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Mauna Kea Rising
Lost in the multiverse, Hellen Callahan is an unemployed, single mother trying to steer her son into adulthood. Then the lights go out.
It’s the summer of 2025, in a parallel universe where the British Hawaiian Islands sit between rival superpowers, Britain and Japan. Hellen only wants to take her son on a sailing voyage to Hawaii in hopes of recapturing the bond they once shared. Isolated on the high seas, the crew of four is oblivious of a catastrophic solar flare. Throughout the Pacific, power grids fail. Cities plunge into darkness.
Seamlessly merging mind-bending questions with page-burning action, Mauna Kea Rising is the first book in a new science fiction series. Science, Buddhism and romance converge in this intense adventure in the multiverse.
It’s the summer of 2025, in a parallel universe where the British Hawaiian Islands sit between rival superpowers, Britain and Japan. Hellen only wants to take her son on a sailing voyage to Hawaii in hopes of recapturing the bond they once shared. Isolated on the high seas, the crew of four is oblivious of a catastrophic solar flare. Throughout the Pacific, power grids fail. Cities plunge into darkness.
Seamlessly merging mind-bending questions with page-burning action, Mauna Kea Rising is the first book in a new science fiction series. Science, Buddhism and romance converge in this intense adventure in the multiverse.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 14, 2019
35 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
M.W. Kelly
3 books3 followersKelly became hooked on science after Neil Armstrong took an epic stroll one Saturday evening in July 1969. He later served as a submarine officer based in Scotland and New England. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Bryant University, and Swinburne University. After leaving the Navy, he spent two decades teaching college physics and astronomy.
A member of RMFW and the Hawaiʻi Writers Guild, Kelly loves reading and writing mind-expanding science fiction. He launched the Lost in the Multiverse series in 2019, which include the novels Mauna Kea Rising and Elle: The Naked Singularity. His articles and short stories have appeared in Pilot Mag, the Torrid Literature Review, and Latitudes. His short story Farragut’s Gambit appeared in the anthology 20,000 Leagues Remembered.
In 2019, he was named runner-up for the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Award. He lives in Colorado and blogs about science and writing at mwkelly.com. Since 2021 he has served as the fiction editor for Latitudes, a literary journal published by the Hawaii Writers Guild.He can also be found on twitter @mwkelly2001.
A member of RMFW and the Hawaiʻi Writers Guild, Kelly loves reading and writing mind-expanding science fiction. He launched the Lost in the Multiverse series in 2019, which include the novels Mauna Kea Rising and Elle: The Naked Singularity. His articles and short stories have appeared in Pilot Mag, the Torrid Literature Review, and Latitudes. His short story Farragut’s Gambit appeared in the anthology 20,000 Leagues Remembered.
In 2019, he was named runner-up for the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Award. He lives in Colorado and blogs about science and writing at mwkelly.com. Since 2021 he has served as the fiction editor for Latitudes, a literary journal published by the Hawaii Writers Guild.He can also be found on twitter @mwkelly2001.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 14, 2020
An excellent post apocalyptic world set in the Hawaii Islands. The new world with no technolgy and how the people live in the world and try to survive has been brought out very well. The protagonist and the enemies who do not fit in the world - they are also very well brought out.
January 17, 2019
Kelly’s Mauna Kea Rising is not the hard science fiction novel of the distant future where the entire human race is threatened with extinction and forced to survive in some dystopian society. Instead, I found that I connected with relatable characters who cope with a plausible global catastrophe that could probably happen any time soon. We don’t have to wait for the novel’s setting of 2025. It’s a pretty real situation the author built here and maybe not some wildly imaginative speculation of the future. So maybe it’s only barely “science fiction”?
An essential element that kept me involved in the story was the growth of the characters. Hellen, a sometimes fiery Irish engineer with some unsuccessful relationships in her past, struggles to build strong connections to her son, an old flame, and her family in Hawaii. I felt like this is more of a story of a strong, dedicated woman striving to keep everything together than a group of people caught in a chaotic new world. Kelly has interwoven these two stories so nicely that I’m still debating the idea that the disaster is only the setting for Hellen’s challenges.
The story has a broad balance of many interests (astronomy, solar and wind energy, sailing, weather), some of which are explained with just the right technical touch without getting bogged down. Perhaps what unites the novel the most is the idea of Ohana, the Hawaiian concept of family. Kelly builds this theme throughout the story along with lots of knowledgeable description of Hawaiian history, culture, geography, and nature.
Yet my hunger for a good scifi novel was easily satisfied with Mauna Kea Rising. I had to stop more than once to imagine a world controlled by Great Britain and Japan. It reminded me of the sociopolitical setting of Phillip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle. And there were several suggestions that the concept of time is being twisted. Is that the connection to the “multiverse”? I suppose that’s the intrigue of reading a series. If science fiction is an author’s attempt to speculate about man’s actions in the future, then I share in Kelly’s optimism of how we can co-exist and survive.
An essential element that kept me involved in the story was the growth of the characters. Hellen, a sometimes fiery Irish engineer with some unsuccessful relationships in her past, struggles to build strong connections to her son, an old flame, and her family in Hawaii. I felt like this is more of a story of a strong, dedicated woman striving to keep everything together than a group of people caught in a chaotic new world. Kelly has interwoven these two stories so nicely that I’m still debating the idea that the disaster is only the setting for Hellen’s challenges.
The story has a broad balance of many interests (astronomy, solar and wind energy, sailing, weather), some of which are explained with just the right technical touch without getting bogged down. Perhaps what unites the novel the most is the idea of Ohana, the Hawaiian concept of family. Kelly builds this theme throughout the story along with lots of knowledgeable description of Hawaiian history, culture, geography, and nature.
Yet my hunger for a good scifi novel was easily satisfied with Mauna Kea Rising. I had to stop more than once to imagine a world controlled by Great Britain and Japan. It reminded me of the sociopolitical setting of Phillip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle. And there were several suggestions that the concept of time is being twisted. Is that the connection to the “multiverse”? I suppose that’s the intrigue of reading a series. If science fiction is an author’s attempt to speculate about man’s actions in the future, then I share in Kelly’s optimism of how we can co-exist and survive.
September 4, 2019
Though this is (I believe) the author’s debut novel, it is very well written. Mr. Kelly does a marvelous job getting into the minds of his characters and portraying appropriate thoughts and actions based on their personalities and motivations. Whether the situations are commonplace (the story starts on a sailboat cruising from California to Hawai’i) or highly unusual (the collapse of civilized society), the characters react and behave in believable ways.
The novel is mainly about the collapse of civilization and its effect on a small portion of the Hawai’ian islands. It’s rough on these characters, with no internet and sporadic power. They must learn to work together and cooperate, while learning new skills and finding out where they can fit in best. Not all the characters play nicely in this new reality, though, and the bad ones present another struggle for the protagonist and her friends and family.
The protagonist, Hellen, is a fascinating main character. She’s good looking, and an expert in electrical distribution systems—a useful skill for an island population trying to get its power grid back. However, she’s made questionable decisions in her past, decisions involving her children, choices that keep coming back to haunt her.
The author writes with great authority about his settings, and about the technologies in the book; at least it seems so in this layman’s view. However, the technological details never slow down the pace. The style of writing makes the book an easy read, but the author peppers the prose with clever turns of phrase and well-chosen metaphors and similes.
The author doesn’t delve too deeply into the Multiverse hinted at in the book’s title, but I expect more to be revealed in later books, this being the first of a series. I recommend this novel and look forward to more from this author.
The novel is mainly about the collapse of civilization and its effect on a small portion of the Hawai’ian islands. It’s rough on these characters, with no internet and sporadic power. They must learn to work together and cooperate, while learning new skills and finding out where they can fit in best. Not all the characters play nicely in this new reality, though, and the bad ones present another struggle for the protagonist and her friends and family.
The protagonist, Hellen, is a fascinating main character. She’s good looking, and an expert in electrical distribution systems—a useful skill for an island population trying to get its power grid back. However, she’s made questionable decisions in her past, decisions involving her children, choices that keep coming back to haunt her.
The author writes with great authority about his settings, and about the technologies in the book; at least it seems so in this layman’s view. However, the technological details never slow down the pace. The style of writing makes the book an easy read, but the author peppers the prose with clever turns of phrase and well-chosen metaphors and similes.
The author doesn’t delve too deeply into the Multiverse hinted at in the book’s title, but I expect more to be revealed in later books, this being the first of a series. I recommend this novel and look forward to more from this author.
August 23, 2019
With our current dependency and addiction to technology (a theme the book touches on), a solar storm that can eliminate power grids across islands, countries, or continents is a shared, deep fear, especially with the near miss of a massive one in 2012. Mauna Kea Rising explores this through Hellen, a single mother, who is sailing with her family to Hawaii but arrives to chaos and disorder. Modern society has failed. However, Hellen is determined not to.
We see her struggle with personal demons, past regrets, and future hopes for a new family within a fragile community bordered by looters, gangs, and general desperation. She must use her expertise as an engineer and sensibilities as a mother to create a sustainable future and mend a broken family in a post-apocalyptic setting.
Infusing a blend of Romance and Hard Science Fiction for compelling depth, the story is engaging, fascinating, and insightful, always making me want read more. The poetic moments accentuate the wilder aspects of Hawaii’s raw beauty, leaving the reader with the feeling of being on the island itself. That same detail and care is given to the main characters, most notably Hellen. It’s easy to care about them as they piece together their lives within a treacherous paradise.
This story is a worthwhile read that I highly recommend. I look forward to reading the rest of the Lost in the Multiverse series.
We see her struggle with personal demons, past regrets, and future hopes for a new family within a fragile community bordered by looters, gangs, and general desperation. She must use her expertise as an engineer and sensibilities as a mother to create a sustainable future and mend a broken family in a post-apocalyptic setting.
Infusing a blend of Romance and Hard Science Fiction for compelling depth, the story is engaging, fascinating, and insightful, always making me want read more. The poetic moments accentuate the wilder aspects of Hawaii’s raw beauty, leaving the reader with the feeling of being on the island itself. That same detail and care is given to the main characters, most notably Hellen. It’s easy to care about them as they piece together their lives within a treacherous paradise.
This story is a worthwhile read that I highly recommend. I look forward to reading the rest of the Lost in the Multiverse series.
November 1, 2019
Hellen, the single mother of a growing son, lost her job at the National Clean Energy Lab. Persuaded by her adoptive mother Elle, living in Hawaii, she ventures into a boat trip with her son Charlie, her brother Donovan, a retired doctor, and her old college boyfriend Brett, a retired Navy Officer. The trip to Hawaii is not uneventful, with a solar flare isolating them from the rest of the world being the only one I can mention to avoid spoilers. And when they finally arrive at their destination they find a chaotic situation. The aftermath of the solar flare on the Hawaiian archipelago forces them to change their plans, and that is when the author reveals the reader the real story.
Mauna Kea Rising by M. W. Kelly is one of those books you just can’t put down but must read page after page. And from each one of them you can tell the length of researches necessary to write with such impressive details about military operations, sailing, Hawaii and its culture, and a great deal of science. The story is compelling and the complex, deep characters make it an enjoyable read for most readers. But what I appreciated the most was to read about a lead female character with strength and weaknesses. She’s a clever scientist and a good hunter (meaning that she knows how to handle a rifle), but she lost her job, her relation with her son is a mess and she has a secret.
Reviewed for Readers' Favorite
Mauna Kea Rising by M. W. Kelly is one of those books you just can’t put down but must read page after page. And from each one of them you can tell the length of researches necessary to write with such impressive details about military operations, sailing, Hawaii and its culture, and a great deal of science. The story is compelling and the complex, deep characters make it an enjoyable read for most readers. But what I appreciated the most was to read about a lead female character with strength and weaknesses. She’s a clever scientist and a good hunter (meaning that she knows how to handle a rifle), but she lost her job, her relation with her son is a mess and she has a secret.
Reviewed for Readers' Favorite
April 28, 2019
Mauna Kea Rising takes you on a journey!
In Mauna Kea Rising, Hellen, a single mom who’s recently lost her job, goes on a journey to Hawaii with her teenage son in the hope that she will be able to reconnect with him, only to find out that Brett, whom she was once in love with, is the one owning the boat and is going to be with them until they arrive in Hawaii. But then a solar storm destroys all the electricity networks in Hawaii, and their peaceful journey takes a new turn.
All the characters are interesting, but I loved Hellen because she was strong and was haunted by a secret she’d kept to herself for years.
I was also hooked by the concept of this book: what if a solar storm destroyed the electricity networks, plunging our society into chaos? Moreover, all the hints about the multiverse were quite fascinating, and I’m looking forward to learning more about it in subsequent books.
However, since I read a lot of YA, I’m used to books with a faster pacing, but I understand it’s not this kind of story.
The technical details, especially about navigation, piloting aircraft and wind/solar power, were also fascinating, and thanks to the vivid descriptions and the tidbits of information about Hawaii and its culture, I had the feeling that I was on this journey with them. I highly recommend this book.
In Mauna Kea Rising, Hellen, a single mom who’s recently lost her job, goes on a journey to Hawaii with her teenage son in the hope that she will be able to reconnect with him, only to find out that Brett, whom she was once in love with, is the one owning the boat and is going to be with them until they arrive in Hawaii. But then a solar storm destroys all the electricity networks in Hawaii, and their peaceful journey takes a new turn.
All the characters are interesting, but I loved Hellen because she was strong and was haunted by a secret she’d kept to herself for years.
I was also hooked by the concept of this book: what if a solar storm destroyed the electricity networks, plunging our society into chaos? Moreover, all the hints about the multiverse were quite fascinating, and I’m looking forward to learning more about it in subsequent books.
However, since I read a lot of YA, I’m used to books with a faster pacing, but I understand it’s not this kind of story.
The technical details, especially about navigation, piloting aircraft and wind/solar power, were also fascinating, and thanks to the vivid descriptions and the tidbits of information about Hawaii and its culture, I had the feeling that I was on this journey with them. I highly recommend this book.
January 17, 2019
In Mauna Kea Rising, Kelly weaves together multiple genres to create a story accessible to anyone. Containing adventure on the open seas, action on the islands of Hawai’i, romance between college sweethearts, history of the Polynesian culture, and glimpses into parallel universes, the story centers around the complex idea of how humanity survives in a crisis. The protagonist, Hellen, finds herself aboard the Ohana, sailing from California to Hawai’i with her son, brother, and college sweetheart. Upon arriving to Hawai’i, they discover that a solar storm has caused a widespread power outage, so destructive that it could take years to recover. The voyagers find themselves in Hilo, where Hellen’s family is located. Presenting delicate family relationships and long-held secrets, Kelly adds another complicated and realistic layer to his book. Hellen and the other characters are forced to confront who they are at the core, while dealing with regrets, past mistakes, and the bigger issue of creating a self-sufficient community. Mauna Kea Rising is an engaging book for all readers!
February 5, 2019
Intriguing story that captures your imagination!
Mauna Kea Rising is packed full of revelations – nothing is as it seems. The author takes the reader down one path only to surprise you with a new direction. The main character, Hellen, goes on a sailing journey to reunite her relationship with her son, but along the way finds herself rekindling one with a long lost love. An adventure at sea becomes a disaster on land once power is lost due to a solar storm. Hellen must rely on her engineering skills to help family and the island of Hawaii to regain some sort of normalcy. As the story unfolds you see that Hellen isn’t perfect, and in fact has many issues, but by the end of the novel has shown considerable growth. Mr. Kelly’s descriptions of sailing at sea or the beauty of Hawaii makes you feel like you are right there. The novel is a mix of physics, astronomy, family ups and downs, love, and science fiction. I’m looking forward to his next novel!
Mauna Kea Rising is packed full of revelations – nothing is as it seems. The author takes the reader down one path only to surprise you with a new direction. The main character, Hellen, goes on a sailing journey to reunite her relationship with her son, but along the way finds herself rekindling one with a long lost love. An adventure at sea becomes a disaster on land once power is lost due to a solar storm. Hellen must rely on her engineering skills to help family and the island of Hawaii to regain some sort of normalcy. As the story unfolds you see that Hellen isn’t perfect, and in fact has many issues, but by the end of the novel has shown considerable growth. Mr. Kelly’s descriptions of sailing at sea or the beauty of Hawaii makes you feel like you are right there. The novel is a mix of physics, astronomy, family ups and downs, love, and science fiction. I’m looking forward to his next novel!
December 19, 2020
A very good story with an interesting setting!
I really enjoyed reading this book, which was an adult form of an apocalypse novel, but set in an alternate reality. Once I had worked out what was going on, it was easy to (mostly) ignore the alternate history and get on with enjoying the story. And a good story it was too! The author is clearly on top of his subject regarding boats, navigation, and the accompanying science. But it never was too much, and there was plenty of action. It was interesting to see how Hawaii could be so different, and the break down of law and order having different effects in nearby places was interesting. I now want to read the next book!
I really enjoyed reading this book, which was an adult form of an apocalypse novel, but set in an alternate reality. Once I had worked out what was going on, it was easy to (mostly) ignore the alternate history and get on with enjoying the story. And a good story it was too! The author is clearly on top of his subject regarding boats, navigation, and the accompanying science. But it never was too much, and there was plenty of action. It was interesting to see how Hawaii could be so different, and the break down of law and order having different effects in nearby places was interesting. I now want to read the next book!
February 22, 2019
Mauna Kea Rising is a thoughtful, intelligent tale of loss and resilience. The characters are well developed and relatable. The writing style kept me intritgued and made the book hard to put down. I look forward to the next book in the series. An extremely well done first novel!
April 17, 2019
This is a great read! The focus on metaphysics is fascinating. I really enjoyed Kelly's wit and voice. Description and pace were excellent as well. Highly recommended!
September 28, 2019
Very entertaining. I enjoyed the drama and intrigue. Looking forward to the next one!
October 5, 2020
It is the year 2025 in a parallel universe. Helen is sailing from California to the British Hawaiian Islands with her brother, her son, and her lost love when there is a massive solar flare, knocking out the power grid. Upon arrival in Hawaii, they find the islands in chaos, but find safety and purpose on the Big Island with Hellen's hanai mother Elle.
This book was interesting, not a struggle to read, although there were quite a bit of typos throughout the book. I know it's not that big of a deal, but they distracted me. Also, I wish there had been a map of the Pacific so I could see what countries had control of what, and also a map of the Big Island.
This book was interesting, not a struggle to read, although there were quite a bit of typos throughout the book. I know it's not that big of a deal, but they distracted me. Also, I wish there had been a map of the Pacific so I could see what countries had control of what, and also a map of the Big Island.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews