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Ruse
A utopian world has one flaw and his name is Mikael.
After The Great War, Felestia became what it was meant to be, a world of peace, a world of hope. The Seratian Dynasty became more than a dream. It became a way of life. That is, until Mikeal discovers a truth that will turn their utopian society upside down as the wool is pulled from their eyes. A ruse so devastating that society may crumble.
After The Great War, Felestia became what it was meant to be, a world of peace, a world of hope. The Seratian Dynasty became more than a dream. It became a way of life. That is, until Mikeal discovers a truth that will turn their utopian society upside down as the wool is pulled from their eyes. A ruse so devastating that society may crumble.
17 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 17, 2015
1 person is currently reading
12 people want to read
About the author
Drew Avera
95 books167 followersDrew Avera is a Navy veteran, musician, and the bestselling author of the Dead Planet series and the Alorian Wars.
He was born and raised in rural Mississippi and grew up with a deep affection for comic books and science fiction movies and television shows. At one point he boasted a comic book collection with more than 1,000 issues. His love for comics inspired him to pursue a career as a comic book artist, but an injury to his hand ended that dream permanently.
Still, he was inspired to create in one medium or the other. He picked up a guitar at fifteen years old and began writing songs almost immediately. That “obsession” as his parents called it put him on the path to rock stardom…in his bedroom.
It was when he turned sixteen and bought the novel “What Savage Beast” by Peter David (The Incredible Hulk) that he caught the bug to be a writer. Unfortunately, it would not come to fruition until fourteen years later.
Drew enlisted in the US Navy as an Aviation Electricians Mate at seventeen years old. He served twenty years and deployed on four combat deployments to the Persian Gulf. During those deployments he would spend his free time reading books. He loved reading books in a series and that inspired his journey to becoming a fiction author.
In November 2012, at the age of thirty, Drew began his journey as an author by participating in national Novel Writing Month (NANoWriMo). He published his first book in March of 2013 and the rest, as they say, is history. With more than twenty books published in the space opera, military science fiction, cyberpunk, and dystopian genres, he has built a backlog with something for everyone who enjoys science fiction adventures.
After retiring from the Navy, he began an exciting new career in the simulation field. Drew is now focusing his efforts on building upon what he learned in his first eight years of publishing. He has plans for an all-new space opera and military science fiction series as well as new collaborations with other writers.
The best is yet to come!
To learn more about Drew and his books, visit www.drewavera.com.
Subscribe to Drew’s newsletter for updates on new releases, or follow his Amazon Author Page to receive updates directly from Amazon.
The Alorian Wars (Space Opera/Military Science Fiction Series)
Broken Worlds
Deadly Refuge
Mutiny Rising
Shadow Empire
Regime Change
The Dead Planet Series (Cyberpunk/Dystopian)
Exodus
Verity
Endgame
The Syndicate Series (Cyberpunk)
Rise of the Syndicate
Eye of the Syndicate
Other books
Traitor
Skye Byrn
He was born and raised in rural Mississippi and grew up with a deep affection for comic books and science fiction movies and television shows. At one point he boasted a comic book collection with more than 1,000 issues. His love for comics inspired him to pursue a career as a comic book artist, but an injury to his hand ended that dream permanently.
Still, he was inspired to create in one medium or the other. He picked up a guitar at fifteen years old and began writing songs almost immediately. That “obsession” as his parents called it put him on the path to rock stardom…in his bedroom.
It was when he turned sixteen and bought the novel “What Savage Beast” by Peter David (The Incredible Hulk) that he caught the bug to be a writer. Unfortunately, it would not come to fruition until fourteen years later.
Drew enlisted in the US Navy as an Aviation Electricians Mate at seventeen years old. He served twenty years and deployed on four combat deployments to the Persian Gulf. During those deployments he would spend his free time reading books. He loved reading books in a series and that inspired his journey to becoming a fiction author.
In November 2012, at the age of thirty, Drew began his journey as an author by participating in national Novel Writing Month (NANoWriMo). He published his first book in March of 2013 and the rest, as they say, is history. With more than twenty books published in the space opera, military science fiction, cyberpunk, and dystopian genres, he has built a backlog with something for everyone who enjoys science fiction adventures.
After retiring from the Navy, he began an exciting new career in the simulation field. Drew is now focusing his efforts on building upon what he learned in his first eight years of publishing. He has plans for an all-new space opera and military science fiction series as well as new collaborations with other writers.
The best is yet to come!
To learn more about Drew and his books, visit www.drewavera.com.
Subscribe to Drew’s newsletter for updates on new releases, or follow his Amazon Author Page to receive updates directly from Amazon.
The Alorian Wars (Space Opera/Military Science Fiction Series)
Broken Worlds
Deadly Refuge
Mutiny Rising
Shadow Empire
Regime Change
The Dead Planet Series (Cyberpunk/Dystopian)
Exodus
Verity
Endgame
The Syndicate Series (Cyberpunk)
Rise of the Syndicate
Eye of the Syndicate
Other books
Traitor
Skye Byrn
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 24, 2016
Ruse by Drew Avera Mikael and his friend Geoff are about to have the worst day of their young lives. Set in a sweeping backdrop of empires and dynasties, this one walled off city is about to learn a hard truth.
I’m no stranger to the works of Drew Avera and have enjoyed several of his short stories and novels. In this particular tale, the focus is primarily on Mikael and a few hours of his life. His looks set him apart from the other citizens of Felestia and he takes some teasing for that. He’s often wondered about his parentage. His good friend Geoff doesn’t care about his looks. Mikael runs afoul of the Enforcers when he stumbles upon an odd sight. What follows is the reveal of a big ploy that is being played on all the citizens.
So if you have read Avera’s Reich, which I have, then you will note that the main plot device in Ruse is the same as a major plot device used inReich. Because of that, I could see very early on where the story was going and therefore I believe I had less enjoyment in this tale than I would have otherwise. The plot device was shortened and lifted from a future Earth to this city of Felestia and the names of the characters were changed. Quite frankly, I felt just a touch cheated that Avera hadn’t given me anything new in this story.
Setting that aside, Felestia is described as this utopian society but the story never shows us what that means for the citizens. The tale focuses very tightly on Mikael, so we see very little of what is going on outside of these few hours in his life. I would have liked a little more on the setting to flesh things out.
The plot does move along very quickly and so I was never bored with it. Mikael is the underdog hero of this story and I couldn’t help but root for him. The ending was a little unexpected but made perfectly logical sense given the controlling government. If you haven’t read any of this author’s works, or perhaps you have just touched on his stuff, this would be a good introduction piece.
I’m no stranger to the works of Drew Avera and have enjoyed several of his short stories and novels. In this particular tale, the focus is primarily on Mikael and a few hours of his life. His looks set him apart from the other citizens of Felestia and he takes some teasing for that. He’s often wondered about his parentage. His good friend Geoff doesn’t care about his looks. Mikael runs afoul of the Enforcers when he stumbles upon an odd sight. What follows is the reveal of a big ploy that is being played on all the citizens.
So if you have read Avera’s Reich, which I have, then you will note that the main plot device in Ruse is the same as a major plot device used inReich. Because of that, I could see very early on where the story was going and therefore I believe I had less enjoyment in this tale than I would have otherwise. The plot device was shortened and lifted from a future Earth to this city of Felestia and the names of the characters were changed. Quite frankly, I felt just a touch cheated that Avera hadn’t given me anything new in this story.
Setting that aside, Felestia is described as this utopian society but the story never shows us what that means for the citizens. The tale focuses very tightly on Mikael, so we see very little of what is going on outside of these few hours in his life. I would have liked a little more on the setting to flesh things out.
The plot does move along very quickly and so I was never bored with it. Mikael is the underdog hero of this story and I couldn’t help but root for him. The ending was a little unexpected but made perfectly logical sense given the controlling government. If you haven’t read any of this author’s works, or perhaps you have just touched on his stuff, this would be a good introduction piece.
May 30, 2015
A young man feels different from everyone around him, like he doesn't quite fit. When he gets the attention of the enforcers of the city, he discovers some shattering truths that could bring his very society down.
This was a quick read since it was a short story, but it still felt like a complete story. Of course, you could have read more details and background but for the most part it would have been clutter. Having said that, there is room for a longer story to tell what happens next.
The only quibble I had is true for most stories of this type. A secret this big will always prove to be impossible to keep. No matter how many times, you stop it from being revealed, it only takes one mistake to make it all crumble.
Perhaps, a follow up story of trying to put the genie back into the bottle. Or perhaps that has already happened as well and the whole thing is a cycle of reveal and cover up repeating.
See, it has got me thinking beyond just what was written. Give this one a try
This was a quick read since it was a short story, but it still felt like a complete story. Of course, you could have read more details and background but for the most part it would have been clutter. Having said that, there is room for a longer story to tell what happens next.
The only quibble I had is true for most stories of this type. A secret this big will always prove to be impossible to keep. No matter how many times, you stop it from being revealed, it only takes one mistake to make it all crumble.
Perhaps, a follow up story of trying to put the genie back into the bottle. Or perhaps that has already happened as well and the whole thing is a cycle of reveal and cover up repeating.
See, it has got me thinking beyond just what was written. Give this one a try
March 15, 2016
This was another one of Drew's good stories that you can just sit back and enjoy. It's not long but the way he writes them will blow your mind. Just think if everything you ever thought was real might not be. I guess you will have to read it to get the answer. Just remember Drew always has a few twists in his books.
June 9, 2015
Wow, this is a great fast read. Well written. You fall right in with what is going on with no trouble at all. This would be a great introductory into a much bigger story.
June 18, 2015
The future.
This makes you think about how things could be in the future if we continue on the path we are going.
This makes you think about how things could be in the future if we continue on the path we are going.
April 21, 2016
Good story
Great set up and character build for a short story. I will definitely be looking for longer works from this author
Great set up and character build for a short story. I will definitely be looking for longer works from this author
April 22, 2016
A ripple in the perfect sky
This well crafted short story is quick to read but it's ripples will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned. A sweet little SF gem.
This well crafted short story is quick to read but it's ripples will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned. A sweet little SF gem.
December 30, 2015
Good, complete story. Well written.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews