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WHERE FROM HERE
Nowhere to run. Everything to lose. The one person you must trust, you can’t.
Joette and Jamwon were never supposed to be friends.
Born into rival militant societies separated by centuries of conflict, they forged a secret childhood friendship that grew into something far more dangerous. Joette dreamed they might one day use their positions of power to bring lasting peace to their people. Jamwon dreamed of a future with her.
Neither dream survives the return of war.
After two hundred years of peace, a joint effort to investigate a colossal alien artifact buried beneath the Antarctic ice turns sour. As tensions rise, Joette and Jamwon are sent to renegotiate a failing armistice. But before peace talks can begin, a surprise attack forces them into a maze of ancient military tunnels. Trapped, they desperately search for a way out, needing each other to survive but struggling to come to terms with themselves, the war, and the feelings they have for each other. They hope for new beginnings at the end of the tunnels—but what they find is a broken world even more hostile than before.
In the aftermath of an apocalyptic weapon, millions are dead and their homelands lie in ruins. With the heads of their families gone, Joette and Jamwon inherit the leadership roles they have been groomed for since birth. With both sides consumed by grief, suspicion, and vengeance, they must attempt the impossible: forge a new peace before the weapon’s red clouds spread to the last green lands.
Powerful forces work against them. Old wounds refuse to heal. Dangerous secrets threaten to surface. The absolute trust they once shared hangs by a thread. Though it seems the fate of their world rests in their hands, the greatest threat to what remains of humanity may not be a return to war—but the thing buried beneath the ice.
Joette and Jamwon were never supposed to be friends.
Born into rival militant societies separated by centuries of conflict, they forged a secret childhood friendship that grew into something far more dangerous. Joette dreamed they might one day use their positions of power to bring lasting peace to their people. Jamwon dreamed of a future with her.
Neither dream survives the return of war.
After two hundred years of peace, a joint effort to investigate a colossal alien artifact buried beneath the Antarctic ice turns sour. As tensions rise, Joette and Jamwon are sent to renegotiate a failing armistice. But before peace talks can begin, a surprise attack forces them into a maze of ancient military tunnels. Trapped, they desperately search for a way out, needing each other to survive but struggling to come to terms with themselves, the war, and the feelings they have for each other. They hope for new beginnings at the end of the tunnels—but what they find is a broken world even more hostile than before.
In the aftermath of an apocalyptic weapon, millions are dead and their homelands lie in ruins. With the heads of their families gone, Joette and Jamwon inherit the leadership roles they have been groomed for since birth. With both sides consumed by grief, suspicion, and vengeance, they must attempt the impossible: forge a new peace before the weapon’s red clouds spread to the last green lands.
Powerful forces work against them. Old wounds refuse to heal. Dangerous secrets threaten to surface. The absolute trust they once shared hangs by a thread. Though it seems the fate of their world rests in their hands, the greatest threat to what remains of humanity may not be a return to war—but the thing buried beneath the ice.
354 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2026
About the author
Danny Joe Robb
1 book2 followersDanny Joe Robb is a former professional engineer and retired U.S. Air Force Reserve Colonel. His writing education includes a Certificate in Fiction Writing from the UCLA Writers Extension along with completion of their Masters Course in Novel Writing. He is an alumnus of the Prague Summer Program for Writers. Danny currently resides in Japan with his wife, Mary Tomonaga, and their dogs, Ichiro and Owen.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
As a breakout novel, I found Danny Robb’s Where From Here an exciting and engaging read. I don’t often read a lot of science fiction, but the level of writing and storytelling made this a refreshing take on a wide and varied genre. While the science-fiction elements are strong, much of the story also veers into political intrigue and complicated relationships, all taking place in a surprisingly detailed and imaginative world.
The characters are what really drive the story. Joette and Jamwon both have distinct voices and feel like real people, and the tensions between them that continuously slacken and tighten throughout the book make for some very dramatic and nuanced reading. Their decisions and reactions felt believable even as the circumstances around them became increasingly difficult, testing their loyalties to each other and to their respective peoples. The story also manages to introduce a number of characters with their own goals and motives without becoming overly complicated.
