Asteria: The last hope for humankind

by David Collins

The lunar colony, Asteria, offers hope to the desperate citizens of Earth. Overpopulation, war, famine and global warming have taken humankind to the brink of catastrophe. But as the lunar colony nears completion, Carla, a young technician, is faced with the hidden truth of Asteria... and the conspiracy runs deep.

102 pages, Paperback

Published September 18, 2019

About the author

David Collins is the author of the bestselling science-fiction book Asteria, book cover designer, husband, and father of five. David was born and raised in the great Red Rose county of Lancashire in the North West of England where he and his family still reside.

Science-Fiction, Fantasy, horror and crime thrillers are what makes David tick and he reads and writes in all these genres with the aim of publishing in each.

After a slither of inspiration in his childhood, where he would use his mother's typewriter to craft one page stories, David's writing ambition finally resurfaced in 2015 after years of studying and working across IT, business and engineering. David's second book, Dragon Planet, came from his desire to inspire his children to read more and to think creatively. Dragon Planet is a Sci-Fi Fantasy YA Hybrid and is set for release in the summer of 2020. It is one of many books sat in draft, clawing to be released. Others include: "Agents of Time" a science-fiction novel, "Hacked” a SciFi Thriller novel, along with a never-ending list of stories that are in various stages of development and across multiple genres.

A love of books, the writing process and community as well as a passion for design led David into Book Cover Design where, when not working on his own stories, helps other authors by crafting a snap-shot of their story to display to the world.

When David's not reading, writing or watching his favourite genres, or creating book covers - he can be found on the local basketball court or play park with his children, hiking through the countryside and riding dragons.

Check out David's book cover design gallery here : DCCoverCreations.com

Reviews

[Fergal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this story by David Collins. No spoilers. Fresh writing style and ripping yarn! Recommended.

[Ken Stark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Asteria, by David Collins, is a story of mankind on the brink. Set in the not-too-distant future, it shows us an Earth where the population has exploded, resources have dwindled, epidemics continue to rage, and few remember a time when the world was not at war. There is one last hope in the form of a domed lunar city called 'Asteria', but one brave young pilot discovers that the only ones who will ever call Asteria home are the world's elite, including the man responsible for much of the Earth's destruction, President Richard Sheely. Once our pilot, Carla, joins forces with a group of rebels (and one particularly adorable builder-bot) in a fight to reveal the truth, it quickly becomes apparent that the last hope for humankind might not be Asteria, but Carla herself.
I love a strong female lead, so kudos to David Collins for giving us Carla. The narrative swaps between third person and Carla's POV, so we get a good look at what makes this action hero tick, and it all rang true to me. So, too, did the rest of the cast. But the star of Asteria is the action, played out all the way from the barren lunar landscape to the ruined Earth and back again. The science itself is spot-on, and Collins tweaked our modern technology just enough to make it believable in that familiar-enough to-be-uncomfortable dystopian future. Interestingly, the story even comes with its own alternative ending. I wasn't sure I'd care much for an alternative ending, but here, it works. Not only do we get to see a different 'what if?' future for our heroes, but it serves as a reminder that our own future is yet to be written, and that a few determined hearts can make all the difference in the world.
Five stars for Asteria: The last hope for humankind, by David Collins.

[Veronica Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things are not all what they seem on the lunar colony of Asteria. Technician Carla and her colleagues strive to make the planned community designed to rescue the people of Earth a livable space for all. War, famine and natural resource destruction is quickly rendering the planet uninhabitable leaving billions to perish. When one of Carla’s AI enhanced bots goes missing, she unexpectedly learns the secret decisions and cover-ups by those at the highest levels that will have dire ramifications for Earth’s population. Their trust shattered, will her band of newly found renegades be strong enough to circumvent those in power and change the course of events?

Carla and her colleagues decide to take a stand against the powers that be, against impossible odds. The President and his cronies want her defeated using any means. As the final conflict nears, it’s a battle of technical wits that has life or death consequences for the people of Earth–will the passion of the few be enough to defeat those with more nefarious plans?

Author Collins keeps us guessing ’til the very end with this dystopian, apocalyptic tale. In a delightful twist, he’s also provided an alternative ending that will keep you reflecting on what the future might bring…

[Veronica Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is for the #audiobook edition Of Asteria:

Things are not all what they seem on the lunar colony of Asteria. Technician Carla and her colleagues strive to make the planned community designed to rescue the people of Earth a livable space for all. War, famine and natural resource destruction is quickly rendering the planet uninhabitable leaving billions to perish. When one of Carla’s AI enhanced bots goes missing, she unexpectedly learns the secret decisions and cover-ups by those at the highest levels that will have dire ramifications for Earth’s population. Their trust shattered, will her band of newly found renegades be strong enough to circumvent those in power and change the course of events?

Carla and her colleagues decide to take a stand against the powers that be, facing improbable odds. The President and his cronies want her defeated using any means. As the final conflict nears, it’s a battle of technical wits that has life or death consequences for the people of Earth–will the passion of the few be enough to defeat those with more nefarious plans?

Author Collins keeps us guessing ’til the very end with this dystopian, apocalyptic tale. Listening to this audiobook, I also very much enjoyed the narration of the story by Cassandra Arnold. She keeps your interest with her engaging style, capturing the characters' essence and emotions as they embark on this final, dangerous mission. Readers/audiobook listeners even get a delightful twist, Author Collins has also provided an alternative ending that will keep you reflecting on what the future might bring…Which will you choose?

[Esther Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast-paced sci-fi novella that kept me interested from start to finish. The story was really too short for me to fully connect with the characters, and it leaned more toward telling, especially at the end.

Interestingly enough, this book has two endings, and it was entertaining to compare both. Because it is so short, I think the first ending works best, but the second ending would have been really great tagged onto a epic novel-length version of "Asteria."

[Brian Kitchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this Sci-Fi novella set in a dystopian future when war, famine, overpopulation and global warming have brought humanity to the brink of catastrophe. The last hope for the people of Earth is to spread out into the stars and the first step along the way is the founding of a Lunar Colony, Asteria.
The story is told by Carla, a young technician who is horrified to discover the truth about the colony and the underlying conspiracy. I wont give the plot away, but it is a great read with an alternative ending.
I read this book on Kindle Unlimited and it is also on sale at a very reasonable price.

[Raymond Clause · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a great short book or story on a possible future of the end of the earth. I enjoyed the premise and the mystery of the NASA astronauts.

[Scott T.E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story with a neat world (or worlds) David has built. It was short so it went pretty quickly between points; I think it has the material for a longer story (which would help me connect better with the different characters too). I preferred the alternate ending. Great quick read

[David Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Walks slowly into the room and unfolds a hand-written speech.

Hi everyone!
I just wanted to say how much I loved writing this story...

... I have written and rewritten, read and reread it so many times that it feels like is now a part of me. And now my heart burns with a mixture of wild excitement and nerves as I send Asteria out into the world. I suppose publishing- especially a debut- is a nervous time for any writer... but that’s the journey we all subscribed to: do your best then cross your fingers!

I sincerely hope you enjoy reading Asteria as much as I enjoyed writing it (it cerainly can't be as frustrating😜).


Asteria is my debut and I look forward to publishing many more books... keep your eyes peeled!

[Kat Go · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I liked the concept, but felt like it was very rushed without many opportunities to take it's time setting everything up and exploring the ideas within. Additionally, it appeared to need another look over by an editor. There were several run on sentences, clunky word choice, and grammatical errors I spotted while reading.

This has a lot of potential with the interesting idea, but still needs some attention to reach that potential.

[Charmaine Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a magnificent read.
I couldn't put it down .
I have never consumed a book and fully understand it as much as Asteria.
The twists and turns this book takes kept me on the edge of my seat
Asteria you are great .
And so is the man behind it .

[LeAnn L Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in the year 2069, the earth is on the brink of complete annihilation. So, engineers and builder robots rush for create the lunar colony of Asteria. A dark secret is discovered and it threatens the existence of the human race.
Actually written in 2019, I couldn’t help but compare the author a bit to American author Ray Bradbury in how he foretells future existence in his imagination.
I listened on audiobook to this short novella and also enjoyed the narrator’s foreword. She nailed the description of the story and relayed it well in the telling.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in one sitting. It is a good fast-paced story overall, but I found it 'told' much of the story and I was unable to connect (or care) about the characters, which is a shame. The ideas and concepts and plot are very good and it has the potential to be a gritty SF thriller. It just felt rushed.

[Thais · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was unremarkable, unfortunately. It was a short and quick listen with lots of political stuff and some conspiracy. The main problem would be that it look like every other novel of the genre.

The narration is pretty good, I would listen to her again.

[Alisha Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted at http://bit.ly/3HmXpe2.












For years war, famine, and plagues have ripped across the world destroying it further. The only solace is the moon colony, Asteria. With the world president's plans to eventually bring everyone here there is some hope for a brighter tomorrow. However, Carla soon finds that there are more to Earth's woes than she knew before. Can she band with the rebels and save all that remains of humankind?
I bought this book at the suggestion of the author....forever ago. I don't even know when. They suggested it to me, I added it to my list of books to eventually buy, and at some point bought it. I was looking for a random book to read before I got all the review requests that I have now and asked my husband to list a genre and I'd read something from that. He suggested science fiction and here we are. The book got set to the side for a little while once I had so many review requests, but it had nothing to do with how great or bad this book was.

In fact, I found this book, however short it was, to be very engaging. It is a fast-paced sci-fi that follows an engineer as she and a group of rebels uncover the secrets of the devastation on Earth and try to save everyone they can. I honestly can't say more than that without giving everything away. That comes with shorter books, though. Still, something that is very unique is this book comes equipped with it's own alternate ending. Make sure you read both so you know which you prefer!

Action, adventure and, over-throwing the government all in one book set in a dystopian sci-fi scene.

[San King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set on a lunar colony with cover ups and intrigue. High recommend!!