Bastion Saturn

by C. Chase Harwood

A swashbuckling space opera, Bastion Saturn is a dramatic, often humorous, action-packed romp that explores the best and worst of humankind while questioning the very definition of humanity.

In 2101, having conquered the Solar System, most humans are choosing to tie their minds to an Artificial Intelligence. The only place of be free of AI is living off-world, with Saturn and its vast system of moons serving as the wild frontier. The only caveats to living there: the funds to fly a billion miles into space and a pledge to keep vigil against the threat of AI. Otherwise, what you do out there is your business.
Career scoundrel/petty-thief Caleb finds himself broke and unemployed when he arrives at his new home among the colonists of Saturn's moons, so he takes a job as a cop. When law enforcement takes a turn for the less-than-just, Caleb refuses to sit idly back. After rescuing and escaping with several civilians, Caleb and his new comrades are now fugitives who must beg, borrow, and steal their way across Saturn's moon colonies to survive.
Tensions rise as Earthlings begin looking at Off-Worlders as threats. Keeping his friends safe among Saturn's moons is no longer Caleb's only challenge--he must find a way to protect the last vestige of remaining free humans if they all want any hope at staying alive.

For the sensitive ear, Bastion Saturn contains salty language and a main character with rather sexist attitudes. With that in mind, enjoy the ride!

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Adventure, Amazon

332 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 19, 2016

About the author

C. Chase Harwood (aka Chris) made a career in Hollywood, decorating sets for such hits as THE BIG BANG THEORY and WILL & GRACE before turning his passion for storytelling into clicks on a keyboard. Between assaults on the walls of the screenwriting world, he chose to experiment with prose and found a fondness for Action-Adventure, particularly in the form of Sci-Fi and the Paranormal. Within that framework, he gets to explore the countless ways that humans interact while under duress. "Life is all the more lived when the consequences are high. When told as a tale it can be quite a page-turner," says Harwood. He lives in Los Angeles with his costume designer wife and young boy girl twins.

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bastion Saturn by C. Chase Harwood is a sci-fi book and a kindle scout book. This book has nanotech that blends AI with the human brain, this is a common thing during the days of this book. Space has been explored through our solar system. The only place without AI is the wild west of Saturn's outposts. This is where the story plays out. Caleb, he is the new cop to the area. It is mostly his story we follow. I pictured it as a futuristic wild west. I enjoyed it.

[Babbs · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of this book pulled me in--an AI ruled Earth setting it's sights outward to the colonies that didn't conform. What was touted as the main focus was more in the periphery as we follow an underachiever, who has a recently discovered brilliance in all his manly man-ness, through a series of incredibly lucky get-a-ways, all the while harassing the women he's with.

We have a devastating viral outbreak going on behind the main plot, which is making money and talking about how hot the females on board are. This includes detailed descriptions of the women aboard's boobs, which might have caused me permanent retinal damage from rolling my eyes THAT hard. It's okay, our main character said they knew and didn't mind him staring all the time because of a BS biology rational the "smart" one of the group explained so everyone got that it's totally cool. [gag] I'm probably a little over sensitive to this, since I work in two mostly male fields, but still.... GAG.

This book had SO many possibilities and I kept reading in the hopes it would eventually get to the actual meat of the story. Cool virus outbreaks. Robots gaining sentience and the humans that don't naturally trust them. An AI's inner motivation and Earth as it is now in general, and not the brief and disappointing glimpse we get. How the colonies mentalities are different from each other, but still more similar than what remains on Earth. This was touched upon by the crew's occasional unwillingness to tether their mind to the ship and how they treat the robots around them but was done in a way that made it almost comedic relief that I'm sure was written as tongue-in-check, but came across as just uncomfortable and crass to me.

The end was interesting, but also to me a disappointment. I've only had a few books in which I wasn't wholeheartedly on the side of my fellow humans, and I'm afraid this might be one of them.

If this book had a movie adaption spirit animal, it would be World War Z, because it had little to do with the actual synopsis, and chaos follows our main character in a way that simply makes you sigh and hope it gets to the point soon.

Hilarious link from Carol, via Mimi on how women are written in scifi: HERE.

[Icy_Space_Cobwebs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of BASTION SATURN by C. Chase Harwood

BASTION SATURN is hard science fiction, in the vein of Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars series, and of Neal Stephenson. Thoroughly researched and very technical, BASTION SATURN is educational and exploratory, sometimes joyful, often tragic. As 22nd century Earth has merged into nanotechnology and one overarching hive brain of AI (Artificial Intelligence), the minority takes exception and "escapes" to other planets to colonize, for to remain an Earthling is to be absorbed into the AI, constantly aware of everything and everyone.

The Moon colony was first, then Mars, then various of the moons of Saturn. Now the Lunar and Martian colonies are no more, and suddenly the Saturnian colonies are coming under attack. One passive misfit named Caleb somehow manages to save a few colonists, only to enter into a journey seemingly with no end, to another of Saturn's satellites.

The science of this novel is a character into itself. Woven into it are various diverse personalities, whose emotions and character are amply vivid. Mr. Harwood balances a sizeable number of characters, and brings them, the science of space travel and colonization, and the backgrounds of the various locations in space, to vivid and immediate life.

[Wampuscat · Rating 4 out of 5]

My interest in this novel was peaked when I read about it on the Kindle Scout page. I voted for it and received a free copy when it won the contest for publication. Having read Chase Harwood's Of Sudden Origin, I already knew the potential for a good read was there. I wasn't wrong!

Bastion Saturn is about Wild West Cowboy Space Pirates and Evil Artificial Intelligence! Well, not exactly, but the elements are there. The action is pretty much non-stop, which made it a page turner for me. The background setup is of an AI + Human Hive-Mind Singularity in 2101 forcing non-conformists to escape to space. The AI feels threatened by their very existence and takes steps to remove the thread. That dread permeates the entire work.

The struggle to establish a viable existences on the many moons of the Saturn ring system encapsulates the actions of the main characters. They come at you fast paced and fully formed. Caleb Day, the petty thief and general wanderer, annoyed me at first. I guess he was supposed to though. He finds himself in the middle of a corrupt Police action where - finding his conscience isn't as sadistic as the other participants - he ends up throwing his lot in with the fleeing refugees. One of those, a very attractive woman named Jennifer, is also somewhat more than she lets on at times. They end up in a series of unpleasant moon hopping situations as they try to find a new way to make it in the Saturn system.

Character development isn't a main component of the book, although there is some, especially for Caleb. The general direction of change is more of a getting-to-know-each-other kind progression where familiarity and acceptance between them bonds the gang together in a way that works. There is quirky humor employed in the book. I had a few eye-rolls at some of it. A couple of times I felt like I was missing an inside joke as if the author forgot to explain the lead in part. Hard to put my finger on though. Still, I can remember the character's names and their quirks, so they left an impression.

I found the science to be believable and fun. It may not be as detailed as I sometimes like, but the trade-off is the action. That is epic, and kept the novel moving from start to finish. One nag I do have is the roughshod yet dependable equipment. It always seems to work, no matter how much abuse or neglect it takes. Sure, it is 100 years in the future, but space is a very hard place to live... and stay alive... in. The jumping in and out of suits and airlocks. The crashing and scraping into things. The tracking in of dust particles. All that amounts to some very serious maintenance issues to me. But again, maintenance is boring, so.... action!

I enjoyed this read, and I look forward to the sequel (if there is one). I give this novel 4 stars and call it an Exciting Read.

[Adil Ehsan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not bad but the reviews and blurb are quite misleading.

First it's got little to do with an AI world and it's a lot more focused on a space romp. Also I certainly wouldn't put this as hard Sci fi. It's almost space opera but based in our solar system.

Second be aware this is more Hitch Hikers Guide style but more dark. It's certainly a humourus book and not meant to be a serious Sci fi or even dramatic story.

With those caveats in mind it's not bad.

[Shelee Whitaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you good story!

I hope some day that we will truly run around the solar system ,just like in your story. I did enjoy it.

[Ziggy Nixon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Potentially a 3-star book (very low 3's, like 2.5000001) but I just can't accept that many punctuation and spelling errors (synonyms are still wrong!) to bump it up.

Kids, believe me when I say: "Bastion Saturn" is a book with a LOT of potential. The characters aren't bad per se (except the ever-horny Caleb who needs a good kick in the balls) and the "world-building" is intriquing (ye gods I hate that descriptive) ... but in the end there is just too much going on, most of which gets resolved FAR too quickly and FAR too conveniently! We're talking action sequences that could have gone of for chapters on end that were done in a few paragraphs! But thank goodness there just happens to be an EMP weapon handy, am I right kids? Wouldn't want that one character that spent so long getting there to get more ink than she deserves!

And if the impatience weren't enough, the book reads like it's been written by a high school-age boy that is struggling both with what he wants to be when he grows up (a cop! no, wait, a pirate! no, wait, a drug-runner! no, wait...) and his never-ending quest to get laid or at very least see breasts in real life. Trust me: this book is a #metoo nightmare for any editor with common sense. Despite all this, I still had hope right up to the last page. But bottom-line is that Harwood doesn't manage to pull it off to any sort of satisfying ending, with loose ends flapping about like a split-open pressure suit in space (which tbh might have come as a relief). Even Caleb's 'mysterious cancer' diagnosis had so much potential as a plot point but... MEH!

Personally, I would have cut at least a third of what's here out and expanded on other bits to provide some meat on the bone. Throw out the druggies, throw out the hot oiled women judo match and more! It just felt like CCH wanted to get every possible concept in this one book and in the end it winds up being a mess with only scantly sufficient descriptives provided. I mean, good grief, we're in space orbiting Saturn! Come on already, make it count!

Again, it's a shame, because in terms of tone and characterizations, this book had a teeny tiny TRACE of Jim C. Hines' amazing "Terminal Alliance"/"Terminal Uprising"/"Terminal NotYetNamed" series in it. Certainly when you see what is happening to humankind you can relate! But where JCH knows how to build a plot with intrique and tension plus really pulls the reader in to what's happening along a number of story-lines and with the contributions of a widely different variety of characters, well... 'nuff said.

[Kristofor Hellmeister · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started off grabbing my attention with a tone of dread and mystery. I could feel the terror in finding bodies of people who had been reprogrammed into commuting suicide by homicidal AI. This book was easily accessible and not over the top sci-fi.

The story, though, didn't seem to invest too much in this terror and the rest of the tale felt like a string of coincidences and random plot lines. In the end, though, it came together neatly and was actually touching. I recommend this book for any sci-fi lover, and for those considering an adventure but don't necessarily like over the top sci-fi.

My biggest drawback is the main character. He is such an annoying womanizer who cares only about how he can get laid. I appreciate, though, the fact his childish antics were never rewarded by the end of the novel.

[Scott Holstad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's an entertaining ride, with some nice comedic elements thrown in, to the point of simple silliness. It took a little while to get into the story, but once there, the action really doesn't stop; it's very action-oriented. A lot happens in this AI vs. last free peoples story, and there's even some decent science thrown in. As crazy as this is, it's nearly believable! It actually left me wanting a sequel, but I doubt there will be one, which is a pity. I especially write this last sentence for the author to hopefully see, as he's a Goodreads Author. Come on, Chase, a sequel! Anyway, a good, fun, enjoyable book and heartily recommended.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a fun and entertaining surprise. After a slow start, with a long description of the book setting and character back stories, this book settled down nicely into a fun ride across the universe. It's a bit comedic and corny at times. All intentional, I think. There's plenty of action and silliness to keep you gripped to you seat and laughing at the same time. It also has a fantastic world-building about Saturn and its moons. The author has done quite a bit of research and woven it into the story in a way that leaves you wanting to know more.

I received a copy of this book through the Kindle Scout program.

[Sandy Conley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Bastion Saturn an easy read and very addicting story. I am so far from being an expert in this confusing language of ours that I had to take a test in English to get into College but I was very comfortable reading this book. I did ace the test as it was reading and comprehension of Huxley's Brave New world which I had read at 13. This novel is not of the depth of Huxley's novel but I am certainly happy I read it. The book introduced nanobots, AI, gravity effects and other concepts I find interesting into the story being told and they were well handled. The six main characters were well defined and enjoyable. The personalities were diverse interesting.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when you combine Peter Quill (Guardians of the Galaxy) with Malcolm Reynolds (Firefly) and send your new protagonist to the Barney Stinson School of Douchebaggery and Insecurity?
If you can accept this book's main protagonist for who he is—an insecure ass who still manages to do the right thing—and you enjoy funny sci fi that reads like a grittier version of your favorite prematurely-cancelled space cowboy TV series (you know the one), you'll enjoy the book.
This book can be painful to read for grammar police. Typos, misplaced punctuation, and other usage errors occur more frequently than they do in most books.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Sci-fi Trip

This book started off grabbing my attention with a tone of dread and mystery. I could feel the terror in finding bodies of people who had been reprogrammed into commuting suicide by homicidal AI. This book was easily accessible and not over the top sci-fi.

The story, though, didn't seem to invest too much in this terror and the rest of the tale felt like a string of coincidences and random plot lines. In the end, though, it came together neatly and was actually touching. I recommend this book for any sci-fi lover, and for those considering an adventure but don't necessarily like over the top sci-fi.

[Stan Kornaga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trying science fiction for a change of pace, perhaps a more well known start would have been better. This book was more like a science fiction soap opera. Everyone is pretty and the plot is fairly simple. For a casual read it was fine, but I am not picking up the next in the series just yet.

There were many areas of interest, such as the collective mind of all people of earth and there need to “convert” those humans in space.

Overall it’s fun light reading, now back to history

[john s moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book i enjoyed reading and learning the characters

The story gives you some things to think about and enjoy reading while trying to work out the characters and where you think they may go and sometimes your right other times you are surprised. If I was you give it a go i did and glad I did. Thanks for a great read looking forward to reading the prequel

[Jeremy Cath · Rating 1 out of 5]

Female character development should not be solely focused on their chest measurement

This had the makings of an enjoyable, freewheeling sci fi romp... but I am struggling to finish it because every time the author tries to, no pun intended, flesh out one of the female characters we veer off into prose than seems more 1970s Hustler than something written in the 21st Century.

[Karen M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminded me of why I love sc-fi books. Good story, creative descriptions of life in space, strange characters and total escape from reality (although sc-fi books from the past are about what's happening today). Well written book which I was so glad I bought.

[Bear Sidell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

Great space adventure! A nice quick vacation read. Similar in theme to Asimov. The author did well developing the characters and their relationships without turning it into a trashy, space-themed, romance novel. I REALLY appreciate that.

[Steven Piet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read

Interesting plot and characters. Caleb is a great main person. Nice premise. I'd read a sequel. None required, story ends well, but I could imagine seeing the characters face new challenges

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. Had to put it down 1/4 through. The main character is such an ass. The crew splits, and he's thinking how Christmas came early because now there's -two- women with him and they have nice tits or asses. Over it.

[Mike Zyskowski · Rating 2 out of 5]

A harmless parade of snafus. It’s a story without much point other than to escape from one cluster to another. The concept of the Saturn pilgrims vs the Earth enhanced collective is surface level at best, and I doubt I’d be moved to read the next in the series

[Terry Asla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superior Space Opera

Interesting characters turn what could have been a so-so story into something special. Well worth reading. Kudos to the author; I’m looking forward to reading the sequel.

[W. Michael Pinket · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review

Good Space Opera ride. Enjoyed it thoroughly, 😀! Can't wait to read his book. Will hope it is just as surprising

[Maya Morikawa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good

An entertaining story,but could only give it three stars ,because of the sex or lack of.The book can easily stand without lust always being about.

[AJ Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5. A straight-forward, entertaining space opera including a likable band of ragtag adventurers. Nothing revolutionary but a solid story that kept me turning the pages. I think it would make a good long airplane/train ride book.

[Scott Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun sci-fi adventure

Nice space adventure, mixing in hard science, intrigue and suspense. It was entertaining and held my attention from the first few pages.

[Bruce Maytubby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

Better than average, a great read. Good character development and great storyline. I enjoyed the story and loom forward to additional books.

[shannon Stubbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really care for it. I didn't like the characters and there were too many in answered questions.

[Rosemary Desris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

What a great read . Well written . I could not put the book down and can't wait to pick up the next one .

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than I feared it would be. Not as good as I hoped it would be.