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Move Forward One : Origins
How do two young women become the most important humans in history? Bess is training to be the first human on Mars, fighting other hopefuls, the establishment, and her father who thinks she should be home starting a family. Iylsa wants to get away from an abusive past, and Mars is about as far away as you can get. The team is struggling to put a person on Mars when a signal from space changes everything. Mars is no longer the target, they need to go much, much further. The military, the politicians, and others fight over who should go, and what their goals should be. Bess and Iylsa become embroiled in a fight between powers that are used to making their own rules. Deep under Russian ice, Observers from light years away are watching and analyzing. Their experiment is coming to an end, and they are not happy with the outcome. Can two young women get the chance to fly, and if they do, will they ever return? Who are the Observers and how will their decisions affect humanity? Move Forwards 1: Origins is a novella-length introduction to the Move Forwards series. The story continues in Move Forward 2, which is also now available. Move Forward 3 is currently in development.
166 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 27, 2019
6 people are currently reading
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 1, 2019
Move Forward One: Origins follows two heroines, Bess and Iylsa, whose stories unite in the second half of the book. Though I haven’t read the other books in the series yet, I understand that this is an introduction to their characters as well as the main theme.
The backgrounds, weaknesses and strengths of the two heroines are coloured well before their challenging mission. Being the first human on Mars is an exciting thought and a great topic for a novel, especially if there’s an alien twist to it. This story sets up what is to follow and it seems like quite a crucial read to me if one is to embark further on the journey that these series promise. It’s good to know where the heroines come from and to see into the basis of their characters in order to better understand their further development. However, this book is not just a character description, it’s actually full of many interesting elements.
I felt like in its core, it's about humans lost in the big power games that happen behind the scenes. The two strong heroines that the author presents pose a great opposition to that, which gives us readers a great premise of what's yet to come. I think it’s a good first step towards this fantasy world where humanity faces its dark and light side as well as the mysterious alien beings who have their own agenda. I believe these book series will find many enthusiastic readers. The characters of Bess and Iylsa are well-established and relatable and the main conflict and theme nicely drawn. I felt like the main action is yet to come so I settled into enjoying the read about the nest that the heroines will eventually depart from.
The backgrounds, weaknesses and strengths of the two heroines are coloured well before their challenging mission. Being the first human on Mars is an exciting thought and a great topic for a novel, especially if there’s an alien twist to it. This story sets up what is to follow and it seems like quite a crucial read to me if one is to embark further on the journey that these series promise. It’s good to know where the heroines come from and to see into the basis of their characters in order to better understand their further development. However, this book is not just a character description, it’s actually full of many interesting elements.
I felt like in its core, it's about humans lost in the big power games that happen behind the scenes. The two strong heroines that the author presents pose a great opposition to that, which gives us readers a great premise of what's yet to come. I think it’s a good first step towards this fantasy world where humanity faces its dark and light side as well as the mysterious alien beings who have their own agenda. I believe these book series will find many enthusiastic readers. The characters of Bess and Iylsa are well-established and relatable and the main conflict and theme nicely drawn. I felt like the main action is yet to come so I settled into enjoying the read about the nest that the heroines will eventually depart from.
April 21, 2019
As two women struggle to overcome their pasts to be the first humans to make contact with an alien race, politics may derail their efforts along with an observer from another galaxy. This novella is the first book in an ongoing series.
I read Mr. Polky's first book, Making History, which I thoroughly enjoyed in spite of the editing issues. This book has cleared all that up and is a terrific step forward in his writing career. The characters are vivid and real and the story well told. Broken up into discrete parts telling the story from Bess, Iylsa, Marcus, and the Observers points' of view, it gives us insight into their pasts and motivations.
So why the four stars? Maybe it's just me, but using the trope of rape and abuse to push a story and character forward has been overused. Yes, I know sexual assault in the military is real and I believe the author was showing real-world obstacles the women had to overcome, but it was an underlying theme which I see a lot of. However, the author handled it extremely well and he should be proud of that.
I did enjoy this story immensely and intend on getting the next book in the series.
I read Mr. Polky's first book, Making History, which I thoroughly enjoyed in spite of the editing issues. This book has cleared all that up and is a terrific step forward in his writing career. The characters are vivid and real and the story well told. Broken up into discrete parts telling the story from Bess, Iylsa, Marcus, and the Observers points' of view, it gives us insight into their pasts and motivations.
So why the four stars? Maybe it's just me, but using the trope of rape and abuse to push a story and character forward has been overused. Yes, I know sexual assault in the military is real and I believe the author was showing real-world obstacles the women had to overcome, but it was an underlying theme which I see a lot of. However, the author handled it extremely well and he should be proud of that.
I did enjoy this story immensely and intend on getting the next book in the series.
March 31, 2019
An intriguing introduction to what promises to be an interesting series.
The book follows the training and selection of the crew of a planned mission to Mars. The individuals have to prove their ability to work as a team while at the same time are in fierce competition for a place on the ship. Power and politics influence the selection. The situation changes dramatically when a message is received from space and the destination is changed. Last minute changes of the crew and the realisation of the sacrifices being expected of them add to the excitement.
Meanwhile, mysterious watchers are analysing experiment Earth convinced it will self-destruct.
Polky walks the thin line between providing enough details to satisfy sci-fi fans without alienating the general reader.
Recommend for sci-fi fans and those who love a good adventure.
The book follows the training and selection of the crew of a planned mission to Mars. The individuals have to prove their ability to work as a team while at the same time are in fierce competition for a place on the ship. Power and politics influence the selection. The situation changes dramatically when a message is received from space and the destination is changed. Last minute changes of the crew and the realisation of the sacrifices being expected of them add to the excitement.
Meanwhile, mysterious watchers are analysing experiment Earth convinced it will self-destruct.
Polky walks the thin line between providing enough details to satisfy sci-fi fans without alienating the general reader.
Recommend for sci-fi fans and those who love a good adventure.
April 3, 2019
This is a great book introducing the Move Forward series. First contact is on the verge of happening, although the science community is unaware of it right away while it focuses on a mission to Mars. The story follows the lives of two women: Bess and Iylsa. Both have had very different lives, but are brought together by the end of the book. You feel their emotions, their pain, their doubts, their struggles.
You also see the story through the eyes of aliens keeping track of their "project." This part gives the story a foreboding feel. Will humans win out, or will the predictions of the aliens come to pass?
There are plenty of "wow" moments where you realize just how deceitful humans can be in order to achieve their goals.
If you're looking for a new sci-fi series, I recommend this one.
You also see the story through the eyes of aliens keeping track of their "project." This part gives the story a foreboding feel. Will humans win out, or will the predictions of the aliens come to pass?
There are plenty of "wow" moments where you realize just how deceitful humans can be in order to achieve their goals.
If you're looking for a new sci-fi series, I recommend this one.
April 28, 2019
The opening sentence from the synopsis intrigued me, to paraphrase: how do two women become the most important humans in history? Who wouldn’t be interested in finding an answer to that question. That’s why I purchased the book, not knowing what to expect. The endgame: Mars. The two women have designs to go there. Their pasts differ and that adds to the story’s tension for one is in training against a family members wishes for otherwise and the other escaping. Both face conflicts and it is these conflicts that create storyline tension and made me want to answer more questions than the initial one that got me involved in this book. No spoilers here but suffice it to say it’s a little story (page size of novella) with a big message. A really good read.
May 10, 2019
If you love space, you’ll love this book.
Move Forward One is a smartly written novella with a wonderfully diverse cast. Filled with quirky and entertaining dialog, unique interactions fill every chapter. Harsh and yet inclusive of all life’s experiences across the board, both good and bad, this is no one note story, it’s a symphony.
Culminating toward one unifying expedition, we follow each member of the soon to be teams journey through life and what brought them there. Showcasing the hardships and sacrifices made for the greater good, you are sure to find this first of three books super engaging.
Move Forward One is a smartly written novella with a wonderfully diverse cast. Filled with quirky and entertaining dialog, unique interactions fill every chapter. Harsh and yet inclusive of all life’s experiences across the board, both good and bad, this is no one note story, it’s a symphony.
Culminating toward one unifying expedition, we follow each member of the soon to be teams journey through life and what brought them there. Showcasing the hardships and sacrifices made for the greater good, you are sure to find this first of three books super engaging.
June 2, 2019
Knitty Gritty Sci Fi
A novel with a diverse bunch of characters involved in a voyage to Mars and beyond, and strange extraterrestrial signals, and which crams in as much as possible into the evolving scenarios. Plus, an even stranger pair of observers entrenched in the Russian Arctic National Park: strange aliens who have apparently seeded Earth in the past and are somewhat confused about its future. Initially, several swiftly changing POVs tend to disrupt the flow somewhat, but the theme gradually emerges with the stoic Bess, who eventually ends up on a “suicide mission”, knitting it together nicely. Recommended.
A novel with a diverse bunch of characters involved in a voyage to Mars and beyond, and strange extraterrestrial signals, and which crams in as much as possible into the evolving scenarios. Plus, an even stranger pair of observers entrenched in the Russian Arctic National Park: strange aliens who have apparently seeded Earth in the past and are somewhat confused about its future. Initially, several swiftly changing POVs tend to disrupt the flow somewhat, but the theme gradually emerges with the stoic Bess, who eventually ends up on a “suicide mission”, knitting it together nicely. Recommended.
June 11, 2019
I don't read a lot of Science Fiction and while the aliens and mars project were interesting, it was the characters and what they went through in their lives that earned 5 stars. Oh my gosh I felt so much for them. I will be reading more in the series!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews