Firebird

by K.A. Williams

When we terraformed Mars, we doomed Earth. It is now the year 3000, and there is no hope. Unity controls Earth, ruling with the mind-warping technology of the BioMage. And on Mars, where humanity fled, we answer to the criminal factions of the Overlords. There is no freedom. There is no hope. Until, of course, Firebird rose. And as the most powerful BioMage ever born, her will could be the one that changes a life, that changes the Worlds. My name is Jezi Lurk, and these are the Firebird Chronicles.

232 pages, Paperback

Published August 28, 2018

About the author

Williams lives in a snow den in northern Minnesota with her Toto dog and a notorious Rocky Mountain black cat. She is a prolific writer, an imaginative seamstress, and a great consumer of fermented grape blood.

Reviews

[Martin Sheeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firebird is a brilliantly written story that manages to not reveal itself until the very end. Delightful and imaginative, a fitting story for today's world.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always liked the sci-fi genre in theory, but I have to admit it's sometimes hard to get into when a lot of it, especially the classics, are super out-dated in gender roles/norms. Authors were able to predict iPads, tablets, VR, etc back in the 1950s but couldn't imagine women as professionals, authority figures, or as intellectual equals? It seems like women are commonly completely missing from stories (hello, we are 50% of the population!) or reduced to the sexy, empty-headed prize for the protagonist. But I digress. My point is-- this book is extremely refreshing in that aspect! Although I wish it delved a little deeper into the characters backgrounds (maybe this will be in the future books?), each of them seemed well-rounded, believable, and unique. I think I fell in love with all of them (but especially Lorensen, and Brute, and Ori... ok, yeah, all of them).

This is more of the world-building and action-based sci-fi, which doesn't mean that it doesn't explore philosophical questions, but it's not the super-heavy-on-thought-experiment type of book. I like all types of sci-fi, so that's not a complaint, rather an attempt to give potential readers an idea of the story. The most recent sci-fi book I read previous to this was "Artemis" by Andy Weir, and Firebird is similar in that it features a kick-ass, capable female protagonist, terraformed setting, and high-stakes action all the way through the book. I'm excited it's just the first in a series, and even though I'm not sure if the series will continue with the characters we met here, or be set in a different time period, I can't wait to read the next one!

[Sherri Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spent time with K. A. Williams at the MN state bookfair. I had so much fun talking to her that I bought both book one and two of the Firebird Chronicles. The first one Firebird was fabulous. I loved the twists and turns. I loved the action. Though there were times I was confused on the story line but got caught up by the end and loved it.

[Tekie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book but I had a hard time understanding what was going on from the beginning. I read the whole book and could barely tell you who the majority of the characters were. I felt like they were not well introduced. However, I liked a lot of the ideas expressed within the book though and am curious about the authors other books in the series.