Earth 2788: The Earth Girl Short Stories

Earth Girl #0.25

by Janet Edwards

A collection of eight prequel stories, set in the distant future of the Earth Girl trilogy (Earth Girl, Earth Star, and Earth Flight)

In the year 2788, people use interstellar portals to travel between over a thousand colony worlds scattered across six sectors of space, each with their own contrasting cultures. On the rich worlds of Alpha sector, you aren’t considered fully adult until 25, while the frontier worlds of Epsilon sector expect a girl to marry at 17. Clan centred Beta sector is notoriously permissive, while Deltan worlds consider it shocking behaviour to kiss in public. In Kappa sector, the military battle to make new worlds safe for colonization, while Earth is a semi-abandoned ruin.

Each story features one of the characters from the Earth Girl trilogy. Eight people, with eight very distinctive backgrounds and problems, all destined to get caught up in one girl’s fight for acceptance. A fight that will change Earth forever.

EARTH 2788 – Short story. Jarra trespasses on forbidden ground.

ALPHA SECTOR 2788 - Short story. Dalmora's sheltered life is about to change.

BETA SECTOR 2788 - A novelette. Lolia's marriage is falling apart.

GAMMA SECTOR 2788 -Short story. Krath's life is literally on the scrap heap.

DELTA SECTOR 2788 - Short story. Fian's father is planning his future for him, but Fian has his own ideas.

EPSILON SECTOR 2788 - Short story. On a frontier planet, Amalie is considering possible husbands.

KAPPA SECTOR 2788 - A novelette. As he hands over a new world to its first colonists, Colonel Riak Torrek plans to retire.

ZETA SECTOR 2788 - A novelette. The heroic Major Drago Tell Dramis has finally found something that scares him.

Cover art by Alex Storer

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Short Stories, School, Science Fiction Fantasy, British Literature, Fantasy

233 pages, ebook

First published June 11, 2014

About the author

Latest release:- Adversary, the fifth book in the Hive Mind series. 

Please visit Janet's website to get more information, and sign up for her newsletter if you'd like to be kept informed of future releases.

SET IN THE HIVE FUTURE
PERILOUS: Hive Mind A Prequel Novella  
TELEPATH
DEFENDER
HURRICANE
BORDERLINE
ADVERSARY

SET IN THE 25th CENTURY PORTAL FUTURE 
SCAVENGER ALLIANCE 
SCAVENGER BLOOD

SET IN THE 28th CENTURY PORTAL FUTURE
Set in 2781
HERA 2781: A Drago Short Story
HESTIA 2781: A Drago Novel
ARRAY 2781: A Drago Novel
SOL 2781: A Drago novel

Set in 2788, the year before the Earth Girl Trilogy
EARTH 2788: The Earth Girl Short Stories
EARTH AND FIRE: An Earth Girl Novella 1
EARTH AND AIR: An Earth Girl Novella 2
FRONTIER:  An Epsilon Sector Novella

Set in 2789, the Main Earth Girl Trilogy
EARTH GIRL
EARTH STAR
EARTH FLIGHT

Set in 2789 directly after the Earth Girl Trilogy
EARTH PRIME: The Earth Girl Aftermath Stories 1

SET IN THE GAME FUTURE
REAPER

EARTH GIRL:-
◾Voted an American Library Association YALSA Teens' Top Ten title for 2014.
◾A Tayshas 2014 choice.
◾Kirkus starred review for a book of exceptional merit.
◾A Kirkus best book of 2013.
◾Booklist starred review for being outstanding in its genre.
◾Booklist Editors’ Choice: Books for Youth, 2013.
◾An Amazon.co.uk best Young Adult book of 2012.
◾A Kobobooks.com best Young Adult book of 2012.

Reviews

[Sandra "Jeanz" · Rating 5 out of 5]

INITIAL THOUGHTS
I purchased my daughter Rachel (of Rai29BookReadNReview) Earth Flight at Christmas as we had both read and thoroughly enjoyed Earth Girl and Earth Star and I was taking a look at the series on Goodreads when I discovered Earth 2788. So I took a look at it on Amazon and couldn't resist. After reading the description I decided to learn more about the characters featured in the series.

MY REVIEW
I bought this story collection from Amazon. I know they are free to read on Janet Edward's website but I strangely cannot read on a computer or laptop long enough to read even a novelette before it triggers my meniere's disease. The book is listed as 0.5 but I think after reading it that fans would enjoy this collection before, during or after reading the Earth Girl Series.
The cover fits in well with the rest of the series. The main features on it are a portal and a female standing looking through the portal. The female could be Jarra?
So would the cover make me pick up this book in a book store shelf? Being totally honest, I'm unsure, if I hadn't read the other books in the series possibly not. If I hadn't read the other books in the series I would be worried this one would be too "Star Trek/Star Wars" for me. However being part of this great series, the book cover wouldn't put me off!

