What do you think?
Rate this book
Prime Directive
The crew of the first manned mission to Mars, are in the final days of their expedition before they head home. Shamed by a lack of discoveries and humiliated by her colleagues, geologist Dana Fischerman heads out to the Galle crater, eager to find something to make her own legacy. What she uncovers will not only threaten the safety of her colleagues, but also everyone back on Earth.
114 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 30, 2016
1 person is currently reading
287 people want to read
About the author
Duncan P. Bradshaw
34 books72 followersI live in the simply marvelous county of Wiltshire in England with my wife Debbie and our two cats, Rafa and Pepe.
We wile away the wee hours learning arcane incantations and medieval wind instruments, surviving solely on what our two furry faced fellows bring us. Winter is a bleak time indeed, when the common vole, the staple of our diet slumbers deep within the earth.
After writing a number of books and stories on the undead to begin with, I now write whatever weird and wonderful stories infect my brain. Sitting outside of conventional genres, my books have a mix of comedy, horror and the bizarre, you can never be too sure what the hell is going to happen next.
With my own label, EyeCue Productions, the physical copies of my books are something a little different. And with my own genre of GoreCom invented, a whole new level of EPICness is inbound. Don't worry about a seatbelt, let yourself get thrown through the windscreen of weirdness and see how you get on.
We wile away the wee hours learning arcane incantations and medieval wind instruments, surviving solely on what our two furry faced fellows bring us. Winter is a bleak time indeed, when the common vole, the staple of our diet slumbers deep within the earth.
After writing a number of books and stories on the undead to begin with, I now write whatever weird and wonderful stories infect my brain. Sitting outside of conventional genres, my books have a mix of comedy, horror and the bizarre, you can never be too sure what the hell is going to happen next.
With my own label, EyeCue Productions, the physical copies of my books are something a little different. And with my own genre of GoreCom invented, a whole new level of EPICness is inbound. Don't worry about a seatbelt, let yourself get thrown through the windscreen of weirdness and see how you get on.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 30, 2016
*3.5 Stars
Mars, the red planet, so close yet so far away. People have been signing up to go to Mars, they all want to be the first humans to step foot on the closet planet. I, for one, have zero interest in leaving the atmosphere. Let’s be honest, if you go there you are NEVER coming back, but I suppose it takes some brave pioneers to expand our horizons.
Duncan P. Bradshaw has decided to apply his twisted mind to exploring our first Mars landing. What would they do? What would be the challenges? Could you get a decent cuppa?
In Prime Directive, we find a completely loathsome bunch of characters, but I suppose after being locked up with five other people for five years straight, I would turn into a bit of a bitch too. Duncan P. Bradshaw has gone for a seven deadly-ish sins type of story. We start off with a little bit of pride and envy; with some sloth and gluttony tossed in for good measure. I couldn’t find the lust – it’s not that kind of book. But the greed and the wrath really bring the story together. All of these vices are completely human and usually turn people into monsters.
Writing a simple little seven deadly sins/science fiction story just isn’t enough for this author. He bills himself as a part-time loon, and he isn’t afraid to show it. Prime Directive is filled with some fantastic comic situations and a premise that will rock your socks off.
Now, you are going to look at my rating and say, “What the hell, Greg?” Well, here it is, Duncan P. Bradshaw has written a great little story. I sat down on a Sunday afternoon and blew right through it. If you are looking for a fun, quick, shocking story, you’ve got it right here. For me, it just wasn’t the right point in the space time continuum. I’m looking to be transported away for a longer adventure. I wanted more.
Mars, the red planet, so close yet so far away. People have been signing up to go to Mars, they all want to be the first humans to step foot on the closet planet. I, for one, have zero interest in leaving the atmosphere. Let’s be honest, if you go there you are NEVER coming back, but I suppose it takes some brave pioneers to expand our horizons.
Duncan P. Bradshaw has decided to apply his twisted mind to exploring our first Mars landing. What would they do? What would be the challenges? Could you get a decent cuppa?
In Prime Directive, we find a completely loathsome bunch of characters, but I suppose after being locked up with five other people for five years straight, I would turn into a bit of a bitch too. Duncan P. Bradshaw has gone for a seven deadly-ish sins type of story. We start off with a little bit of pride and envy; with some sloth and gluttony tossed in for good measure. I couldn’t find the lust – it’s not that kind of book. But the greed and the wrath really bring the story together. All of these vices are completely human and usually turn people into monsters.
Writing a simple little seven deadly sins/science fiction story just isn’t enough for this author. He bills himself as a part-time loon, and he isn’t afraid to show it. Prime Directive is filled with some fantastic comic situations and a premise that will rock your socks off.
Now, you are going to look at my rating and say, “What the hell, Greg?” Well, here it is, Duncan P. Bradshaw has written a great little story. I sat down on a Sunday afternoon and blew right through it. If you are looking for a fun, quick, shocking story, you’ve got it right here. For me, it just wasn’t the right point in the space time continuum. I’m looking to be transported away for a longer adventure. I wanted more.
May 23, 2016
"The challenge I saw with this one was taking a part sci-fi story and making it scary. People always automatically think Alien when they see a horror set in space. Strange monsters from other planets that no one believed could exist, that kill nearly everyone and escape back to Earth, somehow piloting the ship with no hands and wreaking havoc on Earth. How do you make this different and interesting and entertaining and fresh while giving your readers well rounded, believable characters, in a novella length story?
If you want to know the answer to that then give Duncan P Bradshaw a call because he has pulled it off beautifully with Prime Directive."
See here for the full review:
Prime Directive
If you want to know the answer to that then give Duncan P Bradshaw a call because he has pulled it off beautifully with Prime Directive."
See here for the full review:
Prime Directive
June 10, 2016
Sc-fi really isnt my bag, but being a massive fan of Duncans books i opted to give it ago. Im very glad i did because Prime Directive was a fantastic read. It was spooky, and strange with some great characters. No zombies on the red planet but Duncan shows he is a talent in other genres as well.
June 17, 2018
Awesome Book!
From everything I've read of Duncan Bradshaw's, this is another book that I really loved reading.
Dana Fisherman is a geologist, Nikolai Tonev is a pilot, Sabina Kreucz is a pilot and medic, Charles Humphries is an engineer, Sanjay Gupta is a botanist, and Mei Qiao Zhong is a biologist. They are on a mission called Pathfinder on Mars for 230 days. Their major goal is to set up a base camp and test science projects. They began their trip to Mars May 30th 2021.
Dana has been really upset as she has yet to come across any undiscovered rocks . When she decides to go to Galle Crater where she ends up finding a discovery but doesn't realize the danger that comes with it. I
This book reminded me of several movies such as Total Recall and Event Horizon all mashed up. I really enjoyed this book and definitely wasn't expecting the ending.
From everything I've read of Duncan Bradshaw's, this is another book that I really loved reading.
Dana Fisherman is a geologist, Nikolai Tonev is a pilot, Sabina Kreucz is a pilot and medic, Charles Humphries is an engineer, Sanjay Gupta is a botanist, and Mei Qiao Zhong is a biologist. They are on a mission called Pathfinder on Mars for 230 days. Their major goal is to set up a base camp and test science projects. They began their trip to Mars May 30th 2021.
Dana has been really upset as she has yet to come across any undiscovered rocks . When she decides to go to Galle Crater where she ends up finding a discovery but doesn't realize the danger that comes with it. I
This book reminded me of several movies such as Total Recall and Event Horizon all mashed up. I really enjoyed this book and definitely wasn't expecting the ending.
November 7, 2016
Personally, I have always found horror and science fiction to be excellent bedfellows. That said, that doesn't always necessarily mean that every iteration of that mashup is going to be a good one. Unfortunately it seems like a lot of people who attempt to do horror along with the sci-fi often end up doing a fairly bland regurgitation of other notable examples that have already been done.
I have been familiar enough with Duncan Bradshaw's work to know that he has a unique literary style and perspective. And I was happy to see that he definitely brings this to bear on Prime Directive. I thought he did a great job capturing the bleak atmosphere of horror while placing it against the difficult setting of great, classic science fiction. The book had a very retro feel to it for me, largely due to the cover which pretty much sold me on the book right out of the gate.
The narrative here is very well done, with a good amount of suspense surrounding a mystery that gradually unfolds over the course of the book. This is a quick and entertaining read, and I was glad that I picked it up
I have been familiar enough with Duncan Bradshaw's work to know that he has a unique literary style and perspective. And I was happy to see that he definitely brings this to bear on Prime Directive. I thought he did a great job capturing the bleak atmosphere of horror while placing it against the difficult setting of great, classic science fiction. The book had a very retro feel to it for me, largely due to the cover which pretty much sold me on the book right out of the gate.
The narrative here is very well done, with a good amount of suspense surrounding a mystery that gradually unfolds over the course of the book. This is a quick and entertaining read, and I was glad that I picked it up
February 15, 2017
Thrilling, smart, and snazzy little science fiction book. Yep, Bradshaw took me to Mars and dropped my ass off!! Tis fine, been hankering for an all inclusive get away/go away/stay away holiday vaca anyway.
Now, I don't often venture to the syfy spacey territories but being a BIG fan of Duncan's unique and unparalleled written (rip roaring out-the-door) voice, I suited up for the journey and I had an awesomely celestial far out fun time.
It opens with our astronaut crew on Mars, addressing kids questions. It's all a jolly easy breezy good time, this group of six, until the broadcast ends....yea, this space traveling team are not all that into each other, not anymore. Irritations and intolerances have taken over but I suppose, after many many MANY months with the same people in close cut off quarters....I'd be the same. Oh no doubt...
It was so comical, all the nitpicking, cattiness, and indifferences.
They've all become a bit snarky with one another but none more than Dana, jealous geologist Dana who studies all those rocks, looking for something, always finding nada.
Why the hell does the biologist get all the good finds!?
*I LOVE how the bitchy self centered one is American. HAHAHA touche...
A team of six multinational astronauts. It was a world effort to get them to this point, the first of hopefully many manned Mars missions. That's one of their main jobs, to set up a basecamp for future missions.
There's Dana; our American ~ jealous, petty geologist hell bent on making a name for herself.
There's Nikolai; the one from Russia ~ pilot/cook, big and strong quipster.
There's Sabina; the one from Germany ~ pilot/medic, straight laced & sensible.
There's Charles; the one from England ~ engineer, kind of shy and socially awkward.
There's Sanjay; the one from India ~ botanist, forgettable, so he'd like it all named after him.
And then there's Mei Qiao Zhang; the one from China ~ biologist and the star attraction astronaut.
Dana wants so damn bad to leave her mark, to be remembered (to be revered!) and seeing as how they are due to leave the red planet real soon ~ for that long long looong trek back to Earth, where she'll no longer have an opportunity for discovery and for getting her name in the history books...perhaps a blockbuster biopic movie with her name up in lights... ~ she decides to head off for a little solo exploration endeavor. Hopping in the Weeble, she ventures off to a craterous region.
Well, she does comes across something....not gonna tell you what but it is quite the site and NOT what you're thinking.
The race aaaaand the chase is on!
This gets pretty damn brutal. The visuals Duncan created of Dana's...ummm, metaphysical...metamorphosis....OH BLOODY HELL!!
Hilarious and horrific which is EXACTLY the balance this particular author excels at.
She only wanted some acknowledgement, some accolades, a bit of high praise standing ovation applause and now...well, perhaps she will be revered (...reviled)....as a specimen, in a petri dish.
Duncan captured the isolation desperation vibe of the red planet very well, the 'uhhhh no where to go' aspect of it all. And very vivid descriptions of the...ahem scenery. Lol BRAVO! I applaud yooooou.
I'm hesitate to say too much about this riveting and graphic little Mars tale, so...I'm not going to.
It really is a super quick read even though it's 150 pages, you rocket soar through it!
And it took quite a few twisty shifty sharp left turns leading to a WOW ending.
Really does go to uncharted territory, some awesome HOLY HELL moments make you laugh and gag. He puts you right there, in the thick and thin head spin of it all.
I LOVE how Duncan describes things, heinous things ~ tongue firmly pressed into cheek ~ it really throws you for a fruit loop. :O
What a strange and awe-stunning mind he has.
This marks my 4th read and review for Bradshaw (not even counting shorts in various anthologies) and ~ YEP, still mesmerized. He's a fantastic, engaging, hilarious, and highly original writer. Plays in many genres and his one man team is always on the winning side.
Up next for me from this multifaceted gifted writer's wonderful little library shall be, Hexagram, an ancient Inca unfulfilled ritual trickled down throughout the ages book.
Sounds totally exciting and definitely not one to be read (uhhh chanted) out loud, I ain't no dummy.
Gotta love the versatility in this British writer, he won't be duck billed or platypus holed...or whatever they call that..
Really NEEDS and DESERVES more attention, this bloke!!
He's ultra unique and I think I'll keep him. :D
That is UNLESS he's got the latest Those Who Survive Class Four #2 zombie book available for my viewing and ogling pleasure.
Oh I'll be on THAT one in an apocalyptic minute!
So super stoked, so hurry the hell up with it Mr. P. Bradshaw!! ACES! :D
Now, I don't often venture to the syfy spacey territories but being a BIG fan of Duncan's unique and unparalleled written (rip roaring out-the-door) voice, I suited up for the journey and I had an awesomely celestial far out fun time.
It opens with our astronaut crew on Mars, addressing kids questions. It's all a jolly easy breezy good time, this group of six, until the broadcast ends....yea, this space traveling team are not all that into each other, not anymore. Irritations and intolerances have taken over but I suppose, after many many MANY months with the same people in close cut off quarters....I'd be the same. Oh no doubt...
It was so comical, all the nitpicking, cattiness, and indifferences.
They've all become a bit snarky with one another but none more than Dana, jealous geologist Dana who studies all those rocks, looking for something, always finding nada.
Why the hell does the biologist get all the good finds!?
*I LOVE how the bitchy self centered one is American. HAHAHA touche...
A team of six multinational astronauts. It was a world effort to get them to this point, the first of hopefully many manned Mars missions. That's one of their main jobs, to set up a basecamp for future missions.
There's Dana; our American ~ jealous, petty geologist hell bent on making a name for herself.
There's Nikolai; the one from Russia ~ pilot/cook, big and strong quipster.
There's Sabina; the one from Germany ~ pilot/medic, straight laced & sensible.
There's Charles; the one from England ~ engineer, kind of shy and socially awkward.
There's Sanjay; the one from India ~ botanist, forgettable, so he'd like it all named after him.
And then there's Mei Qiao Zhang; the one from China ~ biologist and the star attraction astronaut.
Dana wants so damn bad to leave her mark, to be remembered (to be revered!) and seeing as how they are due to leave the red planet real soon ~ for that long long looong trek back to Earth, where she'll no longer have an opportunity for discovery and for getting her name in the history books...perhaps a blockbuster biopic movie with her name up in lights... ~ she decides to head off for a little solo exploration endeavor. Hopping in the Weeble, she ventures off to a craterous region.
Well, she does comes across something....not gonna tell you what but it is quite the site and NOT what you're thinking.
The race aaaaand the chase is on!
This gets pretty damn brutal. The visuals Duncan created of Dana's...ummm, metaphysical...metamorphosis....OH BLOODY HELL!!
Hilarious and horrific which is EXACTLY the balance this particular author excels at.
She only wanted some acknowledgement, some accolades, a bit of high praise standing ovation applause and now...well, perhaps she will be revered (...reviled)....as a specimen, in a petri dish.
Duncan captured the isolation desperation vibe of the red planet very well, the 'uhhhh no where to go' aspect of it all. And very vivid descriptions of the...ahem scenery. Lol BRAVO! I applaud yooooou.
I'm hesitate to say too much about this riveting and graphic little Mars tale, so...I'm not going to.
It really is a super quick read even though it's 150 pages, you rocket soar through it!
And it took quite a few twisty shifty sharp left turns leading to a WOW ending.
Really does go to uncharted territory, some awesome HOLY HELL moments make you laugh and gag. He puts you right there, in the thick and thin head spin of it all.
I LOVE how Duncan describes things, heinous things ~ tongue firmly pressed into cheek ~ it really throws you for a fruit loop. :O
What a strange and awe-stunning mind he has.
This marks my 4th read and review for Bradshaw (not even counting shorts in various anthologies) and ~ YEP, still mesmerized. He's a fantastic, engaging, hilarious, and highly original writer. Plays in many genres and his one man team is always on the winning side.
Up next for me from this multifaceted gifted writer's wonderful little library shall be, Hexagram, an ancient Inca unfulfilled ritual trickled down throughout the ages book.
Sounds totally exciting and definitely not one to be read (uhhh chanted) out loud, I ain't no dummy.
Gotta love the versatility in this British writer, he won't be duck billed or platypus holed...or whatever they call that..
Really NEEDS and DESERVES more attention, this bloke!!
He's ultra unique and I think I'll keep him. :D
That is UNLESS he's got the latest Those Who Survive Class Four #2 zombie book available for my viewing and ogling pleasure.
Oh I'll be on THAT one in an apocalyptic minute!
So super stoked, so hurry the hell up with it Mr. P. Bradshaw!! ACES! :D
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews