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Ex Situ #1
Traveler in the Dark
Sixteen hundred years ago, they fled Earth. Now their long journey may finally be at an end. None of them have ever walked on soil, felt rain, or breathed unrecycled air. Their resources nearly spent, they sent a last exploratory mission to a new planet. It's ideal... but they are not alone. In the struggle for survival, they must make a choice. Sacrifice another species or accept their own extinction. And time is running out.
233 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 3, 2017
286 people are currently reading
403 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
September 13, 2023
Entertaining futuristic listening 🎶🔰
This novel e-book is free on Amazon book one of the series. Oh how I love 💘 those free books 📚!
I was listening 🎶🔰 to this as part of box 📦 set Call of Courage.
Fifty thousand people leave earth 🌎 1600 years ago. They have finally found a world 🌎 that will support live. Should they settle down on this planet 🌎 or move on.
This started dragging on so I moved to the next book five. I would recommend you give it novel a try. 2023 👒😀💘🏡
This novel e-book is free on Amazon book one of the series. Oh how I love 💘 those free books 📚!
I was listening 🎶🔰 to this as part of box 📦 set Call of Courage.
Fifty thousand people leave earth 🌎 1600 years ago. They have finally found a world 🌎 that will support live. Should they settle down on this planet 🌎 or move on.
This started dragging on so I moved to the next book five. I would recommend you give it novel a try. 2023 👒😀💘🏡
February 15, 2018
Good read.
Except for a few continuity glitches, this is a well thought out story. It moves along nicely and the plot is interesting and engaging. The descriptive prose is vivid and well written right down to the gory bits. I would definitely recommend it.
Except for a few continuity glitches, this is a well thought out story. It moves along nicely and the plot is interesting and engaging. The descriptive prose is vivid and well written right down to the gory bits. I would definitely recommend it.
February 15, 2018
I liked the concept of Deidre Gould’s Traveler in the Dark. I found the story engrossing, and it was hard to put down as life’s demands took away my precious reading time. I found the portrayal of the multi-generational surveyors and their initial reaction to the alien planet after a lifetime aboard a spacefaring habitat to be quite believable, and in line with expectations based on my studies of human behavior.
What I did find a little hard to swallow was the “villain.” In Traveler in the Dark, the villain is not really a person or a group of persons, but a thought. An idea. Albeit an extreme form of environmentalism, it’s presented in such a way that rings true to extremist behaviors. The reader is allowed an almost child-like naiveté through the actions of Issk’ath. The trope of an alien intelligence trying to understand humanity, and humanity’s distrust of that intelligence has been done many times, and I enjoyed Gould’s take on the subject.
The writing did suffer from a major issue though. The characters are briefly introduced by first and last name, referred to in dialog by other characters by first name (or nickname), and the author’s narration by last name. By the end of the book, I still had a hard time telling who was who. I found this handling of the names to be confusing, and not consistent with my experience as a sailor since most, if not all, space fiction is based on naval traditions and terms.
Considering my reviews in the past, I’d think that this book would be a four-star read, but for some reason, I just grokked this story. I’m eager to read more books in the series, but I’m afraid that they will pale in comparison. I’m not a fan of environmentalism novels—Ben Bova and Kim Stanley Robinson have both killed a story by being too heavy handed on the environmentalism. I’m gonna go ahead and award five stars. The story is not without its flaws, but I think it’s a solid read.
What I did find a little hard to swallow was the “villain.” In Traveler in the Dark, the villain is not really a person or a group of persons, but a thought. An idea. Albeit an extreme form of environmentalism, it’s presented in such a way that rings true to extremist behaviors. The reader is allowed an almost child-like naiveté through the actions of Issk’ath. The trope of an alien intelligence trying to understand humanity, and humanity’s distrust of that intelligence has been done many times, and I enjoyed Gould’s take on the subject.
The writing did suffer from a major issue though. The characters are briefly introduced by first and last name, referred to in dialog by other characters by first name (or nickname), and the author’s narration by last name. By the end of the book, I still had a hard time telling who was who. I found this handling of the names to be confusing, and not consistent with my experience as a sailor since most, if not all, space fiction is based on naval traditions and terms.
Considering my reviews in the past, I’d think that this book would be a four-star read, but for some reason, I just grokked this story. I’m eager to read more books in the series, but I’m afraid that they will pale in comparison. I’m not a fan of environmentalism novels—Ben Bova and Kim Stanley Robinson have both killed a story by being too heavy handed on the environmentalism. I’m gonna go ahead and award five stars. The story is not without its flaws, but I think it’s a solid read.
February 9, 2023
Humans used the earth up, and they poisoned it. They made it hard to live there, leaving to look for another place. They loaded up fifty thousand people on the ship and went looking. Sixteen hundred years later, they might have found a habitable planet with a moon. Then sent an exploratory mission to both. The planet’s moon was perfunctory, only checking the moon to see if it had anything of use. The planet, on the other hand, had life. And once a civilization. And they left something behind. Now, they had to deal with a moral dilemma. Possibly kill one or more species on the planet or move on and let humanity die a slow miserable death.
I like a good moral dilemma in a story. And this tale has one of the big issues that humankind tends to ignore regarding humanity’s survival. Add a touch of fanaticism, and you have a dangerous mixture on your hands, especially in space, where it is much easier to die -or kill. World-building for this story is first-rate, and character interaction is well done to take on such a subject.
If you like science fiction with a bunch of crazy, you might like this read. I give it five stars out of five stars.
I like a good moral dilemma in a story. And this tale has one of the big issues that humankind tends to ignore regarding humanity’s survival. Add a touch of fanaticism, and you have a dangerous mixture on your hands, especially in space, where it is much easier to die -or kill. World-building for this story is first-rate, and character interaction is well done to take on such a subject.
If you like science fiction with a bunch of crazy, you might like this read. I give it five stars out of five stars.
March 9, 2023
This is an ark in space looking for a new planet to settle on story about the group of scientists sent to discover whether the planet located is safe for humans. The characters were not well developed. I couldn’t keep track of who was who, and there weren’t that many of them. And with 30,000 people to choose from, why would you send a group of explorers who are not very stable and already have set opinions on whether to settle on the planet or not. The story changes rather abruptly from sci fi to a who is the psychotic murderer tale - and, since the reader knows who the murderer is, there isn’t much suspense.
March 4, 2023
Book 07/69: Traveler in the Dark (Ex Situ, #1) by Deirdre Gould. A scifi read I got for free from the Kobo Store at the time and I forgot to notice it was a part of a series. Perhaps I'll look into them! The concept intrigued me on how the future generations of humans would decide on colonisation after being taught history and its repercussions. And then it gravitated towards horror sci-fi which is also up my alley and a great conclusion of a first book!
November 22, 2024
Story of travellers who left earth in search of survival on other planet and roaming around galaxy in hope to survive when they finally found something they have to come to earth to let them know the discovery but they have ever walked on soil, felt rain, or breathed unrecycled air. Their resources nearly spent, they sent a last exploratory mission to a new planet.
I liked the concept of Deidre Gould’s Traveler in the Dark. I found the story engrossing, and it was hard to put down . I found the portrayal of the multi-generational surveyors or say survivors and their initial reaction to the alien planet after a lifetime aboard on an spacefaring habitat to be quite unbelievable.
What I did find a little hard to swallow was the “villain.” In Traveler in the Dark, the villain is not really a person or a group of persons, but a thought. An idea. Albeit an extreme form of environmentalism, it’s presented in such a way that rings true to extremist behaviors. The reader is allowed an almost child-like naiveté through the actions of Issk’ath. The trope of an alien intelligence trying to understand humanity, and humanity’s distrust of that intelligence has been done many times, and I enjoyed Gould’s take on the subject.
The writing did suffer from a major issue though with lot of confusion. The characters are briefly introduced by first and last name, but in dialog by other characters by first name , and the author’s narration by last name. By the end of the book, I still had a hard time deciphering that i might not mixed the characters.
The author concluded on a extreme suspense note.The story is not without its flaws, but I think it’s a goodread and exciting series
I liked the concept of Deidre Gould’s Traveler in the Dark. I found the story engrossing, and it was hard to put down . I found the portrayal of the multi-generational surveyors or say survivors and their initial reaction to the alien planet after a lifetime aboard on an spacefaring habitat to be quite unbelievable.
What I did find a little hard to swallow was the “villain.” In Traveler in the Dark, the villain is not really a person or a group of persons, but a thought. An idea. Albeit an extreme form of environmentalism, it’s presented in such a way that rings true to extremist behaviors. The reader is allowed an almost child-like naiveté through the actions of Issk’ath. The trope of an alien intelligence trying to understand humanity, and humanity’s distrust of that intelligence has been done many times, and I enjoyed Gould’s take on the subject.
The writing did suffer from a major issue though with lot of confusion. The characters are briefly introduced by first and last name, but in dialog by other characters by first name , and the author’s narration by last name. By the end of the book, I still had a hard time deciphering that i might not mixed the characters.
The author concluded on a extreme suspense note.The story is not without its flaws, but I think it’s a goodread and exciting series
January 15, 2019
I can easily envision this book as a movie, rife with beautiful visuals and dramatic lighting. I like the premise that a ship full of humans was sent off to space to find another viable planet to live on, which turns into a centuries long mission as they find nothing but inhospitable planets. They adapt to their life in space but their ship is running out of resources and new generations are falling victim to the Spindling, which isn't ever completely explained but appears to be a crippling condition resulting from living in constant low gravity; if you've ever read how astronauts are physically changed by long-term space missions, this will ring a bell.
I also enjoyed the idea of Issk'ath, the lone Guardian of an extinct alien colony. He's a robot insect who seems on the verge of breaking through his emotionless existence; his interactions with Emery and small comments about hope and fear are almost touching.
The main villain of the story is an interesting one; they are driven to murdering friends and crewmates out of fear --- fear that the new planet will ruin the lifestyle of their people, deteriorating as it may be. Fear of the unknown. Fear of not having a mission, a goal to work towards.
Some of the scenes were a little drawn out and I wonder where the series will go from here based on the ending. A few of the characters were fairly typical and not very interesting.
Despite all this, I enjoyed the book although I don't know if I will continue the series.
I also enjoyed the idea of Issk'ath, the lone Guardian of an extinct alien colony. He's a robot insect who seems on the verge of breaking through his emotionless existence; his interactions with Emery and small comments about hope and fear are almost touching.
The main villain of the story is an interesting one; they are driven to murdering friends and crewmates out of fear --- fear that the new planet will ruin the lifestyle of their people, deteriorating as it may be. Fear of the unknown. Fear of not having a mission, a goal to work towards.
Some of the scenes were a little drawn out and I wonder where the series will go from here based on the ending. A few of the characters were fairly typical and not very interesting.
Despite all this, I enjoyed the book although I don't know if I will continue the series.
December 3, 2017
Interesting story, containing lots of different elements. The alien artifact is the most unique part of the story, but I thought the psychological issues involved in moving a population from a ship to a planet were well portrayed. The dangers of people leaving the only habitat they've ever known go beyond the physical, although that's part of the story too. Between the deteriorating ship, illness, and the dangers of moving to a planet, nothing is easy for the characters. How the alien will ultimately affect the ship and the humans remains to be seen.
This is a stand-alone story, but it's very much to-be-continued in the next book. The immediate issues are resolved by the end, but the overall story is not complete. I enjoyed this book and will look for the next one.
This is a stand-alone story, but it's very much to-be-continued in the next book. The immediate issues are resolved by the end, but the overall story is not complete. I enjoyed this book and will look for the next one.
November 5, 2017
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
This is a story about a generation long exodus of what is left of the human race flying through space. This ship comes into contact with what could be a planet ripe for colonization, but some of the passengers are against that idea. Now, you have to factor in the fact that the space craft is aging and falling apart, resources are at a minimum, and the time in space is killing the humans. Also, once the humans attempt to colonize the planet, they also come into contact with an alien entity. This is what the story revolves around with several twists, turns, and plot changes. A good read
This is a story about a generation long exodus of what is left of the human race flying through space. This ship comes into contact with what could be a planet ripe for colonization, but some of the passengers are against that idea. Now, you have to factor in the fact that the space craft is aging and falling apart, resources are at a minimum, and the time in space is killing the humans. Also, once the humans attempt to colonize the planet, they also come into contact with an alien entity. This is what the story revolves around with several twists, turns, and plot changes. A good read
March 12, 2018
In general was a good book, i will read the rest of the series.
The story really show the danger of space exploration, we might think were ready to explore the question is... are we? we are ready with our technology for our planet but another one it will be the UNKNOWN!! The action scene was cool and suspense was there too.
The characters in other hand were not the most fascinating they were ok enough to keep reading. Location description was not the most describe, i mean they were detail but not lot i had to create my own world by part.
With all is issue still a good book i will grab book 2.
3/5
The story really show the danger of space exploration, we might think were ready to explore the question is... are we? we are ready with our technology for our planet but another one it will be the UNKNOWN!! The action scene was cool and suspense was there too.
The characters in other hand were not the most fascinating they were ok enough to keep reading. Location description was not the most describe, i mean they were detail but not lot i had to create my own world by part.
With all is issue still a good book i will grab book 2.
3/5
July 13, 2019
Great premise. A large spaceship, with the last of humanity, leaves a dying Earth in search of a new habitable planet. After traveling for 1600 years, none has been found. The ship is falling apart, the people are succumbing to new disease and bodies are failing. Finally, a planet is found that might be habitable for humans, but it is not uninhabited. The decisions to stay or go are complicated enough but there is a crew member, an absolutist, that meddles and an alien artificial intelligence that may have corrupted software and a great story unfolds.
January 27, 2018
Great book!
Well developed characters, fantastic pacing and thought provoking.
One of the first real page turners for me for some time.
I'm looking forward to seeing how this series progresses.
The only negative - and I agree with another reviewer - is the swapping from first name to last name for the same characters without the book introducing them with both names originally. This makes it confusing in some early parts.
Well developed characters, fantastic pacing and thought provoking.
One of the first real page turners for me for some time.
I'm looking forward to seeing how this series progresses.
The only negative - and I agree with another reviewer - is the swapping from first name to last name for the same characters without the book introducing them with both names originally. This makes it confusing in some early parts.
February 8, 2018
Beauty and insanity beautifully portrayed
I struggled to put this book down for meals. It is intoxicating, wonderfully rendered and thought provoking.
The characters breath on the pages and you can't help but feel for them and with them. As they agonize over choices and decisions that will affect not only themselves but everyone they know, over their actions or inaction and the life altering repercussions thereof.
A wonderful addition to any Sci-fi library.
I struggled to put this book down for meals. It is intoxicating, wonderfully rendered and thought provoking.
The characters breath on the pages and you can't help but feel for them and with them. As they agonize over choices and decisions that will affect not only themselves but everyone they know, over their actions or inaction and the life altering repercussions thereof.
A wonderful addition to any Sci-fi library.
March 30, 2019
This is an interesting premise for a sci-fi. Humanity left a dying earth and have been wandering space for 1600 years. I loved the concept of stepping foot on a planet as being terrifying because I can absolutely see this happening. Unfortunately, I had a lot of trouble keeping track of who was who due to the constant flipping between first and last names and each character having very little development. Still, a unique story that gave me a bit to think about.
June 22, 2017
OMG!
What a story, I can't stop crying. This book has so much it's difficult to list it all, but I'll try. Entertainment, adventure, friendship, evil, faith, murder, goodness, hope, treachery, misunderstanding, human foibles in all of their glory. I highly recommend this book! I'm going to kiss and hug my computer now.
What a story, I can't stop crying. This book has so much it's difficult to list it all, but I'll try. Entertainment, adventure, friendship, evil, faith, murder, goodness, hope, treachery, misunderstanding, human foibles in all of their glory. I highly recommend this book! I'm going to kiss and hug my computer now.
June 23, 2017
I enjoyed the premise and how the guardian was introduced - the sense of being a necessary part of a community but not accepted is quite reminiscent of Karen Traviss' City of Pearl. But the heavy handed environmental messaging and the inconsistent characterisation (behaviour driven by plot requirements rather than vice versa) meant I stopped around the second death.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2017
A good sci-fi will ask the hard questions, and this one asks! This is old school sci-fi, asking the relevant questions of today in a different scenario. The book puts together characters, situations, and possibilities, and allows the reader to question their own answers. If you are a fan of thought provoking sci-fi, this is a good book with which to do it!
January 31, 2018
Eye Opening
What would happen if we were to attempt colonization? It is not all swashbuckling and bravado. This is a story that gives life to real and believable scenarios. Humans drifting and surviving over a thousand years are dying out and desperate. Our ones chance is an hospitable world but what if our greatest enemy followed us? What if it was us?
What would happen if we were to attempt colonization? It is not all swashbuckling and bravado. This is a story that gives life to real and believable scenarios. Humans drifting and surviving over a thousand years are dying out and desperate. Our ones chance is an hospitable world but what if our greatest enemy followed us? What if it was us?
February 1, 2018
Great storytelling! We can all imagine the moral conflict people might have upon colonizing a new world: are we going to destroy the planets original inhabitants, flora and fauna, is the planet going to destroy life as we know it? The discovery of an older and extinct civilization made this book interesting. I think it might be a good introduction into a new series.
February 4, 2018
Excellent book. Deep and intriguing characters, and an excellent story. A dying human colony adrift in space for 1600 years, and a survey mission on a planet that could maybe be their new home. However, he planet was home to another sentient species once, and all that if left being is a single guardian robot.
There is murder, intrigue, and complicated character motivations.
There is murder, intrigue, and complicated character motivations.
February 23, 2018
An interesting story with some very good ethical issues discussed - perhaps discussed a bit too much and too many times... The storyline is really depressing and it makes me wonder if humanity in 1600 years would still be acting as poorly as we do now. There is a satisfying close to the introductory story, and I'm undecided if I'll see what happens next.
January 21, 2019
None of the residents on the Keseburg have ever touched soil or even breathed fresh (unrecycled) air. 1600 years ago the humans left Earth an uninhabitable waste, to find a new home. The Wolfinger and its crew is dispatched to go on one exploratory mission for a last attempt at finding a new planet.
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January 27, 2018
Good but too much OMG
Decent writing, unique ideas, but way too much circular reasoning. Covered the same ground about who is right or wrong and should we or shouldn't we do this or not that it detracts from the other parts of the story.
Decent writing, unique ideas, but way too much circular reasoning. Covered the same ground about who is right or wrong and should we or shouldn't we do this or not that it detracts from the other parts of the story.
February 6, 2018
Brilliant introduction to a new universe
First book that I have read by this author and I am hooked. Brilliantly written page-turning story with such wonderful characters and a plot that had me turning the pages. Brig on book two!
First book that I have read by this author and I am hooked. Brilliantly written page-turning story with such wonderful characters and a plot that had me turning the pages. Brig on book two!
February 11, 2018
Dimly visible potential hidden in poor characterization and worse plot development, all served with a huge helping of angst and confusion. I hate to discourage anyone from writing, but don't give up your day job.
March 14, 2018
Excellent read. Lots of unexpected turns . Highly recommended.
Always great to discover a wonderful new writer ... well written and exciting as well as thought provoking. Definitely a book for sci-fi lovers.
Always great to discover a wonderful new writer ... well written and exciting as well as thought provoking. Definitely a book for sci-fi lovers.
April 3, 2018
It is a fast read!
Lots of counter plots and some things happen that make you think. I'm not quite sure where she is going with the next book that will keep your interest. But I am going to find out!
me
Lots of counter plots and some things happen that make you think. I'm not quite sure where she is going with the next book that will keep your interest. But I am going to find out!
me
June 10, 2018
An incredible read!
I loved the After the Cure series by Deirdre Gould and am so glad I picked up this series as well. It's a great story about what may happen to humans in the future. I highly recommend this book and hope to read the next one soon.
I loved the After the Cure series by Deirdre Gould and am so glad I picked up this series as well. It's a great story about what may happen to humans in the future. I highly recommend this book and hope to read the next one soon.
June 17, 2018
It started off ok and was really interesting. It then turned into a murder mystery story with one crazy crew member picking off the crew one at a time until the story ends with everyone dead. Good beginning but disappointed with the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews