book 2 (audio book) to see where it goes, but it won't have the longest leash.
April 28, 2018
It's an Okay book. Like the twists and turn of the story, but the characters all sound the same.
A nice read, will give the next one a try.
A nice read, will give the next one a try.
August 25, 2020
An interesting take on alien invasion. A good read. Hope to get the remaining books in the series at some point and read them, too.
April 5, 2021
Easily one extra star for RC Bray’s narration.
July 2, 2023
Just don’t bother.
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