EARTH 2788
This story is centered on the characters of Jarra and Issette when they are just 6 months away from "freedom". Soon they will be moving on in their studies, though as they are both "handicapped" they cannot use the portals and go to other sectors. They will always remain on earth. This short gives us an insight into how the Portals system works as well as giving us a taste of the predjudice that those confined to earth go through, such as being referred to as "apes" or as having the "throwback" gene.

ALPHA SECTOR 2788
We learn more about Dalmora, daughter of the famous TV Vid maker and historian Ventrak Rostha. Dalmora is also soon to become 18 years old. To be considered an "adult" in Danae, in the Alpha Sector you have to be 25 yrs old. Until you are 25 years old though you may vote, it only counts as 1/2 a vote. As an 18 year old female Dalmora will take on more responsibility and stand at her mothers side during any parties they have. Dalmora's family are so well off they have their own portal! It is decided that Dalmora will attend University Asgard to follow in her fathers footsteps into becoming an historian. A meeting with one of the Professors from the course is set up. Though to begin with the Professor thinks Dalmora a spoilt child, he soon realises she has a genuine interest in the studying history, from reading the books to doing the dirty work of digging at the sites on earth re-discovering lost treasures.

BETA SECTOR 2788
This short story takes place in the Beta Sector. Poor Lolia is devastated as her marriage is disintegrating before her very eyes. Lolia is 24 yearsold and is part of what is referred to as a triad marriage. So there are three people in her marriage. In reality she has two husbands, Ardeath and Lolmack. Ardeath has decided to remove himself from the lease on their co-rented home and file for divorce too. This is a great shock to Lolia and she wonders what will happen next. Will her other husband Lolmack also leave her? Whilst the rest of her clan is quiet, Lolia is surprised when help appears to be coming from her Great-Uncle Lolek. Is he trying to help her or perhaps further his own interests? Can Lolia come out of this mess with any dignity?

GAMMA SECTOR 2788
This short story is based in Gamma Sector and is about 17 year old Krath who is presently working for his father in the family business of a scrapyard. Krath has traveled around to many different planets. Krath never seemed to be anywhere long enough to make friends. Krath's father also runs a kind of pirate radio channel, one that according to him tell's the real news. So Krath is in a somwhat dead end job with not much to look forward to until his Aunt Galina turns up one day to offer Krath a much different future and the support he needs to change his life.

DELTA SECTOR 2788
We visit Delta Sector in this short story, in which Fian's father is telling him that he is a disgrace to the Ecklund family. Fian's father does not approve of Fian's "too long blonde hair", which is the number one reason Fian keeps his hair that way!
Fian's father is taking his disappointments that Fian came second in the school physics test! Fian's father reminds him that his older sister Gina scored 97% on her test, and got her degree when she was just 20 years old. Fian'd father goes on and on, saying Fian should be thoroughly ashamed of himself, as he is the great-grandson of the brilliant Jorgen Ecklund! Fian's father blames his son's interest in history, a subject he considers worthless! Fian's father has his son's life all mapped out, at 18 years old he expects Fian to do a physics degree at Hercule University. What Fian's father does not know is that along with another two fellow classmates, Fian has been secretly studying history. So what will happen when Fian's father discovers his sons wishes?

EPSILON SECTOR 2788
We are in the Epsilon Sector with Amalie in this short story, she has been babysitting her younger siblings and is running late for her afternoon school session. She is hurrying along to the portal knowing full well that Torrin Summerhaze is probably somewhere lying in wait, to jump out on her and taunt her calling her an "old maid". Amalie is the only girl actually left in class now. All the others girls have given into the social pressure from their families and others and are now married.
All males in Epsilon Sector need good exam scores so that they can then register for their 3 years community service to earn a farm. All the males have to earn their farm, except for Palmer whose rich father has bought him a farm. So Amalie is sick of receiving marriage proposal's but is growing weaker and running out of excuses for not marrying as every day passes. Her teacher Lomax suggests a way out of having to marry. A fantastic opportunity, a great way of being her own person, not needing a man. Then she receives a marriage proposal from a surprising source. . .What will she/should she do?

KAPPA SECTOR 2788
In this short story of a more novelette length, we are in Kappa Sector on Planet K21228 which is going from the first colony stage to Colony Ten stage. It is to be Colonel Riak Torren's last ever handover. We read about the Colonel talking to a young recruit, encouraging them to "stick with it" as an officer once did to him, many years ago. The Colonel ponders what he will do or can do with the rest of his life. It would be easy to carry on, take on another new Planet, plenty of Officer's have asked him to stay on, to continue his great career. There is always a party after the pomp and ceremony of the official handover. It's during this party that one of the Colonel's clan asks him to don a toga and run with him. At first the Colonel says no but he is eventually cajoled into joing in with the rowdy run to celebrate the Planet handover. The Colonel reflects a lot on his career, from when he first started out, from those he has loved, to those he has lost. Will he be allowed to retire fully? . . .Only fate can answer that.

ZETA SECTOR 2788
Another shorter novelette length story about the heroic, unafraid, Major Drago Tell Dramis. We have already met Major Drago Tell Dramis in the previous novelette, we know he is a respected military man, by both his superiors and those under his command too. In this short tale we actually discover that Major Dramis Tell Drago does have a weakness. He has feelings for a female officer but is unsure of how to approach her, and how to reveal his feelings for her. He has a trip home and visits a friend and what I would describe as a pub owner called Asante. Though Asante's place is more than a mere pub. It is a place to drink, to flirt and get a woman. It seems "What happens in Asante's place stays there". No communication devices are allowed at all no exceptions . Major Dramis discusses his dilemma, his feelings for the female officer with Asante, during which his phone rings. At first Asante is offended with Major Dramis for breaking the "house rules" until it is revealed it is an emergrncy call. It seem's the problem of coming up with a reason to contact the female officer will no longer be a problem, as she is needed for this emergency. Major Dramis and his chosen crew will need to travel to Planet Zeta, and make it safe to be colonized at a later date. It see's fate is throwing the female officer and the Major together again sooner than he thought.

FINIAL THOUGHTS
I really enjoyed having the insights these short stories and novelettes have given into the back stories of some of the great characters from the Earth Girls Series. I am now really looking forward to reading Earth Flight. Some of the stories are funny, some explain the perhaps more odd or intricacies of the characters and how and why they react to each other in certain ways. For example the way of the Beta Sector people who show lots of flesh, have different types of marriage, duo, and triad. I also loved the use of the "slang" that Janet Edwards came up with for this series. Some easier to translate into "our normal language" and explain than others, such as amaz = amazing, nardle = idiot etc. I also enjoyed the poignancy in the short story about Colonel Riak Torreck as he stands looking at pictures from when he first joined the military and we learn he was in a triad marriage. Just brilliant!

So did I enjoy this collection of short stories? I loved it, learning the back stories of the existing characters.
Would I recommend this collection? Yes, it's a must read for fans of the Earth girls series. And a great way of sampling the books, it could, in my opinion, be read and enjoyed before, during or after the series.
Would I want to read more of this series? Yes, I have yet to read Earth Flight, and I'd like to read the Earth & Fire 0.2 novella even though I have read the first two chapters within this collection. Having said that I have yet to find it on Amazon UK.
Would I want to read other titles by this author? I have loved the style of Janet Edwards writing, she really pulls you in and the original thought up slang is really great too, or should I say amaz! or zan!
Brilliant collection of short stories, novella and novelettes. Also love the information on each Sector at the end of the collection.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this collection! Featuring one story for each sector in the future universe the Earth Girl trilogy is set in, this wonderful addition to the series gives us more background about the way of life in each sector and lets us see their world through the eyes of different characters, allowing us to get into their minds rather than only Jarra's like in the novels. While I enjoyed each and every one of the stories very much, my clear favourite was the one about Colonel Riak Torrek. Would love to see more stories from this universe in future!

[Omraj Rana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The latter stories about Riak Torrek and Drago were interesting. But the earlier short stories felt more like introductions than complete stories in their own right

[Dichotomy Girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed all these stories, with the exception of the one about the Col. (which I found just a wee bit boring in parts)

[Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love learning more about characters from my favorite books.

These are nice little snippets into their world. I am a little disappointed that the Playdon Year End and Hera 2781 aren't in here but that's okay.

Finding out the backstories of characters you don't always think to much about is always fun.

My favorite story was Riak's and I really hope in the future Jarra realizes who he actually is.

[Jamie Coudeville · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it but didn't love it. I did enjoy reading from different perspectives but some of the stories were a bit on the long side. I did appreciate that they were spoiler free, which a lot of prequel stories are not. I skipped Jarra's story (since I'd already read it in Earth & Fire) and the Epsilon one since I'm going to read the long version next anyway.

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of short stories to supplement the Earth Girl trilogy! It's enjoyable getting to know more about so many of the characters, as well as how their home worlds, and more about how the great Exodus and expansion took place.

[William Saeednia-Rankin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of short stories that add depth to the Earth Girl series.

Perhaps not for a first read of the series, but if you are planning a reread of that very rereadable series - I strongly suggest reading this collection first.

[Unilove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book, would read again.

[Ocean Dattani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I skipped the military ones

Fians was better than i thought itd be. I really enjoyed several of the others and Amalie was a delight.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

i would have enjoyed this a lot more if i had read it when i was reading the books instead of almost a decade later!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, I forgot the slang in this series was so unnatural. Luckily, most of the characters featured here don’t use it as much as Jarra.

I remember liking Dalmora when I read Earth Girl, but she’s better than I remember. It’s interesting that she comes across as so self-assured and personally driven in Earth Girl, because Dalmora’s narration reveals just how much she’s always thinking about her family rather than herself. She’s also interesting to me because I can’t imagine being so defined by who my family is, and because (through no small amount of luck) she’s managing to pursue her own interests even within the restrictive expectations everyone has for her.

Lolia’s story is somewhat clumsily handled, though it isn’t awful. The author explains that this is because she’s trying to avoid spoilers for Earth Girl. Skirting the reason for the divorce is a little clunky but doesn’t ruin the story, since it’s more about clan politics than anything else. Character-wise, Lolia is much more interesting here than she is from Jarra’s judgy, defensive POV. Lolia is naive, but she’s clever and brave and quick to adapt once she realizes the full scope of her situation. Lolmack is more interesting here too, and now I’m really curious how they met.

Now, Krath was an unpleasant character in Earth Girl, but the most frustrating thing about him was that everybody in-text disliked him before he revealed himself to be a jerk. The short story centered on him revealed no hidden depths. I’m honestly not sure why he was included in this anthology at all, since his story takes about five minutes to read and has no plot.

Fian I remember as a sweetheart who was kind of boring. His backstory is actually rather interesting. It’s an emotional story rather than an action story, and it adds a dimension to him. A quiet dimension, but a dimension nonetheless.

Amalie is interesting for similar reasons to Fian. Obviously, Lolia’s story is the most dramatic, but Amalie is working within a very constricting societal framework and not expecting a way out. I don’t remember having much an of opinion on her before, but I’m rooting for her now.

I didn’t remember who Torrek was when I started his story...and I still don’t! I do not know how this man is involved in Jarra’s story! I can guess, what with the posting to Earth’s solar array, but it’s been long enough since I read the book that I basically only remember Jarra’s classmates and professor. I very much enjoyed Torrek’s bit. Janet Edwards sets tone quite well—the contrast between the party mood of the handover and Torrek’s melancholy (and obvious PTSD) is really something. It’s also interesting to get more of a look at how things work culturally within the Military, since Jarra is posing from the get-go.

Finally, Major Tell Dramis is an infodump of relationship waffling and a teaser about expansion to a new space sector. Rather boring compared to Torrek’s section, but again, interesting to get a better look at the Military. I’m not convinced by the setup of a mostly hereditary military with little to no contact with civilians, since that seems ripe with opportunities for abuse of power, but I suppose I can appreciate the idealism. The elaboration about cultural heritage within the military in this section and the last is also interesting, since the military clearly has a culture of its own.

Every single one of these stories is painted extremely heavily with the exposition brush. If this was a novel, it would be clunky and obnoxious, and I would say it needed to be integrated into the story better. As short stories meant to explore the worldbuilding, however, it’s acceptable, if a bit clumsy. The exploration of what constitutes high class in any given sector is really interesting. Modesty standards differ, too, but the Earth Girl universe is notable for making the future more modest than the present, with a lot of vague but definitely present obscenity laws. Culture is portrayed in broad strokes, but there’s a lot of potential in this universe.

I’ll admit I’m baffled as to how this cast ended up so underused in Earth Girl when the author is so clearly attached to them. I remember thinking Jarra needed to talk to her classmates more. The story very much revolves around her, with the classmates as a distant supporting cast. I don’t get it, I guess.

All in all, this short story collection...might get me to read Earth Star. I never forgot how much I liked the worldbuilding potential in this ‘verse, exactly, but I never got around to reading the rest of the series. Of course, maybe I’ll just get my friend Sierra to read this too so we can discuss it in great detail. But maybe I’ll read the rest.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection features 8 prequel stories to the Earth Girl series.

Jarra

This story is a perfect introduction to the series, capturing the essence of Jarra's character in a short tale that also explains her world.

Dalmora

This was a different background than I expected for Dalmora. We already knew of her famous father, and I pictured more of a Hollywood type famous. Instead, we get a more aristocratic type. It doesn't contradict her character in the books, but shows more how she gets to relax and be herself after leaving home.

Lolia

The author prefaced this by saying she didn't want to spoil a plot point in the trilogy. That decision ruined the story. Not revealing the reason for the break-up makes it seem trivial. For a reader knowing the reason, Lolia comes off as caring only about the break-up and not even giving a single thought to her baby. However, the Betan clan politics were interesting.

Krath

This isn't a bad story, but it doesn't add much to Krath's character. I think he could be developed more. Maybe he will in a story after the events of the main series.

Fian

Like Jarra's story, this showcases his already well-established character. It also fleshes out the details of his homeworld. It sounds so crazy to have secret history classes.

Amalie

It's interesting to see Amalie's frontier planet. It feels weird to have a frontier, yet they can just portal anywhere. Well, technically, they can, but it's really more complicated. It's a good story that's continued in another novella that I'll read soon.

Riak Torrek

In contrast to Lolia's story, Riak's shares a hugely significant story that's actually never revealed in the main series. How??? Why???

It's a fabulous story and longer than the previous. I could definitely read lots more of his story.

Drago Tell Dramis

Although I liked Drago in the books, I thought he might be annoying as the main character. I was wrong. He's not my first choice for a spin-off series, but it will clearly be great.

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Various prequels (to Earth Girl) on a few characters. Learned several things I didn't know so that was fun. Provided a good view of the author's ability since I'd already read Amalie's longer story version in Frontier to go back and see the shorter earlier version that was included in this book. Makes me very excited for more books in this world in the future. The little blurbs on the different sectors at the end was quite brief. I can easily see that be an extended detailed book of it's own in the future. All the stories were enjoyable. I was irritated that Krath was one of the picks as I really can't stand him, but his story did make him more relatable. Lolia/Lomack had a good backstory too. I wish Lecturer Playdon had a story besides appearing in Dalmora's. Dalmora would be another character I'd like a whole book on after reading the short. Basically anything in this world is really interesting and the author does a fantastic job.

[Dylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a great ride! :) Kappa Sector 2788 is the best one, making Riak an even more awesome person and letting us get to know him intensely from his POV instead of just through Jarra's eyes in the main trilogy <3.

Beta Sector 2788 was also really fascinasting. They are so free in their expression, dress and sexuality, yet so unfree in their (lower) clans and alliances meddling with their lives. How Amalie and Krath ended up in the pre-history course was also wonderfully random. Someone totally ripped of Serenity for that Miranda conspiracy theory! :D Also, Fian's dad is probably a mod on /r/conspiracy/ :P.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 stars

I feel so many feels right know... Knowing what I know now will make reading the Earth Girl series so different!

Learning more about the characters was such an amazing read! It added so much...
But non of these stories is going to stick with me like the one about Colonel Riak Torrek... From reading solely the books, I woul have never guessed most of the thinks told... I cried so much! After reading his sons name, I was like: "NO! You can't!"and then I started crying even more^^

Loved it so much!

[Xander Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a taste, a little lick of the ice cream dripping down the side of the cone, of many of our favorite characters from the Earth Girl trilogy. This taste, to a degree, functions like a tease. I am left wanting to hear more from these folks (and of course we do), but they could each be featured in a full length novel and be a strong enough protagonist to carry us through.

[Amy (I'd Rather Be Sleeping) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this collection of short stories has reminded me why I loved the Earth Girl trilogy so much. While these stories can be read before the trilogy, and in fact take place first, I would recommend reading them after you read the trilogy as I think using them to enhance the characters would work better than this being your first introduction to the world.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent preview of the series! This is a collection of short stories about the characters of the Earth Girl trilogy, but before the series. It will certainly whet the appetite of those new to the series and explain a few things to those returning for more.

[Denise]

Excellent preview!

This is a small taste of the lives of characters in the Earth Girl trilogy, before they meet in Earth Girl. Written between the second and third books, this is meant to be a prequel of sorts. It will certainly whet the appetite of those new to the series.

[*Suzy (ereaderuser)* · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to a 4

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty sure Lolita is my favorite, so far at least.

[EmmieLouDraws · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this! I love the variety of characters especially lolia and lolmack! I also loved the info on planets at the end:)

[Lekeisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC

[Brittney Bower · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish the Short stories were just a little more longer.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the extra depth with the new perspectives for different characters!