When you're 200 trillion miles from home . . . With mankind on the brink of economic collapse, a population growing at an unmanageable rate and a limited supply of natural resources, there is only one place we can look to for our future . . . the stars. A deep space mining tug is sent to a planet codenamed New Dawn to begin a mission to relocate humanity.
. . . the only person you can trust . . . is you The mission falls into chaos when a crewmember dies unexpectedly. Geologist Jake Brooks must keep his wits about him to uncover what really happened—but are the confines of the ship clouding his judgment? Is there really a sinister motive behind the death—and the mission—or is he letting his mind get the better of him? What really awaits him on New Dawn? He must push on to reveal the truth, no matter who or what stands in his way . . .
At last I managed to finish another book from Mr. Morgan. I can say that this book is better than the first one, even though the first one have better premise.
I can see that this book is stronger in term of writing style. I don't know how to say it but it was written like diary so maybe that's plus for me. The story actually is very simple. It just that it was quite long and not to the point. The main character is Jake. He is geologist. For some, he looks like wishy washy between wanting to be hero and not. But at the end of the day, he choose to uncover the mystery. To be honest, I still don't understand what the machine suppose to do. Maybe I am too stupid to understand scince fiction jargon. Or maybe the author are just too incoherent with the plot. It was not an easy read if you want to follow the science part.
One thing I can say is this book is better than Vessel. It has steady pace. Still a long and quite boring story though. But nonetheless one good learning experience about science fiction. The characters are quite ordinary and simple. They are there just for the sake of being there. You don't miss anything bypassing them. The ending is too weak for my liking. There's no wow factor in the ending. It is what it is. I recommend this story for people who want to read simple story about science fiction because it is not thriller or mystery.
‘The human condition has a way of going on, a way of protecting itself.’
British author Andrew J. Morgan writes science-fiction (NOAH’S ARK, VESSEL), is a journalist and photographer. Trained and employed as a civil engineer, he set that aside to pursue his love of writing, working his way to editing a small horology magazine (for those unaware of this term, horology is the study and measurement of time). And from the photograph in his brief bio section it seems likely that this handsome young man could easily step into the role of modeling or movies!
This is a short novel and one that once started begs to be read to the end. That is a compliment. What makes a story so seductive? Many reasons. A heady Prologue such as the one Andrew offers for this book is successful on every level – well written, enough information to demand answers, and a comfortable manner in which to sink back into the chair and soak it in. ‘I don't know if I'll survive. I doubt it. By the time you read this, thirty-seven years will have passed. I think back to what happened, and even now, three weeks on, I struggle to believe it. So, I decided to write it all down. Hopefully this'll make it back, even if I don't. It should be enough. It has to be enough. People need to know what happened.’
Follow that with chapter one as Day 0, Earth and we are glued: ‘My name is Jake Brooks, and I'm an interplanetary geologist, serving aboard the Planexus deep space tug Athena. It was supposed to be a seventeen-month mission to a small rocky planet called HD 85512 B, orbiting Gliese 370, a K-type star in the Vela constellation thirty-seven light-years away. We were going out there looking for a new home among the stars, to replace the decaying carcass of what we'd left behind. It was called operation New Dawn. Operation New Dawn turned out to be something completely unexpected.’ Science fiction, yes – but obviously much more. Andrew’s characters are palpably real, making the weird sci-fi shenanigans credible!
Andrew offers his own synopsis; ‘With mankind on the brink of economic collapse, a population growing at an unmanageable rate and a limited supply of natural resources, there is only one place we can look to for our future . . . the stars. A deep space mining tug is sent to a planet codenamed New Dawn to begin a mission to relocate humanity. The mission falls into chaos when a crewmember dies unexpectedly. Geologist Jake Brooks must keep his wits about him to uncover what really happened—but are the confines of the ship clouding his judgment? Is there really a sinister motive behind the death—and the mission—or is he letting his mind get the better of him? What really awaits him on New Dawn? He must push on to reveal the truth, no matter who or what stands in his way . . .’
The man has talent, solid talent, the kind that makes you reach back for previous books and anticipate the next one.
New Dawn started out as another outer space exploration looking for a new 'Earth' after ours has been destroyed by mankind......what I didn't expect though was the roller coaster Andrew J. Morgan was going to take me on. I had my suspicions from the start.......man was I wrong!!!! Not just once but several times. But I never EVER had an inkling as to what was going to be the outcome. And the ending BAM!!!! New Dawn sucks you in completely, just like a black hole, and when it spits you back out again, well, let me just say I'll never think of space exploration the same way again.
Interesting Journey with intriguing characters and many plot twists. Hard to tell what was really going on til' the end. Very well written and a story well worth the read.
Combination mystery and space voyage that will lead you in several directions at once. Fully fleshed characters and a unique plat make for a very interesting story indeed.
I received this book from Goodreads as a giveaway.
New Dawn was a fascinating, highly paced novel that had captivated from beginning to end. The plot was intricate and unique, and I never would have guessed the ending. It was even better than New York Deep and Noah's Ark, which were excellent. Mr. Morgan has serious talent!
The melodrama is pronounced only after an apocalyptic event leaving us with an uncertainty of an ending. Perhaps we will find out in another 37 years the outcome.
Poorly thought out science facts can really spoil a sci-fi based novel. This might be forgiven if the story is a good one. Sadly this book fails on all count. I kept going to the end so you won't have to. Do yourself a favour and pass this one by. Choose any other Sci-fi or mystery novel.
Sci-Fi, Suspense, Psychological Thriller Journey Light Years Through Space
Interplanetary Geologist Jake Brooks, has signed on to the Athena, a Planexus space tug to explore planet HD 95521B, aka, New Dawn for possible habitation by humans from Earth. Earth is over populated and her resources are almost exhausted. This planet could be earth's citizens new home. Jake, Sadie fellow geologist and friend, Sophia captain, Jason second in command, Clip and Grant navigation officers, Emily physician and 3rd navigation officer, James and Brendan drill team, and a surprise addition, Byron geologist, ship out on the Athena on a journey which will take 8 months.
Almost immediately Jake realizes something does not feel right on the Athena. Crew members begin to die. Fear is running rampant. Jake is smart and realizes something awful is happening and someone on board has all the answers. Who can he trust? Is the long journey and confining ship affecting his decision-making capabilities and his mind? Why was inexperienced shy, introverted, and immature Byron allowed on the mission?
Jake can not stop poking, prodding, questioning, and never letting go, as he searches for answers. Just when he lets go, a lights goes off in his brain, leading him to a new clue or question.
Come on a space odyssey filled with fear, mystery suspense, and murder. Will anyone be left when the ship lands on New Dawn?
CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, DEVELOPMENT:
Author Andrew Morgan has created an action packed sci-fi thriller filled with heart pumping mystery, suspense, and psychological intrigue. He had me hooked in the prologue and did not let go until the last page. After reading the first few pages, I knew I was in for a reading marathon. The plots race along as Mr. Morgan gives clues to the mystery and keeps the suspense at top peak. Mr. Morgan brought all the threads together and created a roller coaster ride that has a bang up ending.
Mr. Morgan skillfully developed each character to its full potential. I become so enmeshed in the story, I actually wanted to shake Jake and tell him: bad things are going to happen if you don't let it go. I became very impatient with Jake, he appeared insecure and whiny, then he would surprise me and have an epiphany putting pieces of the puzzle together. I wanted to look Byron in the eye and say: buck up boy, you need to get over your insecurities, stop acting like an immature teenager, you are a grown man. I love to read a book in which I want to talk to the characters and give them advise; Mr. Morgan made his characters feel real with flaws, insecurities, and motives.
His writing was descriptive and vivid and his writing style easy to read. Just when I thought I knew where the plot was going, I would find I was wrong. The psychological elements, mystery, and intrigue threaded through the story was well done. The ending and purpose of the mission was a huge surprise.
RECOMMENDATION: 4 STARS
This is a well-written sci-fi psychological thriller with a solid story line. I am not usually a sci-fi fan, however, I found I enjoyed this book and look forward to next book by Mr. Morgan.
I received this book from the author in return for an honest opinion.
Book reviews of any novel are dependent on the book review author’s opinion; all book reviews on line under my name and on my blog, are my opinion.
Before I start my review, I want to thank Andrew J. Morgan for allowing me to review New Dawn
**All opinions stated in this review are mine and I received New Dawn for free from Andrew J. Morgan for my honest and unbiased review”
Now onto my review:
Format read in: Kindle
Publisher: Unknown
Date published: February 16 2016
Where the book can be found: Amazon (Kindle, Paperback, Audible) Please remember that the prices can and will change
Genre: Science Fiction, Mystery
How many pages: 164
Before I start my review, I am going to let you guys know that I am switching up my review style again. The list 3 things I liked/disliked will be in here but I will be writing the review instead of just putting up the 3 things. My style of reviewing is always evolving…lol.
Now saying that here is the review:
I loved the storyline. I mean, you got a crew on a deep space mining ship (or tug) that is going to survey a planet that could be habitable and be a new Earth. Then the unthinkable happens and a crew member is murdered. Who do you trust and better yet, who do you believe?
I really got into this book. I mean, you couldn’t help but like and sympathise with Jake when all hell breaks out on the ship after the first death. I mean, you are on this tiny vessel with crewmates and someone could be a killer. And when the body count goes up to 3, the tension really came through the book. I did feel bad for Jake because he team was torn apart and mentally, it was tough on him.
I wasn’t too keen on the almost love story. To be honest, that part could have been left out. I could have done without reading about Jake’s attraction to a certain Dr.
The relationships between the different characters were tangible and you couldn’t help but root for them all (even the bad guys, as weird as that sounds).
The ending was great and totally on spot for this book. There was a twist that I kinda saw coming. Enough hints were dropped but it totally took my by surprise.
3 Things I liked about New Dawn:
1) The storyline
2) Jake
3) The ending
3 Things that I disliked about New Dawn:
1) The almost love story between Jake and the ship’s Dr
2) Sadie’s death
3) Jason How many stars will I give New Dawn: 4
Why? It was a very well written book with characters that you couldn’t help but start to care for. Written in journal style, it might not be for some people (I loved it). It did lag a tiny bit in the middle but the author did a great job of getting the momentum back up.
Will I reread it? Yes
Will I recommend it to family and friends? Yes
Age range: Teen on up
Why? It is a relatively clean book. No kissing and minimal violence. There is a section, though, where Jake pops pills to keep awake while drilling.
While I liked the mystery aspect, the main character seemed less than heroic. This wasn't your average independent, rugged, intelligent space cowboy, no. He came off as whiny, foolish, emotional, and overly dependent on the approval of others. The ending had me wishing the whole cast of characters would get killed off in some random way, but it wasn't meant to be.
I've tried, but books written in the first person style are just not my thing. In this case I struggled myself to about 40% of the book and then the main character starts to really anoy me, so I gave up.
"New Dawn," by Andrew J. Morgan, could fit several categories. At the forefront, it's a scifi action thriller, however, that is almost overshadowed by the mystery and suspense aspects of the book. Once I started reading, I found myself unable to stop. The author slowly draws you in, page by page, until you just have to know what's going on. I enjoy all types of scifi; however, my favorite remains the type with bits of other genres blended in and "New Dawn" does this seamlessly. Each character is introduced in such a way that you get to know them and almost feel like they're people you know personally. I won't say too much about the plot because this is one you just have to read for yourself. I'm looking forward to checking out more of this author's titles and I would highly recommend that you do as well.
***I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review**