The pacing is probably one of the book’s strongest points. The story gets moving quickly and continues to build, and I often found myself zipping through passages because I wanted to see what would happen next. The chapter endings do a particularly good job of creating suspense, and there is a steady sense of emotion, danger, and urgency as the story develops. Several of the later scenes are genuinely tense and memorable without becoming overly graphic.
I also enjoyed the world-building. Robb has clearly put a lot of thought into the history, societies, technology, landscapes, and creatures of this world. For the most part, the descriptions create a very vivid and realistic image of the setting, and there are some great moments where information is revealed gradually, leaving the reader wanting to understand more. The journey through the ruined landscape was especially effective, with some wonderfully eerie and occasionally terrifying imagery.
If I had one criticism, it would be that some of the descriptions and explanations go on a little longer than I felt was necessary. I could picture the world very clearly, but there were times when I wished the book would leave a little more for the reader to infer and allow us to use our own imaginations to fill in some of the details. That is a relatively minor issue, though, in a story that otherwise kept me interested from beginning to end.
Overall, Where From Here is an imaginative, fast-moving story with interesting and well-developed characters, a detailed setting, political intrigue, mystery, and plenty of suspense. I enjoyed the journey and would recommend it to readers who like character-driven science fiction with a darker edge.
The characters are what really drive the story. Joette and Jamwon both have distinct voices and feel like real people, and the tensions between them that continuously slacken and tighten throughout the book make for some very dramatic and nuanced reading. Their decisions and reactions felt believable even as the circumstances around them became increasingly difficult, testing their loyalties to each other and to their respective peoples. The story also manages to introduce a number of characters with their own goals and motives without becoming overly complicated.
The pacing is probably one of the book’s strongest points. The story gets moving quickly and continues to build, and I often found myself zipping through passages because I wanted to see what would happen next. The chapter endings do a particularly good job of creating suspense, and there is a steady sense of emotion, danger, and urgency as the story develops. Several of the later scenes are genuinely tense and memorable without becoming overly graphic.
I also enjoyed the world-building. Robb has clearly put a lot of thought into the history, societies, technology, landscapes, and creatures of this world. For the most part, the descriptions create a very vivid and realistic image of the setting, and there are some great moments where information is revealed gradually, leaving the reader wanting to understand more. The journey through the ruined landscape was especially effective, with some wonderfully eerie and occasionally terrifying imagery.
If I had one criticism, it would be that some of the descriptions and explanations go on a little longer than I felt was necessary. I could picture the world very clearly, but there were times when I wished the book would leave a little more for the reader to infer and allow us to use our own imaginations to fill in some of the details. That is a relatively minor issue, though, in a story that otherwise kept me interested from beginning to end.
Overall, Where From Here is an imaginative, fast-moving story with interesting and well-developed characters, a detailed setting, political intrigue, mystery, and plenty of suspense. I enjoyed the journey and would recommend it to readers who like character-driven science fiction with a darker edge.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I really enjoyed Where From Here. Full disclosure, I took a writing class with Danny, and it’s been a pleasure to read his book over time and see how it’s evolved.
Joette and Jamwon start off the book as star-crossed lovers, kept apart by their identities as citizens from nations at odds, forbidden to have a real relationship. The book quickly moves past a simple Romeo and Juliet reference, however. Where From Here has much to say about war, division, and what it means to live in a society constantly prepared for conflict.
We start the book by learning that the ROKS and the SKORS were previously warring nations, but for the past two-hundred years, have experienced a long period of peace between them. I found it interesting that despite this, Joette and Jamwon, as well as everyone else on both sides, are trained for battle at a young age. Both cultures teach thorough preparation for battle, as if waiting for the peace to break at any moment. This results in both characters, but especially Joette, having very rigid beliefs around duty, which get challenged throughout the novel.
When the war does come, which happens early on in the book, Joette and Jamwon are immediately forced to grapple with this sense of duty. I enjoyed that their relationship dynamic doesn’t follow a standard will-they-won’t-they, but instead deals with the question of love vs duty in a mature and nuanced way.
There’s a lot of rich world-building in the novel, especially in the second-half. We later see some of the effects of war, and the ROKS, SKORS, and another race’s frayed relationships as a result. Characters who aren’t soldiers get introduced later in the book, and it’s interesting to see Joette and Jamwon learning about these people’s way of life. Their whole lives have been training for war, and in some ways it’s hard for them to understand anything different.
One of the threads that runs through the book is about the cost of war, and the sheer violence and terror of it, which I thought was quite affecting. It never feels gratuitous or overly explicit though, which I appreciated.
I also enjoyed the sci-fi elements of this novel: the catalyst for the war is a mysterious artifact that is both desired and feared by different people in the story. You could easily imagine a comparison to many real wars caused by minerals, oil, and etc. A lot of ideas in the book are unique and imaginative, while still feeling relevant, which I think is what makes it work so well. I highly recommend picking this book up and giving it a read!
Joette and Jamwon start off the book as star-crossed lovers, kept apart by their identities as citizens from nations at odds, forbidden to have a real relationship. The book quickly moves past a simple Romeo and Juliet reference, however. Where From Here has much to say about war, division, and what it means to live in a society constantly prepared for conflict.
We start the book by learning that the ROKS and the SKORS were previously warring nations, but for the past two-hundred years, have experienced a long period of peace between them. I found it interesting that despite this, Joette and Jamwon, as well as everyone else on both sides, are trained for battle at a young age. Both cultures teach thorough preparation for battle, as if waiting for the peace to break at any moment. This results in both characters, but especially Joette, having very rigid beliefs around duty, which get challenged throughout the novel.
When the war does come, which happens early on in the book, Joette and Jamwon are immediately forced to grapple with this sense of duty. I enjoyed that their relationship dynamic doesn’t follow a standard will-they-won’t-they, but instead deals with the question of love vs duty in a mature and nuanced way.
There’s a lot of rich world-building in the novel, especially in the second-half. We later see some of the effects of war, and the ROKS, SKORS, and another race’s frayed relationships as a result. Characters who aren’t soldiers get introduced later in the book, and it’s interesting to see Joette and Jamwon learning about these people’s way of life. Their whole lives have been training for war, and in some ways it’s hard for them to understand anything different.
One of the threads that runs through the book is about the cost of war, and the sheer violence and terror of it, which I thought was quite affecting. It never feels gratuitous or overly explicit though, which I appreciated.
I also enjoyed the sci-fi elements of this novel: the catalyst for the war is a mysterious artifact that is both desired and feared by different people in the story. You could easily imagine a comparison to many real wars caused by minerals, oil, and etc. A lot of ideas in the book are unique and imaginative, while still feeling relevant, which I think is what makes it work so well. I highly recommend picking this book up and giving it a read!
October 6, 2026
What kept me hooked on Where From Here was not just the characters or the larger conflict, but the mystery of the setting itself. I kept wondering when all of this was happening, whether it was far in the future or somehow connected to the past, and even where these societies actually were.
That uncertainty, combined with the politics, war, ancient technology, and personal stakes, made the world feel much bigger than it first appeared. The story kept surprising me, and by the end I was reading whenever I could find the time. With a freer schedule, I probably would have finished it in two days.
That uncertainty, combined with the politics, war, ancient technology, and personal stakes, made the world feel much bigger than it first appeared. The story kept surprising me, and by the end I was reading whenever I could find the time. With a freer schedule, I probably would have finished it in two days.
October 19, 2026
I really enjoyed this one! Where From Here features a world that is familiar and new with characters that feel real and easy to understand - even if their predicament is anything but simple. The two face challenges in quick and fast paced chapters where situations escalate quickly but not in a way that feels rushed. I found Danny's explanations of how the world's technology worked to be just right and the descriptions of wildlife to be brief enough that I could fill in the rest in my mind's eye. I'd strongly recommend this to anyone looking for an engaging character focused, romance, with light sci-fi elements.
October 15, 2026
I loved this book. Robb does a great job at creating a strange yet familiar world where love, war and betrayal are set among a futuristic society filled with strange creatures and exotic infrastructure. You'll find yourself anxious to figure out how Robb's star-crossed lovers can ever come together under seemingly insurmountable odds.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews