What do you think?
Rate this book
Cold Shoulder
By the middle of the twenty-second century, Earth is becoming uninhabitable. After decades of global climate change, political ineptitude, and catastrophes both natural and self-inflicted, the tipping point is reached. A handful of genetically-engineered powerful and wealthy elites privately fund interstellar ships to colonize six of the most promising Earth-like exoplanets in hopes of saving the species.
The last of these to depart is the Earth-Originated Ship (EOS) Khufu, traveling to Kepler-186f. Three hundred light years out, halfway to their destination, the artificial intelligence running the ship encounters an object blocking their path that cannot be evaded or outrun. The AI named MORT decides to awaken its programmer, Blake Pronow, to resolve the situation. When Pronow can’t help, the computer decides to wake an engineer with appropriate skills, Pronow’s ex-girlfriend.
And then things get really bad.
The last of these to depart is the Earth-Originated Ship (EOS) Khufu, traveling to Kepler-186f. Three hundred light years out, halfway to their destination, the artificial intelligence running the ship encounters an object blocking their path that cannot be evaded or outrun. The AI named MORT decides to awaken its programmer, Blake Pronow, to resolve the situation. When Pronow can’t help, the computer decides to wake an engineer with appropriate skills, Pronow’s ex-girlfriend.
And then things get really bad.
168 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 5, 2018
1 person is currently reading
1 person want to read
About the author
Michael Pickard
16 books9 followersMichael Pickard’s writing serves as the bridge between his professional work in technology and his passion for creative arts.
Pickard's catalog includes nine novels, two children's books, and a collection of juried short stories, including Hardwired, which won a Ray Bradbury Creative Writing Prize in 2005.
Pickard's catalog includes nine novels, two children's books, and a collection of juried short stories, including Hardwired, which won a Ray Bradbury Creative Writing Prize in 2005.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 24, 2018
My Review Number 174:
This review is on Cold Shoulder, by Michael Pickard and Donald Meyer. This is the first book I have read by these two Sci-Fi authors. This story is Speculative Sci-Fi dealing with the after-effects of climate change resulting in genetically-engineered elite humans called Exceptionals sending six interstellar ships into deep space in a desperate attempt to colonize other planets and save the human race.
The story starts out with the protagonist Blake “Monk” Pronow waking up from cryosleep on his way to an earth-like planet called Kepler-186 in the Cygnus constellation. Blake realizes he is the only person to wake up on the starship named Khufu. The ship is nowhere near Kepler-186. In fact Blake is told by the AI named MORT that they are still 337.9 light-years from their destination. Blake was woken up to try and save the ship and all passengers on board from an unavoidable collision with unknown objects blocking their path.
MORT, which stands for Methodology-Oriented Reasoning Technology, is the creation of Blake and runs the ship while everyone sleeps in cryostasis. MORT is not capable enough to figure out how to avoid the objects in front of them without waking Blake. The reason MORT could not find a solution is not obvious at first to Blake. When Blake finally figures it out, he is forced to let MORT wake up another crew member who can actually help. Unfortunately, this person happens to be the ex-girlfriend of Blake. They are not on friendly terms due to previous circumstances before departing Earth.
The plot thickens as the unknown objects approach the ship and the reason for it becomes painfully clear. Finally, the ship’s Captain is awakened and decisions are made that will allow the ship to continue to Kepler-186. Blake, however, must be put back in cryosleep until they reach their new home. Once they arrive, new plots spring up to continue the story.
I give this book Four Stars because the story is entertaining and interesting. The plot is filled with mystery and suspense. The story is fast paced and moves quickly from scene to scene. The main characters are likeable and some events are very mysterious. The dialog is well written and easy to follow. The scientific and technical explanations are plausible and easy to understand. My only issue with this book is the story ends suddenly without further explanation and lacks length. I hope the authors continue the story in a second book and expand on the original plot to see what happens.
Keep reading good science fiction and let me know when you find an interesting novel or author.
This review is on Cold Shoulder, by Michael Pickard and Donald Meyer. This is the first book I have read by these two Sci-Fi authors. This story is Speculative Sci-Fi dealing with the after-effects of climate change resulting in genetically-engineered elite humans called Exceptionals sending six interstellar ships into deep space in a desperate attempt to colonize other planets and save the human race.
The story starts out with the protagonist Blake “Monk” Pronow waking up from cryosleep on his way to an earth-like planet called Kepler-186 in the Cygnus constellation. Blake realizes he is the only person to wake up on the starship named Khufu. The ship is nowhere near Kepler-186. In fact Blake is told by the AI named MORT that they are still 337.9 light-years from their destination. Blake was woken up to try and save the ship and all passengers on board from an unavoidable collision with unknown objects blocking their path.
MORT, which stands for Methodology-Oriented Reasoning Technology, is the creation of Blake and runs the ship while everyone sleeps in cryostasis. MORT is not capable enough to figure out how to avoid the objects in front of them without waking Blake. The reason MORT could not find a solution is not obvious at first to Blake. When Blake finally figures it out, he is forced to let MORT wake up another crew member who can actually help. Unfortunately, this person happens to be the ex-girlfriend of Blake. They are not on friendly terms due to previous circumstances before departing Earth.
The plot thickens as the unknown objects approach the ship and the reason for it becomes painfully clear. Finally, the ship’s Captain is awakened and decisions are made that will allow the ship to continue to Kepler-186. Blake, however, must be put back in cryosleep until they reach their new home. Once they arrive, new plots spring up to continue the story.
I give this book Four Stars because the story is entertaining and interesting. The plot is filled with mystery and suspense. The story is fast paced and moves quickly from scene to scene. The main characters are likeable and some events are very mysterious. The dialog is well written and easy to follow. The scientific and technical explanations are plausible and easy to understand. My only issue with this book is the story ends suddenly without further explanation and lacks length. I hope the authors continue the story in a second book and expand on the original plot to see what happens.
Keep reading good science fiction and let me know when you find an interesting novel or author.
Displaying 1 of 1 review