The White Robe

by Mitch Rowland

Earth is dying, and humanity’s last hope is an ocean world in the goldilocks zone of the Sotiris Solar System. But Poseidus is a savage world, its depths filled with prehistoric terrors, and its surface an unceasing tempest. The fledgling colony of New Plymouth is still struggling to gain a foothold when something new arises from the bottom of the ocean; a message from a submarine that shouldn’t exist. “Don’t Trust the White Robe.”

Now, Chief Navigator Terry Samsky must dodge monsters and military officials alike as she seeks out the source of the distress signal. But will she find a lost crew, and prove their savior? Or will she fall into a sadistic trap, set by something far older than the human race, and doom them all to the abyss?

206 pages, Paperback

Published December 8, 2015

About the author

Mitch Rowland’s earliest writing memory was of his childhood comics. Though they began as an excuse to draw, each successive issue produced smaller characters and set pieces to make room for the encroaching words. Deciding, just out of high school, that he wished to tackle the epic fantasy, Mitch began a journey to transcribe Lincoln’s story. Originally one novel, ‘The Sword of Eternity’ was written and revised as a personal project during the summer breaks, between semesters, and was finally completed in November 2011. For marketability purposes, the book was later broken in half and re-titled “Eternity’s Reach” and “Eternity’s Redemption” respectively. Mitch hopes they will serve as a strong foundation for a series of novels, as well as a career in speculative fiction writing. He currently lives in Michigan with his wife and family.

Reviews

[Siobhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m somewhat particular when it comes to my science fiction reads. I love a good science fiction book, and yet I pick up so few. I want to pick up more, and yet the books need to scream out to me before I will take the dive.

The White Robe is a great little read, pulling you in from start to end, whilst getting you to think about deeper aspects of life than you expect to. It’s a short read, one that can be completed in no time at all, and yet there is so much to the story. We have great world building. We have well rounded characters. We have action. We have a storyline that moves at a great pace. We have mystery and deception. All in all, there is a lot to be found in these pages and I certainly recommend science fiction fans pick up the book.

Truthfully, I could say so much about this one. I’m not, though. It’s one of those books you need to read to truly appreciate. Things are brought together so well that I fear the structure will collapse should I say the wrong thing. It is so easy to let something slip with this one, so easy for me to accidently say too much. Thus, I’m merely going to address my favourite aspect.

My biggest love was the new world, the setting. Honestly, it was so much fun. A planet that is mostly water – I’m game. But there is so much more than that. We have storms. We have alien creatures. We have the way in which human society works on this planet – big props for how the story didn’t get caught up in the how and why of the humans being on another planet, rather we’re told enough to give us knowledge but we’re not pulled down by particulars. Then there is the aspects involved in the mystery. There is more than we’re made to believe, an even larger aspect to be found. Again, though – spoilers.

I know this is a rather short review, I know I say very little, but there is just too much to say and I’d rather fangirl with someone than simply throw information at you. Know this is a gem of a read, and I’m so grateful the author contact me for a review. I really appreciate it.

Now, science fiction fans, get to work on reading this!