Elysian Dawn

Elydian Dawn #1

by Sally Odgers

Marianne Arcadia expected to marry Jeremiah and raise a family.

Edsen Balm had no more hope than to stay close to Marianne.

Jameel Singh intended to travel home to Terra to meet his fiancée’s parents.

Hanaka Moon meant to oversee the next generation of ship-born and pass the mantle of healer to her daughters.

Meera Singh wanted to prove herself as the brightest new diamond in Mother Shiva’s crown.

Cornelia Conti hoped to get her embroidery done and to find a shampoo that didn’t contain Stay-colour.

All their plans crash-landed with the starship Elysian Dawn but that, as they say, was just the beginning.

131 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 18, 2018

About the author

Sally Odgers was born in Tasmania in the 1950s, went to school there in the 1960s, married there in the 1970s, and had her children there in the 1980s. Her first book was published in 1977.

Reviews

[Jill Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seventeen-year-old Marianne Arcadia is planning to marry Jeremiah. The Elysian Dawn is a space ship and the only home she's ever known. She has never experienced pain other than scratches and never seen death. The Healer Moon has matched her to Jeremiah, she loves him, but she's still growing and can't marry till she stops. Then they'll have children who will be the next generation and the generation after that might reach their destination and settle on the new world.

Jeremiah is handsome and older than Marianne. He was born on Terra the old world they left behind he was very young when they left so his memories are sketchy. He is devoted to Marianne. Esden Balm adores Marianne but realises he will never be with her. They are eighteen years into a journey.

They know nothing of the advancements in space propulsion that means the journey of a century can now be completed in years. Cornelia Conti was one of the Faceless Four of Outward-Bound who instigated the First Launch of Elysian Dawn to beat Ganes and Zulu Queen. The changes this causes means other planets are populated long before Elysian Dawn has reached its destination. Meera Singh is a first-born citizen on the new world Shiva. Her brother Jameel Sing intends to travel to Terra to meet his fiancée's parents.

Everything changes when the Elysian Dawn crashes into a planet eighteen years after launch.

This is the first book in a series and one I'll have to continue immediately as it's my favourite genre Sci-fi YA.

[Bob Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very real people, with all their faults and imperfections, interact with each other in three far-flung places within the galaxy: Earth, Shiva with a rigid, secretive culture based on India, and a now hugely obsolete starship that has crashed, with some of the over 2000 occupants still alive, though with many casualties.

Despite the science fiction background, this story is about the forever dance of competing cultures, misunderstandings, romance, frustration, pride and hope... human life.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was impressive how much emotion this author can put into such a short novella. I really felt connected with the characters and I can't wait to read the next one.