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Gaia's Majesty #1
Mission Called: Women in Power
Gaia’s Majesty- Mission Called is the winner of multiple awards and is the first book in a trilogy telling the story of humankind as we enter a period of transformation. Transformation may mean a spiral into an end of days disaster or the opening of a glorious future. Our Earth Mother Gaia sought to safeguard that future by reserving a population of especially talented women. Many, known as mermaids when observed, live in cities under the sea. They have the capacity to morph and come to land to build families. Now comes the time Gaia had foreseen when the future of humankind will unfold into something glorious or end in ruin. The trilogy tells the story of these courageous women as we descend into ever greater social and environmental crises.
While the author began this series as a work of magical realism, in many ways it came to be a reflection of our current world. Without question we have descended into growing world crises. At the same time we are seeing women being empowered. Indeed there may be a transformation but of a form wholly unexpected and women may lead the way. We will see won’t we?
While the author began this series as a work of magical realism, in many ways it came to be a reflection of our current world. Without question we have descended into growing world crises. At the same time we are seeing women being empowered. Indeed there may be a transformation but of a form wholly unexpected and women may lead the way. We will see won’t we?
280 pages, Paperback
First published March 8, 2017
13 people are currently reading
1479 people want to read
About the author
Roger B. Burt
6 books78 followersRoger B. Burt is a clinical psychologist. Over his career he has come to believe that mythology holds profound truths about humankind and is intrigued by the widespread myths about mermaids. Now he believes the rise of the empowerment of women is essential to our future and we have come to transformation or failure as a species. He has woven a story of mermaids with the challenge regarding the fate of humankind.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 22, 2022
Interesting premise but got bogged down with too much talking about backstory and world-building. Perhaps there are too many things going and too many characters all jostling for 'their time' on display and providing information. Then there are the seemingly tossaways from the couple in Brazil to the murdered executive.
I bought this a couple years ago and only now have gotten around to reading it. Bought the second in the series at the same time so I will be reading that one as well but at this time, I just don't have the interest in finding out how the entire story ends.
2022-061
I bought this a couple years ago and only now have gotten around to reading it. Bought the second in the series at the same time so I will be reading that one as well but at this time, I just don't have the interest in finding out how the entire story ends.
2022-061
September 3, 2017
A unique urban-ish fantasy (with romantic elements) that left me wondering "why". Yes, there is a bit of a cliff-hanger ending (book 2 is available), but it was the male-female power struggle that made my head "tilt". Parable-esque in many ways, the story is well-written and nicely paced. I received this book from eBook Discovery. This is my honest review.
August 14, 2017
Gaia’s Majesty-Mission Called: Women in Power by Roger B. Burt, 280 pages, March 17th 2017, Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Contemporary Fiction. Warning: May Contain Spoilers.
Review by Leigh Holland.
This book is the first in a planned trilogy. The Earth Mother Gaia is sentient, alive, and moving in mysterious ways to influence the life that resides in her surface. Although Gaia elevated mankind to the top of the food chain, she kept another species in reserve should they prove unworthy. This hidden species, the Tethyans, appears human when moving among humans. They’re intuitive and sensitive to the will of Gaia.
We follow Avery as she goes through life with a plan. The plan largely involves following the path laid out for her by her deceased parents. Since her parents died, she feels adrift without a compass. Avery meets Beck and they grow ever fonder of each other. Their romance is set against the backdrop of a hidden fantasy world with its own agenda. Avery searches for answers about her parents and her past. She discovers she is part of the hidden world. Avery worries about how this will affect her relationship with Beck, whom she has fallen hard for. Beck is supportive and self-sacrificing where Avery is concerned. At several points, as Avery learns more about her identity and origins, she rejects the world of the Tethyans. Yet she comes back every time, despite the uneasiness she feels, sensing she must continue on this path. Avery believes in destiny, has intuition, and follows her hunches. Avery and Beck are encouraged by the Tethyans to be together and her fear of what the path may do to their relationship fades. As we learn about Avery, we learn about the Tethyans and their culture alongside her. It’s a lot of information to impart to the reader and Burt does a great job of weaving it into Avery’s journey.
I loved the concept that the hidden species are the basis for many of our seafaring myths, such as sirens and mermaids. The world of humans is based on the traits that Western culture considers masculine: competition, physical strength, male dominance, and violent behavior. The world of Tethyans is based on what Western culture deems are traditionally feminine traits: cooperation, intuition, emotional strength, and pacifism (the exception is Andromeda, their defense forces). The book accepts this divide without question and makes the two cultures the opposite image of the other. Women are therefore in power in the Tethyan culture. There are also different groups with different missions within the culture, such as the Primals, Progenitors, and Andromeda. Chapters switch between the story of Avery, Beck, and their romance and journey of discovery, and the story of the women of Andromeda, elite female forces keeping the world and environment safe from powerful, wicked men. Each fighter of Andromeda is unique and has her own special powers which are often used against their enemies. I found both storylines interesting.
One of the things I found surprising was how easily Avery and Beck accepted the Tethyan world in the end after discovering the Tethyans never seem to question what they consider Gaia’s commands. They had reservations earlier, but not at this point, which struck me as odd. Tethyans will give up anything and anyone they must in order to fulfill their mission on behalf of Gaia. This zealotry was a disturbing part of their culture. There were times when I wasn’t sure if what I was reading was primarily a romance or a fantasy novel. It took a while for the two stories to connect and intertwine. By the end, I decided this is a fantasy novel about a woman and a man who incidentally fall in love while finding out they’re part of the Tethyan world and its mission.
Overall, I enjoyed reading Gaia’s Majesty. The concept was intriguing. I wish there had been more description and exploration of the underwater cities. I would’ve liked to have seen more interaction between the undersea folk and Avery and Beck. Hopefully, this will be explored in the next novel in the series.
I'd give this book 3.8 stars overall.
Review by Leigh Holland.
This book is the first in a planned trilogy. The Earth Mother Gaia is sentient, alive, and moving in mysterious ways to influence the life that resides in her surface. Although Gaia elevated mankind to the top of the food chain, she kept another species in reserve should they prove unworthy. This hidden species, the Tethyans, appears human when moving among humans. They’re intuitive and sensitive to the will of Gaia.
We follow Avery as she goes through life with a plan. The plan largely involves following the path laid out for her by her deceased parents. Since her parents died, she feels adrift without a compass. Avery meets Beck and they grow ever fonder of each other. Their romance is set against the backdrop of a hidden fantasy world with its own agenda. Avery searches for answers about her parents and her past. She discovers she is part of the hidden world. Avery worries about how this will affect her relationship with Beck, whom she has fallen hard for. Beck is supportive and self-sacrificing where Avery is concerned. At several points, as Avery learns more about her identity and origins, she rejects the world of the Tethyans. Yet she comes back every time, despite the uneasiness she feels, sensing she must continue on this path. Avery believes in destiny, has intuition, and follows her hunches. Avery and Beck are encouraged by the Tethyans to be together and her fear of what the path may do to their relationship fades. As we learn about Avery, we learn about the Tethyans and their culture alongside her. It’s a lot of information to impart to the reader and Burt does a great job of weaving it into Avery’s journey.
I loved the concept that the hidden species are the basis for many of our seafaring myths, such as sirens and mermaids. The world of humans is based on the traits that Western culture considers masculine: competition, physical strength, male dominance, and violent behavior. The world of Tethyans is based on what Western culture deems are traditionally feminine traits: cooperation, intuition, emotional strength, and pacifism (the exception is Andromeda, their defense forces). The book accepts this divide without question and makes the two cultures the opposite image of the other. Women are therefore in power in the Tethyan culture. There are also different groups with different missions within the culture, such as the Primals, Progenitors, and Andromeda. Chapters switch between the story of Avery, Beck, and their romance and journey of discovery, and the story of the women of Andromeda, elite female forces keeping the world and environment safe from powerful, wicked men. Each fighter of Andromeda is unique and has her own special powers which are often used against their enemies. I found both storylines interesting.
One of the things I found surprising was how easily Avery and Beck accepted the Tethyan world in the end after discovering the Tethyans never seem to question what they consider Gaia’s commands. They had reservations earlier, but not at this point, which struck me as odd. Tethyans will give up anything and anyone they must in order to fulfill their mission on behalf of Gaia. This zealotry was a disturbing part of their culture. There were times when I wasn’t sure if what I was reading was primarily a romance or a fantasy novel. It took a while for the two stories to connect and intertwine. By the end, I decided this is a fantasy novel about a woman and a man who incidentally fall in love while finding out they’re part of the Tethyan world and its mission.
Overall, I enjoyed reading Gaia’s Majesty. The concept was intriguing. I wish there had been more description and exploration of the underwater cities. I would’ve liked to have seen more interaction between the undersea folk and Avery and Beck. Hopefully, this will be explored in the next novel in the series.
I'd give this book 3.8 stars overall.
May 14, 2019
Gaia is the Earth Mother worshipped by the less visible populations of the earth, including those living in the twelve undersea Tethys cities, the Progenitors, and the Primal families and the spiritual world. These secret populations have a mission to protect the earth for all of humanity.
Their defense force, the Andromeda, are women who will do anything necessary including embedding themselves in the male-dominated world the majority of the world. Three of these warriors, Brigid, Nicole, and Luisa are assigned to be consorts to three of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the world - members of a Consortium and referred to as the Overlords.
Avery Corbett is a beautiful but intense young woman dedicated to empowering women in third world countries. Beck Erickson has a lucrative job at the Covel Group, a defense contractor developing weapons systems. When their latest weapons test goes wrong it has a profound impact on the women Avery is helping in Imbituba, Brazil. The reaction to this disaster is swift among environmentalists and Beck is tasked by Erik Covel, the CEO of the Covel Group and one of the Overlords, to resolve the problems.
They are all on a collision course as the actions of the Overlords create a crisis that threatens humanity’s survival.
Roger Burt builds a powerful, mystical world that kept me interested from start to finish. Since this is the first book of a trilogy the pace sometimes slows for character development. I thought it was interesting that the hidden populations were controlled by women and the Overlords were all men – an age-old battle. I look forward to reading the next book in the trilogy.
Their defense force, the Andromeda, are women who will do anything necessary including embedding themselves in the male-dominated world the majority of the world. Three of these warriors, Brigid, Nicole, and Luisa are assigned to be consorts to three of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the world - members of a Consortium and referred to as the Overlords.
Avery Corbett is a beautiful but intense young woman dedicated to empowering women in third world countries. Beck Erickson has a lucrative job at the Covel Group, a defense contractor developing weapons systems. When their latest weapons test goes wrong it has a profound impact on the women Avery is helping in Imbituba, Brazil. The reaction to this disaster is swift among environmentalists and Beck is tasked by Erik Covel, the CEO of the Covel Group and one of the Overlords, to resolve the problems.
They are all on a collision course as the actions of the Overlords create a crisis that threatens humanity’s survival.
Roger Burt builds a powerful, mystical world that kept me interested from start to finish. Since this is the first book of a trilogy the pace sometimes slows for character development. I thought it was interesting that the hidden populations were controlled by women and the Overlords were all men – an age-old battle. I look forward to reading the next book in the trilogy.
December 3, 2017
An interesting premise, a secret society who has helped mold the world since time immemorial led by the Goddess Gaia. Opening with a chase scene in Western Ireland and a shocking transformation by the character of focus, the book slows down as the two main characters of Avery and Beck are introduced and then brought together over a natural disaster. Several seemingly unrelated incidents take place as we are shown the villain(s) of the novel and then the society of Gaia and Avery and Beck's part in it but not before the Adversaries make their move.
Roger has a clean writing style that flows along throughout the story. Not only is the plot given enough attention to detail, but so are the various subplots until coming together in the last few chapters until the story's crescendo. A very well-woven tale, I look forward to the next installment.
Roger has a clean writing style that flows along throughout the story. Not only is the plot given enough attention to detail, but so are the various subplots until coming together in the last few chapters until the story's crescendo. A very well-woven tale, I look forward to the next installment.
September 11, 2017
This was a very unique book, and at times I let my mind wander, and then I got back into it. It had some romantic and paranormal elements that kept it interesting. Robert Burt seems to understand women and what it is like for them to be in a world dealing with men. It is interesting to see his interactions with the women in the book.
September 18, 2017
I won this book from Goodreads Giveaway.
I could not get 'into' this book. I've read the other ratings on this website and on Amazon and so many people really liked it. For me it became a chore to finish reading.
I could not get 'into' this book. I've read the other ratings on this website and on Amazon and so many people really liked it. For me it became a chore to finish reading.
September 15, 2018
A few delightful characters. A few dastardly villains. A plethora of subplots.
May 5, 2019
A rather unique plot with lots of action, suspense, and mysteries to unravel. I look forward to reading the sequel! *I received this book for free and voluntarily reviewed it.
November 16, 2018
I received a free copy of this book through a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is an interesting story, one that is vague at first but slowly comes together through multiple POVs, and eventually becomes steady. I liked the characters and the plot, but I personally felt the language was kind of mechanical, and the details didn't flow very well. I felt that I got a lot of information that discussed the topic at hand and and other important tidbits that covered the main characters, but there was not a lot of expansive writing. Sometimes I felt that I had to put a lot of pieces together myself as the reader. Overall, I did enjoy the novel and there is a great chance I may read the sequel as well.
This is an interesting story, one that is vague at first but slowly comes together through multiple POVs, and eventually becomes steady. I liked the characters and the plot, but I personally felt the language was kind of mechanical, and the details didn't flow very well. I felt that I got a lot of information that discussed the topic at hand and and other important tidbits that covered the main characters, but there was not a lot of expansive writing. Sometimes I felt that I had to put a lot of pieces together myself as the reader. Overall, I did enjoy the novel and there is a great chance I may read the sequel as well.
June 28, 2020
This is a book about women clearly written by a man. I don't often write bad reviews, but this one was just painful.
Additionally, everything is told instead of shown. just read the blurb - that's how the book reads. It just tells you about the groups and what they are called and how they function. There is no experience to this book. There's got to be a more enjoyable way to be told to pick up my trash and recycle.
Sorry, not sorry, it's just really bad.
Additionally, everything is told instead of shown. just read the blurb - that's how the book reads. It just tells you about the groups and what they are called and how they function. There is no experience to this book. There's got to be a more enjoyable way to be told to pick up my trash and recycle.
Sorry, not sorry, it's just really bad.
September 25, 2017
A wonderful book that is not to be missed by anyone. Appreciated the chance to read it. Extremely fast paced, couldn't put it down
Merged review:
Fairly interesting ready by a first time author for me. Deals with how women are perceived but in a paranormal way as well. Didn't take long to get through the book. Received an ARC.
Merged review:
Fairly interesting ready by a first time author for me. Deals with how women are perceived but in a paranormal way as well. Didn't take long to get through the book. Received an ARC.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews