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Colony One
The life of Colony One's Founder, Alex Smith, is not a simple rags to riches tale - it's scary, gruesome, and at points, deadly. She may be smart enough to create a battery that never needs charging, but can she outmaneuver those who don't share her vision of community and create something that really lasts?
How far is Alex willing to go to achieve her goal?
Accessibility featured: All graphics and illustrations have detailed descriptions in their alt-text so if you are reading using voiceover, you will not miss anything.
How far is Alex willing to go to achieve her goal?
Accessibility featured: All graphics and illustrations have detailed descriptions in their alt-text so if you are reading using voiceover, you will not miss anything.
433 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 30, 2018
49 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
T.L. Ford
7 books171 followersBorn of God, Donna, and Roy, T. L. Ford is a programmer living in southern Maryland, USA. She plays with computers, origami, wild plants, hydroponics, writing, and an assortment of other amusements. You can peek into her mind at her website: www.Cattail.Nu
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
August 30, 2019
COLONY ONE delivers a sci-fi saga with substance. Alex is an MC who we learn is gifted with perfect recall which becomes the backbone trait for her journey that leads us to Colony One. From street urchin to rescuer of humanity, the choices our heroine make take us down a speculative path of futurism with plenty of scientific detail, attention to physics both formal as well as physics to be enjoyed as pure eye-candy, and moral complexities tackled with the author's emotional deftness. All combine to make a read that hit most spots in a satisfying manner. My only complaint would be the end.. so many threads were left untied. I can only be comforted with the hope that there is a sequel to answer my lingering questions. 5 stars from me, I very much enjoyed Colony One.
January 12, 2021
Colony One
Mistakes: I found a couple, usually missing word.
Plot: If the ring contains the shield then she shouldn't have had a shield while in prison. Other than that I enjoyed the story and look forward to a second book.
Characters: Super smart characters.
8/10
Mistakes: I found a couple, usually missing word.
Plot: If the ring contains the shield then she shouldn't have had a shield while in prison. Other than that I enjoyed the story and look forward to a second book.
Characters: Super smart characters.
8/10
April 8, 2019
The life of Colony One's Founder, Alex Smith, is not a simple rags to riches tale - it's scary, gruesome, and at points, deadly. She may be smart enough to create a battery that never needs charging, but can she outmaneuver those who don't share her vision of community and create something that really lasts? How far is Alex willing to go to achieve her goal?
Recording of the review live stream for those who prefer: https://www.twitch.tv/events/kxdzY1MO...
Title: Colony One
Author: T. L. Ford
Series: N/A
Publisher: Independently Published
Length and Cost: 432 pages at $5.99 ebook, $15.99 paperback, available on Kindle Unlimited
Overall Experience Rating: 9.3/10
Genres: Science Fiction
Type: eBook
Disclosure: I was given a copy of the book for free as thanks for content consulting services rendered.
Review Overview:
The story takes place on Earth, roughly modern-day, and does a good job of staying true to the limits of the modern world.
A very small number of technological liberties are taken in order to have a base working foundation for the Sci-Fi aspects introduced and from there stays logically consistent.
The characters introduced are believable in their context, as are their behaviors and motivations. These factors make the interactions between characters believable as well.
The effort put into the technical aspects of the book and the research behind them shows, greatly increasing the quality of the work and making it a well above average sci-fi novel. This helps clearly distinguish it from other 'sci-fi' books that are better classified as science fantasy at best or just plain fantasy at worse.
While the book is quite long and very content dense, it was never a chore to keep reading. I attribute this to the fact that I found to the overarching story very enjoyable and interesting, which leaves me hopeful that the author goes on to make a sequel.
Though, I never did figure out the code at the start of each chapter.
Rating break down:
Quality/Depth of Characters: 8.5/10
Due to the content dense nature of the story, and extended time frame covered in it, very few negligible interactions or character interactions are shown. This was a double edged blade because while it prevented information not necessarily relevant to the story, it also meant the reader could always assume each interaction had long term meaning, or had some greater implication.
It was impressive how accurately and realistically the various characters reactions were to things like emotional trauma or emotionally impactful experiences, and such also influenced their later behavior in the novel.
Something I found a little sad and perhaps disappointing was having many characters introduced, only to have them not be mentioned again once their initial relevance passed. On the flip side, the times a character was introduced and then came back were great ways to show the long term implications of the MC's actions (and the actions of other characters). It helped give a greater depth of importance to the MC's choices as decisions either came back to bite the MC, or benefit them.
Quality and Depth of World: 10/10
A simple rating here, the author put a lot of work into researching the world when choosing what happens where, why, and how, and this shows. I was unable to see any noticeable disparities based on my knowledge here.
Detail Balance and Completeness: 9/10
I was quite impressed here. Almost all technology introduced if fairly feasible, with only three core assumptions being made in order for everything else to be logical.
She did a great job researching material science, chemistry, physics, thermo and fluid dynamics, and firearms. This let her avoid all the flaws and errors that ruin most science fiction novels for me, and is what prevented this book from being marked as science fantasy in my list.
Quality of Story: 9.5/10
The story progresses through a significant portion of Alex Smith's life cycle, starting as an infant and going to a full grown adult in space. With relevant novel time spent in the various years of her life showing us her experiences and growth. This not only helps us understand her personality organically overtime but also helps backup and better explain her later motivations.
While the blurb makes certain story eventualities clear, the author did a good job of writing an evolving story over time with the characters long-term plans changing based on what they experienced in their world, at times even changing their entire life goals because of this.
Quality of Writing: 9/10
The information in the book was well organized, with details and tidbits given in an order that not only makes sense, but was fluid in transitioning between parts. People, items, and events are only references a time or two before being fully introduced, so references avoided being frustrating or confusing. The book has virtually no typos or formatting issues, which is lovely. Word usage was varied without being excessive. The author also has been happy to receive feedback from readers, and has put out updates to correct things as needed. The only downside are for those with print copies, but the typos that remain for them are still limited and minor.
Narration Performance: N/A
TLDR
Score: 9.3 of 10
Colony One
Book Sales Link: https://amzn.com/dp/B07L18W8QM/
Authors Website: http://www.cattail.nu
Recording of the review live stream for those who prefer: https://www.twitch.tv/events/kxdzY1MO...
Title: Colony One
Author: T. L. Ford
Series: N/A
Publisher: Independently Published
Length and Cost: 432 pages at $5.99 ebook, $15.99 paperback, available on Kindle Unlimited
Overall Experience Rating: 9.3/10
Genres: Science Fiction
Type: eBook
Disclosure: I was given a copy of the book for free as thanks for content consulting services rendered.
Review Overview:
The story takes place on Earth, roughly modern-day, and does a good job of staying true to the limits of the modern world.
A very small number of technological liberties are taken in order to have a base working foundation for the Sci-Fi aspects introduced and from there stays logically consistent.
The characters introduced are believable in their context, as are their behaviors and motivations. These factors make the interactions between characters believable as well.
The effort put into the technical aspects of the book and the research behind them shows, greatly increasing the quality of the work and making it a well above average sci-fi novel. This helps clearly distinguish it from other 'sci-fi' books that are better classified as science fantasy at best or just plain fantasy at worse.
While the book is quite long and very content dense, it was never a chore to keep reading. I attribute this to the fact that I found to the overarching story very enjoyable and interesting, which leaves me hopeful that the author goes on to make a sequel.
Though, I never did figure out the code at the start of each chapter.
Rating break down:
Quality/Depth of Characters: 8.5/10
Due to the content dense nature of the story, and extended time frame covered in it, very few negligible interactions or character interactions are shown. This was a double edged blade because while it prevented information not necessarily relevant to the story, it also meant the reader could always assume each interaction had long term meaning, or had some greater implication.
It was impressive how accurately and realistically the various characters reactions were to things like emotional trauma or emotionally impactful experiences, and such also influenced their later behavior in the novel.
Something I found a little sad and perhaps disappointing was having many characters introduced, only to have them not be mentioned again once their initial relevance passed. On the flip side, the times a character was introduced and then came back were great ways to show the long term implications of the MC's actions (and the actions of other characters). It helped give a greater depth of importance to the MC's choices as decisions either came back to bite the MC, or benefit them.
Quality and Depth of World: 10/10
A simple rating here, the author put a lot of work into researching the world when choosing what happens where, why, and how, and this shows. I was unable to see any noticeable disparities based on my knowledge here.
Detail Balance and Completeness: 9/10
I was quite impressed here. Almost all technology introduced if fairly feasible, with only three core assumptions being made in order for everything else to be logical.
She did a great job researching material science, chemistry, physics, thermo and fluid dynamics, and firearms. This let her avoid all the flaws and errors that ruin most science fiction novels for me, and is what prevented this book from being marked as science fantasy in my list.
Quality of Story: 9.5/10
The story progresses through a significant portion of Alex Smith's life cycle, starting as an infant and going to a full grown adult in space. With relevant novel time spent in the various years of her life showing us her experiences and growth. This not only helps us understand her personality organically overtime but also helps backup and better explain her later motivations.
While the blurb makes certain story eventualities clear, the author did a good job of writing an evolving story over time with the characters long-term plans changing based on what they experienced in their world, at times even changing their entire life goals because of this.
Quality of Writing: 9/10
The information in the book was well organized, with details and tidbits given in an order that not only makes sense, but was fluid in transitioning between parts. People, items, and events are only references a time or two before being fully introduced, so references avoided being frustrating or confusing. The book has virtually no typos or formatting issues, which is lovely. Word usage was varied without being excessive. The author also has been happy to receive feedback from readers, and has put out updates to correct things as needed. The only downside are for those with print copies, but the typos that remain for them are still limited and minor.
Narration Performance: N/A
TLDR
Score: 9.3 of 10
Colony One
Book Sales Link: https://amzn.com/dp/B07L18W8QM/
Authors Website: http://www.cattail.nu
February 2, 2021
I enjoyed this story for the most part, and I think T. L. is a talented and very analytical writer, but sometimes I felt this was to a fault. The book feels like two different stories, one where Alex is on the streets and then gets involved with the mafia, and then the other is about her experience founding Colony One. And unfortunately for me, it felt like the story dragged on near the middle when she created her business.
I think what hung me up for so long was that we were living Alex’s life from childhood to adulthood. Life changes as a person ages, and things become unrecognizable or different. This isn’t a bad thing, but I would have enjoyed the story more if quite a bit of the middle had been skipped so that we could keep up a quicker pace.
I wasn’t in love with the ending or some of Alex’s characteristics, but I thought the story was fun, especially in the beginning. One of my favorite things throughout the book is the fun illustrations occasionally placed on the page. They emphasized different points and helped me, as a reader, better identify with the message.
If you have the patience, you should read this story. There are points and sentences that I really marveled at, and I think it’s definitely worth the read, but it’s not for everyone.
Here are some of my favorite quotes:
“She wasn’t a particularly beautiful young girl, despite her long yellowish-brown hair.”
“Without the usual prod with a stick for mice and spiders, he reached in and pulled out his spare shiv.”
“The dank, abandoned warehouse with broken floors smelled like mice nests.”
I think what hung me up for so long was that we were living Alex’s life from childhood to adulthood. Life changes as a person ages, and things become unrecognizable or different. This isn’t a bad thing, but I would have enjoyed the story more if quite a bit of the middle had been skipped so that we could keep up a quicker pace.
I wasn’t in love with the ending or some of Alex’s characteristics, but I thought the story was fun, especially in the beginning. One of my favorite things throughout the book is the fun illustrations occasionally placed on the page. They emphasized different points and helped me, as a reader, better identify with the message.
If you have the patience, you should read this story. There are points and sentences that I really marveled at, and I think it’s definitely worth the read, but it’s not for everyone.
Here are some of my favorite quotes:
“She wasn’t a particularly beautiful young girl, despite her long yellowish-brown hair.”
“Without the usual prod with a stick for mice and spiders, he reached in and pulled out his spare shiv.”
“The dank, abandoned warehouse with broken floors smelled like mice nests.”
June 9, 2020
4 Stars. (disclosure: the author is a friend and I am not really a fan of SciFi/fantasy). First Colony had an interesting premise - Alex Smith is the main character in this rags-to-riches Science Fiction story. She creates a "lifetime" battery, and then due to the US gov't's greedy reasons, creates a space station/new nation (Colony One) to escape from their absurd laws and demands. Honestly, the book is long and there were times I found myself speed-reading to get to the next part! LOL. Also, I found it very interesting that Ford created such a strong woman main character - only to be supported by pretty much an all male cast (Sal, Milo, Brian, Lucas, Cal, etc). Maybe this was done on purpose - Alex was basically a homeless wanderer at the start of the story and perhaps these men were father figures. I just would have liked to have seen other women support her in her quest.
July 1, 2020
Two stories in one
My guess is the only other untruth would be beating Sal at chess games. In any event, those who love video games having to do with building cites, kingdoms or habitats will love this story. The book is almost two stories in one. Though related, the first is about an extremely gifted child born into poverty and the challenges she faced. Unfortunately, it is probably a fair picture of many children face today, brilliant or not. The second story is about building a space station. In my opinion, there was more detail than necessary about how things worked and too much naivety about how well people work together, although some homage is paid to crime and bullying in the very last pages. Altogether, a good story with lots of plausible-impossible sci/fi with real life thrown in.
My guess is the only other untruth would be beating Sal at chess games. In any event, those who love video games having to do with building cites, kingdoms or habitats will love this story. The book is almost two stories in one. Though related, the first is about an extremely gifted child born into poverty and the challenges she faced. Unfortunately, it is probably a fair picture of many children face today, brilliant or not. The second story is about building a space station. In my opinion, there was more detail than necessary about how things worked and too much naivety about how well people work together, although some homage is paid to crime and bullying in the very last pages. Altogether, a good story with lots of plausible-impossible sci/fi with real life thrown in.
April 14, 2024
Been looking for something of epic proportions like this for a long time. It reminded me of the wonderful experiences I had becoming immersed in near future sci-fi books such as SPIN (Robert Charles Wilson) and YEAR ZERO (Jeff Long). Based on the description and cover, I was worried this might be a bland young adult fiction more concerned about not offending any readers than telling a compelling story, but I'm so glad I downloaded the sample and found right away that the author isn't afraid to go some very dark, very morally conflicted situations than anything that would fall into your average YA book. In that sense it reminded me of THE REAPERS ARE THE ANGELS, another outstanding novel with a very compelling young girl as protagonist. Really looking forward to delving into more books by this author.
December 8, 2019
Awesome read!!!
What a wonderful story! T L Ford writes a mean book! It has everything, drama, happiness, fine hard science fiction added to an exciting storyline. The MC Alex Smith is a talented street kid who has been living in her own since she was eight years old. Smart and wanting to excel, she finds a true friend in Sal Marino, an ex Mafia boss. He teaches her to appreciate Art and to value fine antiques. She teaches him to value friendship and caring. Together they make a start to better the world.
What a wonderful story! T L Ford writes a mean book! It has everything, drama, happiness, fine hard science fiction added to an exciting storyline. The MC Alex Smith is a talented street kid who has been living in her own since she was eight years old. Smart and wanting to excel, she finds a true friend in Sal Marino, an ex Mafia boss. He teaches her to appreciate Art and to value fine antiques. She teaches him to value friendship and caring. Together they make a start to better the world.
January 31, 2019
An unexpected, but enjoyable read
I came by this book from a discord reference. I normally read gamelit, but gave the sample a try and found myself enjoying it more than I expected. I have no clue what genre this book best matches, but the characters are quite likeable.
It follows the life of Colony One's founder from her youth through the creation of the colony and a bit further. I look forward to book two.
I came by this book from a discord reference. I normally read gamelit, but gave the sample a try and found myself enjoying it more than I expected. I have no clue what genre this book best matches, but the characters are quite likeable.
It follows the life of Colony One's founder from her youth through the creation of the colony and a bit further. I look forward to book two.
March 23, 2019
Scary but good
Not what I expected. The journey forward, the detailed and varied relationships made this futuristic novel a compelling read.
It came with an astounding amount of emotional triggers yet never overwhelmed, allowing you to enjoy the rich narrative.
I truly hope there is a follow up novel.
Not what I expected. The journey forward, the detailed and varied relationships made this futuristic novel a compelling read.
It came with an astounding amount of emotional triggers yet never overwhelmed, allowing you to enjoy the rich narrative.
I truly hope there is a follow up novel.
February 15, 2020
WOW!
What a wonderful tale of perseverance, hard choices and decisions, love of fellow humans. Alex Smith's story is amazing and everyone should read it. I'm going back to the "Store" so I can buy the book. I'm also going to follow the author, T. L. Ford so I don't miss anything. Really like this one.
What a wonderful tale of perseverance, hard choices and decisions, love of fellow humans. Alex Smith's story is amazing and everyone should read it. I'm going back to the "Store" so I can buy the book. I'm also going to follow the author, T. L. Ford so I don't miss anything. Really like this one.
October 7, 2020
UGH
This was in track to be a five star book review but the last page dropped it down to three star. This book is beautifully written and edited. While it is overly long and should have been divided into more chapters, I would recommend it with the caution that the ending (and I do mean the last page) is likely to induce cussing/swearing fits.
This was in track to be a five star book review but the last page dropped it down to three star. This book is beautifully written and edited. While it is overly long and should have been divided into more chapters, I would recommend it with the caution that the ending (and I do mean the last page) is likely to induce cussing/swearing fits.
February 6, 2021
Environmentalist Screed
While sentences and conversations are fairly well done, the characters and their actions really stretch the bounds of artistic license.
I.e. hard science it's not, and The-Earth-Is-Doomed is the one and only message. Wish now I hadn't wasted the time.
While sentences and conversations are fairly well done, the characters and their actions really stretch the bounds of artistic license.
I.e. hard science it's not, and The-Earth-Is-Doomed is the one and only message. Wish now I hadn't wasted the time.
September 28, 2021
Unputdownable
I got stuck in this thing early on due to several parallels to my own life. Beyond that however, there's a tightness to the writing and an unbeatable plot structure. The twists and turns generate high excitement and sleeping took a sad second place to exploring the next pages.
Loved it and hope to hear more from this author.
I got stuck in this thing early on due to several parallels to my own life. Beyond that however, there's a tightness to the writing and an unbeatable plot structure. The twists and turns generate high excitement and sleeping took a sad second place to exploring the next pages.
Loved it and hope to hear more from this author.
July 8, 2020
Cried, laughed, screamed
When you can laugh ,cry get frustrated get so mad at the author you want to shut the book ,but you can't because you need to find out how the book ends. This is the book for you
When you can laugh ,cry get frustrated get so mad at the author you want to shut the book ,but you can't because you need to find out how the book ends. This is the book for you
September 19, 2020
Chewie story
Big, bold and engaging. The characters are well developed. The protagonist is powerful and the love and angst kept me reading. I'm happy it wasn't broken up into 3 or 4 shorter stories. I don't often review because of the word count. This book needed a response.
Big, bold and engaging. The characters are well developed. The protagonist is powerful and the love and angst kept me reading. I'm happy it wasn't broken up into 3 or 4 shorter stories. I don't often review because of the word count. This book needed a response.
October 9, 2020
Wow just wow! Don't let the cover fool you. This is an amazing book! I don't know how to write a review for something so intense and thought provoking.
All I can say is I loved it you should try it.
All I can say is I loved it you should try it.
December 22, 2020
Wonderful read
I seriously enjoyed reading this book. Would look forward to any sequel if the author writes one. It'll make you laugh, cry, and be amazed at the imaginings that brought this story to life.
I seriously enjoyed reading this book. Would look forward to any sequel if the author writes one. It'll make you laugh, cry, and be amazed at the imaginings that brought this story to life.
April 13, 2022
This books was very good. There were some flaws but they could be overlooked. I especially liked most of her characters. The main character (Alex Smith) was run ragged and I felt very sorry for her much of the time.
December 28, 2018
Great read. Highly enjoyable alternative near history.
January 5, 2020
Excellent story
I can't wait for a sequel, very cool story with interesting science, great characters, and a breakneck pace. Loved it!
I can't wait for a sequel, very cool story with interesting science, great characters, and a breakneck pace. Loved it!
April 30, 2020
Great start but.....
it slowly lost me at some point. so I give it a good book. worth it under Kindle Unlimited. would read sequel if any
it slowly lost me at some point. so I give it a good book. worth it under Kindle Unlimited. would read sequel if any
June 22, 2020
It’s a good read It was so good I read in to days
I like what the book was about
I wish we would know how to treat earth
Is all we have it treat it with respect
I like what the book was about
I wish we would know how to treat earth
Is all we have it treat it with respect
July 26, 2020
Best SF of Year
O M G
This is best book I have read this year.
Ending will floor you.
I am just sitting here in shock.
O M G
This is best book I have read this year.
Ending will floor you.
I am just sitting here in shock.
November 20, 2020
Great story
I have enjoyed this book of a strong woman that only wanted to make a better place for people to live.
I have enjoyed this book of a strong woman that only wanted to make a better place for people to live.
June 21, 2022
Intriguing, end of everything as we know it
Great story. Captivates Anna keeps your attention. What would I do if I had all that knowledge? Surely mankind can do better.
Great story. Captivates Anna keeps your attention. What would I do if I had all that knowledge? Surely mankind can do better.
April 13, 2023
Very good character development espiacially in the beginning. Later the MC gets a bit OP. Overall i enjoyed the story and really would love to read more from this author.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews