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Sapien: Dawn of Oblivion
The yet to be integrated Sapien Solar System is on the verge of major economic, political, and social change. In an attempt to unite the nine autonomous planets, seven of which are ethnically pure, under the solar alliance, the Supreme Council encounters all types of obstacles foreseen and unforeseen. Each of the triumvirate of politicians aligns himself with a faction of the underworld in an attempt to push their own personal agenda. Vice Chancellor Theris Lamont, the most honorable of the politicians, is forced to enlist the services of mercenaries and smugglers from the crew of the Starship Whisper, led by Mulati Soldaat, to embark on a mission that he hopes will ultimately bring harmony and unity to the human race. Along the way, they encounter Francois Larue, a rogue member of the notorious DOD gang. After betraying the DOD, Francois has to conceal his past affiliation with the gang as he tries to assimilate into his new environment with the tight-knit crew of the Whisper. Mulati has to balance duty and unit cohesion, all the while obeying his own conscience. Add the fact that he is apart of the less than one percent of the solar system who is of mixed race, and the challenges abound. Inevitably all sides collide and the Sapien Solar System is caught in the middle. What unfolds is a tale of murder, deception, betrayal, loyalty, trust, and greed.
360 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 14, 2018
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17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 22, 2021
This initial book in the series sets the reader up to explore the world of the Sapien system in-depth. Filled with locations and characters, there is a depth and richness that few can match, yet the author uses a few neat devices to keep you grounded in the familiar. Part military sci-fi, part political intrigue, you can clearly see the author's influences presented in a way that is fresh and entertaining. If this is your chosen genre, you should definitely pick it up and add it to your "To Be Read" pile.
March 10, 2019
Eleven days ago, I had no idea what a twice emitter, JEDDO, VC, EPIC, and DAN were. But now that I’ve read Sapien: Dawn of Oblivion by T.O. Burnett, the combat weapon, heavily armored ten passenger all-terrain vehicle, viewing console, information conveyor, and currency, respectively, are as familiar and real to me as they are to the inhabitants of the colorful Sapien Solar System featured in Mr. Burnett’s wonderfully written Sci-fi Fantasy book. Before coming across Sapien, I had never read anything in this genre and never thought I would. But the beautiful, haunting cover of the book and the blurb on the back piqued my curiosity. I’m glad I followed through, because the book was more than worth the read.
Mr. Burnett is a gifted writer whose woven a tale filled with three dimensional characters that you will fall in love with and love to hate. The story revolves around the mercenary crew of the Starship Whisper led by Mulati Soldaat, a 6’2” Adonis of Scandinavian and Zulu warrior descent. And yes, you will fall in love with this man who embodies ethics and courage. Other team members are Sampa Yambasu, Mulati’s right hand woman. She’s strong, fearless, and a force to be reckoned with. Her black skin is as smooth and flawless as her fighting skills. Bjorn Mathison is a 6’5” Scandinavian tough guy with a bad temper, and Corto Canales is a diminutive chain smoker from the Spanish Province on Evropa. Then there’s the woman who loves and worries about them all—Beth Kirby, a solidly built Irish woman who knows her way around the ship’s kitchen, whipping together meals described so meticulously by Mr. Burnett, that I could smell the aroma through my phone.
The crew has been hired by Vice Chancellor Theris Lamont to embark on a mission that he hopes will bring harmony and unity to the human race. At the present time, the yet to be integrated Sapien Solar System is on the verge of major economic, political, and social change. Meanwhile, there are other politicians who are not as ethical as Theris Lamont, who have aligned themselves with factions of the underworld in an attempt to push their own agenda. Mulati and his crew come up against these factions as they endeavor to fulfill their commitment to Theris Lamont. Mr. Burnett takes you on a whirlwind journey with the crew as they encounter life threatening situations underwater and in the air. His writing is vivid and will have you on the edge of your seat wondering will the crew survive. Mr. Burnett is fearless in his descriptions that paint battles filled with blood and gore, fights that have you scrunching up your face and biting your nails as you root for Mulati and the crew to overpower the bad guys. During one trip, they encounter Francois Larue, a rogue member of the notorious DOD gang. After betraying the DOD, Francois has to conceal his past affiliation with the gang as he tries to become a part of the Whisper team. This leads to several comical situations that serve as a nice contrast to the deadly adventures of the crew.
After much blood and mayhem, the crew realizes that Theris Lamont is in danger and that it will be left to them to save him. Will they once again rise to the occasion or will the crew or some of its members be killed in the huge battle that takes place at the amphitheater in Central City at the end of the book? You’ll have to read it to find out. And I promise you, it’ll be worth the read and you’ll be more than ready for book two!
Mr. Burnett is a gifted writer whose woven a tale filled with three dimensional characters that you will fall in love with and love to hate. The story revolves around the mercenary crew of the Starship Whisper led by Mulati Soldaat, a 6’2” Adonis of Scandinavian and Zulu warrior descent. And yes, you will fall in love with this man who embodies ethics and courage. Other team members are Sampa Yambasu, Mulati’s right hand woman. She’s strong, fearless, and a force to be reckoned with. Her black skin is as smooth and flawless as her fighting skills. Bjorn Mathison is a 6’5” Scandinavian tough guy with a bad temper, and Corto Canales is a diminutive chain smoker from the Spanish Province on Evropa. Then there’s the woman who loves and worries about them all—Beth Kirby, a solidly built Irish woman who knows her way around the ship’s kitchen, whipping together meals described so meticulously by Mr. Burnett, that I could smell the aroma through my phone.
The crew has been hired by Vice Chancellor Theris Lamont to embark on a mission that he hopes will bring harmony and unity to the human race. At the present time, the yet to be integrated Sapien Solar System is on the verge of major economic, political, and social change. Meanwhile, there are other politicians who are not as ethical as Theris Lamont, who have aligned themselves with factions of the underworld in an attempt to push their own agenda. Mulati and his crew come up against these factions as they endeavor to fulfill their commitment to Theris Lamont. Mr. Burnett takes you on a whirlwind journey with the crew as they encounter life threatening situations underwater and in the air. His writing is vivid and will have you on the edge of your seat wondering will the crew survive. Mr. Burnett is fearless in his descriptions that paint battles filled with blood and gore, fights that have you scrunching up your face and biting your nails as you root for Mulati and the crew to overpower the bad guys. During one trip, they encounter Francois Larue, a rogue member of the notorious DOD gang. After betraying the DOD, Francois has to conceal his past affiliation with the gang as he tries to become a part of the Whisper team. This leads to several comical situations that serve as a nice contrast to the deadly adventures of the crew.
After much blood and mayhem, the crew realizes that Theris Lamont is in danger and that it will be left to them to save him. Will they once again rise to the occasion or will the crew or some of its members be killed in the huge battle that takes place at the amphitheater in Central City at the end of the book? You’ll have to read it to find out. And I promise you, it’ll be worth the read and you’ll be more than ready for book two!
May 5, 2023
This book is exciting! Burnett’s first work in his Sapien series is homey, yet exciting; familiar, yet original; and he presents the best of the science fiction genre tropes. I was hooked in the first paragraph, when the stakes are established and the MC—Mulati—defines his arch with action-driven boldness. Burnett creates a meticulously well-crafted world with stellar (pun intended) displays of military—and war—knowledge, and layers of historical literary nods. Alongside his themes of authenticity, perspective, and characters killing their egos/personas, Burnett’s dialogue is humane, his narrations are crisp, and his verbal flare is awesome: “…his style of violence travelled well.” After the cliffhanging conclusion, I’m excited to read the second book in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2020
I really enjoyed this story. The standout parts were definitely the interactions between the Whispers crew. Each of them had such personality! I almost feel like Burnett could write a really great Firefly episode. I wish I could have seen more sci-fi tech involved in the story instead of some of the low tech choices, but it definitely was an adventurous action packed book that delivered a few great surprises in the story. I'll be looking for more of this authors work.
January 16, 2021
In a solar system where everyone is allowed to rule themselves with their own conscience, how does no law serve anyone? Top that with a cast of characters and not one of them is innocent, and you've got some serious questions on your hands. I thought I had this book and this series figured out, but I was left surprised. There are more questions to come. I would like to see this book in the hands of a better editor, thus I deducted one star for editing issues.
April 25, 2022
Sapiens Is one of those books I appreciate more a few days after than I did when I was reading it. Like all great science fiction, there’s a subtle but clear theme of social commentary-particularly the tension between personal freedom and personal safety. The author really understands human nature, so the archetypes in the book ring true to life. Every once in a while you read a debut author and realize, “this guy’s a natural born storyteller. I’m gonna do my best read everything he writes!”
March 31, 2022
Amazon Rating: ☆★★★★
Book Rating: ☆☆★★★
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This isn't quite my kind of story. It’s full of action and adventure (damn that makes me sound boring lol) I could easily see this being adapted as a Hollywood blockbuster. It's got that feel to it. So if that's your thing I'm sure you'd dig this. It’s certainly entertaining.
I admit it took me a long time to get into the story, that's kinda normal for me with new worlds and characters. I found the first half ok in places but also frustrating in others. But it steadily came into its own and eventually I reached a point where I found it hard to put the story down. As a debut novel it is pretty damn good!
I particularly enjoyed the grand council meeting and the moments we share with Bahadur and Onin Gesh.
The writing was fairly simple and easy to follow. Sometimes it was beautiful beyond words. I wish I saw more of that, but it's pretty rare to come by in general, so to see some of that was *chefs kiss* I hope to see more in the future.
I find the universe quite interesting. I don't quite understand it though (the physicist in me is like "how are all these worlds habitable?) ... but I like how everything is segregated, and that the main character is a man caught in between worlds, not quite fitting anywhere. There's a kind of Firefly vibe to the ship and crew. It's not quite Fireflyish, but that's the closest I can think of. The universe is its own but it's also similar ... doubt that clears anything up xD.
Now my biggest complaints (please don't hate me)
The first third (and some of the reason why I struggled) of the story is filled with characters forgetting or coincidences occurring that just so happen to drive the story in the right direction. I found this so painful. If it happens once, sure. But it happened multiple times. A couple of those ended up being foreshadowing/or planned, but those revelations lost their impact from the ones that were just plot drivers. The crew of the Whisper always seemed to end up in the right place at the right time.
Another small frustration. There was a lot of repeating. Example, often the author will describe something that happens and straight afterwards a character will mention the said event. This is unnecessary and breaks immersion. It's not a terrible thing per say, but the story would've been much sharper without it.
Overall I think the faults make up just a small part of the story, and it certainly is better than some big-name published scifi books I’ve got on my bookshelf. The build-up to the main event and the mayhem that follows is without a doubt entertaining.
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My rating System:
Amazon Rating (because they suck and will kill your book)
5 – Fantastic work. Anything from brilliant to highly likeable.
4 – A decent solid piece of writing with a lot going for it. I really dig your jive.
3 – Average. I somewhat liked it but there is room for improvement.
2 – non-existent.
1 – Reserved for bigots.
Book Rating (ie, my real rating I couldn’t use cause it might hurt your amazon stats)
5 – Absolutely genius. I might want to marry you.
4 – Fantastic story. I loved it and will pick up your other work without hesitation.
3 – A good solid story. You had some good ideas here, (might be some bad ones too)
2 – I wasn’t into it. Some potential and missed opportunities.
1 – We need to talk.
Book Rating: ☆☆★★★
---
This isn't quite my kind of story. It’s full of action and adventure (damn that makes me sound boring lol) I could easily see this being adapted as a Hollywood blockbuster. It's got that feel to it. So if that's your thing I'm sure you'd dig this. It’s certainly entertaining.
I admit it took me a long time to get into the story, that's kinda normal for me with new worlds and characters. I found the first half ok in places but also frustrating in others. But it steadily came into its own and eventually I reached a point where I found it hard to put the story down. As a debut novel it is pretty damn good!
I particularly enjoyed the grand council meeting and the moments we share with Bahadur and Onin Gesh.
The writing was fairly simple and easy to follow. Sometimes it was beautiful beyond words. I wish I saw more of that, but it's pretty rare to come by in general, so to see some of that was *chefs kiss* I hope to see more in the future.
I find the universe quite interesting. I don't quite understand it though (the physicist in me is like "how are all these worlds habitable?) ... but I like how everything is segregated, and that the main character is a man caught in between worlds, not quite fitting anywhere. There's a kind of Firefly vibe to the ship and crew. It's not quite Fireflyish, but that's the closest I can think of. The universe is its own but it's also similar ... doubt that clears anything up xD.
Now my biggest complaints (please don't hate me)
The first third (and some of the reason why I struggled) of the story is filled with characters forgetting or coincidences occurring that just so happen to drive the story in the right direction. I found this so painful. If it happens once, sure. But it happened multiple times. A couple of those ended up being foreshadowing/or planned, but those revelations lost their impact from the ones that were just plot drivers. The crew of the Whisper always seemed to end up in the right place at the right time.
Another small frustration. There was a lot of repeating. Example, often the author will describe something that happens and straight afterwards a character will mention the said event. This is unnecessary and breaks immersion. It's not a terrible thing per say, but the story would've been much sharper without it.
Overall I think the faults make up just a small part of the story, and it certainly is better than some big-name published scifi books I’ve got on my bookshelf. The build-up to the main event and the mayhem that follows is without a doubt entertaining.
---
My rating System:
Amazon Rating (because they suck and will kill your book)
5 – Fantastic work. Anything from brilliant to highly likeable.
4 – A decent solid piece of writing with a lot going for it. I really dig your jive.
3 – Average. I somewhat liked it but there is room for improvement.
2 – non-existent.
1 – Reserved for bigots.
Book Rating (ie, my real rating I couldn’t use cause it might hurt your amazon stats)
5 – Absolutely genius. I might want to marry you.
4 – Fantastic story. I loved it and will pick up your other work without hesitation.
3 – A good solid story. You had some good ideas here, (might be some bad ones too)
2 – I wasn’t into it. Some potential and missed opportunities.
1 – We need to talk.
December 9, 2023
Set in a solar system where each planet is inhabited by a particular race & races tend not to mingle, the first book of this series tells a tale of dissent & intrigue. I look forward to the other instalments of this tale.
November 14, 2024
Holy action scenes, Batman! My first thought is how much the crew of the Whisperer reminded me of the crew from Firefly. As Firefly remains one of my favorite series, there was no choice for me but to enjoy this book. Not only is each character unique and interesting, but the different worlds and cultures are also so well thought out and perfectly described that it's easy to immerse yourself into the Sapien universe.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the fight scenes. Wow! Every fight scene is so well written, in-depth, and easily imagined that I almost felt as if I were in it with the characters. Bravo!
Can't wait to read the next one!
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the fight scenes. Wow! Every fight scene is so well written, in-depth, and easily imagined that I almost felt as if I were in it with the characters. Bravo!
Can't wait to read the next one!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews