Genesis

First Colony #1

by Ken Lozito

A mission gone wrong. Innocent lives have been lost.

Escaping wrongful imprisonment wasn’t something Connor had in mind, but being put into stasis aboard Earth’s first interstellar colony ship was something he couldn’t have prepared for.

For three hundred thousand colonists, the new colony brings the promise of a fresh start…a second chance. Connor might be the wrong man for the colony, but he’s the right man to see that it survives what’s coming.

A new world with new challenges, but the mission has changed.

If you loved Old Man’s War and Ender’s Game, you’ll love Genesis - First Colony , a new military science fiction series. Take advantage of the special discount price for a limited time!

Genres: Science Fiction, Military Fiction, Audiobook, Space Opera, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Space

328 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 21, 2017

About the author

Ken Lozito is the best-selling author of multiple science fiction series, including First Colony, Ascension, & Federation Chronicles. He writes about first contact, colonization, exploration, heroic tales, redemption stories, and old-fashion adventure stories with rich and interesting characters. He’s had over a million books sold and loves the fact he’s been able to reach so many amazing readers with his stories. Readers have lost precious hours of sleep while they read just one more page.

Ken worked in IT Security for almost twenty years before becoming a full-time author. When not writing, he enjoys hiking, reading, playing with the dog, and binge-watching shows.

You can find out more about Ken and upcoming books on his website at http://kenlozito.com

Reviews

[Just A Ginger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright, take my review with a grain of salt. I haven't dived into the world of Adult Science Fiction novels yet, but we all have to start somewhere.

I had no idea what to expect when I picked this book up. Honestly I saw the word colony and thought, colonizing a new planet? Alright I'm in. My favorite theme in SciFi books include books that remind me of The Thing, 172 Hours on the Moon or have people landing on a new planet and exploring all the dangers and challenges (bonus if there's Aliens).

Genesis had a very good pace, it kept you entertained and eager to know what was going to happen next. There was rarely a dull moment. The cover was also, beautiful.

But within those fast moving pages, there were things that stopped me in my tracks.

The lack of details.

You just landed on a new planet, being temporarily called New Earth, and you don't describe a damn thing.

What does the vegetation look like? What color is the grass, is there even grass? What about the sky? What does the new moon look like? Are there lakes?

He didn't tell us anything about the new planet, literally, not one damn thing when it came to looks. I have no idea what the new planet was made up of. I can tell you some details about four animals they encountered, and I can tell you that it has one huge land mass and than the rest is entirely ocean. But I cannot tell you the color of that Ocean, or the climate of that land mass.

I think it's a bit lazy to say hey we found this new planet and it looks exactly like Earth. Why the hell would a planet 60 some light years away, look exactly like earth?

World building, world building, world building I need it for it to be a five star book. The military part of this story was interesting but so much was just lacking.

The characters in this book are flat. Therefore the relationships that are attempting to be built in this book, are flat, pointless, and annoying when they keep reappearing.

I think Lozito wanted to use Connor's fascination with an archeologist to help develop his character, and show his relationship with his new found friends. They teased him like any guys would when someone liked a girl. But there was no room for it in this story. The woman he was interested in had no personality, he barely had any personality. His new found friends were flat, and they all blended into one another.

I can't tell you anything about any of the characters, I can't even remember anyone's name besides Noah, Sean, and Connor. And I only remember Noah and Sean because in my head I pictured them as hot, young, new 'soldiers' in 'uniform' that, if this were a film, I'd watch over and over because. And I don't think that was the authors intentions, but hell it got me through this book.

The overall plot wasn't that fantastic. Basically when you look at what this story really is about, there isn't much going on at all. Connor puts together a search and rescue group, trains them, and than has to use them. I feel like there definitely should have been more going on, and that again comes down to the lack of details in this book.

This book reminded me of Shades of Earth by Beth Revis. She landed her characters on the new planet, gave us no details about what the planet was like, and than ended the entire series with something is coming after us, and we have to get ready to fight. Which is exactly how this first book ended, at least we'll get to continue and see what happens but I feel like this is a SciFi trope I will be seeing quite often.

Rating Scale
1)Pace 4/5
2)Entertainment/Enjoyment 4/5
3)Characters 2.5
4)Details 1.5
5)Plot 2
6)Cover/Synopsis 4/5
7)Beginning 4/5
8)Middle 4/5
9)End 4/5
10)Desire to read next book 4/5

3.4rating

[Melissa (Mel’s Bookshelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent beginning to what I have no doubt is going to be a fun and exciting series! I read that there are 5 books in total at the moment and I can't wait to delve into the next one! I listened to the audio version on audible. 

Connor is the leader of an elite military group. And he is having a rough time. First he is framed for the death of millions of people, then he is sneakily smuggled aboard a colony ship travelling to another star system... And then when he wakes up he discovers he has been asleep a VERY long time. Now he is stuck on an alien world, with a bunch of untrained colonists and there is something a bit strange happening on this planet, and there is some local wildlife that are not very friendly...

This was an extremely enjoyable book that I got through very quickly. It wasn't too long and had heaps of action to keep me hooked. 

I really enjoyed the premise. Most of the characters were awesome!  I loved the group of cadets that Connor put together. I really enjoyed the whole universe that they put together. And that ending! The next one is going to be super exciting with a bunch of new characters! I can't wait to see how the syndicate fits into future books too!

Did I enjoy the audio version?
Yes the narrator was excellent! His female voices annoyed me a little bit, but overall it was a really enjoyable performance!

Would I recommend Genesis?
Yes for any sci-fi fans or fans of military fiction set in sci-fi settings! It was really enjoyable and full of action and adventure! Can't wait for the next one!

I purchased Genesis at my own expense at audible.com.

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[David P. Duffy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Low Quality Colonization Story Coupled With Poor Writing

“Genesis (First Colony Book 1),” authored by Mr. Ken Lozito, is a low quality colonization story, coupled with poor writing.

A future black ops colonel, “Connor Grant,” is suckered into attacking with his platoon, a pervasive, organized crime organization, the “Syndicate,” ensconced on a massive, Sol System space station. [Spoiler Alert]Attempting to decapitate the head of the “Syndicate,” Connor instead triggers a trap, that leads to the station’s destruction, and the death of millions. Half of his platoon escapes, is recovered by a Fleet admiral benefactor, who puts Connor into statis, and places him secretly aboard a colony ship, the “Ark,” shortly destined to leave on a decades long journey. The “Ark,” is humanity’s first attempt at interstellar colonization, carrying three-hundred thousand (300,000) in statis. Shortly after arrival, Connor is awakened, surprising the colonial advance team, who expected someone else. The colonel is suspect, attempts to find his way, and becomes involved in establishing a paramilitary “Search and Rescue” unit.

First, the entire story is pretty inane and ridiculous. The colonists are portrayed as intelligent, but “PC” addled. They are tasked with colonizing an alien planet, abundant with [Spoiler Alert] alien wildlife, some intelligent, possibly sentient. Further, ruins of a sentient alien species have been discovered, along with tech on the planet. Colonists have been killed, and the colonial hierarchy does not want to disturb the alien ecosystem. No military as security, only a glorified, lightly armed and ineffective, park ranger style group for the colony’s protection is permitted. The author has apparently no experience or basic knowledge of the military, and yet it is a pervasive theme throughout the book. It is both puzzling and amazing: why write a story revolving fully around a subject you are not knowledgeable of, and expose your ignorance throughout? Baffling.

The writing is bland, stilted, and dialogue reads as if it was from a badly dubbed movie. Additionally, the plot devices are disingenuous, as the author writes storylines into potential “dead-ends,” and later on, just drops unsupported solutions. At best it’s lazy, amateurish writing, and at worse, dishonest.

Having read many of the author’s other books, this reviewer has noticed an abrupt decline in the quality. It appears a promising writer has succumbed to limited success, and instead of maintaining quality or improving, is just going through the motions in order to publish.

“Genesis,” is not recommended and was fully read via Kindle Unlimited.

[MacWithBooksonMountains Marcus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now, this is touted as military SF; however, I felt that only at the very beginning it resembled pure military SF. More important though, although the author doesn’t cover any new ground and the storyline is pretty much basic fare in SF, this turned out to be a rather good read. For it is the execution that makes this stand out from the ever growing plethora of (military)SF offers on the market. Yes, and it does remind me a bit on H. Beam Piper’s style of writing . The protagonist’s character meshes in well within a storyline that is as solid as it is believable (for the Sf concept). The interplay of all major and minor characters moves on fluently within the progression of the story. If the next volume is anywhere as good as the first offer, then this could turn out to be a solid series.
All in all quite recommendable.😀 Never mind the three stars

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

For this genre, my expectations are low. I’ve read great science fiction, but this particular type is just popcorn. It is meant to entertain you, not give you a high brow literary experience. Genesis serves up plenty of entertainment, so I’m satisfied. The pace is fast. The writing is succinct. As I would expect, the characters aren’t really developed very much. The main character is developed a little bit, but not a single supporting character is given the slightest amount of depth. There is very little description of the new planet. I kept wondering what the weather was like. I made up a planet in my mind, but I realize that vision wasn’t based on details in the book, but rather just a need to create something that I could see.

I’ve already started the second one, because I am just in the mood for this. I’m training for a marathon and listening to the audio. I need something that doesn’t take much brain power on my part, but will keep me interested enough to get through a lot of miles on my feet. I hate to give this book three stars, but four seems like too much even though I did like it.

[Clyde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genesis starts like a straight-up military SF story, but then morphs into a story about establishing an interstellar colony. (Though military themes continue throughout the book.)
The writing is a bit spotty and the characters could be better developed, but even so the story pulled me in quickly. We get new colony start-up problems, mysterious alien ruins, military training, monster attacks, and a Big Danger.
Several mysteries are introduced but not satisfactorily resolved. Major spoilers: (Why did the Syndicate destroy Chronos Station? What happened to the original inhabitants of the planet? Why are the local predators so aggressive? What really happened back on Earth? What is the nature of the approaching danger?) I presume they will be dealt with in subsequent books in the series.
Pretty good SF. I'll give the series at least one more book. 3+ stars.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This starts with a military special ops team on a covert mission that goes terribly wrong. The leader is then UNKNOWINGLY put in cryo aboard a colony ship to avoid being accused for the debacle he had no control over.

He wakes up 200 years later and there's some problems with the new colony world. First, they aren't at the planet they were supposed to colonize. Then you've got dangerous alien life threatening the colonists. Lastly, there's a terrible reason they were diverted to another planet. They are not safe and the worst may be yet to come.

This book has some of everything sci fi space related, which made it an interesting read. I look forward to seeing what else happens and seeing more character development.

Off to a good start.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the start of a new series. I think it’s going to be a pretty good one. It is a military science fiction book, although I though that it might change to something else after the first couple of chapters.

Conner Gates is the main character. He’s a Colonel in the North American Union Alliance and his current mission is to find the head of the Syndicate and kill him or her. His intel shows him the Syndicate leader is on Chronos Station and that’s where his team of “Ghosts” are headed. The Ghosts are a special black ops military unit that doesn’t exist for anyone except themselves and their immediate HQ. On this mission, even his HQ doesn’t know the details of where and what his team is doing.

They successfully board the huge space station and begin their search for the Syndicate leader. Unfortunately, their secret mission turns out not so secret. The Syndicate has set a trap for the team and intends to kill them or make sure they take the blame for the destruction of Chronos Station.

So, the Ghosts do manage to blast their way out of the station just as it is blown up. It now appears that the Ghost team was responsible for that destruction and the killing of the millions of people that lived there. Colonel Gates’ knows his future is very bleak. As the Commanding Officer for the failed mission, he’ll be held responsible for all those deaths. But, his team is picked up by the Battleship Carrier Indianapolis and meet up with Fleet Admiral Mitch Wilkinson. Here is where the story changes.

The Ark is humanity’s first interstellar colony ship and is soon to blast off on it’s eighty-four year mission. Most of the thirty-thousand colonist will be in cryostasis for the duration of the trip only to be awoken when they reach their target planet. The Battleship Indianapolis is bringing some last minute cargo and colonist to the Ark. It should be fairly obvious now what has happened to the Ghost team.

So, we now have a whole new story. Colonel Gates starts out with just himself and has to figure out what he’s going to do given his new circumstances. It’s now 200 years since the last mission and he doesn't know where his team is or even if they are all a live. The story is very interesting and there are some good characters introduced.

The nice thing about this series is that the second book, “Nemesis” is already available. I’ve already started reading this book and think it’s going to be very interesting.

[Tobin Marks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this book because it had a similar premise to my series. An ark ship colonizing an alien planet. But that's where the similarities end. With only one POV (narrative) I thought how my editor would react to this style, but quickly realized that it works well here. Genesis is a page turner, and I couldn't put it down. At first the characters seemed a bit one dimensional, but later I found I cared about them, and this too worked. Overall it was a good read, and I ended up buying the rest of the set.

[Trish R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first try at a book about actually going to another planet and setting up housekeeping, by 3000,000 earthlings. AND I really enjoyed it. But I probably enjoyed it so much because the narrator was awesome. I absolutely loved Connor’s voice and all his snarky, rude, sarcastic and sweet words. I liked Diaz too. He had a perfect Spanish accent. And the girl, (damn I forgot her name) sounded kind of German, and when a young man, Sean, spoke he did sound young.

Connor was a black ops team leader and when a mission went horrible wrong a friend of Connor’s father had Connor drugged and put in stasis for a trip to another galaxy because Will knew that Connor and his team were going to be blamed for millions of people dying on the space station where the battle took place with the Syndicate. So, Connor was in stasis for 200 years and 8 months. Needless to say, Connor had a really hard time believing it when he woke up.

Actually, all the battles were thrilling, especially the one the creatures they called Ryklars, who had like 4 arms and 2 legs and could run 130 miles an hour, all day long. There were other creatures and the description of them all was incredible.

It wasn’t a cliffhanger but it left it open for other books, which I will probably read. I mean, a fleet of “something” is heading their way and I have to know what it is. The fleet could be there in ten months or in ten years, nobody knows.

No romance of any kind and the F-bomb was used 1 time.

As to the narration: Scott Aiello was simply wonderful.

[AndrewP · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book came up as an Amazon Prime reading pick so I thought I would give it a try and give another indie author a chance.

As a presumably self published book this had a lot of things common to that category. At the beginning I found the writing a bit lackluster but it seemed to improved though the book (or maybe I just got used to it.) Not sure if this was the authors first book as I see he has about 10 more in different series.

Story wise, this was a bit different to what I was expecting based on the cover. Only a small part of the action occurred in space, the majority being on a new alien planet. The author has some great ideas but in a couple of places I thought a bit more explanation was needed.

A decent start to a series with a story that wraps up some points but leaves quite a few unanswered questions. There is a lead on for the next book and I will probably take a look at it at some point.

[Red Tide]

Rating: minus 5 - on a scale of minus 5 to plus 5.

I am doing a rewrite. Amazon had altered my review of Time Tunnel #2, not Allowed me to change the book shelf and cropped the review. I am now checking my reviews one at a time, revising then recording them.

To steel myself, I had to watch YouTube. This portion of the process has been brought to you by Twelfth Doctor/Without Reward - Margarita Life, Alex Fleev, Claus Kellerman POV, Leeja Miller, Keffals, The Ritual Kitchen with Laura May, Red Glasgow, Kozak Siromaha, LuckyBlackCat, Eugenia from Ukraine, Lily Simpson, AllShorts, Offizier Amira, Anka Daily News, Poland Daily News, The New Enlightenment with Ashley, Yarmak, Mia Mulder, Twinshangout Kenya, Girls Rock Asia, Boat Time, Supertanskiii, Operator Starsky, Owen Jones, Cindy's Villa, Cruising Alba, Cruising Crafts, Kat Blacque, Sailing Melody, Irish Mytholgy, Kimberly Rogers, Shitty Book Club, Kyiv Independent, Red Viburnam Song, Nini Music, Mercado Media, HBomberGuy, Ro Ramdin, Bobbing Along, Crow Caller, Verilybitchie, Emma Thorne, Jess Owens, Books and Lala, Planarwalker, Gary's Economics, May, Inside Russia, Gutsick Gibbon, Dr Ben Miles, Megalithhunter, Ukraine Matters, With Olivia, I'm Rosa, Jess of the Shire, Jen the Librarian, OrangeRiver, Wednesday - Paint it Black, Shades of Orange, Biz, Kazachka, Jake Broe, The Military Show, ThePrimeChronus, Snappy Dragon, NFKRZ, Riverboat Jack, No Justice, Ship Happens, Some More News, FAFO, ATP Geopolitics, Queen Penguin, The Bands of HM Royal Marines, Eckharts Ladder, RFU News, Jake Broe, Sarah Millican, Eileen, Lady of the Library, Renegade Cut, Holly the Cafe Boat, Media Death Cult, Bernadette Banner, Engineering Knits, Sanctioned Ivan, Quinn's Ideas, Alt Shift X, Fit 2B Read, Shannon Makes, Break and Remake, Ukraine Calling SOF UA, Ukraine Matters, Leftist Cooks, Dr Fatima physicist, ATP Geopolitics, The Russian Dude, Geo Girl, Interesting Times, UATV English, The Gaze, The Great War, Jay Exci, Reads With Rachel, Silicon Curtain, Mynameismarines, Rebecca Watson, Strange Aeons, Reese Waters, Times Radio, The London History Show, Kings and Generals, History with Kayleigh, Turn Left, Munecat, Scotland History Tours, Parkrose Permaculture, PPR Mundial, Miniminuteman, Real Time History, World War Two, Tom Nicholas, Karolina Zebrowska, Philosophy Tube, Asturia Quartet, A Very Casual Librarian, Think that Through, Econ Lessons, Maggie Mae Fish, Chris Norlund, Demetra Kaye, Gingers are Black, David Wiley, Aid Thompsin, Up and Atom.

I saw an idiot who whilst insulting an essayist whom I admire, complain to her that I list trans creators. I think that the US idiocy syndrome may have become epidemic. It is probably a MAGA related illness. To that Idiot and his ilk, visiting my reviews and channels which I mention are threats to wilful ignorance and mindless arrogance. I list channels with physicist, communist, het, older, Australian, gay, mathematician, cis, WOC, asexual, archaeologist, military historian, trans, redhead, German, modeller, essayist, intersex, socialist, Irish, hobbyist and other female creators who are referred to as Women by the healthy. Almost as disturbing to you will be channels with anarchist, other BIPOC, fashion historian, economist, atheist, ginger, Cornish, political commentator, philosopher, Danish, other LGBTQ+, fashion historian , Canadian, gamer and other creators or as the normally socialised think of them Human Beings. If the voices still urge you to expose yourself to dangerous spaces, I suggest emergency therapy, immediate pastoral counselling or an exorcism. My feelings towards these members and the deranged employees who support them are similar to that of the 13 Ukrainian marines defending Snake Island, when their surrender was demanded by the Russian navy. Their response was "Russian warship, go f@ck yourself." Slava Ukraini. Slava Heroyam. Crimea is Ukraine.

I did not like the book's opening, though it seemed almost interesting. As usual for Unlimited selections, there are no worldbuilding, character development, reasonable dialogue or plausible interactions. Plot hole and contrivance made identifying a storyline difficult. There are several underlying themes, which are probably the point of the book.

The three themes are "the USA logically dominates all human space", "Canada and Mexico only exist as countries at the sufference of the USA" , "The US produces the Best and the Brightest of humanity". These are the common underpinning of almost all Amazon spacey-space boom-boom books.

The system government had no explanation or politics because the writer seems to have had no clear mental picture. Based on other books he might have no mind but that is pure speculation. It is obvious that like many low end writers, he ujudges perhaps rightly that we readers are a sad lot. We must lack the comprehension to grasp a well described, plausible reality. Barring that, we are so desperate for the possibility of an entertaining story that we will accept a 1990's Hollywood dystopia lacking logic, depth or credibility.

The expedition is launched by an unnamed organisation possessed of unexplained resources and power, whether governmental, military or corporate is unknown. The purpose is unknown. This colony expedition is crewed by the "Best and the Brightest" of the human race, accordingly all are US citizens. The character names are drawn as usual for these books from a very small unimaginative pool of classically English names. There is diversity in that women are part of the crew, probably required for breeding .

Acollierastro described a recorded interview with John Glenn and NASA engineers by a woman reporter, who asked why there were no female candidates. Glenn claimed that NASA requirements could not be changed, though he cheerfully admitted that they had been changed to allow him into the program. An engineer suggested that the 110 pound weight allowance for recreational equipment could be used to allow a female astronaut which Glenn and company found hilarious. How sweet is the stench of misogyny.

There is an unrealistic military plotline, if a plot can be said to exist. There is no evidence of editing and the book can best be described as forgettable, boring and poorly written.

As I write this I realise that my excuse might not be that I am intellectually deficient but merely pathetic instead. I am much relieved.

Consider treating this as a potentially hostile site. 🤔

Goodreads discourse does not exist. As example, three years ago, I wrote a short negative review of Powers of the Earth, a poorly written, juvenile salute to the sociopathic January 6, 2021 hero. My opinion was that a story of a self-righteous rich twit enlisting the military to overthrow the US government in order that he not pay taxes on his inheritance, was dangerous and unhealthy. Now a majority of US citizens seem unfazed by art preceding reality.

The writer Travis Corcoran, self-described as libertarian and advocate of the return of chattel slavery, employee of an unnamed US agency, admirer of Putin, veteran. He is the model of the current MAGA moron.

The Goodreads blurb had likened Powers to a Heinlein novel but was changed after a number of readers were offended by the blurb. The writer and six patriotic fellows spent almost a year and pages demanding my response. The comments included my being a narcissist. The levels of irony pained my poor communist soul.

Finally a Claes Rees Jr aka çgr710 now ka Clayton R Jesse Jr wrote a comment declaring that They had "won" (?). It developed that They had launched a year long campaign which continues still of vile sexual, anti -LGBTQ, racist and anti-socialist comments against channels which I mentioned. The economist, hobbyist, historian, political commentator and all other female creators were not impressed. Despite that, the world's overabundance of unpleasantness was successfully increased and an accurate self-portrait of the snowflake (stupidly vicious US man-child) was delivered to a multinational audience, which it seems was a Victory. Goodreads discourse, Yay ?? USA, Yay ??

The comment stream was more intense but little different from the other comment streams until the Australian intervention.

I am treating myself to YouTube for a bit before I continue. This next was brought to you by Anna Gramling, Mia Mulder, ScaredKetchup, Bobbing Along, LuckyBlackCat, Mythology and Fiction Explained, Kris Atomic, Narrowboat Pirate, Welcome to Ukraine, Keffals, RFU News, Anka Daily News, World War Two, Riverboat Jack, Cruising Alba, Cruising the Cut, Ship Happens, Autumn's Boutique, A Cup of Nicole, Brigitte Empire, UNTV News, Kazachka, Silicon Curtain, Mynameismarines, Fit 2B Read, Truth to Power, IzzzYzzz, Veritas et Caritas, Filaxim Historia, Ancient Americas, Artur Rehi, TIKHistory, Authentic Observer, Bellum et Historia, Dan Davis History, Military Aviation History, Central Crossing, Emperor Tigerstar, Matriarchetype, LuckyBlackCat, Fun Size Reader, Patrick(H)Willem, Battle Order, Linguoer Mechanic, Yankee Farm Wife, Vasya in the Hay, Historical Fashion, Break and Remake, Books N Cats, The Cosy Creative, Lily Alexandre, Shannon Makes, Bernadette Banner, Northern Narrowboaters, Boat Time, Beautifully Bookish Bethany, Reads with Rachel, Brandon Fisichella, Outlaw Bookseller, Austin McConnell, Book Furnace, Scifi Odyssey, Yoyomi, Delamer, Jean's Thoughts, Lily Simpson, Fall of Civilisations, No Justice, Novara Media, Jessie Gender, Kayla Says, Professor Gerdes Explains, Dark Seas, Dark Skies, Dark Docs, Dark Footage, NerdForge, Cecilia Blomdahl, Hannah Fry, Amie's Literary Empire, Princess Weekes, Jay Exci, Ponderful, Abby Cox, Stam Fine, Elina Charatsidou, Savy Writes Books, Table Top CP, Unlearning Economics, Joe Brennan, Lore Reloaded, Quinn's Ideas, Joe Blogs, Rebecca Watson, Dark Brandon, The Whoniverse, KernowDamo, Olga Mieleszuk, GothamChess, Keffals, Abbie Emmons, Media is Fay, Gabi Belle, Dr Ben G Miles, Azul Crescent, Science Fiction with Damien Walter, Tardis Central, Strange Aeons, Oceanliner Designs, JimmyTheGiant, Contrapoints, Philosophy Tube, Secret Sauce of Storytelling, Alexa Donne, SK Media, Rowan Ellis, Rina Sayama, MGW Studios, MechWest Show, Cold Fusion, Victoria Rose, DylanBurns TV, Make Better Media, Kat Blacque, Eleanor Morton, Pike and Shot Channel, Sarah Dawn Moore, Cleo Abram, Not Even Emily, Library Ladder, Discourse Minis, Players Aid, Horses, Adam Something, Certifiably Ingame, ThunderFoot, Lady of the Library, Amadeus Quartet, Scholars Shelves, Perimeter Institute, World Science Festival, Kelly Loves Physics and History, AllShorts, ScaredKetchup, Steve Shives, Engineering with Rosie, Jesse Dollemore, Tom Powell, Fraser Cain, Stefan Milo, Peter Stefanovic, Military History Visualized, Brothers Gwynne, Invicta, Atun Shei Films, Dark Brandon, Nomadic Crobot, Nikki Carreon, Nini Music, Adiemus - Carmina Slovenica, Chris and Shell, Holly the Cafe Boat, Answer in Progress, Epimetheus, Told in Stone, Jabzy, The People Profiles, Red Glasgow, aidan knight, Cruising on the Border.

Ominous music begins. 😊 I have seen the loosely organised comment gangs appear across my science fiction reviews and those of other mildly negative reviews for several years. The same gang behaviour occurs on more an hoc basis, occasionally led by writers in the romance and romantasy segment of Goodreads membership. Imagine them as MAGA or Reform white race rioters. In both reader segments these comment gangs are always raised in defence of racist, ableist, misogynist themes and representation. Romance and romantasy gangs engage in stalking, doxxing and threats against the one star reader often. Only certain BookTube channels address this reality. I now realise that these readers/employees would make good Russian savages.

With no backlash, it would seem that their claim to speak for all Anglophone readers on the site has merit. Unsurprisingly Amazon do not acknowledge these incidents, discipline the members, punish involved writers or dismiss the employees who enable them.

Recently a seventh EBay ex-employee was sentenced for harassment of a couple who produce a small ecommerce channel deemed unkind to EBay. The couple were awarded multi-millions of pounds and the ex-employee had been the EBay Chief of Global Security or some such. Something to think about in dealing with the data corporation. Amazon is a data corporation.

My limited message history was given over to these madmen, which resulted in Australian Intelligence through a Pine Gap request interrogating the one friend whom I occasionally messaged. The attempt at my personal history failed, though it did result in two outraged customers. Only after publicising the event did it become an Amazon concern. I received a message that Kindle will no longer support Goodreads, as if Kindle/Goodreads site techs are separate. All comments on my pages have been masked, harassment visible to other readers removed and lurkers whom I had not previously been Allowed to remove suddenly disappeared.

I suggest several precautions, which might make your exposure on this site safer.

Remove any personal information from Goodreads profile and avoid the messaging function. Remove the lurker, those who never post. They are monitors not admirers. With the Goodreads penchant for Altering customer pages, screenshots of the odd, the ugly and threatening are invaluable. The system log is the only restraint which site employees seem to respect. System records are sacred and if they need be presented, holes are always identified. These should suffice for Goodreads only exposure but there are a number of alternative sites. Many BookTubers will discuss them with and/or direct you.

If you own a Kindle, things become interesting. Do Not use Kindle Files, Contacts, Calendar or Email. Since Kindle like Google read your emails without notice or permissions, none of that information is safe. Do Not purchase Amazon ebooks, as you own only the device not downloads. They can be removed without notice at Amazon's whim.

My Kindle functions were subjected from several day internet access interruptions to distortion of the keyboard layout over more than a year and both ended with neither explanation nor acknowledgment. This ended after the Australian Intervention.

You may enjoy a temporary immunity but that rests on the whims of some seriously damaged employees. These employees and crazed members both, obviously embrace no non-Randian morality, have contempt for their fellows/customers and are US patriots with all that implies. Elbows Up. Ominous music ends. 😊

Be safe friends. May we all discover Good Reading. 🤗

Before I continue this, I need another YouTube break. This next is courtesy of Ash L G, Fantasy and World Music by the Fletchers, Electro Swing, The Hat Historian, A Cup of Nicole, Narrowboat Pirate, Cruising Alba, The Chloe Connection, Sci-Fi Odyssey, Geo Girl, AllShorts, Some More News, The Histocrat, The British Museum, Radio Retrofuture, Space 1889, Mythology and Fiction Explained, Art Deco, Interior Design Hub, The Who Addicts, Rachel Hardy, Hannah Lee Kidder, Amy Lee, The Historian's Craft, Books and Things, Library Ladder, Philosophy Tube, The Closet Historian, Morgan Donner, Aditu Laudis, Agro Squirrel Narrates, Gingers are Blsck, Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox, 3rd regiment SOF, The Book Leo.

This writer is a splendid example of what publishers expect from low end US science fiction. For the first time I watch more than read at the moment as a result. The streaming services offer better stories but seem to have problems with fantasy. Video fantasy taking lazy writing shortcuts and employing writers with no imagination is very common. YouTube offerings also include DUST, Omeleto and other short film channels which offer really well told stories.

I began spending time on YouTube a bit more than 3 years ago, searching for useful science fiction commentary. I found those channels and also quickly became a fan of educational, hobby, essayist and lifestyle videos. After discovering Lindsey Ellis, I accidentally found my first book channel. 😍 The book channels host some very nice communities of thoughtful readers, enamoured of all things bookish and are very different to whatever Goodreads have become.

Some of my favourite YouTube channels.
UATV English, Ash L G, Sabine Hossenfelder, Maggie Mae Fish, Ro Ramdin, Delamer, Andrewism, Mia Mulder, Some More News, Owen Jones, Philosophy Tube, Oceanliner Designs, Novara Media, Tom Nicholas, EarleWrites, Princess Weekes, TVP News, Kiko1006 - Empire of Angels, What Vivi did next, J Draper, Planet D, Odin's Call, Boat Time, Well Deck Diaries, Driftwood Folk, Tara Mooknee, Elvira Bary, Brandon Fisichella, Council of Geeks, Real Time History, Tom Nicholas, Karolina Zebrowska, Snappy Dragon, Jay Exci, Steve Shives, Abney Park, Bobbing Along, Mech West Show, Welcome to Ukraine, WokeGardener, Oliver Lugg, DW News, Pike & Shot Channel, Dungeons and Discourse, Belle of the Ranch, Paola Hermosin, Interior Design Hub, Abby Cox, Kathy's Flog in France, Dominic Noble, Jessica Kellgren Fozard, Jessie Gender, Spacedock, Military & History, Biz, Art Deco, Kris Atomic, Up and Atom, Leena Norms, France 24, Then & Now, Alt Shift X, Acollierastro, World War Two, Elina Charatsidou, Isaac Arthur, Adult Wednesday Addams - 2 seasons, The Book Leo, Jean's Thoughts, Life of Lit, Deerstalker Films, Guard the Leaf, Ask a Mortician, Lorna Jane Adventures, Travelling K, Dark Seas, Ula and Josh, Sci-fi Odyssey, Olga Mieleszuk, DUST, Sarah Millican, Tank Museum, Vlad Vexler, Prime of Midlife, Eileen, Ponderful, ContraPoints, ConeOfArc, Kozak Siromaha, Cossack and Caucasus Sword Dance, Tank Encyclopedia, Central Crossing, Alizee, Alice Cappelle, Just Write, Of Herbs and Altars, Amanda The Jedi, Dr Becky, Strange Aeons, JuLingo, BookslikeWhoa, Elizabeth Filips, Read Rant Review, RevolutionarythOt, Kaz Rowe, Savy Writes Books, Shaun, OliSunvia, Xiran Jay Zhao, The Leftist Cooks, T. A. Summers, Alex Fleev, The Octopus Lady, Renegade Cut, Quinn's Ideas, OrangeRiver, Jess of the Shire, Cecilia Blomdahl, Engineering Knits, Omeleto, It's Black Friday, NerdForge, Artur Rehi, Sanna Vaara, RevolutionarythOt, Don't F@ck with Ukraine, Bookish Chas, Hardy's Books, Valhalla Drums, CTV, LuckyBlackCat.

I wish you a splendid morning, a fantastic afternoon, a cosy evening, a pleasant night and may we all continue learning.

Allow Another to speak in your name, adopt Another's sins.
My Grandmother

[Andrew Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was a few chapters into reading this book I was going to abandon it. However on recommendation I persevered and am pleased I did. I found elements of the writing infuriating, including switching between code names and real names of characters mid page. This made it hard to keep track sometimes and to identify who is who.

However, it's a fun sci-fi story and I really liked all of the military training chapters.

[Joan]

DNF at Chapter 7

Alpha Male with big gun. ;)

Not rating.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent book with a solid ending.

[Ron Maglio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I basically picked this one up out of the blue, I was getting a little tired of what I've been reading and wanted something fresh but also still wanted to have space battles. The pacing was fine, quite fine but the order of certain things were flipped. Not bad, not out of place... just didn't expect to get the bottcamp chapter so late in the book, but I guess that's the point of the next book in the series.


Maybe I just like the fresh perspective, of the writing through a different author after reading a lot of Jack Campbell and B.V. Larson books as well as his collaborations with David Vandyke. What I liked about this book is how it kinda reminded me The Phoenix proejct. The way that our character ends up in a situation where he didn't plan to be in this job or role but he is the man which Gotham needs.



The application of technology is reasonably accurate. The only big annoying mcguffin, or whatever you call completely non-existent technology is the presence of intertial dampeners. The reason I got into reading scifi books was the lack of real inertial dampeners in The Hyperion Cantos, it's an obstacle which most authors care not to impose on themselves and thier universes. This book is no different in that regard, but the inertial dampeners are still not as strong as ones found in the likes of Star Trek and Star Wars. Their intertial dampeners handled a lot. Inversely, on The Expanse, they have no inertial compensation. They have to design their ships like skyscrapers with engeines at the base. In this unierse there exists cocktails to allow a body to sustain high-g forces in craft which accelerate and maneuver too aggressively for inertial dampers.



The pacing, what they mention early and how it relates and rewards one for paying attention later in the book. Maybe I just like the newness of reading this series but so far I'm still curious what comes after the current round of tribulations being within the scond book. This first book, Genesis sets the stage and establishes the cast of characters whose names continue to matter.


At the end of Genesis, we are left with a mystery which will not yield any more answers until we pick up the Nemesis. Still, I find it very cool how they got to where they are. The idea of a space Ark, the way that each wave of people who wake up are there to pave the way for the next group until all colonists are awaken. With lss than 1/10th of group being thawed, the colony still has the option to pack up and try another world if this one proves to be too hostile or inhospitable.

[Angie Boyter · Rating 2 out of 5]

This would probably be a good book for the right reader. The writing was good, e.g., the opening paragraph gave a lot of background succinctly and sparked interest.
But my interest quickly flagged. We started with the trope of the hero who gets in a lot of trouble, not through his own fault, and a superior saves his butt by spiriting him off to some special mission. Once we get to the new planet, we have loads of descriptions of the new planet and lots of action and the hero making others angry by showing his wonderful skills, etc. The hero has a very short fuse and is not very likable, just always right....
I got totally bored just over 1/3 of the way through. I think something more interesting MIGHT happen eventually, but I got tired of waiting.

[Jason Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing Premise

Great opening act to a military, exploration, colony novel, with a twist. I don't want to give the story away because it is fresh and unexpected and works better if you don't know what's coming, so I don't want to ruin it for you by discussing plot points, but I will say, I want more. If your reading this and considering reading this book, and you like military themed Syfy, do yourself a favor and give this book a shot.

Jason Rose (Author of the Knight Advocate: Arcane Justice series)

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. The voice performance was not my favorite and maybe that influenced my enjoyment of the story, but I didn't think the book was that great. It's only the beginning of a series, but I have no interest in continuing. The characters were mediocre and the plot was slow and not even very present. There was a lot of regurgitated training ploys and character characteristics, etc. I imagine the series was fun for the author to write, but I guess it's not as fun for all readers.

[Fred Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story about a top operative who is snuck onto a century ship and wakes up at a different planet after a 200 year journey.

On the new planet are mysteries galore and a hidden message from Earth that senior officials are keeping secret.

Lots of action on the planet with an enemy animal of high intelligence.

A GREAT start to the series

[Terry Bollinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicely done military-team sci fi

I'm an avid long-term fan of the Silver Ships series. This is the first series I've found that promises to capture many of the same elements that I value in that series. I'm looking forward to reading more.

[Liam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pure American Cheese, in a good way.

I like it. It's like reading Starship Troopers instead of watching it.
I have to say, I'm not sure the author was going for this though.

[Nick Affolter · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - Nothing ground breaking here but a fun read. Characters are decent, story is slightly predictable, yet it adds up to being worth your time if you like the genre. Simplistic, yet enjoyable.

[Jennie-Lee~abookishwonderer~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Don Viecelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Book Review Number 184:

This review is on Genesis, First Colony - Book One by Ken Lozito. This is the second book I have read by this author. It is a Military Science Fiction story with intense military action scenes, deep space travel and first human colony survival adventures.

The story opens with a space freighter approaching a large civilian space station called Chronos Station with a secret squad of black ops military soldiers no one outside NA Command knows exist. They are part of a Ghost squad led by Colonel Connor Gates sent on a mission to destroy the head of a vast crime family known as the Syndicate.

The Syndicate ignores Earth’s R&D accords and experiment on human subjects with little regard for human life. They are ruthless and operate above the law. NA Command has been trying to locate the head of the organization and eliminate him or her. Colonel Gates has tracked the organization for years and believes the head of the organization is based on Chronos Station.

As to be expected, the mission goes sideways and horrific damage is done to the civilian population, which is entirely blamed on Colonel Gates. It becomes necessary to find a place to send Gates and his men to avoid capture. The perfect solution is found.

The next thing Colonel Gates remembers is waking up in cryostasis from a deep sleep. He is on another spaceship many light years from Earth. At first Gates thinks he has been captured by the Syndicate, but gradually understands he is on the first Earth Colony Ship sent to a distant solar system and planet.

The rest of the story revolves around Gates using his military skills to find his place in the new colony and help the colony survive numerous dangerous situations. The situation becomes even more desperate when the colony learns the fate of Earth and the chance that someone may be coming to finish them off.

I give this book Four Stars because the story is suspenseful and entertaining. The main characters are well developed with some in serious conflict with each other. The plot is well thought out, but somewhat slow to develop in sections. The dialogue and writing style are good. The science is believable. I look forward to reading the next book in this eight book series.

Keep reading good science fiction and let me know when you find an interesting novel or author.

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genesis is a simple but enjoyable novel. It feels like I had finished the book before the story really got started. This is more than likely because the author had many sequels planned.

The technology describe is not outlandish and believable. That being said the distance that the Arc travels from earth in the given time frames see a little off.

While enjoyable escapist reading there was nothing in the book that made be laugh out loud or get overly excited. I missed this.

I am still looking forward to reading the next installment.

[Stefanos Kouzof · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice series. Not completely military sci-fi, but nicely written and well thought out. Much better than the usual run-of-the-mill series out there. Not that it couldn't be better, but good nonetheless.

[William Fulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Story

Very well executed and original had a really good time reading this number two should be awesome. If your a fan of military sci fi you'll love it.

[NormaCenva · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting first instalment, am continuing with the series, to see how it develops.

[Al · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a book to be glad you don't have to finish. Take for example the very first line: something along the lines of 'A turned to B and said "I hope this mission goes well"'. The very first line of a new sci-fi story, with (theoretically) worlds to explore and new things to do, and our first look at the world is a close-up of two guys talking casually around a metaphorical water cooler, every one of their lines might as well begin with "as you well know". They spout exposition at each other like two dementia patients describing their days, and we learn in this uninspired, bland way that they're on a secret black ghost super-duper secret mission to destroy the head of a criminal enterprise. Ok. They shield themselves to go on board a civilian base using holograms - ok - of people WHO ARE SMALLER THAN THEM. HOW?! One of the men is described as an enormously muscular 6'8" man. HOW IS HE DISGUISED IN ANY WAY BY A HOLOGRAM OF AN OLD WOMAN? I can only imagine the beheamouth of a grandmother this man would need to clothe himself in. And if not that, what prevents anyone from walking a bit too close to the small granny and bumping into the air around her? Why not just wear space police outfits and look like local beat cops on patrol? This is the first sci-fi element in your story and it's utterly ridiculous! They make their way into the bowels of the ship, and show off some tech by taking out a sentry and using a couple of lines he speaks to instantly imitate his voice to pretend to be him on the radio - let alone the fact that in our real present, we have radios which display their signatures to the dispatcher to make sure only the radio prescribed to a person is being used, to prevent this sort of fake-out... also, with all this super tech, how come there isn't a god damn CAMERA on this entrance? Why would a location requiring mutiple GUARDS not have a security camera? Why wouldn't their supersuit uniforms not send out a distress signal when the guards are knocked unconcsious? HALF LIFE TWO FROM 2004 GOT THIS RIGHT WHY CAN'T YOU? Also, the 'standard issue pulse rifles' are described as 'M13's. A hundred years in the future and there are no intervening military rifles in between the M13 assault rifle and a plasma gun. Fucking incredible. Oh, no, it turns out the super duper secret mission was completely predicted by the crime organization. The boss lady of the syndicate is waiting for them [in person - locking herself in a room with men whose explicit purpose is to kill her, for no reason at all, because she knew they were coming! I assumed it would be revealed she was just faking being there, but the book never implies this. It says with a straight face that a woman smart enough to hack the mainframe and know the name, rank and fucking serial number of the CO and men in the 'GhOsT' unit is fucking simultaneously braindead enough to confront them in person.] I can only assume the ghost unit are actually completely incompetent, since I have seen nothing to imply otherwise, and now it seems like anybody off the street can know their most secret info, so either this new threat is a super duper threat or they're all just idiots. This is why it's important to portray your team doing really smart stuff, like the opening mission in Mission Impossible being well-thought out and executed, just going wrong in unpredictable ways. This mission here just makes the heroes look like nincompoops. Anyway, the mission is a trap and the woman declares that she set up nanoexplody bots which will detonate the entire station after the team deploys enough to kill her and level the floor of the building. They can't stop them and they've been deployed for weeks ahead of time and been on a countdown for hours now, meaning not only have the criminals known they'd be here hours ahead, but down to the minute when they'd arrive, and for weeks what their schedule is. Really makes our secret organization seem very well secreted. Instead of using this knowledge to lay a trap for them and just gun them down when they weren't expecting it, [they try but somehow fail] or close the doors on them and flood a room with poison gas or just fucking fire the guns of the base they're on [established to exist and never mentioned again] at the cargo ship the heroes smuggle themselves in on and kill them all in a hail of artillery, they lay this elaborate trap which has the obvious failure mode of: the unit simply walking off the ship once the boss lady shows them her hand, and flying away. I don't understand this part. It implies they leave through a 'hole' in the ship, which begs the question why the ship hasn't suffered some sort of catastrophic explosion already, and also where did the hole come from? Why would the crime boss attack them so close to an obvious escape route? The book all but states that the crime boss wants them to escape the explosion, but why? To take the blame? They eventually do, but why? Who on Earth would believe that a 'rogue' black ops unit would plant explosives weeks ahead of their mission in order to detonate a ship housing literal millions of people (fucking lol at the size of this lad) which they are CURRENTLY STANDING IN rather than just set the timer and walk away? What the fuck? Also, why would the crime boss want to blow up the station at all? Unlike Die Hard, she doesn't seem to be a criminal pretending to be a terrorist to pull a heist; she just commits terrorism to fuck with this black ops squad? What the fuck? This is so stupid... The gruff main character commander says he'll take responsibility, and one of his men says the most generic shit I've ever heard: "With all due respect, that's bullshit, sir." This author has never so much as sneezed on a uniform. They're picked up by a 'Barracuda Class' space battleship: the "USS Minneanapolis". Ok, WHERMST THE FUCK did the US Navy change its ENTIRE philopsophy on class naming? Naval history time: ALL ships are of a 'class' of the first ship made with that hull/superstructure: the USS Iowa Class includes the USS New Jersey, so the USS New Jersey is an 'Iowa Class' battleship, because the Iowa came first. The RMS Titanic was an 'Olympic' class steamer ship, because the RMS Olympic. Came. First. The eldest sister gives her name to her younger sisters. Here, you're telling me that the 'Space Navy' (I jokingly referred to it as such while shouting over the audiobook in anger at this blunder before the book unflinchingly used the term unironically and I died inside), went with a British naming convention for its space battleships (cool animals/fish) before CHANGING ITS MIND and going back to the very traditional 'states/cities' method? Either that, or, more likely, the author doesn't have a fucking clue about anything military and is just making things up, assuming that the 'class' of battleship is like a brand name to the current model. Fuck off, you absolute moron. You know not of what you speak. Anyway, due to the unbelievably stupid reasoning of the plot, the CO is unknowingly placed in stasis on board the clumsily introduced 'Ark', a colony ship headed to the outer reaches of space. Now, why would the (stereotypical 'The mayor'll have my ass', 'you remind me of your father. As you know he and I were in space 'nam together') admiral blindside the CO, if he'd likely (to my way of thinking) agree to this in the first place? Whatever. The hero wakes up after being in hypersleep to a very abusive doctor asking him loads of questions he's not ready for. Why would a highly selective mission choose a doctor with a poor bedside manner? Why would anyone let him in particular wake up the mystery passenger the size of a piece of farm equipment alone? The world wonders... Our hero easily beats the doctor senseless and then breaks away from his captors, refusing to believe not only their claims but also them showing him a window (yeah, windows in spaceships are really fucking hard and I don't buy them being all over the place. 2001 A Space Odyssey got this right - why can't you?) and the planet below. Turns out he took the place of a planetologist. I'm unironically certain this will never be mentioned again - this author lacks the competence for setup and payoff, I'm convinced of it. Let alone a planetologist would probably be pretty fucking useful. Especially since they have NO IDEA what's on the planet below. Capable of sustaining life? Sure. Video feed of the aliens? NOPE! Why...
Turns out this isn't the original planet they were headed for but it's equally capable of sustaining life so who gives a shit? Also, Earth redirected the ship hundreds of years off course without sending a memo as to why? Ok, sure, fuck it I guess. At this point I must end my suffering - I refuse to expose myself to the milquetoast sludge of this braindead story. I'd happily believe this was the work of an AI, but I'd hope an AI would at least be more creative. This level of mediocrity and blandness is only possible coming from the pen of someone who thinks he knows how to write Sci-Fi after watching half a dozen feature films over someone else's shoulder on a flight three years ago. Every line is a stereotype, every plot point a doldrum... Someone take away this man's computer before he singlehandedly creates an event horizon of every schlocky sci-fi story ever and ends the genre forever.