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Alexis Carew #0.5
Planetfall: A Story of the Dark
Denholm Carew enjoys a life most would envy. Scion of a wealthy family on New London, he can have almost anything he wants. But what he wants more than anything is the freedom to make his own way and build his own legacy to pass down to his children. Together with his wife, Lynelle, he sells everything to buy shares in colonial company and settle the newly discovered world of Dalthus IV.
Planetfall is a prequel to the Alexis Carew series, which starts with Into the Dark. If you’re new to the series, I suggest starting with Into the Dark, rather than Planetfall, as this story was written more for someone who’s already a fan of the series and is interested in more background on some of the characters and customs.
Also, Planetfall is available free to subscribers to my mailing list … so there’s that.
J.A. Sutherland
Planetfall is a prequel to the Alexis Carew series, which starts with Into the Dark. If you’re new to the series, I suggest starting with Into the Dark, rather than Planetfall, as this story was written more for someone who’s already a fan of the series and is interested in more background on some of the characters and customs.
Also, Planetfall is available free to subscribers to my mailing list … so there’s that.
J.A. Sutherland
- GenresScience Fiction
120 pages, ebook
First published May 8, 2016
109 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
February 10, 2017
Another nice little story providing a bit of a back story for several of the characters. The only real minus point is the fact that we know mostly all of it, it was just packed differently. Not a bad read but unnecessary.
Still for the fans of the books maybe worth a look through.
Still for the fans of the books maybe worth a look through.
July 7, 2017
Wow..
Very rarely do you get a "short story" sent you to by an author for joining their mailing list that is even worth reading. Not only is this one worth reading, it is shockingly EXCELLENT!
What a wonderful read!
I read it after book 1 as suggested by the author and it was perfectly placed. My love for the characters in book 1 and Carew's history has grown exponentially.
I look forward to jumping into book 2 now and after that into the next "prequel" that the author has sent.
My husband and I are reading this series together, together being relative, he is a few books ahead of me, and we both really, really enjoy it.
Very rarely do you get a "short story" sent you to by an author for joining their mailing list that is even worth reading. Not only is this one worth reading, it is shockingly EXCELLENT!
What a wonderful read!
I read it after book 1 as suggested by the author and it was perfectly placed. My love for the characters in book 1 and Carew's history has grown exponentially.
I look forward to jumping into book 2 now and after that into the next "prequel" that the author has sent.
My husband and I are reading this series together, together being relative, he is a few books ahead of me, and we both really, really enjoy it.
February 13, 2017
He Does It Again
Every book Sutherland writes sucks the reader into his world, Alexis' world, and with it all the emotions each character goes through. This novella is no different. It provides a great back story to Alexis's other books and a glimpse into the life of her grandfather and Dalthus. All I have to say is thanks for making me cry....again. I should no better by now.
Every book Sutherland writes sucks the reader into his world, Alexis' world, and with it all the emotions each character goes through. This novella is no different. It provides a great back story to Alexis's other books and a glimpse into the life of her grandfather and Dalthus. All I have to say is thanks for making me cry....again. I should no better by now.
September 20, 2017
This prequel novella to the Alexis Carew space opera series tells how Alexis’s grandfather colonized the planet he’s on and got into a feud with a fellow traveler. Their hardships are well described and plausible as pioneers to other star systems hoping for freedom and fortune to follow. It well explains the problems Alexis is having with the other clan now. A useful addition to the series and best read, as the author suggests, after book one.
August 26, 2018
No ending!!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book right up until the last page, but it had no ending!! None at all! Having read some of the Alexis Carew series, I really enjoyed this back story, and the characters were drawn skillfully, but stopping the book in the middle is just rude and absolutely unnecessary.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book right up until the last page, but it had no ending!! None at all! Having read some of the Alexis Carew series, I really enjoyed this back story, and the characters were drawn skillfully, but stopping the book in the middle is just rude and absolutely unnecessary.
July 12, 2020
Fine. But it doesn't actually add much to the story, given what we learn in Into the Dark and only hints at information confirmed in... whatever book . Would be more interesting if Lynette or even Harlyn was more present in the Alexis storyline but as they aren't...
It was nice to see how Denholm and Julia got together but that was sort of an afterthought considering how much space it's given. I think I would've enjoyed the story that comes after this one more. Lynette has just died and we see Denholm struggling to deal with it while running his holding, raising his son, and adjusting to having Julia rather than Lynette sharing that duty. Or the story before this one. Seeing Denholm's life on New London and what drives him to abandon an upper class existence in a techno-paradise and first meeting Lynette.
The problem with this middle story is that we already know it after the first book and it isn't particularly interesting. Unless you happen to be super interested in how space farming works or evolves as newer technology becomes available. And if you are I implore you to run ( not walk ) over to a copy of A Fire Upon the Deep by Verner Vinge.
It was nice to see how Denholm and Julia got together but that was sort of an afterthought considering how much space it's given. I think I would've enjoyed the story that comes after this one more. Lynette has just died and we see Denholm struggling to deal with it while running his holding, raising his son, and adjusting to having Julia rather than Lynette sharing that duty. Or the story before this one. Seeing Denholm's life on New London and what drives him to abandon an upper class existence in a techno-paradise and first meeting Lynette.
The problem with this middle story is that we already know it after the first book and it isn't particularly interesting. Unless you happen to be super interested in how space farming works or evolves as newer technology becomes available. And if you are I implore you to run ( not walk ) over to a copy of A Fire Upon the Deep by Verner Vinge.
December 30, 2016
Well done
Because this is a prequel there are things I knew had to happen in the story. That made it hard to invest in the characters but they are so well written and set in such interesting situations that I kept going and really enjoyed the tale. This book is proof of the writing skills of J. A. Sutherland. To fill a defined time in a family history with so much freshness, humor, and feeling is an admirable talent and a blessing to we readers.
Because this is a prequel there are things I knew had to happen in the story. That made it hard to invest in the characters but they are so well written and set in such interesting situations that I kept going and really enjoyed the tale. This book is proof of the writing skills of J. A. Sutherland. To fill a defined time in a family history with so much freshness, humor, and feeling is an admirable talent and a blessing to we readers.
Read
July 17, 2022Bad joke
This "prequel" is as bad as the series. Rubbish. Rating: minus 5
I think that this book is proof that 120 pages to retcon the criminal lack of world building for an insane little series, can be churned out in almost 29 minutes. This was certainly written after the series was slammed for its non-existent background universe. Like the typical low end, minimal effort US science fiction writer, to this writer world building is an unfamiliar concept. The concept of minimal historical research into the period being simulated is equally strange to this writer. Unimaginative. Yes. A lazy interpretation of the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century sea culture loosely based on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. Yes. A nasty personal worldview embedded throughout the series in both dialogue and direct writer exposition. Having tried to read several of the books In the series in order to discover the point of them if any, I can answer "Yes, Yes and Yes".
This book (that does not even claim to be a novella) received a 4.25 Rating. Goodreads still stuns me, though my experiences should have prepared me. Please read my review of " Dark Horse", a fine story by Diener or Powers of the Earth (a ridiculous book) and the pro-slavery commenters led by a Claes Rees, Jr/cgr710 (a self-identified NeoNazi). I still retained too much faith in the members, I think.
GLORY TO UKRAINE !!!
I have had comments critical of my punctuation in a review but this drivel gets a large number of five star reviews? This is the prequel (?) that supposedly provides all the world building that a normal reader would have expected from a novel and by book six of a series.
Since the other books do not have a logical or consistent universe, how does any book in the series receive a five star rating? This book is worse at defining the background universe than the novels in which there was no attempt made. I will list all the most glaring contradictions, silliness and lazy explanations by category as best I can (which is more than this series deserves). Had I seen this 120 page piece before trying the first book, I would have passed the series by with a chuckle (as not fit for a spoof).
The Science
There is interstellar travel made possible by Dark Matter, which is? According to the writer, it is very dark. Ships interact with it by means of? According to the writer, they simply hoist sail. Naval combat is performed by 17th century cannon fire at a range of .5 to 1 mile distance and by boarding actions as the distance closes to yards. Please do a quick search into the various explanations for the hypothetical nature of dark matter. Also quick search the origin and meaning of the term "dark" as applied to matter or energy. Lastly quick search the ranges of 16th, 17th and 18th century naval artillery.
Am I to understand that these are ships that cross interstellar distances at speeds effectively measured in multiples of light speed but are armed only with age of sail cannon and the crew with cutlasses and pikes? These cannon are then mounted in open gun decks to vent the smoke and flames from the breech loaded guns (I am guessing). The gun crews need oxygen suits to breathe but gunpowder flames and ignites in a vacuum. Please quick search both combustion and the mechanics of firearms and artillery.
