Underwater Restorations

Sunken City Capers #0.5

by Jeffrey A. Ballard

High-tech Thievery.

Betrayal. On the run.

Flushed out from the criminal underworld of pilfering underwater graves, Isa must gamble to survive. Cut off from the world she knows, and in the open without a citizen’s chip, she attempts the desperate. Among the stakes gambled: another man’s life—the only decent one she knows.

In this fast-paced, action-filled science fiction adventure, Jeffrey A. Ballard, pens an exciting tale where loyalty could get you killed … or worse, arrested.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction

64 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2015

About the author

Jeffrey A. Ballard writes and lives in the Texas Hill Country just outside of Austin. From a small child he has always been fascinated with the ocean, leading him to earn a B.S. in Ocean Engineering from FAU and a M.S. in Acoustics from Penn State.

His overactive imagination followed him into academia, where he is currently a researcher at the University of Texas. Eventually, he circled back to a boyhood ambition of writing down all his daydreams. He writes daily now and has found a wonderful second life for his college textbooks.

You can learn more and sign up for his mailing list and news of his latest releases at www.jaballard.com.

Reviews

[Linda Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story I enjoyed reading I thought it was wonderfully written and a amazing piece of literature. My thanks to the author Jeffrey A. Ballard for the pleasure of reading his amazing book .This book I would be delighted to recommend this story to my friends so to all happy reading and enjoy from wee me. xxx♥

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this one read on the StarShipSofa podcast. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it; I had a difficult time distinguishing between the reader's characters.

Wonder if he's related to Robert Ballard, underwater explorer of Titanic fame? Enjoyed the tech and Isa's sense of humanity that ultimately changes the outcome.

[Ami Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, quick read that explained how the team met the rookie team member Winn and why they needed to move to Seattle.

[Alysa H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing can be a little rough around the edges but this short novella sure did make me want to spend more time in this story-world. The characters, the heist plot, the near-futuristic setting. It all works great. I will definitely be checking out the first full-length book in the series.

[Liza · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a short prequel.

I saw a review of this book where someone said they didn't connect to the characters due to the shortness of the story. I'd already read book 1 and so I could immediately relate to the characters and the world.

Probably better after book 1

[Peter Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised with this prequel novelette. It was a well-crafted, original story with believable characters and world building. It is good thing that I've also got the first couple of books.

[Simon Gianoutsos · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't get into this book. There were some portions I enjoyed, but I didn't feel connection with the characters, and am not compelled to read more than this novelette.

[Ricki · Rating 1 out of 5]

For a prequel/introduction, I had a very hard time figuring out what was going on and who the characters were, much less had time to figure out the world.

[Kerry Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting quick read. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Great characters with interesting back stories.

[Joe Jungers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice & Quick.
Lays the groundwork for later capers.

[Sam - Spines in a Line · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A quick read for your Sunday! This futuristic short story follows Isa and her crew of thieves as they plunder sunken homes for artwork to sell on the black market. It’s a very unique plot and the characters are fun to get to know. I wished it could’ve been longer! I’d love to see more of the friendship between Puo and Isa at play.

My main problem with it is that I had trouble reading Isa as a woman, since it's in first-person we aren't immediately aware of her gender. I had to deliberately put myself in her shoes to try and get the desired reading so it was always a little off.

While I understand short stories often have to jump right in without setting up the plot, the author’s cold-open left me completely in the dark. I really needed some background to understand what was going on. Some of this may have been for intrigue and suspense but I was just confused so these techniques didn’t work for me. I did remedy that by re-reading the beginning so all was not lost, but a little more detail would’ve been appreciated! (maybe it's that I just prefer novels to short stories)

Now that I do know what’s going on, I hope there are more tales from the sea because it feels like the author is just getting started with this story. I’m excited to see where this will go!

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story! Too short. :(
I received this short story through Goodreads' Giveaways, and I'm surprised its not one sponsored by Amazon or some big publishing company. This is a great read, and I was left craving a whole lot more of it.
The story telling is great. The sci-fi tech is great. The setting/world building is great. This even had a great editor (or a careful author) because I didn't see any grammar or spelling mistakes common to the smaller giveaways one finds on Goodreads.
The story centers around a group of three thieves in this future world setting with their future tech to aid their crimes. The characters each have their distinctive character traits (the smart female leader, the intelligent capable male partner, and the new guy with undiscovered skills). I felt immediately at home in this world, which says a lot for Mr. Ballard's ability.
In summary, I have nothing negative to say about this short and eagerly look forward to reading more.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightfully original romp, featuring three of the most instantly likeable nare-do-wells to come along in a while. Isa Schmidt is the reluctant daughter of the boss the man who runs all the criminal activity in Atlanta and the leader of the group, Puo is a safecracking genius and the pilot of the Seagull/Pelican and Winn is Isa's maybe lover and the rookie on the team a surgeon who was sued for malpractice. It's the setting eighty years after the mega quake that left thousands of major cities and even whole states underwater that creates the basis for the underwater recovery of priceless jewelry and art. The fact that this activity is also highly illegal is what makes this story so original. I am so looking forward to joining the crew of the Pelican for more action packed fun.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a fun read. Underwater Restorations is a taster novella for Ballard's first novel in a new series, The Solid State Shuffle, coming for release in late 2016. It's an action-packed sci-fi/theft adventure, with well developed characters and excellent world building in just 44 pages. Can't wait to read the next story.

The plot revolves around a trio of outlaw art thieves who get ratted out to the feds and have their loyalties tested in a race against time. Really well written and engaging. Plus an interesting underwater/above ground futuristic world. Definitely tracking down more of Ballard's work.

I received this novella as a Goodreads First Read in exchange for honest feedback.

[Dev · Rating 3 out of 5]

so i actually read the 'first' book in the series before reading this novella prequel and i've given them both 3 stars. i mean they are very solid and the whole concept of the universe and the gadgets and everything they have are very creative, and the suspense when they are on heists is really good as well. i guess the characters still just seem a little bit 2-dimensional to me. and i hate how harshly isa seems to judge all the other women that show up in the series [only happened once in this novella but happened a TON in the first book]. i may continue with the series if i ever catch them on a sale [i got the two i've read through instafreebie], but otherwise i'm good where i am.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isa and Winn's first kiss

I loved this story. It was a perfect introduction to all three, Isa, Puo and Winn. Its the first look into the lives of all three and the start of a love story.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
This is a fun read. The plot is interesting and the characters are engaging. I can't wait for the full length novel later this year.
Good job, Jeffrey!

[Alan T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Art theft

Isa and Puo are art theives and high tech swindlers on the East Coast of the US.
They are breaking in as a team member Winn, a surgeon who is working the shady side of the law after losing a malpractice suit.

Good charectorization and plotting.

[∞Bertha _ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting and fun to read! Lots of edge-of-your seat moments. Great descriptive details throughout! Thanks to author Jeffrey Ballard for providing an electronic copy of it.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I really loved this book and it's characters. They were well developed with a great action packed storyline. Well done and a great read.

[Matt Kelland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, sci-fi crime caper with enjoyable characters and an action-filled story. I'm looking forward to reading the full-length novel in late 2016.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from a goodreads giveaway. I enjoyed reading this book. A short read, but had enough detail and action to really interest me.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise of this novelette was interesting and I will be interested in the coming novel, but this felt more like an introduction to the characters than a story.

[Ryan Durfee · Rating 4 out of 5]

won this book in a giveaway, was a really fast & enjoyable read. would love to see this expanded into a longer book. keep up the great work man, looking forward t reading yr next one!

[Jesse Deleon]

Fantastic start to the series!.

Thank you Jeffrey A. Ballard for a fantastic start to your series. This is only the second time I've have use this heading. I'm your newest fan.

[R.M. Ambrose]

I loved this story and was glad to have the opportunity to produce it on the StarShipSofa podcast.