Final Solution

by J. Fitzpatrick Mauldin

"One engineer, trapped in a web of political deceit, is all the stands between victory, and the nuclear annihilation of all life on mars." When the last two remaining warships of humanity’s first interplanetary conflict face off, the fate of Mars rests in the hands of one engineer, David Goddard. If David can’t find a way through a twisted web of political deceit, technical faults and guilt over a past he cannot escape, everyone will die. Final Solution is a hard science fiction military thriller set in the near future, a hybrid of novels such as “The Expanse”, “The Martian” and “The Hunt for Red October”.

244 pages, Paperback

First published April 5, 2016

About the author

J. Fitzpatrick Mauldin is a science fiction and fantasy writer based in Atlanta, Georgia, where he lives with his bibliophilic wife and two daughters. Destined to be a nerd by birth, the product of a science, history, and engineering obsessed father and grandfather, he had no other option than to let his creative juices flow onto paper. Not a single genre writer, he explores many facets and sub genres of SFF such as cheesy horror, sci-fi satire, flintlock fantasy, and speculative fiction. Like many authors, genre niches are not what tend to arouse inspiration in him, but rather, what a character can do within a compelling setting. He seeks to explore grand events and extraordinary times while plumbing the depths of the human condition from life unto death—and beyond.

Reviews

[Brett Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Final Solution is a solid piece of writing with plot that pulls you in and keeps you hanging up until—quite literally—the final line of the novel.

Mauldin builds the story gradually, using the first handful of chapters to introduce the characters and the situation. And once you know—or at least think you know—what is happening, he peels back layer after layer, revealing a more complex tale of interplanetary intrigue and the interpersonal relationships aboard the Vindicator that dictate the fate of two worlds.

One of the things that I liked most about the novel was the author’s willingness to build a message inside the story. He presents a complex problem, and—even though his point of view is clear—he offers no simple answer. The reader is left with much to contemplate and consider on their own.

If you are a fan of science-fiction with a harder edge and intrigue, then this is a very good choice for you.

[Elisa C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Summer Reading!

While I keep referring to this book as Final Countdown (I guess I like hair bands), rather than by its actual title, Final Solution is a great read, with a good blend of science, romance, friendship and good vs evil. If I wished for anything else, it would be maps of Earth and Mars in the time period in which the bulk of the story takes place. I truly enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

[J. Mauldin]

I hope everyone enjoys this twisted book as much as I did writing it.