Terraforming a planet in full or in part requires less than one growing season? Yes, according to the writer, since the colonists have displaced the native vegetation, prepared the planetary soil, plowed it and harvested a crop in a few months. The writer explains that the terraforming only requires a single five inch cube to supplant all native species, create a complete terrestrial biome (I assume that it force grows trees, smaller plants, flowers and grasses, as well as pollinators, fungi and the land, air and water animals which feed on the insects after changing existing soil to various earth climate appropriate compositions) thus creating an earth-like area of ? miles (at least 30 square miles but probably two to three times that for a start, I would guess but with magic cubes, maybe one cube is sufficient to transform the entire planet). The writer does not give more detail than the size of the cube (I think that his 15 year old cousin might have been his science advisor).
Meat animals are grown planetside but meat for ship's crews is vat grown because of the need to recreate age of sail, pre-refrigeration food preservation issues (no way!). There is no explanation given by the writer. Perhaps the ancient technology of the refrigerator has been lost to this interstellar civilization. That could explain why this same technology base requires that livestock can only be transported as adult animals instead of frozen embryos or as sperm and ova to be fertilized at destination. Since the book is this universe's handbook, surely the writer included an explanation. If we are not meant to guess the answer, I imagine an editing glitch must have deleted that section. Please quick search the components of a biome, ask your aunt how long it took to grow her first apple tree to maturity and quick search the mechanics of refrigeration (in case we ever need to rediscover the tech).
The interstellar society
A key initial premise given early on in this book by the writer (in glorious exposition) is that people must self-segregate or they will kill each other. At that point I assumed that the last 5 foot 11 woman and last 5 foot 9 man must have agreed to live on separate planets and the human race goes quietly extinct but that doesn't happen (I am at a loss). It does explain the culturally/genetically homogenous, isolated and stereotypical depictions of this universe's planetary populations but not what happened to present multicultural national populations. New London rules the Scots (I hope the Welsh aren't extinct) in this future but the writer does not explain that the Scots have their own continent, since there is no mention of a planet of the Scots. History is not just important, it is everything.
What type of polity is New London? How did it come into being? What is the role of the Parliament and is there a king? There is a hereditary nobility that controls or contributes what exactly? New London seems to control many planets of non-English peoples but how, why and when did this happen? Is New London at war (there are naval battles, maybe they are arranged just to keep the navy in shape)? The writer probably just forgot to include those details. It's not as if he would just copy the Britain of Pitt or Disraeli inaccurately, thinking no reader might question it. Would he? No, No, No way!
Why are British sailors and soldiers prisoners on a "French" planet. Are they prisoners of the French? Are they prisoners of the Prussian navy on a French planet? Why are the French and Prussians at war and why would either shoot at the English (I mean New London) navy? It is almost as if an entire book was written to recreate the World War Two, Dunkirk evacuation but that is a crazy notion.
The origin story of planets full of generations of indentured workers (seems like chattel slavery) was enlightening. The writer explained it in exposition (again). The indentured workers (or are they serfs forever bound to the land and the owners of the land without personal rights or land ownership rights ever) knew to what they were agreeing. They signed contracts! The workers are carted from one planet to another "free of charge" until they find an employment deal that they like and their owner (or is it permanent employer) buys their transportation debt, which will never be paid in full unless the employer declares it so. As they have no rights and no authority to which they can appeal, they will always be serfs (I mean permanent employees, bound to the land, yada, yada). Still sounds like an improbably convoluted explanation for the creation of serfdom or slavery. I am sure that the writer would not take another distorted slice of history, in order to create the society needed to populate his "Pirates of the Caribbean" romance universe. History is everything.
The family history of the main character
The grandfather of the main character came from New London. His wife came from Scottish parents. He was a member of parliament doing what, how long, why? He decided one day that he and his wife were running off to the frontier. Because ? He and his wife pulled plows on their homestead and had one mule. I saw a clip of "The Patriot" on a history channel. The channel creator was so angry at most of the movie, he was speechless at certain scenes. I would not be surprised if that were the source of the scene in this book. I can not even mock this "background" because the above is all that the the writer provided and it reads like a mockery of his own series.
He's a good noble because he and wife "accidentally" bought a population of serfs and they were uncomfortable with the buying of serfs/slaves/indentured workers/whatever but "Needs must". She died before giving birth and yet he has a grandchild? He accidentally pushed through removal of rights from all noble women. It goes on and on. All the bad things that he does are the fault of his nemesis, who is both evil and stupid or of his depression. More detail is not needed but if you read this book, I doubt that you will have any interest in the series. The series is even worse than this seems. I just do not want to invest any more time on this whatever it is and suspect that this page represents more effort than the writer expended on the entire series.
I am not sure if this crazy background is just a lazy shortcut to his romance of the seas fueled by ignorance of history or a reflection of his attitude towards women and the poor tempered by stupidity. It may be both. In any case, the series degenerates further with each volume. I hoped that I could skip over the worst and then it became a mesmerizing train wreck. Why would a publisher pay for this series? Why did readers give this five stars?
I never would have tried to read the series, had I read this tripe first.
This series convinced me that for the moment, current english language science fiction print with the exception of top tier writers is a sad excuse for storytelling. The streaming services deliver better written and interesting stories. Their stories often make the attempt to address the big ideas, raise important questions and encourage imagination. YouTube shorts (DUST) do good work packing very strong stories in small packages. The book tubers created a thoughtful community and generate some really sound recommendations tailored to taste and genre. YouTube also introduced me to educational video sites. The first that I tried was Curiosity Stream/Nebula and enjoy it. Some of my favorite YouTube channels are.
Munecat, Moon May Narrowboat, Tom Nicholas, Tara Mooknee, Novara Media, Ship Happens, Some More News, The Juice Media, Lady of the Library, Sarah Z, Chugging Along, Tiny Wee Boat, Cruising Alba, History Line, Invicta, Kings and Generals, Filaxim Historia, World War Two, Sabine Hossenfelder, Military History Visualized, The Great War, BrandonF, The Templin Institute, Tibees, Swell Entertainment, Philosophy Tube, Austin McConnell, Zoe Baker, Cruising Crafts, Tulia, Sort of Interesting, The Mindful Narrowboat, Adult Wednesday Addams, Second Thought, Noah Sampson, Real Engineering, Jabzy, IzzzYzzz, Three Arrows, Cari can Read, What Vivi did next, The Piano Guys, Narrowboat Chef, Northern Narrowboaters, Nomadic Crobot, Merphy Napier, Beautifully Bookish Bethany, Books with Chloe, Between the Wars, Joe Scott, Maiorianus, Maggie May Fish, With Olivia, Boat Time, Renegade Cut, AstronautX, The Gravel Institute, France 24, Mark Felton Productions, Kitty G, A life of Lit, We're in Hell, Alice Cappelle, Double Down News, Camper Vibe, Caspian Report, Reading Wryly, The Amber Ruffin Show, Lilly's expat life, Casual Navigation, Dr Becky, Alexa Donne, Diane Callahan Quotidian Writer, Storyworldling, A Cup of Nicole, Big Joel, Kelly loves Physics and History, Anton Petrov, 2Cellos, Chloe Stafler, Celtica, I'm Rosa, Dark Skies, Perun, Hello Future Me, Odyssey, Cold Fusion, Nerd of the Rings, The Radical Reviewer, Books and Quills, Overly Sarcastic Productions.
I wish you a glorious morning, a fantastic afternoon, a pleasant evening and a wonderful night.
Hope and Imagination are paths forward, Fear the urge to concede.
Lore of the Dark Sisters
This "prequel" is as bad as the series. Rubbish. Rating: minus 5
I think that this book is proof that 120 pages to retcon the criminal lack of world building for an insane little series, can be churned out in almost 29 minutes. This was certainly written after the series was slammed for its non-existent background universe. Like the typical low end, minimal effort US science fiction writer, to this writer world building is an unfamiliar concept. The concept of minimal historical research into the period being simulated is equally strange to this writer. Unimaginative. Yes. A lazy interpretation of the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century sea culture loosely based on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. Yes. A nasty personal worldview embedded throughout the series in both dialogue and direct writer exposition. Having tried to read several of the books In the series in order to discover the point of them if any, I can answer "Yes, Yes and Yes".
This book (that does not even claim to be a novella) received a 4.25 Rating. Goodreads still stuns me, though my experiences should have prepared me. Please read my review of " Dark Horse", a fine story by Diener or Powers of the Earth (a ridiculous book) and the pro-slavery commenters led by a Claes Rees, Jr/cgr710 (a self-identified NeoNazi). I still retained too much faith in the members, I think.
GLORY TO UKRAINE !!!
I have had comments critical of my punctuation in a review but this drivel gets a large number of five star reviews? This is the prequel (?) that supposedly provides all the world building that a normal reader would have expected from a novel and by book six of a series.
Since the other books do not have a logical or consistent universe, how does any book in the series receive a five star rating? This book is worse at defining the background universe than the novels in which there was no attempt made. I will list all the most glaring contradictions, silliness and lazy explanations by category as best I can (which is more than this series deserves). Had I seen this 120 page piece before trying the first book, I would have passed the series by with a chuckle (as not fit for a spoof).
The Science
There is interstellar travel made possible by Dark Matter, which is? According to the writer, it is very dark. Ships interact with it by means of? According to the writer, they simply hoist sail. Naval combat is performed by 17th century cannon fire at a range of .5 to 1 mile distance and by boarding actions as the distance closes to yards. Please do a quick search into the various explanations for the hypothetical nature of dark matter. Also quick search the origin and meaning of the term "dark" as applied to matter or energy. Lastly quick search the ranges of 16th, 17th and 18th century naval artillery.
Am I to understand that these are ships that cross interstellar distances at speeds effectively measured in multiples of light speed but are armed only with age of sail cannon and the crew with cutlasses and pikes? These cannon are then mounted in open gun decks to vent the smoke and flames from the breech loaded guns (I am guessing). The gun crews need oxygen suits to breathe but gunpowder flames and ignites in a vacuum. Please quick search both combustion and the mechanics of firearms and artillery.
Terraforming a planet in full or in part requires less than one growing season? Yes, according to the writer, since the colonists have displaced the native vegetation, prepared the planetary soil, plowed it and harvested a crop in a few months. The writer explains that the terraforming only requires a single five inch cube to supplant all native species, create a complete terrestrial biome (I assume that it force grows trees, smaller plants, flowers and grasses, as well as pollinators, fungi and the land, air and water animals which feed on the insects after changing existing soil to various earth climate appropriate compositions) thus creating an earth-like area of ? miles (at least 30 square miles but probably two to three times that for a start, I would guess but with magic cubes, maybe one cube is sufficient to transform the entire planet). The writer does not give more detail than the size of the cube (I think that his 15 year old cousin might have been his science advisor).
Meat animals are grown planetside but meat for ship's crews is vat grown because of the need to recreate age of sail, pre-refrigeration food preservation issues (no way!). There is no explanation given by the writer. Perhaps the ancient technology of the refrigerator has been lost to this interstellar civilization. That could explain why this same technology base requires that livestock can only be transported as adult animals instead of frozen embryos or as sperm and ova to be fertilized at destination. Since the book is this universe's handbook, surely the writer included an explanation. If we are not meant to guess the answer, I imagine an editing glitch must have deleted that section. Please quick search the components of a biome, ask your aunt how long it took to grow her first apple tree to maturity and quick search the mechanics of refrigeration (in case we ever need to rediscover the tech).
The interstellar society
A key initial premise given early on in this book by the writer (in glorious exposition) is that people must self-segregate or they will kill each other. At that point I assumed that the last 5 foot 11 woman and last 5 foot 9 man must have agreed to live on separate planets and the human race goes quietly extinct but that doesn't happen (I am at a loss). It does explain the culturally/genetically homogenous, isolated and stereotypical depictions of this universe's planetary populations but not what happened to present multicultural national populations. New London rules the Scots (I hope the Welsh aren't extinct) in this future but the writer does not explain that the Scots have their own continent, since there is no mention of a planet of the Scots. History is not just important, it is everything.
What type of polity is New London? How did it come into being? What is the role of the Parliament and is there a king? There is a hereditary nobility that controls or contributes what exactly? New London seems to control many planets of non-English peoples but how, why and when did this happen? Is New London at war (there are naval battles, maybe they are arranged just to keep the navy in shape)? The writer probably just forgot to include those details. It's not as if he would just copy the Britain of Pitt or Disraeli inaccurately, thinking no reader might question it. Would he? No, No, No way!
Why are British sailors and soldiers prisoners on a "French" planet. Are they prisoners of the French? Are they prisoners of the Prussian navy on a French planet? Why are the French and Prussians at war and why would either shoot at the English (I mean New London) navy? It is almost as if an entire book was written to recreate the World War Two, Dunkirk evacuation but that is a crazy notion.
The origin story of planets full of generations of indentured workers (seems like chattel slavery) was enlightening. The writer explained it in exposition (again). The indentured workers (or are they serfs forever bound to the land and the owners of the land without personal rights or land ownership rights ever) knew to what they were agreeing. They signed contracts! The workers are carted from one planet to another "free of charge" until they find an employment deal that they like and their owner (or is it permanent employer) buys their transportation debt, which will never be paid in full unless the employer declares it so. As they have no rights and no authority to which they can appeal, they will always be serfs (I mean permanent employees, bound to the land, yada, yada). Still sounds like an improbably convoluted explanation for the creation of serfdom or slavery. I am sure that the writer would not take another distorted slice of history, in order to create the society needed to populate his "Pirates of the Caribbean" romance universe. History is everything.
The family history of the main character
The grandfather of the main character came from New London. His wife came from Scottish parents. He was a member of parliament doing what, how long, why? He decided one day that he and his wife were running off to the frontier. Because ? He and his wife pulled plows on their homestead and had one mule. I saw a clip of "The Patriot" on a history channel. The channel creator was so angry at most of the movie, he was speechless at certain scenes. I would not be surprised if that were the source of the scene in this book. I can not even mock this "background" because the above is all that the the writer provided and it reads like a mockery of his own series.
He's a good noble because he and wife "accidentally" bought a population of serfs and they were uncomfortable with the buying of serfs/slaves/indentured workers/whatever but "Needs must". She died before giving birth and yet he has a grandchild? He accidentally pushed through removal of rights from all noble women. It goes on and on. All the bad things that he does are the fault of his nemesis, who is both evil and stupid or of his depression. More detail is not needed but if you read this book, I doubt that you will have any interest in the series. The series is even worse than this seems. I just do not want to invest any more time on this whatever it is and suspect that this page represents more effort than the writer expended on the entire series.
I am not sure if this crazy background is just a lazy shortcut to his romance of the seas fueled by ignorance of history or a reflection of his attitude towards women and the poor tempered by stupidity. It may be both. In any case, the series degenerates further with each volume. I hoped that I could skip over the worst and then it became a mesmerizing train wreck. Why would a publisher pay for this series? Why did readers give this five stars?
I never would have tried to read the series, had I read this tripe first.
This series convinced me that for the moment, current english language science fiction print with the exception of top tier writers is a sad excuse for storytelling. The streaming services deliver better written and interesting stories. Their stories often make the attempt to address the big ideas, raise important questions and encourage imagination. YouTube shorts (DUST) do good work packing very strong stories in small packages. The book tubers created a thoughtful community and generate some really sound recommendations tailored to taste and genre. YouTube also introduced me to educational video sites. The first that I tried was Curiosity Stream/Nebula and enjoy it. Some of my favorite YouTube channels are.
Munecat, Moon May Narrowboat, Tom Nicholas, Tara Mooknee, Novara Media, Ship Happens, Some More News, The Juice Media, Lady of the Library, Sarah Z, Chugging Along, Tiny Wee Boat, Cruising Alba, History Line, Invicta, Kings and Generals, Filaxim Historia, World War Two, Sabine Hossenfelder, Military History Visualized, The Great War, BrandonF, The Templin Institute, Tibees, Swell Entertainment, Philosophy Tube, Austin McConnell, Zoe Baker, Cruising Crafts, Tulia, Sort of Interesting, The Mindful Narrowboat, Adult Wednesday Addams, Second Thought, Noah Sampson, Real Engineering, Jabzy, IzzzYzzz, Three Arrows, Cari can Read, What Vivi did next, The Piano Guys, Narrowboat Chef, Northern Narrowboaters, Nomadic Crobot, Merphy Napier, Beautifully Bookish Bethany, Books with Chloe, Between the Wars, Joe Scott, Maiorianus, Maggie May Fish, With Olivia, Boat Time, Renegade Cut, AstronautX, The Gravel Institute, France 24, Mark Felton Productions, Kitty G, A life of Lit, We're in Hell, Alice Cappelle, Double Down News, Camper Vibe, Caspian Report, Reading Wryly, The Amber Ruffin Show, Lilly's expat life, Casual Navigation, Dr Becky, Alexa Donne, Diane Callahan Quotidian Writer, Storyworldling, A Cup of Nicole, Big Joel, Kelly loves Physics and History, Anton Petrov, 2Cellos, Chloe Stafler, Celtica, I'm Rosa, Dark Skies, Perun, Hello Future Me, Odyssey, Cold Fusion, Nerd of the Rings, The Radical Reviewer, Books and Quills, Overly Sarcastic Productions.
I wish you a glorious morning, a fantastic afternoon, a pleasant evening and a wonderful night.
Hope and Imagination are paths forward, Fear the urge to concede.
Lore of the Dark Sisters
February 5, 2019
I can't get enough!
I, on general principal, avoid short prequels. I tend to believe that, if anything worthwhile needs to be told, a clever and skilled author will write a flashback novel or work the prehistory into a journal, reminiscences, deathbed confession, etc.. This short story did however feed my Jones for more of the Alexis Carew Universe. I can rail all I like about the Torture inflicted on addicted readers by pokey authors who work at their leisurely pace...but in the end the quality of these stories is worth the torment. I will just have to content myself with the exquisite anguish of waiting.
I do not want to hear about favorite authors world hopping vacations, or any other excuses for leaving their desks. The need for slavemaster editors has never been greater. I love these books. I have bought everything written by J.A. Sutherland, and cannot imagine a time where I will pass one by.
I, on general principal, avoid short prequels. I tend to believe that, if anything worthwhile needs to be told, a clever and skilled author will write a flashback novel or work the prehistory into a journal, reminiscences, deathbed confession, etc.. This short story did however feed my Jones for more of the Alexis Carew Universe. I can rail all I like about the Torture inflicted on addicted readers by pokey authors who work at their leisurely pace...but in the end the quality of these stories is worth the torment. I will just have to content myself with the exquisite anguish of waiting.
I do not want to hear about favorite authors world hopping vacations, or any other excuses for leaving their desks. The need for slavemaster editors has never been greater. I love these books. I have bought everything written by J.A. Sutherland, and cannot imagine a time where I will pass one by.
April 6, 2019
This is a free ebook you get if you join the author's mailing list, which I did because I quite like the main Alexis Carew series. It's a prequel to that series, and ... well, it's pretty much what I'd expect when I hear the words "free prequel". Sutherland's writing is solid enough, but by their nature prequels will always struggle to build much narrative tension, and that isn't helped here by the fact that the work is structured as a series of fairly discrete episodes that are seem interested in explaining how the backstory of Alexis Carew came to be than in being an engaging narrative of their own.
October 6, 2017
What did I like about this book? It's part of the Alexis Carew Series by J.A. Sutherland! I love this series and this short prequel did not disappoint. It gives us some background and history into how the Carew family came to live on Dalthus IV and the beginnings of the family feuds that carry on for generations. The characters have depth, as does the story, and you grow to love them more with each sentence. To top it off, it is superbly narrated by Elizabeth Klett. I simply cannot get enough of this series!
October 17, 2018
2018 grade B-
This novelette is a prequel to the the first novel "Into the Dark." If follows Alexis' grandfather as he and his wife leave earth and make a home as the first settlers on their new planet. The first two thirds was good but the last third was predictable, over written, and maudlin. The author says to read this after reading book 1, but the story would have less predictable if it had been read first. The story was free when I signed up for his mailing list.
This novelette is a prequel to the the first novel "Into the Dark." If follows Alexis' grandfather as he and his wife leave earth and make a home as the first settlers on their new planet. The first two thirds was good but the last third was predictable, over written, and maudlin. The author says to read this after reading book 1, but the story would have less predictable if it had been read first. The story was free when I signed up for his mailing list.
December 3, 2018
Alexis's grandparents tale of being among the first arrivals.
Full of hope the parents of Alexis father plan,gather all they have selling everything they can to buy shares in a new world and go to begin a new life there.This is the background of Alexis life and helps to understand the why of many issues in the series.
Full of hope the parents of Alexis father plan,gather all they have selling everything they can to buy shares in a new world and go to begin a new life there.This is the background of Alexis life and helps to understand the why of many issues in the series.
December 9, 2017
The story "Planetfall" is a prequel to the
Alexis Carew Series; it tells the story of
how Alexis's Grandfather Denholm settled
on Dalthus IV from New London.
A Great story and A MUST READ LIST Addition!
Alexis Carew Series; it tells the story of
how Alexis's Grandfather Denholm settled
on Dalthus IV from New London.
A Great story and A MUST READ LIST Addition!
March 5, 2018
Excellent short to the series!
The author recommends the first book to be read. I have to disagree as I love this story. Made me cry! A fan.
The author recommends the first book to be read. I have to disagree as I love this story. Made me cry! A fan.
March 25, 2019
Well told story of family.
The Carew family story is compelling. I find myself wanting to know more about them. Rooting for them to do well and flourish.
The Carew family story is compelling. I find myself wanting to know more about them. Rooting for them to do well and flourish.
March 31, 2019
Such a great series! I love the world that J.A. has created! I highly recommend checking this series out!
August 10, 2019
I have enjoyed the Alexis Carew Books and Planetfall was a very good prequel to them. When is the next Alexis Carew book due out?
April 17, 2020
Great read
Couldn't put this book down. What more can be said except looking forward to reading the rest of this series.
Couldn't put this book down. What more can be said except looking forward to reading the rest of this series.
June 26, 2023
Nice background and peek into the historical info.
July 24, 2024
An eventful prequel to a very good series.
February 1, 2017
This is a great prequel novella in the Alexis Carew series. Though this is a prequel, it is recommended to be read after finishing at least one of the books so you have a greater understanding of the world JA Sutherland created.
The novella begins shortly before Alexis' Grandparents leave New London for Dalthus and bits of their first couple years on the new planet including an unfortunate event that we all know about from reading Into the Dark but I won't spoil that in case you haven't read it yet.
At the end of the novella the author leaves a note about a second half of Planetfall to be released soon which will focus on Alexis' fathers life.
At the time of this review, I have read the novellas, listened to the audio version of books 1-3 and am awaiting the audio release of book 4. I recommend this series if you enjoy science fiction with a historical twist (the ships use sails based on ships from several hundred years ago).
The novella begins shortly before Alexis' Grandparents leave New London for Dalthus and bits of their first couple years on the new planet including an unfortunate event that we all know about from reading Into the Dark but I won't spoil that in case you haven't read it yet.
At the end of the novella the author leaves a note about a second half of Planetfall to be released soon which will focus on Alexis' fathers life.
At the time of this review, I have read the novellas, listened to the audio version of books 1-3 and am awaiting the audio release of book 4. I recommend this series if you enjoy science fiction with a historical twist (the ships use sails based on ships from several hundred years ago).
September 30, 2016
Novella providing good background information; hope he builds on this tangent. Sign up for his mailing list at alexiscarew.com and get this story for free.
Get all his Alexis Carew books for a pittance compared to list price at mainstream booksellers and enjoy his immersive universe.
Best if you read this after Book 2 "Mutineer"
Get all his Alexis Carew books for a pittance compared to list price at mainstream booksellers and enjoy his immersive universe.
Best if you read this after Book 2 "Mutineer"
November 25, 2016
No naval daring do in this one. The story of Alexis' grandparents, and the early years of the colony. Not a happy story, but gives a different perspective on the why and wherefores of the society. Worth reading
August 19, 2016
Excellent novel to fill in the spaces for the Alex Carew books. Good writing and an enjoyably written main character.
November 8, 2016
The past
You get to see how it was on the planet when they first arrived and the following years. You now have an idea how things started!
You get to see how it was on the planet when they first arrived and the following years. You now have an idea how things started!
November 18, 2016
Worth reading
I really enjoyed reading this and getting more detail on the feud. The other three in the series were more action packed, but I liked getting more of the background.
I really enjoyed reading this and getting more detail on the feud. The other three in the series were more action packed, but I liked getting more of the background.
January 19, 2017
An excellent prequel (4+) for the Alex Carew series. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.
August 10, 2016
waiting for second half.
March 26, 2017
Wonderful
Reading is a pleasure and the past few hours were quite enjoyably happy and sad. Can not wait to get number four.
Reading is a pleasure and the past few hours were quite enjoyably happy and sad. Can not wait to get number four.
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