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Humanity is under attack and she is the only one who can stop it.

For Karin Makos, the chance to pilot a small-time scrounging vessel to remote corners of space is the dream. After years on the run with her sister and enduring the constant paranoia of living planetside, going off-radar gives her exactly what she wants: freedom.

But, after what seems like a routine mission, that dream is shattered.

A system-wide attack decimates humanity and leaves the survivors scraping for clues. And Karin might know where to look.

Digging into her past comes with a whole new set of secrets and consequences, none of which she wants to face. Plagued by strange dreams of her sister and a sense of growing danger, Karin and the crew of the Nemina race desperately across space to find their loved ones—and answers.

234 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2017

479 people are currently reading
343 people want to read

About the author

K. Gorman

33 books78 followers
K. Gorman is a Science Fiction and Fantasy author from Western Canada with a love for most things nerd. When she's not writing, she can be found devouring books, movies, television series, and attempting to keep her garden alive.

Want to stay in the loop? Kelly is active on Facebook, Threads, and Instagram, and semi-active on Tiktok. You can also get a free short story if you join the mailing list on her website!

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5 stars
227 (39%)
4 stars
223 (38%)
3 stars
102 (17%)
2 stars
18 (3%)
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10 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
Profile Image for Andrea.
2,150 reviews1 follower
October 25, 2020
3.5

Okay think...Invasion of the Body Snatchers- in space!

description

Except these body snatchers are much more dangerous in their original form. They can appear out of no where, even if you're on an isolated ship. They are basically human like shadows that are super strong, and try to get into your body to take it over. Afterwards you end up being a mindless drone with black eyes.
Scary? Heck yeah.

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However, we have out h-Karin who has some serious secrets of her own, and might just be the only person on any planet that has the means to stop them.
With her mysterious background and 3 person crew she has to decide if she's going to stop hiding from the past and help any way she can- or is she going to run as far and as fast as she can to keep her powers from being discovered?


Spoilers/rant:

Profile Image for Julia Sarene.
1,692 reviews203 followers
July 12, 2022
Sci-fi, or fantasy, or space fantasy? Whatever this is, it was a fun read!

I'd definitely put it into the YA category, though I enjoyed it quite a lot at age 35 as well...

Our main character has a mysterious past, and some powers that might come from that. Or nor? There's some shadowy things taking over people, and those things seem to be bound to what happened to her in her former life, or not?

I liked the quick pace, the banter, the crew interactions and the mystery in here!

Sure, now and then I'd have liked a bit more depth, but this was so engaging and entertaining, it kept me hooked all the way through anyway. I'll definitely continue the series!

I read this for the fantasy challenge, as it was shelved as fantasy as well as sci-fi. I personally would put it more towards the scifi side of things, but as it does have mysterious powers, and Stonehenge? in it, I do think it does fit both in a way...
Profile Image for Jas.
1,032 reviews
January 25, 2025
Black Dawn is several things, a space opera, a mystery thriller, a very clever character story, a brilliant sci-fi story, and there is also a bit of sci-fi horror. Most of all though, this is just some extraordinary writing, that tells the story of a Woman, Karin Makos, who is on board a ship that goes on scrounging missions, going into different parts of space to look for locations that might have relics of the past, ship parts, other interesting things. There is a kind of ‘Firefly’ type style to this part of the story, as they are jumping around parts of the galaxy looking for stuff to sell. Karin is onboard with two other people, Marc, the owner and Captain of the ship, and Soo–Jin, the engineer for the ship. Whilst both Marc and Soo-jin can pilot, Karin has a special Navigator licence that allows them to enter restricted parts of space they wouldn’t normally be able to enter.
The story begins like a lot of stories in this genre, they are going into a site, and pillaging it for what they can, and whilst they do this, the Author gets the opportunity to give you some vital information on the three Characters, all from Karin’s perspective of course, and you get to get a feel for the Universe that they live in, as the Author uses this starting period to do some great world building. It is during these opening chapters that you are immediately hooked on the book to.
The Character writing is just exceptional, Gorman does a beautiful job of creating these three people, Marc, obviously has an ex-military background, but is now happy roaming the galaxy, looking after his ship, making enough money to survive, and to escape his past. Gorman has done a great job with him, in that he is not the usual Gung-ho idiot or Muscle bound gunslinger that seems to plague this genre, but instead, he is calm, calculating. He has experience, and he knows how to use it. Gorman has thought this character through so well, and Marc comes across as someone you have to earn his trust, but once you do, he won’t let you down, and he will do anything for you, the exact type of personality you expect for the character described.
Soo-jin is funny. She has a mouth on her, and a chip on her shoulders. She is also a skilled mechanic, with a few other skills that allow them to do some ‘interesting things’ when they are out on scouting missions. She obviously has a checkered history, and we get glimpses of it throughout the story (no spoilers here!), and it makes for a very interesting and dynamic character that is a lot of fun. She has some of the best one liners in the book.
Karin as the main character, and the person we see the story through, is a very clever and fascinating character. You quickly learn that she is different, on the run, and trying to hide from people, as there is something about her that she is trying to hide.
It is not until the story starts to unfold that you learn what this is.
The story is brilliant, as it starts off luring you into a false sense of security, (I don’t want to give too much away here), and you think you are reading a story that is similar to so many others, a character that has some ability is on the run, and is out robbing shipping graveyards, that is until there is an event that occurs, not just on their ship, but on others as well, and suddenly, things are very different.
The story moves from being a scavenger story, to a quasi-horror story, as the event involves an alien life form that attacks and just quietly, when you are reading the story in the middle of the night, it makes you look up and check the room around you.
I don’t want to give away spoilers, but Gorman has done a masterful job of writing a story that is not only utterly gripping, (once you start reading, you will have a hard time putting it down), but at the same time, creates an atmosphere of fear and trepidation. When you start reading this, you take on a whole new appreciation for the dark, and for light switches.
Whilst it is not a full on horror story, it is very cleverly done, there is an impressive level of suspense, as the story unfolds into a full-on thrill ride. This is part Sci-Fi, part Mystery-Thriller, part Horror, but it is absolutely brilliant writing and well worth the read regardless of the genre you like.
If you love a good story, with great characters, and an incredibly clever, well thought out story, with a lot of intense, intricate, and powerful storylines that not only keep you thinking, but also make you look up every now and then, to make sure you are all good, this is well worth the read.
Profile Image for Tani.
1,158 reviews26 followers
January 30, 2018
I get a bunch of emails about free and cheap fantasy and scifi books, not because I'm hard up for anything to read, but just because I'm a bit obsessive. Most of the time, I just skim over the titles, glance at the cover art, and maybe read a summary to see if I'm interested. 90% of the time, I pass, especially if it's a title or author that I've never heard of. However, something about Black Dawn caught my attention. After checking out the reviews on Goodreads, I thought that I would give it a shot. At 99 cents, not too much can go wrong, right?

Well, not only did it not go wrong. It actually went quite right! I ended up starting this pretty shortly after buying it, which is rare to start out with. And then I actually really enjoyed it. My first worry, about the grammar and style, was unfounded. The style is readable and fun, and I found it easy to slip into and out of the book. I haven't been feeling well for the past week or so, so this was very welcome indeed.

As far as action, it also had plenty of that. The first chapter or two were a bit slow, as they introduced Karin and the other main characters, but once the main plot kicked in, I found very few dull moments. The plot moves along at a decent clip, as you would expect from a shorter book like this, and looking back, I feel like a lot happened. The world-building can be a little slow to come into play, and for a while I felt like I was actually reading fantasy, rather than scifi, just based on the main character's abilities. However, as the book goes on, we learn more about Karin and her past, and that feeling pretty much faded away for me. There is still a ton that I want to know about the world though, and lots of questions to be answered.

The characters are also quite fun. Karin is the main, but Soo-Jin, Marc, and Ethan also play prominent roles, and I'm looking forward to learning more about all of them. Although the book is short, each of them did have a part to play and individuals worries in the story, which I was really happy about. I prefer my casts ensemble.

In all, I was pleasantly surprised by this book, and I'm looking forward to reading more of the series when I get a chance.
Profile Image for Barbara.
1,334 reviews55 followers
July 17, 2020
A system-wide attack by Shadows, deadly shades that take over human’s bodies, has Karin Makos and the crew of the Nemina fighting for their lives, as well as trying to help others, including the family members they left on Enlil. Karin has spent most of her life hiding her abilities but now she feels she has to help those taken by the Shadows, since she’s the only one that can. This will put her in all kinds of danger, since everyone is desperate for her help at any cost. With lots of action, as the Shadows look like shades but are solid enough to do plenty of damage to the human body, Karin and the others have their hands full fighting these deadly enemies. The story ends with plenty left to do, as they must keep a promise to the young boy they rescued, as well as find Karin’s sister, and the Alliance is after them too, so I’m looking forward to reading the second book to see what happens next.
1 review
March 22, 2023
Slow plodding boredom

The plot is unbelievably slow and just plodded along with no tension or excitementand and this with our heroes seemingly running from one disaster to another. The protagonists are one dimensional mannequins that are totally unrelatable. I won't be reading any more from this series.
Profile Image for Jay Sprenkle.
142 reviews
July 22, 2020
Not a space opera. Not a full book

This is a monster story not a space opera. It could be set anywhere on earth since the invention of the light bulb. Don't pay full book price, this isn't a complete story.
Profile Image for Kathy.
89 reviews5 followers
December 29, 2017
Young adult sci-fi-two sisters with genetic modifications and enhanced powers. Entertaining.
Three books in series probably should have been one book
Profile Image for Patricia Guy.
38 reviews7 followers
September 4, 2019
Shadow zombie from outer space! Meh.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Carolyn F..
3,491 reviews51 followers
January 3, 2021
This book started off really well and then by the ending I thought is Karin that stupid. Hemming and hawing to that boy is going to get you in trouble. He's done it already. 3 stars
25 reviews1 follower
July 13, 2020
Interesting book, swings through several dramatic mood swings. At first, the kitchy cloning of the Firefly universe was kind of lighthearted and fun, but then it swung dark, really dark, then there was a glimmer of light (pun intended). The characters are good, but not complex. The writing is decent, but fairly repetitive in alliteration (exactly how many times does the main character bump into a table?), and in far too many instances, foreshadowing is implemented by a character stepping in front of some other light source, and literally casting a shadow as they re-enter the storyline. Enough!

On the plus, the character writing is clearly from a female author's point of view, and I appreciate that. Men do a terrible job writing women, because we always write the kind of woman we hope to have fall hopelessly infatuously in love with ourselves in real life. On the flip side, the Author doesn't go into any kind of discourse the mental stress the captain would naturally feel with a small ship and crew of two very fit, hot blooded women in the vastness of space. Total missed opportunity. It's this shallowness that knocks my rating down to a 4. The author has created a very interesting universe, unique and interesting challenges, and characters you want to care about. All she needs to do now is dive into it, and share it with the rest of us.
2,361 reviews
June 9, 2021
Wowie! This book drops the reader right into the action! But, ummmm... that beginning! 😟 The first couple of scenes read like a horror story! Wait, what?!?? I thought I grabbed a Space Opera 🤔... yeah... at least "Space Opera" is even part of the title! Although I wouldn't normally pick-up a horror novel, I was already immersed in the story, and I really wanted to find out what happens next, and hopefully, the tale will have a great payoff!
I would hafta say that the book is probably a bit of both Space Opera and horror, and I for one (oddly, given my aversion to horror), really enjoyed the ride!
I gotta say the ending was perhaps a bit abrupt, even cliffhangery... and where normally I might have been put out by this (especially if I actually had to wait for K Gorman to write and release book 2), that wasn't the case here, as I'd had the foresight to get the boxed set up front! So instead of being upset, I'm happily looking forward to diving right back into the foray!
What about the narrator, Andrea Emmes?.. well, "WOW" kinda' covers it! She gave a simply perfect voice performance!
If you can handle a somewhat graphic Space Opera, trust me... this is the one to get your hands on!!!
132 reviews1 follower
June 7, 2021
Karin, Mark and Soo-Jin are a part of a team of scavengers. They are investigating a small farming community, but don’t have a lot of hope that it will turn up much. If the team is to continue to exist, they need to find something.

After getting crates full of salvage from an early time loaded and secured, it’s time to head home. After takeoff, Karin heads to bed. She feels something and jolts awake. She sees a dark figure in her room. Not just a dark figure, but a shadow figure with blurred edges. Is this something from her past? If so, how did the find her? She throws the sheet at it and grabs her helmet. She hits it with her helmet and it runs out of the room.

After a minute to compose herself, she follows. She hers Soo-Jin scream as well. She bursts into her room they fight with it. Soo-Jin throws her knife at it and it disappears. They realize Mark could be under attack as well. They hear him fire his fire arm. Not the best approach on a space ship. They all talk and realize that the one is in the cargo hold hiding. They gather weapons and lights to get the last shadow creature. It goes to get Karin, but Mark shoots it in the head.
Profile Image for Susan Cook.
358 reviews
December 23, 2020
Susan Cook

A young woman once escaped an experimental institution where she was raised as a genetic anomaly. She is now part of a salvaging crew on a spaceship when one night, she is attacked by an mysterious shadow creature after a curious dream associated with her past. After fighting off the creature, she discovers that both of the other crew members were attacked by similar creatures and also had a dream relating to her own. It later turns out that large numbers of humans both in space and planet side fell victim to the same monsters.
Profile Image for William Howe.
1,802 reviews89 followers
July 5, 2020
Not bad

I simply don’t have a drive to read book 2.

The writing is clean, not many typos that I recall, good characters, and decent motion though the narrative.

There wasn’t really a clear plot arc or direction. A lack of narrative urgency and direction.

I actually finished it, so it’s clearly better than a lot of novels. But I can’t recommend it, as it didn’t make me *want* to read more.
24 reviews1 follower
November 11, 2020
Good story with a new twist

This story was well written. The characters were moderately developed. Hopefully more effort here will appear in the next book. Karin's power was new to me. I don't think her lack of experience using her power is believable. She's on the run, hiding out and never had cause to use it?? In any case, the story kept me going and I'll check out the next book.
Profile Image for Marcus.
764 reviews4 followers
November 27, 2020
This is an interesting start to a new series where there are a lot of coincidences, and I do mean a lot. They are galaxy wide and everyone is affected. There are also two sisters with unusual powers who might be able to find out exactly what's going on and stop it. For a first book, there is a very high mortality rate, ironic humor, a little bit of sexual tension, and sneaking action (it catches you by surprise)
937 reviews8 followers
September 8, 2020
On wow that was GOOD 👍

A great sci-fi action novel that have me dark vibes.
Great characters with realistic situations and lots of action and adventure.
If you ever played the video game Dark or silent hill. You will love this novel, it will give you chills.
I look forward to more from this series 😁
491 reviews7 followers
September 17, 2020
Good Start to Series

It was a little slow the first half of the book which is common in the first book of a sci-fi/fantasy series. The second half pace was better as the story developed. The main characters are likeable and show promise. Not much development of secondary characters, but I expect more in upcoming volumes. I'll try book 2, and see if things pick up.
Profile Image for Ed C.
37 reviews
July 31, 2024
Avoid, unless you like plotless, silly Sci Fi
Book starts okay, but after awhile the silly simple names of Lost and Shadow get old. A whole book goes by and you still have no idea what the Shadows are. And let us be real - damaging them with light seems reductive and stupid.

Young adult maybe. The whole sister thing is weak too. Boring.
Profile Image for Joe .
386 reviews4 followers
July 14, 2020
I enjoyed the book

I choose 4 stars not give there were places that lost me, and I had to re-read sections. I liked Karin and the stuff she did, hope to find out more on the next book.
Profile Image for C.A. Knutsen.
Author 8 books90 followers
August 12, 2020
An unusual set of circumstances

A challenge to figure out at the beginning, but as the story developed things became more clear. The action built up toward the end of the book and and left you wanting to read the next book in the series.
Profile Image for Susan Wachowski.
135 reviews4 followers
September 16, 2020
Mystery, danger, history. Oh my!

Top rating because I am a Firefly fan and this delivers as promised. A ship. A crew. Bad things happening. Well written and wonderfully deep character a that you can root for! I cannot wait to get to the next book!
Profile Image for Nigel Frankcom.
398 reviews4 followers
October 17, 2020
Great book, really enjoyable...

This one got me hooked pretty quickly. A great premise with a well written story. I like the main characters, they’re developing well. Looking forward to the next instalment!
5 reviews
November 6, 2020
Star Light, Star Bright

Enjoyable romp through space with all the parts of a good storyline. Spaceship crew of misfits.unusual super powers, strange aliens or evil , mysterious foes. Good start to a new series. I have the next 5 books, so will continue to read on.
137 reviews
November 20, 2020
Sci-fi fantasy mix

This is not what I usually go for but I gave it a go. The characters are so well done it drew me in. The storyline is great and lm sure the ongoing challenges will make the next one just as great
99 reviews2 followers
January 16, 2021
Decent start

Its a good book. Leaves a lot of unanswered questions though, that's the reason for it only getting three stars. It was well written and edited with no misspelled words, I hate being pulled out of a story because of those.
Looking forward to the second book.
Profile Image for Jerri.
345 reviews
June 28, 2020
Combines fantasy and sci fi. Interesting story that is revealed as the story progressed. It will keep me reading to see what happens in the next book. What more can Karin do with the light within.
Profile Image for Mike.
58 reviews
Read
July 7, 2020
I enjoyed this book. The story was well told and the characters were well developed.
Profile Image for Thomas James.
578 reviews12 followers
August 15, 2020
Peaked my interest to keep reading series.

Good story! Mix a little Odd Thomas, Alien, and Star Trek, add seasoning and come up with Black Dawn. It certainly captured my interest.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews

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