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Zero Limit
Artemis meets Gravity in this gripping, adrenaline-fueled ride. For war hero Caitlin Taggart, mining work on the Moon is dirty, low pay, and high risk. But no risk seems too extreme if it helps her return to Earth and the daughter she loves more than life itself. Offered a dangerous, long-shot chance to realize that dream, Caitlin will gamble with more than just her life. By leading a ragtag crew of miners on a perilous assignment to harvest an asteroid, Caitlin could earn a small fortune. More importantly, it would give her clearance to return to Earth. But when an unexpected disaster strikes the mission, Caitlin is plunged into a race to save not only herself, but every human being on Earth.
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First published March 6, 2018
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December 10, 2017
Since the dawn of civilization, we've speculated the possibility of living on another planet. Jeremy Brown had brought that fantasy home. Not a planet but close enough - the Moon. It all began first with sightseeing trips for the rich and famous that escalated into the moon's first city. Aldrin City. Thank you Buzz.
Moving into the latter part of the 21st century, life on the moon was not exactly peaches and cream. Low gravity, water rationing and moon dust everywhere made life miserable. Oh, and no playing outside. The author penned an exciting storyline that just wouldn't let go. Talking my language. The characters were well drawn to the point of feeling a strong relationship with each. With the main protagonist - a bond. The action-packed scenes were driven by forces that spiraled, at times, in all directions. I fastened my seatbelt for the ride of my life. This book comes highly recommended.
Caitlin Taggart was born on the moon, returned to Earth as a child and journeyed back as an adult. Just couldn't stay away. On Earth, public unrest had sided against Moon people. By many, considered the worst type of alien. Nationwide protests ensued. The government responded to the pressure by temporarily restricting travel to and fro. No more trips back home. For a while anyway. And it couldn't have come at a worse time. Caitlin had an emergency situation with her 8 year old daughter on Earth that couldn't wait. Come hell or high water, she had to get back.
The hands of fate interceded. Unexpectedly, she was presented with an offer she couldn't refuse. The timing was uncanny. All she had to do was fly her crew to a nearby asteroid and direct it's trajectory to within the gravitational orbit of the moon. Not exactly like changing a flat tire. This particular asteroid was said to be rich in plutonium. Perhaps worth trillions of dollars. An extremely dangerous mission lay ahead. First of its kind. Maybe the last. Finally, they were on their way. No time for goodbyes.
They made it to the asteroid. Good size rock, maybe a half mile across. So far so good. While preparing to dock, a fire broke out on board. Everyone abandoned ship in a landing pod except for one crew member who died aboard in a horrific explosion. Now marooned on a speeding asteroid. To make matters worse, they discovered the explosion of the ship had changed the trajectory of the asteroid. It was now set on a collision course with Earth. Frying pan into the fire. Their Landing pod was worse than unreliable for a trip anywhere. It's heat shield had been compromised. Reentry through Earth's atmosphere promised only charred remains. Nothing was going right. Communication with scientists on Earth yielded no way out of their doomsday scenario - nor for the Earth's. Hope was beginning to fade. Time was running out.
My thanks to NetGalley and 47 North for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
Moving into the latter part of the 21st century, life on the moon was not exactly peaches and cream. Low gravity, water rationing and moon dust everywhere made life miserable. Oh, and no playing outside. The author penned an exciting storyline that just wouldn't let go. Talking my language. The characters were well drawn to the point of feeling a strong relationship with each. With the main protagonist - a bond. The action-packed scenes were driven by forces that spiraled, at times, in all directions. I fastened my seatbelt for the ride of my life. This book comes highly recommended.
Caitlin Taggart was born on the moon, returned to Earth as a child and journeyed back as an adult. Just couldn't stay away. On Earth, public unrest had sided against Moon people. By many, considered the worst type of alien. Nationwide protests ensued. The government responded to the pressure by temporarily restricting travel to and fro. No more trips back home. For a while anyway. And it couldn't have come at a worse time. Caitlin had an emergency situation with her 8 year old daughter on Earth that couldn't wait. Come hell or high water, she had to get back.
The hands of fate interceded. Unexpectedly, she was presented with an offer she couldn't refuse. The timing was uncanny. All she had to do was fly her crew to a nearby asteroid and direct it's trajectory to within the gravitational orbit of the moon. Not exactly like changing a flat tire. This particular asteroid was said to be rich in plutonium. Perhaps worth trillions of dollars. An extremely dangerous mission lay ahead. First of its kind. Maybe the last. Finally, they were on their way. No time for goodbyes.
They made it to the asteroid. Good size rock, maybe a half mile across. So far so good. While preparing to dock, a fire broke out on board. Everyone abandoned ship in a landing pod except for one crew member who died aboard in a horrific explosion. Now marooned on a speeding asteroid. To make matters worse, they discovered the explosion of the ship had changed the trajectory of the asteroid. It was now set on a collision course with Earth. Frying pan into the fire. Their Landing pod was worse than unreliable for a trip anywhere. It's heat shield had been compromised. Reentry through Earth's atmosphere promised only charred remains. Nothing was going right. Communication with scientists on Earth yielded no way out of their doomsday scenario - nor for the Earth's. Hope was beginning to fade. Time was running out.
My thanks to NetGalley and 47 North for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
March 16, 2018
Caitlin Taggert is stuck on the moon. She might be a war hero, but when all moon-born people are restricted from Earth, she is forced to stay there. Mining on the moon is dangerous, difficult and low-paying work. Caitlin's biggest wish is to get back to Earth so she can be with her young daughter. Then she gets an offer she can't refuse.....mine an asteroid and earn a fortune. Not only is the assignment illegal, but very dangerous. She has strong belief in her crew and, above all, she wants to be with her daughter. But the mission goes very wrong. Caitlin and the crew find themselves facing a much bigger problem....one that could effect everyone on Earth.
Wow! This is an enjoyable, action-packed space adventure! It definitely kept my attention from beginning to end. I like Caitlin as a main character. She's strong, independent and a good leader. Her crew are great supporting characters. The action moves quickly, and the story is engaging. I got emotionally invested in the characters...and was truly sad when some of them died. The ending is definitely white-knuckle exciting. I wasn't sure how it was going to come out until the very end. Great action. Some nice plot twists and turns. Overall, a great SF space adventure!
The cover art is wonderful! It's what originally drew me to read the book. Nicely done!
This is the first book by Jeremy Brown that I've read. I'm definitely going to check out his other books!
**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from 47North via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
Wow! This is an enjoyable, action-packed space adventure! It definitely kept my attention from beginning to end. I like Caitlin as a main character. She's strong, independent and a good leader. Her crew are great supporting characters. The action moves quickly, and the story is engaging. I got emotionally invested in the characters...and was truly sad when some of them died. The ending is definitely white-knuckle exciting. I wasn't sure how it was going to come out until the very end. Great action. Some nice plot twists and turns. Overall, a great SF space adventure!
The cover art is wonderful! It's what originally drew me to read the book. Nicely done!
This is the first book by Jeremy Brown that I've read. I'm definitely going to check out his other books!
**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from 47North via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
October 22, 2018
There are a lot of comparisons that can be made here. From an asteroid that needs to be 're-directed' in order to save Earth (Armageddon anyone?), to a war over planetary control and mining (Firefly's brown-coats), to sarcastic quips about trying to stay alive (The Martian). And yet Jeremy K. Brown has still managed to write an enjoyable novel.
Fast paced!
Without a doubt the best part of Brown's Zero Limit is that it's quick. A lot of things happen in a short amount of time. There's not a lot of wasted time setting up our characters, their personalities or even our unique asteroid setting. Instead Brown has taken advantage of the assumption that the average person knows and understands some basic space science. For example; how and when gravity plays a factor, orbits, blowing stuff up can move it, and so forth. As a seasoned science fiction reader I was okay with these assumptions. Now that may not work for everyone but for the average reader I think it's a pretty safe bet.
Science
I'm not an astrophysicist. Nor am I even a science major or all that well versed in science that isn't taught on the Big Bang Theory (I'll never forget Schroeder's cat). So for me as long as the science seems to make some sense I'm happy. It may be that there are lots of scientific inaccuracies in Zero Limit. Given that I wouldn't know even if there were, my naive self enjoys just plugging along with the story
Motherhood
The emotional attachment between characters that Brown sets-up is between our lead gal (a mom) and her daughter. There are some bittersweet moments between the two of them and the daughter ultimately provides the 'why' that is required to buy into the story. However overall I could have done without this portion of the story. It wasn't really anything new and the relationship felt a bit forced.
Overall
This is a fun, fast paced science fiction read. If you're not looking for too much depth or emotional connections and would rather just experience some crazy ideas on how to stop an asteroid from hitting earth then you are likely to enjoy this story. While I wouldn't necessarily read it again; I'm not unhappy I read it in the first place.
For this and more of my reviews please visit my blog at: Epic Reading
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Fast paced!
Without a doubt the best part of Brown's Zero Limit is that it's quick. A lot of things happen in a short amount of time. There's not a lot of wasted time setting up our characters, their personalities or even our unique asteroid setting. Instead Brown has taken advantage of the assumption that the average person knows and understands some basic space science. For example; how and when gravity plays a factor, orbits, blowing stuff up can move it, and so forth. As a seasoned science fiction reader I was okay with these assumptions. Now that may not work for everyone but for the average reader I think it's a pretty safe bet.
Science
I'm not an astrophysicist. Nor am I even a science major or all that well versed in science that isn't taught on the Big Bang Theory (I'll never forget Schroeder's cat). So for me as long as the science seems to make some sense I'm happy. It may be that there are lots of scientific inaccuracies in Zero Limit. Given that I wouldn't know even if there were, my naive self enjoys just plugging along with the story
Motherhood
The emotional attachment between characters that Brown sets-up is between our lead gal (a mom) and her daughter. There are some bittersweet moments between the two of them and the daughter ultimately provides the 'why' that is required to buy into the story. However overall I could have done without this portion of the story. It wasn't really anything new and the relationship felt a bit forced.
Overall
This is a fun, fast paced science fiction read. If you're not looking for too much depth or emotional connections and would rather just experience some crazy ideas on how to stop an asteroid from hitting earth then you are likely to enjoy this story. While I wouldn't necessarily read it again; I'm not unhappy I read it in the first place.
For this and more of my reviews please visit my blog at: Epic Reading
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
February 17, 2018
The last unknown, outer space! The last place humanity can taint with greed. Caitlin Taggert was a war hero, now working on the moon, mining. The pay is bad, the conditions are poor and the risk is high, but she lives for her daughter on earth and the hope she will be with her soon.
Caitlin and her team are made an offer they cannot refuse, an offer to risk it all for wealth and a chance to go back to Earth. One mining mission that was it, one illegal mining mission on an asteroid floating in space. One dangerous, illegal mining mission on an asteroid, what could go wrong? Wasn’t her team the best of the best? Supplied worn out equipment, with the carrot of seeing her daughter soon dangling in her face, Caitlin and her crew were about to cause a disaster that could cause the Earth to perish, her daughter, included. Now it is up to her to save herself, her crew and the world.
ZERO LIMIT by Jeremy K. Brown has moments of white-knuckle reading, moments of motherly angst, the slime of greed and that gut churning race against time and the impossible. It also has poor decisions, the consequences of those decisions and the weight of humanity hanging in the balance. As the clock ticks down, the tension ramps up and a plethora of characters get involved, some with political machinations, some with dollar signs dancing in their dreams, some re-hashing an old love gone bad…and where is Caitlin? Out of control in space, being chased by an asteroid thrown off course and the clock keeps ticking…
A quick read, perfect for space travel fans who enjoy that race against doom while clueless earth-bound powerhouses wring their hands!
I received a complimentary ARC edition from 47North!
Publisher: 47North (March 6, 2018)
Publication Date: March 6, 2018
Genre: Science Fiction
Print Length: 298 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Caitlin and her team are made an offer they cannot refuse, an offer to risk it all for wealth and a chance to go back to Earth. One mining mission that was it, one illegal mining mission on an asteroid floating in space. One dangerous, illegal mining mission on an asteroid, what could go wrong? Wasn’t her team the best of the best? Supplied worn out equipment, with the carrot of seeing her daughter soon dangling in her face, Caitlin and her crew were about to cause a disaster that could cause the Earth to perish, her daughter, included. Now it is up to her to save herself, her crew and the world.
ZERO LIMIT by Jeremy K. Brown has moments of white-knuckle reading, moments of motherly angst, the slime of greed and that gut churning race against time and the impossible. It also has poor decisions, the consequences of those decisions and the weight of humanity hanging in the balance. As the clock ticks down, the tension ramps up and a plethora of characters get involved, some with political machinations, some with dollar signs dancing in their dreams, some re-hashing an old love gone bad…and where is Caitlin? Out of control in space, being chased by an asteroid thrown off course and the clock keeps ticking…
A quick read, perfect for space travel fans who enjoy that race against doom while clueless earth-bound powerhouses wring their hands!
I received a complimentary ARC edition from 47North!
Publisher: 47North (March 6, 2018)
Publication Date: March 6, 2018
Genre: Science Fiction
Print Length: 298 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
September 27, 2018
Ahoy there me mateys! I received this sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
So this book was described as “Artemis meets Gravity in this gripping, adrenaline-fueled ride.” Nope, not for me. I actually tried to read this twice and gave up on it both times.
Now I have not seen the movie gravity so I can’t comment on that but I would consider this to be a bad version of Armageddon the movie where ye replace Bruce Willis with a not-quite-as-badass woman, have even cheesier dialogue, and no real tension.
As for artemis . . . umm no. Well both take place on the moon. That’s about all they have in common. Artemis made me feel like the author had been to the moon and experienced both its wonders and its problems. This novel’s moon seemed like a cardboard cutout of a Hollywood sound stage with all the cliché glory that entails. I did like the concept of a miserable moon-dust rampaged living space but this novel did not do it justice.
Add in really bad politics involving the middle east and an immigrant (moon-born) hating politician and it just added to the rip-off feeling. I wish I could have liked it but alas.
So lastly . . .
Thank you 47 North
Check out me others reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
So this book was described as “Artemis meets Gravity in this gripping, adrenaline-fueled ride.” Nope, not for me. I actually tried to read this twice and gave up on it both times.
Now I have not seen the movie gravity so I can’t comment on that but I would consider this to be a bad version of Armageddon the movie where ye replace Bruce Willis with a not-quite-as-badass woman, have even cheesier dialogue, and no real tension.
As for artemis . . . umm no. Well both take place on the moon. That’s about all they have in common. Artemis made me feel like the author had been to the moon and experienced both its wonders and its problems. This novel’s moon seemed like a cardboard cutout of a Hollywood sound stage with all the cliché glory that entails. I did like the concept of a miserable moon-dust rampaged living space but this novel did not do it justice.
Add in really bad politics involving the middle east and an immigrant (moon-born) hating politician and it just added to the rip-off feeling. I wish I could have liked it but alas.
So lastly . . .
Thank you 47 North
Check out me others reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
December 8, 2017
https://koeur.wordpress.com/2017/12/0...
Publisher: 47 North
Publishing Date: March 2018
ISBN: 9781503946651
Genre: SciFi
Rating: 1.4/5
Publishers Description: Twelve billion metric tons of asteroid. One woman who can save Earth. Zero margin for error. For war hero Caitlin Taggart, mining work on the Moon is dirty, low pay, and high risk. But no risk seems too extreme if it helps her return to Earth and the daughter she loves more than life itself. Offered a dangerous, long-shot chance to realize that dream, Caitlin will gamble with more than just her life. By leading a ragtag crew of miners on a perilous assignment to harvest an asteroid, Caitlin could earn a small fortune. More importantly, it would give her clearance to return to Earth.
Review: So if you haven’t already read the publisher’s description take a minute and read it now. Sound familiar? As you move through this novel it will become apparent that it is a blend of a few movies/ideas already capitalized on. Gravity, Deep Impact and especially Armageddon are a few that come to mind. Why the ripoff? I dunno, maybe some good writers just do not have a creative bone in their heads or like a lot of writers out there, are hoping to strike a movie deal.
Besides the creative er….license taken, this novel had some problems more endemic to the story line and characterization. The story line was patterned to the point where you lost interest. The characters interacted like a script was being read. For instance the “crew” – a functioning blend of overt personalities that love each other like family, throwing ribald and insulting comments while going about serious biz….(sigh). This was an attempt, through brevity, to get the reader to like everyone. Not possible when the dialogue consists of patterned exchanges. The main character was a let down what with her reluctant war hero persona leading the charge from a diminished perspective with a lovable scamp back on earth and a bad daddy.
The altruistic behavior at the end runs a bit too long and caps an interminable slide downhill.
Publisher: 47 North
Publishing Date: March 2018
ISBN: 9781503946651
Genre: SciFi
Rating: 1.4/5
Publishers Description: Twelve billion metric tons of asteroid. One woman who can save Earth. Zero margin for error. For war hero Caitlin Taggart, mining work on the Moon is dirty, low pay, and high risk. But no risk seems too extreme if it helps her return to Earth and the daughter she loves more than life itself. Offered a dangerous, long-shot chance to realize that dream, Caitlin will gamble with more than just her life. By leading a ragtag crew of miners on a perilous assignment to harvest an asteroid, Caitlin could earn a small fortune. More importantly, it would give her clearance to return to Earth.
Review: So if you haven’t already read the publisher’s description take a minute and read it now. Sound familiar? As you move through this novel it will become apparent that it is a blend of a few movies/ideas already capitalized on. Gravity, Deep Impact and especially Armageddon are a few that come to mind. Why the ripoff? I dunno, maybe some good writers just do not have a creative bone in their heads or like a lot of writers out there, are hoping to strike a movie deal.
Besides the creative er….license taken, this novel had some problems more endemic to the story line and characterization. The story line was patterned to the point where you lost interest. The characters interacted like a script was being read. For instance the “crew” – a functioning blend of overt personalities that love each other like family, throwing ribald and insulting comments while going about serious biz….(sigh). This was an attempt, through brevity, to get the reader to like everyone. Not possible when the dialogue consists of patterned exchanges. The main character was a let down what with her reluctant war hero persona leading the charge from a diminished perspective with a lovable scamp back on earth and a bad daddy.
The altruistic behavior at the end runs a bit too long and caps an interminable slide downhill.
March 15, 2018
“Let me ask you. How do you think the situation looks?” (Alex)
“I’ll let you decide once I show you all the data,” Sara said. “But if I were you, I’d consider relocating.”
“To where, exactly?” (Alex)
“Start by leaving the planet and work your way out from there." (Sara)
That was one of the funnier dialogues from Zero Limit, well I thought it was funny anyways. When I read it, it cracked me up! I could not stop laughing. : )
On to the review...
Zero Limit is about a a Moon-born woman named Caitlin Taggart that ended up separated from her daughter when politicians on Earth restricted anyone born on the Moon to return back to Earth. She ends up obtaining a job on the Moon, leading a ragtag crew of miners while she's biding her time waiting for either a favorable legal outcome or a lift in the travel ban. Just when she's lost almost all hope in seeing her daughter again, a mining company big-wig, offers her a guaranteed return trip to Earth if her and her crew will complete one job for him- one very illegal and dangerous job. With no other options left and a "how hard can this be for the best miners on the moon" attitude, Caitlin and her crew accept the offer -- and not one, but many things, go very, very wrong...
Sounds good huh? It is, but when you first start reading the book, if you're like me, you'll find the story a little bit dull because there's quite a bit of 'telling' instead of 'showing.' As the story progresses and the action increases, I got further absorbed into the plot but the excitement level does fluctuate back in forth until they start "the job," then it increases a few notches. If you like space related stories and a strong-willed heroine, I would definitely give the story a try. The second half of the book, more then makes up for the slow start.
*I received this ARC from Goodreads FirstReads in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
“I’ll let you decide once I show you all the data,” Sara said. “But if I were you, I’d consider relocating.”
“To where, exactly?” (Alex)
“Start by leaving the planet and work your way out from there." (Sara)
That was one of the funnier dialogues from Zero Limit, well I thought it was funny anyways. When I read it, it cracked me up! I could not stop laughing. : )
On to the review...
Zero Limit is about a a Moon-born woman named Caitlin Taggart that ended up separated from her daughter when politicians on Earth restricted anyone born on the Moon to return back to Earth. She ends up obtaining a job on the Moon, leading a ragtag crew of miners while she's biding her time waiting for either a favorable legal outcome or a lift in the travel ban. Just when she's lost almost all hope in seeing her daughter again, a mining company big-wig, offers her a guaranteed return trip to Earth if her and her crew will complete one job for him- one very illegal and dangerous job. With no other options left and a "how hard can this be for the best miners on the moon" attitude, Caitlin and her crew accept the offer -- and not one, but many things, go very, very wrong...
Sounds good huh? It is, but when you first start reading the book, if you're like me, you'll find the story a little bit dull because there's quite a bit of 'telling' instead of 'showing.' As the story progresses and the action increases, I got further absorbed into the plot but the excitement level does fluctuate back in forth until they start "the job," then it increases a few notches. If you like space related stories and a strong-willed heroine, I would definitely give the story a try. The second half of the book, more then makes up for the slow start.
*I received this ARC from Goodreads FirstReads in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
January 13, 2018
Zero Limit doesn’t lack for excitement, but it doesn’t really excite either. Quite a conundrum. Maybe because it is essentially a screenplay written like a book and the brain can’t rationalize spending an entire afternoon and early evening on something that should essentially be no longer than 120 minutes. So basic plot is an deadly proportionate asteroid hurtling toward the Earth with (gasp) small team of Moon’s Earthlings on it. So a disaster/rescue vehicle. A twofer. In cinematic relations it’s basically Michael Bay’s Armageddon in corniness and clichés and other crucial plot elements. Although it obviously tries to be The Martian. It even has several Gravity inspired scenes, although who can drift away into space quite like Mr. Clooney and who can crashland as fashionably conscious (yes, no space diapers) as Ms. Bullock. So yes, too many allusions, inspirations, whatever you want to call it to claim originality and yet…it started off so promisingly, on the colonized moon. And then it turned into a selfmade quest thingie, which I personally despise, which is to say a protagonist sets off on a very dangerous/potentially lethal mission often (definitely the case here) for purely selfish/personal reasons, convinces friends/colleagues to come along risking their lives out of some weird moral obligation (promise of financial gain, etc.) and then when it snafus out of control, they get to be the heroic ones who save the day or at least their own butt as they case may be here. Seriously? Seriously? There are so many stories like that. Why? It everyone’s attention span so short that they forget midway through that the waist high doodoo their champions are bravely plowing through is of their own making? Is it an extreme case of the end justifying the means? Is it some weird moral rationalization? So here in Zero Limit there’s a war veteran currently stuck on Moon due to some immigration regulations (more on this later) who through a series of past questionable personal choices stands to have her only daughter age 8 and stuck on Earth go into state custody. The only way out she can find is take up an obvious slimeball businessman on a very iffy and not entirely legal offer to exploit an asteroid for platinum. Not even a matter of life or death, really. But she nevertheless convinces her team of four friends/coworkers to do this with her and when to no savvy readers’ surprise a snafu lands them on an asteroid, it also now sets it on a collision course with Earth. In other words it’s a mother’s love story that puts the entire world at risk. This is the one woman who can save the world, but but...it's all her own freaking fault. Now the President of the Free World (yes, things haven’t changed that much in the future, there are still smartphones…imagine that Moon is colonized, but the technology apparently stood at a standstill this entire time? Why? Is you showed a smartphone to someone from 50 years ago you’d blow their mind. Repeat every 50 years to the same result. Stands to reason in the future our communication devices will be…I don’t know, smarter? Anyway…) yes, so the President (a rip so blatant as to defy satire and head straight into the realm of caricatures, is the future really that sad?) and some scientists need to save the world…and save the asteroid’s unwilling ridealongs if any should survive. This is all set against a social milieu of anti Moon Immigration politics, rising nationalism, rampant jingoism, etc. You get what the author’s going for, but there’s no real cleverness of subtlety about it, not quite a satire, more like the most sincerely bland sort of sociopolitical commentary. And the President’s character…where to even begin. Suffice it to say there’s a 180 degree change toward the end that is so uncharacteristic, so wildly unrealistic, so preposterous (even for the realm of fiction) that’s it’s just difficult to take it seriously. It’s like getting whiplashed by wishful thinking. And then one good talking to and he saw the light…Yey. Really? Interestingly enough (especially for a male author) this is a very estrogen driven story. All the main/strongest principal characters, most of the connections, most of the story drivers are women. And they are mostly all upbeat, unflappable, infinitely adept, energetic, resourceful and so on. It’s really a girl power sort of story. But that’s neither here nor there, just an observation. Anyway, I believe a review shouldn’t take up this much time, after all there are books to be read, so I’ll finish this up. It was an entertaining enough book and very well meaning, but (as the tone of this review might attest to) not quite the fun space adventure one might have wished for, much too frustrating, some interesting science, not that compelling of a fiction. Frankly, you might have much more fun with any of the movies mentioned in this review. Oh and watch out for asteroids. Thanks Netgalley.
August 29, 2018
Veteran, Caitlin Taggert, is stuck leading a mining crew on the moon. There is a travel ban in place as a result of an anti-moonborn discrimination movement fueled by the current President. Caitlin just wants to return to Earth to be with her daughter, Emily. She is coerced into a very dangerous and highly illegal mining job on an asteroid - the payoff is a trip back to her daughter. Nothing goes right for Caitlin and her crew on the job. Soon they are not only fighting for their own survival but trying to save Earth as well.
Remember all those asteroids hitting Earth movies from about 10 years ago, ok so this has a similar plot with some Moon vs. Earth politics thrown in for fun. I liked the relationship that Caitlin built with Sarah (the NASA scientist that answered Caitlin's distress call). What I didn't like was how the author
Remember all those asteroids hitting Earth movies from about 10 years ago, ok so this has a similar plot with some Moon vs. Earth politics thrown in for fun. I liked the relationship that Caitlin built with Sarah (the NASA scientist that answered Caitlin's distress call). What I didn't like was how the author
January 16, 2018
In exchange for a honest review, thank you Netgalley and to the publisher for the copy
This story is like Deep Impact and Armageddone meets The Martian.
The story revolves around Caitlin Taggart who is aboard at Tamarisk with her crew to mine some minerals or whatsoever at the moon. Unexpectedly, tragedy happens in which they triggered a big asteroid that in fact will not hit the Earth's atmosphere, and will now be a big dilemma for everyone in the Earth.
The concept of the story is not new because we see and read a lot of these space thing novels anywhere. It should be thankful because it is fast-paced. There are certain issues in the story that was set back because the writer wants it to be "THE WOMAN WHO SAVE HER CREW AND EARTH FROM A BIG ASTEROID THING."
Here are some issues for me or lack of story build:
They're mining without authorization and well in fact they put the lives of the people in danger. I read that they were hired by the senator's son but it left out in the story. The question is why? What are the relations of this senator's son in the mining exploration? The issue was not addressed.
The science guys looked like dumb here. They ask for some opinion on how will they solved this thing. The Alex-guy new some theory about calculating asteroid's hit or somewhat but he has been set-back and some missiles or nuclear weapons are prioritized. What the hell is he doing in the story?
It all revolves to Ms. Taggart. I see the point of the writer to boost women empowerment. Yay! She did everything to save her crew. Her past as a military was emphasize. Also, the government here looks like a laughing joke for a missed missile. Really? Too early for the story line and to cliche. I think this book should be solely be about Caitlin Taggart with her crew without the help of the government because they can't do anything like in The Martian but this story would be a "same-like" with the The Martian.
After all, it is a fun read.
This story is like Deep Impact and Armageddone meets The Martian.
The story revolves around Caitlin Taggart who is aboard at Tamarisk with her crew to mine some minerals or whatsoever at the moon. Unexpectedly, tragedy happens in which they triggered a big asteroid that in fact will not hit the Earth's atmosphere, and will now be a big dilemma for everyone in the Earth.
The concept of the story is not new because we see and read a lot of these space thing novels anywhere. It should be thankful because it is fast-paced. There are certain issues in the story that was set back because the writer wants it to be "THE WOMAN WHO SAVE HER CREW AND EARTH FROM A BIG ASTEROID THING."
Here are some issues for me or lack of story build:
They're mining without authorization and well in fact they put the lives of the people in danger. I read that they were hired by the senator's son but it left out in the story. The question is why? What are the relations of this senator's son in the mining exploration? The issue was not addressed.
The science guys looked like dumb here. They ask for some opinion on how will they solved this thing. The Alex-guy new some theory about calculating asteroid's hit or somewhat but he has been set-back and some missiles or nuclear weapons are prioritized. What the hell is he doing in the story?
It all revolves to Ms. Taggart. I see the point of the writer to boost women empowerment. Yay! She did everything to save her crew. Her past as a military was emphasize. Also, the government here looks like a laughing joke for a missed missile. Really? Too early for the story line and to cliche. I think this book should be solely be about Caitlin Taggart with her crew without the help of the government because they can't do anything like in The Martian but this story would be a "same-like" with the The Martian.
After all, it is a fun read.
December 31, 2018
I'd say this one is meant to be for "The Martian" fans. However, the humor is more on the cliche movie quips level than Watney's delicious snark.
I'm sure this works better for some other people, but it lost me almost from the get-go by indulging in one of my least favorite sci-fi tropes -- the person in the future who is uniquely obsessed with older things. Like she's special in her love of print books and sixties music, etc. Are those things cool? Obviously. But why do they always have to be the super special ones? Why can't the future actually just be awesome. Maybe everyone loves print books in the future. Maybe there are tangible holograms or something so you can have a kindle that feels like a print book or something. Anyway, random side tangent.
Let's see, they also have a whole "Mama Bear" nickname thing (ugh, really? Could it get any more cheesy). I was also completely unsurprised that there were tons of catastrophes. The main character literally spaces out all the time to break up the infodumps and have more emotional/exciting flashbacks. And I do mean space out. She's actually missing time because of being lost in her memories too much instead of just having a normal flashback. And yes, the infodumping is pretty strong around all that. Everyone is always lecturing.
Anyway, just not an enjoyable read for me at all.
I'm sure this works better for some other people, but it lost me almost from the get-go by indulging in one of my least favorite sci-fi tropes -- the person in the future who is uniquely obsessed with older things. Like she's special in her love of print books and sixties music, etc. Are those things cool? Obviously. But why do they always have to be the super special ones? Why can't the future actually just be awesome. Maybe everyone loves print books in the future. Maybe there are tangible holograms or something so you can have a kindle that feels like a print book or something. Anyway, random side tangent.
Let's see, they also have a whole "Mama Bear" nickname thing (ugh, really? Could it get any more cheesy). I was also completely unsurprised that there were tons of catastrophes. The main character literally spaces out all the time to break up the infodumps and have more emotional/exciting flashbacks. And I do mean space out. She's actually missing time because of being lost in her memories too much instead of just having a normal flashback. And yes, the infodumping is pretty strong around all that. Everyone is always lecturing.
Anyway, just not an enjoyable read for me at all.
January 24, 2018
Book given to me via Netgalley
3.5 stars
This book is a hard one to review. Hard in that it’s both exciting and lacking in the excitement. I found up to 20% in it focused too much on being wordy, rather like a film script than an actual book plot.
I really like the idea of living on the moon, it’s a very good plot idea. ‘Cutter’ Caitlin is a likeable character, very strong willed and confident. But with the other characters I found them rather secondary, meaning if anything happened to them I wasn’t too involved. Perhaps a little character depth would have been better.
There are moments in this book where it’s piques interest, where there’s action and you want to read more. And then there are moments where it lulls, where words become too wordy and descriptive. Show the story. Don’t tell.
Having said that, this isn’t a bad read. I did enjoy it for the most part and i will read more from this author.
3.5 stars
This book is a hard one to review. Hard in that it’s both exciting and lacking in the excitement. I found up to 20% in it focused too much on being wordy, rather like a film script than an actual book plot.
I really like the idea of living on the moon, it’s a very good plot idea. ‘Cutter’ Caitlin is a likeable character, very strong willed and confident. But with the other characters I found them rather secondary, meaning if anything happened to them I wasn’t too involved. Perhaps a little character depth would have been better.
There are moments in this book where it’s piques interest, where there’s action and you want to read more. And then there are moments where it lulls, where words become too wordy and descriptive. Show the story. Don’t tell.
Having said that, this isn’t a bad read. I did enjoy it for the most part and i will read more from this author.
March 6, 2018
Asteroid vs. Earth
Caitlin Taggart was born on the Moon but moved back to Earth when she was young. She had a daughter plus is a war hero. But on a short trip back to the Moon, she ends up getting stuck there because of immigration issues.
She takes a low paying mining job and misses her daughter. So when a shady job is offered to her to mine an asteroid, she takes it - because the payoff is getting back to Earth.
But everything that could go wrong does go wrong and soon Caitlin, her fellow miners, and the people of Earth are in fear for their lives.
This was an entertaining book written more like a screenplay. It reminded me a lot of the movie ARMAGEDDON - lots of similarities. But I enjoyed the characters and the story.
I received this book from 47North through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
Caitlin Taggart was born on the Moon but moved back to Earth when she was young. She had a daughter plus is a war hero. But on a short trip back to the Moon, she ends up getting stuck there because of immigration issues.
She takes a low paying mining job and misses her daughter. So when a shady job is offered to her to mine an asteroid, she takes it - because the payoff is getting back to Earth.
But everything that could go wrong does go wrong and soon Caitlin, her fellow miners, and the people of Earth are in fear for their lives.
This was an entertaining book written more like a screenplay. It reminded me a lot of the movie ARMAGEDDON - lots of similarities. But I enjoyed the characters and the story.
I received this book from 47North through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
May 4, 2020
This book definitely falls into the category of hard science fiction. Sometime before the turn of the next century, there will be permanent human settlements on the Moon and, as in the case of this novel, most of them will be run by mining companies, so the setup for the novel is certainly plausible.
The plot concerns an attempt at asteroid mining which goes wrong with potentially disastrous consequences, not only for the miners, but for the whole planet. Combine this with the political climate caused by an American President who has risen to power by stirring up hatred and xenophobia (sound familiar to anyone?).
The idea of an asteroid striking the Earth is hardly unique in SF but this book attempts (reasonably successfully) to keep the science and technology grounded in what is possible, or what is likely to be possible in the near future.
The characterisation is pretty good, and the lead characters are pretty well developed. The plot moves at the pace expected from modern thrillers but, like modern thrillers, it tends to stretch the limits of suspension of disbelief with the sheer number of things that just keep going wrong for our protagonists.
Overall this was a fun read.
The plot concerns an attempt at asteroid mining which goes wrong with potentially disastrous consequences, not only for the miners, but for the whole planet. Combine this with the political climate caused by an American President who has risen to power by stirring up hatred and xenophobia (sound familiar to anyone?).
The idea of an asteroid striking the Earth is hardly unique in SF but this book attempts (reasonably successfully) to keep the science and technology grounded in what is possible, or what is likely to be possible in the near future.
The characterisation is pretty good, and the lead characters are pretty well developed. The plot moves at the pace expected from modern thrillers but, like modern thrillers, it tends to stretch the limits of suspension of disbelief with the sheer number of things that just keep going wrong for our protagonists.
Overall this was a fun read.
July 12, 2018
I finished this book only so that I could feel justified in writing this review.
If I could rate this book Zero, or even less, I would.
If you have any self respect, and/or enjoy reading, particularly good Science Fiction, don't read this book. I paid $2 for the book on Kindle, and feel completely ripped off.
Okay, so what is wrong with it? Everything. Read the other one star ratings to see more detail. They are all pretty accurate. The two start ratings are far far too generous.
The science and engineering is atrociously bad. Completely wrong in places. The book has been compared to the film "Gravity". Well, Gravity also had terribly bad science, although the sets were good. Bruce Willis' "Armageddon" had better science than either story.
Most of the engineering in this advance culture seems to come from the 1950s and 1960s NASA activities. I suspect that the author read an old "History of NASA" book and got all his ideas from there. He has mostly written historic books previously. The author kept quoting from NASA and space development history. A Moose, rejected earlier, now on a tiny escape vessel? Then it failed very very early in the fall, but Caitlin's suit survived without harm to her, at supersonic speeds! Have you read the history of high altitude parachute jumps Jeremy?
News flash: Science Fiction is supposed to be about advances in science, and at best an extrapolation of current science to what might be possible.
As others have said, the book reads like a movie script, describing stuff that isn't needed, and then forgetting important stuff. The situations are completely contrived and feel like it. At every point there was a dramatic moment, suddenly solved and then forgotten. Just like an action movie, or an episode of a TV series. It just reads badly as well. The flashbacks to the "Campaign" were completely unnecessary, and annoying. I speed read all of them.
The constant talking about the past, the daughter, the few miners on the asteroid. The world was about to lose billions of people! Who cares about the individuals?! The girly discussions between Sara and Caitlin were just laughable.
The way the characters reacted to situations was not believable. They were all shallow. The characterisation of the president was a joke. It was definitely a poke at Trump.
Solving the problems:
There is a whole department, the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) that is responsible "for the early detection of PHOs - Potentially Hazardous Objects - that might pass by Earth at a distance deemed too close for comfort", and that department doesn't have any real ideas how to deal with an asteroid? Really? The team has to come up with ideas from scratch? Then several old ideas surface days and weeks later, as having been developed but never used? Really?
When the problem first arose, why weren't ten space tugs sent from the Moon to gently push the asteroid back onto course? One ship exploding caused the problem. Ten tugs could have fixed it. One could get to the rock and match speed and direction, so others could do it.
The was a large cruise ship at the Moon earlier in the story. That could also easily be used to gently push the asteroid back on course. Sure, it might get a bit damaged, but what the hell. Save the world vs a little damage?
The ramming ship that missed. Couldn't it be recovered and used again, properly?
Why would you send lots of little ships with lasers close to the asteroid, when you could fire them all from any distance and have the same effect. In fact, the whole "fill craters with ice to get better propulsion" was silly. If there was surface water, there would be sub-surface water. Bath the asteroid in lasers and it would act like a comment, with steam and ablated rock etc. blasted off in a known direction. Job done.
Why was every option discussed never prepared and ready to go when needed, instead taking yet another two days or so to be able to launch?
The RCS failed in Diaz's suit. Catlin saved him by jumping and grabbing him and using her RCS to bring him back to the asteroid. Then he was blasted off the asteroid again. Why couldn't Caitlin go after him again, and repeat the rescue process? She was able to bring herself back down.
When Diaz and Vee are "lost" to Caitlin, why can't they talk on their suit radios? Line of sight radios of even low power would work for a very long distance. Surely they would have talked.
The EMP took out the re-entry programs on the escape pod, but the AI still worked fine? Everything Caitlin needed failed, but lots of other systems on the pod came back online? Not believable. Just a way to create a situation in the story, like so many other issues.
Anyway, I could write a book on what was wrong with this book, but I would have to read it again and make notes to do so. That isn't going to happen.
So Jeremy, I don't want to discourage you, but this story should never have been published. It should have been put aside as a learning experience. You should have gotten some honest reviews before publishing. (How on earth could anyone give this five stars, as some have, I will never know. But I assume there was some reason.) You had science advice? Really? You have written for young adults previously. Was this written for young adults? Because it is a copy of many previous stories, and not even a good one.
Anyway, that is enough. Don't buy or read this book.
If I could rate this book Zero, or even less, I would.
If you have any self respect, and/or enjoy reading, particularly good Science Fiction, don't read this book. I paid $2 for the book on Kindle, and feel completely ripped off.
Okay, so what is wrong with it? Everything. Read the other one star ratings to see more detail. They are all pretty accurate. The two start ratings are far far too generous.
The science and engineering is atrociously bad. Completely wrong in places. The book has been compared to the film "Gravity". Well, Gravity also had terribly bad science, although the sets were good. Bruce Willis' "Armageddon" had better science than either story.
Most of the engineering in this advance culture seems to come from the 1950s and 1960s NASA activities. I suspect that the author read an old "History of NASA" book and got all his ideas from there. He has mostly written historic books previously. The author kept quoting from NASA and space development history. A Moose, rejected earlier, now on a tiny escape vessel? Then it failed very very early in the fall, but Caitlin's suit survived without harm to her, at supersonic speeds! Have you read the history of high altitude parachute jumps Jeremy?
News flash: Science Fiction is supposed to be about advances in science, and at best an extrapolation of current science to what might be possible.
As others have said, the book reads like a movie script, describing stuff that isn't needed, and then forgetting important stuff. The situations are completely contrived and feel like it. At every point there was a dramatic moment, suddenly solved and then forgotten. Just like an action movie, or an episode of a TV series. It just reads badly as well. The flashbacks to the "Campaign" were completely unnecessary, and annoying. I speed read all of them.
The constant talking about the past, the daughter, the few miners on the asteroid. The world was about to lose billions of people! Who cares about the individuals?! The girly discussions between Sara and Caitlin were just laughable.
The way the characters reacted to situations was not believable. They were all shallow. The characterisation of the president was a joke. It was definitely a poke at Trump.
Solving the problems:
There is a whole department, the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) that is responsible "for the early detection of PHOs - Potentially Hazardous Objects - that might pass by Earth at a distance deemed too close for comfort", and that department doesn't have any real ideas how to deal with an asteroid? Really? The team has to come up with ideas from scratch? Then several old ideas surface days and weeks later, as having been developed but never used? Really?
When the problem first arose, why weren't ten space tugs sent from the Moon to gently push the asteroid back onto course? One ship exploding caused the problem. Ten tugs could have fixed it. One could get to the rock and match speed and direction, so others could do it.
The was a large cruise ship at the Moon earlier in the story. That could also easily be used to gently push the asteroid back on course. Sure, it might get a bit damaged, but what the hell. Save the world vs a little damage?
The ramming ship that missed. Couldn't it be recovered and used again, properly?
Why would you send lots of little ships with lasers close to the asteroid, when you could fire them all from any distance and have the same effect. In fact, the whole "fill craters with ice to get better propulsion" was silly. If there was surface water, there would be sub-surface water. Bath the asteroid in lasers and it would act like a comment, with steam and ablated rock etc. blasted off in a known direction. Job done.
Why was every option discussed never prepared and ready to go when needed, instead taking yet another two days or so to be able to launch?
The RCS failed in Diaz's suit. Catlin saved him by jumping and grabbing him and using her RCS to bring him back to the asteroid. Then he was blasted off the asteroid again. Why couldn't Caitlin go after him again, and repeat the rescue process? She was able to bring herself back down.
When Diaz and Vee are "lost" to Caitlin, why can't they talk on their suit radios? Line of sight radios of even low power would work for a very long distance. Surely they would have talked.
The EMP took out the re-entry programs on the escape pod, but the AI still worked fine? Everything Caitlin needed failed, but lots of other systems on the pod came back online? Not believable. Just a way to create a situation in the story, like so many other issues.
Anyway, I could write a book on what was wrong with this book, but I would have to read it again and make notes to do so. That isn't going to happen.
So Jeremy, I don't want to discourage you, but this story should never have been published. It should have been put aside as a learning experience. You should have gotten some honest reviews before publishing. (How on earth could anyone give this five stars, as some have, I will never know. But I assume there was some reason.) You had science advice? Really? You have written for young adults previously. Was this written for young adults? Because it is a copy of many previous stories, and not even a good one.
Anyway, that is enough. Don't buy or read this book.
August 15, 2019
The first part of the book was pretty good. The failed mining of the asteroid and the subsequent tragedies and near apocalypse of earth seemed re-hashed from many other books and movies on that subject. Lots of politics and military hardware that I don't always appreciate. The characters were fine and the story is solid, it just wasn't quite my cup of tea.
October 17, 2022
2.5 stars
A pretty mediocre story. Several elements, particularly the military flashback story, felt pointless and didn't add much value. I recommend skipping this one.
Solid narration, but the narrator's teary delivery in the more dramatic scenes had me wanting to drive a pencil into my ear.
Plenty of stupid.
A pretty mediocre story. Several elements, particularly the military flashback story, felt pointless and didn't add much value. I recommend skipping this one.
Solid narration, but the narrator's teary delivery in the more dramatic scenes had me wanting to drive a pencil into my ear.
Plenty of stupid.
did-not-finish
September 5, 2019Couldn’t get past chapter 2.
March 11, 2018
An almost Artemisian "bitter moon" story with credible heroics and style. A few niggles, but enjoyable enough that if I saw something else I might give it a try.
December 10, 2017
A copy of this review can be found at Book Ink Reviews.
Thank you to NetGalley, Jeremy K. Brown, and 47North for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
An attempt at blending The Martian and Independence Day in order to make a current political point about the current president and illegal immigration, it instead fell flat like Independence Day 2. Zero Limit would have been much better if Brown had picked which story he wanted to tell. Instead, he had multiple flashbacks to a Third Gulf War with a veteran, Caitlin, who is now illegal according to the US because she was born on the moon.
In desperation to get passage home, she and her crew embark on a moronic mission to mine platinum from a gargantuan asteroid. Given outdated equipment, it goes horribly wrong and now--gasp--it's going to annihilate the Earth.
Just about every sci-fi trope was used, and though I finished the read, I never really found myself enjoying it. Had Brown stuck to a future war vet and a president stoking hateful fires, it would have made its point. Instead, he tried to tell two stories and they jarred more than complemented each other.
Thank you to NetGalley, Jeremy K. Brown, and 47North for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
An attempt at blending The Martian and Independence Day in order to make a current political point about the current president and illegal immigration, it instead fell flat like Independence Day 2. Zero Limit would have been much better if Brown had picked which story he wanted to tell. Instead, he had multiple flashbacks to a Third Gulf War with a veteran, Caitlin, who is now illegal according to the US because she was born on the moon.
In desperation to get passage home, she and her crew embark on a moronic mission to mine platinum from a gargantuan asteroid. Given outdated equipment, it goes horribly wrong and now--gasp--it's going to annihilate the Earth.
Just about every sci-fi trope was used, and though I finished the read, I never really found myself enjoying it. Had Brown stuck to a future war vet and a president stoking hateful fires, it would have made its point. Instead, he tried to tell two stories and they jarred more than complemented each other.
April 20, 2018
Caitlin Taggart is stuck on the Moon, unable to get home to her daughter on Earth, after international tension has led to a travel ban for Moonborn like her. She works as a regolith miner. She is offered an illegal asteroid mining job for a chance to get home. On the job, things go very wrong for Caitlin and her crew, with consequences that threaten Earth itself.
Leaving aside the handwavy physics poorly suited to a hard science fiction story, I found this novel unengaging. Apart from the well developed protagonist, the rest of the characters seem like cardboard cutouts, with actions dictated by "plot reasons". While the scope of the story is ambitious, and the flashback scenes are well written, the whole thing doesn't gel.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/2018/04/...
Leaving aside the handwavy physics poorly suited to a hard science fiction story, I found this novel unengaging. Apart from the well developed protagonist, the rest of the characters seem like cardboard cutouts, with actions dictated by "plot reasons". While the scope of the story is ambitious, and the flashback scenes are well written, the whole thing doesn't gel.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/2018/04/...
April 4, 2018
Does not present a believable account of space travel or politics. Only made it trough about 26% of the book.
June 9, 2022
What absolute drivel! I am trying to think of any science fiction book I have ever read where the science is so bad, so astoundingly stupid, as in this horrible tome. Killer Station by Marin Caidin is a candidate, but I think this may be even worse than that, and that says a lot. An exploding ship suddenly diverts an asteroid that was going to miss Earth by 100,000 kilometers to a collision course in ten days or so. The author clearly cannot do math. That would require a velocity change of 115 meters per second in exactly the right direction. If the explosion lasted one second we would be talking about an acceleration of 155 m/s^2 or about 12G's. I think the people would have noticed that.
Then they are going to divert it out of the collision could by using a solar sail made from mylar on their lander. If the author had bothered to read the Wiki page about solar sails, he might have realized that the amount of thrust they could possibly get with that small area could be measured in tiny amounts. In the climax, the lander, with heat shield for Earth reentry (no reason for that at all) must be turned around before it hits the atmosphere, so two crew get out and push. One goes off flying away when hit by debris and the other suddenly remembers a magical bit of gear convenient to the plot that allowed her to reenter without a suit. Meanwhile, the first person, on the same trajectory, somehow manages to hang around out in space for three days without falling into the atmosphere. The Russian super-lasers are, in one place, 1500 watts and in another place 150 watts (the author likely forgot what he said). You can buy a 1500 watt laser on eBay. Laser weapons would be at least 150KW and likely in the megawatt range. 1500 watts is a tiny laser. An even the most powerful military lasers available today would not vaporize an astronaut instantly. Might burn a hole through them.
On top of this, the writing is bad. The first part of the book is loaded with exposition telling character back stories. There's also an interspersed back-story of the protagonists military experience that has absolutely nothing to do with the plot of the book and is obviously padding. Many of the characters are more like cartoon caricatures. I finished this, always hoping it would not get worse, but regret having purchased it in the first place and certainly regret the time I spent reading it.
Then they are going to divert it out of the collision could by using a solar sail made from mylar on their lander. If the author had bothered to read the Wiki page about solar sails, he might have realized that the amount of thrust they could possibly get with that small area could be measured in tiny amounts. In the climax, the lander, with heat shield for Earth reentry (no reason for that at all) must be turned around before it hits the atmosphere, so two crew get out and push. One goes off flying away when hit by debris and the other suddenly remembers a magical bit of gear convenient to the plot that allowed her to reenter without a suit. Meanwhile, the first person, on the same trajectory, somehow manages to hang around out in space for three days without falling into the atmosphere. The Russian super-lasers are, in one place, 1500 watts and in another place 150 watts (the author likely forgot what he said). You can buy a 1500 watt laser on eBay. Laser weapons would be at least 150KW and likely in the megawatt range. 1500 watts is a tiny laser. An even the most powerful military lasers available today would not vaporize an astronaut instantly. Might burn a hole through them.
On top of this, the writing is bad. The first part of the book is loaded with exposition telling character back stories. There's also an interspersed back-story of the protagonists military experience that has absolutely nothing to do with the plot of the book and is obviously padding. Many of the characters are more like cartoon caricatures. I finished this, always hoping it would not get worse, but regret having purchased it in the first place and certainly regret the time I spent reading it.
March 16, 2018
Another Blockbuster Hollywood of a Book
Zero Limit is a story revolving around Caitlin Taggart – a former war hero turned moon miner. She wants to get home to her daughter and will stop at nothing to figure out a way to do that. She is quickly forced to make a decision that could put the life of her and many others at risk. But you do anything for family, right?
I’ve been reading more books lately that feel like would make really enjoyable movies. Zero Limit was another one of those. I guess I should have expected it with a tagline about how it’s similar to a movie. Zero Limit has been on my radar since I did my ‘2018 Most Anticipated Audiobooks’ post and featured it there.
Caitlin is one of those hard to like main characters that grows on you (because she grows as a person). She wasn’t the hardest person I’ve had to like in a book but could have been up there had she not been doing things for the betterment of her daughter’s life. I don’t know what it was about her, but she didn’t seem to have anything that stood out and made her likable.
The surprising factor of this book was the political tie-ins. I can’t tell if there was a person in mind when writing with, but their story arc was a totally unexpected and nice extra in Zero Limit. I didn’t know how I was going to feel about it when it started, but it turned out to be one of my favorite parts.
Overall, I thought that Zero Limit was a well thought out book that would make a good movie. It had feelings of Gravity but also some Armageddon and other “space rock” type movies. It was a fast read that I finished quickly and enjoyed throughout.
The narration – done by Christina Traister was really well done. She added the perfect amount of emotion to this story and acted out a few small parts that would have been missing without her narration. It really added to this story and will make it more memorable.
Zero Limit is a story revolving around Caitlin Taggart – a former war hero turned moon miner. She wants to get home to her daughter and will stop at nothing to figure out a way to do that. She is quickly forced to make a decision that could put the life of her and many others at risk. But you do anything for family, right?
I’ve been reading more books lately that feel like would make really enjoyable movies. Zero Limit was another one of those. I guess I should have expected it with a tagline about how it’s similar to a movie. Zero Limit has been on my radar since I did my ‘2018 Most Anticipated Audiobooks’ post and featured it there.
Caitlin is one of those hard to like main characters that grows on you (because she grows as a person). She wasn’t the hardest person I’ve had to like in a book but could have been up there had she not been doing things for the betterment of her daughter’s life. I don’t know what it was about her, but she didn’t seem to have anything that stood out and made her likable.
The surprising factor of this book was the political tie-ins. I can’t tell if there was a person in mind when writing with, but their story arc was a totally unexpected and nice extra in Zero Limit. I didn’t know how I was going to feel about it when it started, but it turned out to be one of my favorite parts.
Overall, I thought that Zero Limit was a well thought out book that would make a good movie. It had feelings of Gravity but also some Armageddon and other “space rock” type movies. It was a fast read that I finished quickly and enjoyed throughout.
The narration – done by Christina Traister was really well done. She added the perfect amount of emotion to this story and acted out a few small parts that would have been missing without her narration. It really added to this story and will make it more memorable.
May 13, 2019
This was an entertaining Science Fiction book. It has interesting characters, an engaging plot, and a lot of tension and action. I thought that the writing was very good and that the characters were engaging and likable.
I am always a little leery when a male science fiction writer creates a story with a female protagonist. In the “old days” this meant that the female character was generally a man in a woman’s body only with a ramped up libido. Fortunately, Science Fiction in general, and male writers, in particular have gotten away from “moon babes” stories. Jeremy K. Brown does a good job of creating a believable female hero. To his credit I don’t believe there was any mention of her looks or sexual adventures and her crying was kept to minimal and appropriate situations.
The plot is nothing too novel but it is interesting that the author has a thinly veiled “Trump” president whose battle against illegal immigrants is against the Moonians rather than Mexicans. There are the usual immoral big business people and corrupt, self serving politicians but they all fit nicely into the plot. Not a very risk taking story line but it does have some interesting twists and turns.
My biggest complaint with this book is the science. While Brown thanks a technical advisor, I believe that, in this book, much of the behavior of the objects, vehicles, and humans in space defy what I know about orbital mechanics and mass. Also, flying rockets “by the seat of your pants” just doesn't mesh with the reality of how difficult it is to plot a course in space.
Overall I would put this into the grade B category of science fiction - entertaining but too much soap opera, too little hard science, and too much happy ever after. If you are looking for a quick, entertaining read for an afternoon at the beach, this will probably fit the bill. If you are looking for good, modern, hard science you should look elsewhere.
I am always a little leery when a male science fiction writer creates a story with a female protagonist. In the “old days” this meant that the female character was generally a man in a woman’s body only with a ramped up libido. Fortunately, Science Fiction in general, and male writers, in particular have gotten away from “moon babes” stories. Jeremy K. Brown does a good job of creating a believable female hero. To his credit I don’t believe there was any mention of her looks or sexual adventures and her crying was kept to minimal and appropriate situations.
The plot is nothing too novel but it is interesting that the author has a thinly veiled “Trump” president whose battle against illegal immigrants is against the Moonians rather than Mexicans. There are the usual immoral big business people and corrupt, self serving politicians but they all fit nicely into the plot. Not a very risk taking story line but it does have some interesting twists and turns.
My biggest complaint with this book is the science. While Brown thanks a technical advisor, I believe that, in this book, much of the behavior of the objects, vehicles, and humans in space defy what I know about orbital mechanics and mass. Also, flying rockets “by the seat of your pants” just doesn't mesh with the reality of how difficult it is to plot a course in space.
Overall I would put this into the grade B category of science fiction - entertaining but too much soap opera, too little hard science, and too much happy ever after. If you are looking for a quick, entertaining read for an afternoon at the beach, this will probably fit the bill. If you are looking for good, modern, hard science you should look elsewhere.
April 12, 2018
Let’s talk about Zero Limit, by Jeremy K. Brown. Definitely a high-stakes read. In a story in which everything that can go wrong does go wrong. Disaster after disaster. Failure after failure. But that’s every space disaster story I’ve ever read or written. At some point, you get this almost “disaster fatigue,” where the scene is set, and you’re like, “who’s gonna die in this chapter?” The first disaster was all “Whoah!” but then subsequent ones were less and less “Whoah,” until they were commonplace.
I’m not sure when this story was written, but as with many scifi stories, Zero Limit critiques the current political brouhaha, and takes it to the next level. The xenophobic actions of the U.S. president sever all travel between the Earth and the Moon, setting up the protagonist for the dangerous prospect that tips over the first disaster domino. And oh boy, do those dominos fall. Did I mention disaster fatigue? There are definitely correlations with current U.S. border policy, and the issue is played out to a conclusion, but, and this is the most important part, the author doesn’t hit us over the head with that plot point. It’s there, and the reader is allowed to draw whatever conclusions they wish. Science fiction allows us to explore the topics of our time, and for many people, U.S. policy is in the forefront of their minds.
The writing is solid, and the writer did enough research that nothing jumped out at me, and I mostly had no problems suspending my disbelief. I did find the constant “stuff going horribly wrong” aspect a little hard to swallow, but what is a space disaster without disaster? All in all, I give Zero Limit 3.75 stars. It’s a good read. I’ll probably check out Ocean of Storms, co-written with Christopher Mari. It, like Zero Limit, are free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.
I’m not sure when this story was written, but as with many scifi stories, Zero Limit critiques the current political brouhaha, and takes it to the next level. The xenophobic actions of the U.S. president sever all travel between the Earth and the Moon, setting up the protagonist for the dangerous prospect that tips over the first disaster domino. And oh boy, do those dominos fall. Did I mention disaster fatigue? There are definitely correlations with current U.S. border policy, and the issue is played out to a conclusion, but, and this is the most important part, the author doesn’t hit us over the head with that plot point. It’s there, and the reader is allowed to draw whatever conclusions they wish. Science fiction allows us to explore the topics of our time, and for many people, U.S. policy is in the forefront of their minds.
The writing is solid, and the writer did enough research that nothing jumped out at me, and I mostly had no problems suspending my disbelief. I did find the constant “stuff going horribly wrong” aspect a little hard to swallow, but what is a space disaster without disaster? All in all, I give Zero Limit 3.75 stars. It’s a good read. I’ll probably check out Ocean of Storms, co-written with Christopher Mari. It, like Zero Limit, are free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.
January 7, 2018
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the 47North via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of its merits.
While I was intrigued by the description, I was not sure what to expect when I opened its digital pages. When you read a lot of sci-fi, there tend to be repeated themes that circulate in the proverbial atmosphere.
Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised with Zero Limit, which improved as the story went along. Sure, you can see some connections to Andy Weir’s Artemis and the whole “an asteroid is going to destroy Earth” theme was explored in Armageddon and Final Impact, but the author’s skilled use of technical details in such a way that it did not overwhelm the average reader was much appreciated. In addition, the protagonist’s motivation throughout was well maintained and her backstory nicely developed. She was complex and real, which made the story hit all the right notes. In addition to solid internal and external conflict, the relationships in the story were woven together nicely. Even the awkwardness between Sara and Alex has a ring of truth to it. The climax of the story was executed with good pacing and excellent detail.
While others may critique the references to contemporary culture and politics, such have been in science fiction since the beginning. A cursory glance at shows such as The Twilight Zone, Star Trek, The Orville will provide examples in abundance. Interacting with our society and its issues helps audiences of today relate to tales of future woes.
Other than there being a bit more language then I personally tend to prefer (and a small quibble about the origin of the Oval Office), there wasn’t much fault to find with the story and its telling. Definitely worth your time.
While I was intrigued by the description, I was not sure what to expect when I opened its digital pages. When you read a lot of sci-fi, there tend to be repeated themes that circulate in the proverbial atmosphere.
Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised with Zero Limit, which improved as the story went along. Sure, you can see some connections to Andy Weir’s Artemis and the whole “an asteroid is going to destroy Earth” theme was explored in Armageddon and Final Impact, but the author’s skilled use of technical details in such a way that it did not overwhelm the average reader was much appreciated. In addition, the protagonist’s motivation throughout was well maintained and her backstory nicely developed. She was complex and real, which made the story hit all the right notes. In addition to solid internal and external conflict, the relationships in the story were woven together nicely. Even the awkwardness between Sara and Alex has a ring of truth to it. The climax of the story was executed with good pacing and excellent detail.
While others may critique the references to contemporary culture and politics, such have been in science fiction since the beginning. A cursory glance at shows such as The Twilight Zone, Star Trek, The Orville will provide examples in abundance. Interacting with our society and its issues helps audiences of today relate to tales of future woes.
Other than there being a bit more language then I personally tend to prefer (and a small quibble about the origin of the Oval Office), there wasn’t much fault to find with the story and its telling. Definitely worth your time.
July 16, 2020
I wrote my review, then I read many of the other reviews. And, I think that others missed the point of this book! The primary purpose book is an allegory around Trump. Secondarily, it was a sci-fi adventure.
And yes, I'll agree with some of the other misplaced criticisms about the writing style, sciences, asteroids... yadda yadda... but, that wasn't the intent of the book. I did enjoy all the references to the actual science technologies in the 1960s - kinda kitchy, and the screenplay pace of the story was good.
The story opens up with harsh immigration laws and attitudes (Moon = Mexico). Capitalism run amuck (illegal mining). Putting people in danger (no govt assistance partially because they are illegal Moonies). Negotiating with the Chinese, relying on the Russians, firing a nuclear rocket (because why not), then, when the story is done, and everyone is dead... they want our hero to pay the bill.
My surprise and enjoyment was that the story reflected our current politics. The sci-fi storyline fit perfectly! We only wish it were actually sci-fi... However, the allegory failed with its hopeful and generous conclusion that Trump will transform - into a non-egotistical, caring leader, when faced with the destruction of the entire planet. Unlikely!
The pace really picked up at the end with lots of surprise twists. It was exciting!
I think that Trump treatment throughout makes this book worth reading.
And yes, I'll agree with some of the other misplaced criticisms about the writing style, sciences, asteroids... yadda yadda... but, that wasn't the intent of the book. I did enjoy all the references to the actual science technologies in the 1960s - kinda kitchy, and the screenplay pace of the story was good.
The story opens up with harsh immigration laws and attitudes (Moon = Mexico). Capitalism run amuck (illegal mining). Putting people in danger (no govt assistance partially because they are illegal Moonies). Negotiating with the Chinese, relying on the Russians, firing a nuclear rocket (because why not), then, when the story is done, and everyone is dead... they want our hero to pay the bill.
My surprise and enjoyment was that the story reflected our current politics. The sci-fi storyline fit perfectly! We only wish it were actually sci-fi... However, the allegory failed with its hopeful and generous conclusion that Trump will transform - into a non-egotistical, caring leader, when faced with the destruction of the entire planet. Unlikely!
The pace really picked up at the end with lots of surprise twists. It was exciting!
I think that Trump treatment throughout makes this book worth reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2021
Caitlin Taggart is an ex-soldier, and now a Helium-3 miner on the Moon, a tough, dirty job that no-one seems to want, but which attacts those with few options. Tensions between Moon and Earth mean she is trapped on the moon, desperate to make enough money to find a way home to her daughter. When the deadbeat father is arrested, Taggart is pushed into taking up an offer she previously thought too dangerous to accept - to help a company start asteroid mining, which happens to also be illegal. Taggart and her crew risk everything, and when the obligatory disaster strikes, it's a race against time not only for her and the crew, but life as we know it.
An interesting look at the immigration debate set a century plus into the future is nicely woven into the this hard sci-fi story - about the only thing that is not at least feasible even now is the fusion power that uses the He-3 being mined. There seem to be a few inconsistency about the astroids course later on, and there seems to be an awful lot of hardware just "hanging around" that works without too many problems after half a century of floating in space. The characters are not bad, although you start to worry when you get a bit of detail about someone. The president seems to be something of a Trump clone, and the author avoids one or two cliches that I feared might ruin it. Overall pretty good - the minor quibbles above notwithstanding. I will certainly look out for future offerings from Jeremy K. Brown.
An interesting look at the immigration debate set a century plus into the future is nicely woven into the this hard sci-fi story - about the only thing that is not at least feasible even now is the fusion power that uses the He-3 being mined. There seem to be a few inconsistency about the astroids course later on, and there seems to be an awful lot of hardware just "hanging around" that works without too many problems after half a century of floating in space. The characters are not bad, although you start to worry when you get a bit of detail about someone. The president seems to be something of a Trump clone, and the author avoids one or two cliches that I feared might ruin it. Overall pretty good - the minor quibbles above notwithstanding. I will certainly look out for future offerings from Jeremy K. Brown.
March 30, 2018
Caitlin Taggart is a war hero who is moon-born and is therefore sent back to live on the moon when a new president requires all moon-borns to return to the moon. Living on the moon, there aren't very many jobs so Caitlin is a miner. She and her crew are offered the job of a lifetime - mine one asteroid and they will get lots of money and Caitlin will be able to return to earth to live with her daughter.
When it sounds to good to be true, something bad usually happens. And this is the case for this job. The ship they travel in is old and most components are outdated. There is trouble when they land on the asteroid as it causes the asteroid to get into the earth's orbit and now it will collide with earth in about a month. So, Caitlin and her crew try to find a way to get the asteroid out of earth's orbit with some help from a few scientists on earth.
Caitlin survives this ordeal. You'll have to read it to find out about everyone else.
As others have said, I can see this book getting turned into a movie. First book I've read by Jeremy K. Brown, now I'll check to what else he has written.
I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.
When it sounds to good to be true, something bad usually happens. And this is the case for this job. The ship they travel in is old and most components are outdated. There is trouble when they land on the asteroid as it causes the asteroid to get into the earth's orbit and now it will collide with earth in about a month. So, Caitlin and her crew try to find a way to get the asteroid out of earth's orbit with some help from a few scientists on earth.
Caitlin survives this ordeal. You'll have to read it to find out about everyone else.
As others have said, I can see this book getting turned into a movie. First book I've read by Jeremy K. Brown, now I'll check to what else he has written.
I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.
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