What do you think?
Rate this book
Final Dawn #1
The Final Dawn
The sun is dying, and it’s taking the Earth down with it.
Jack Bishop needs a pair of tickets aboard one of the Arks – colossal lifeboats destined to shepherd humanity to the stars. Desperate to save his wife, he signs up for a dangerous wormhole experiment… but something goes catastrophically wrong, and Jack finds himself cast into the Stellar Abyss.
Rescued by a ship of sentient automata on the run from a criminal warlord, Jack discovers a thriving intergalactic community on humanity’s doorstep. They have the technology to save Earth. The problem is, nobody’s ever heard of the place… and the androids are more interested in finding a mythical sanctuary than taking Jack home.
Jack wanted to escape Earth. Now he has to find a way back there – before it’s too late.
The Final Dawn is the first book in the Final Dawn series. If you like page-turning space operas, then you’ll love this epic science fiction adventure.
Jack Bishop needs a pair of tickets aboard one of the Arks – colossal lifeboats destined to shepherd humanity to the stars. Desperate to save his wife, he signs up for a dangerous wormhole experiment… but something goes catastrophically wrong, and Jack finds himself cast into the Stellar Abyss.
Rescued by a ship of sentient automata on the run from a criminal warlord, Jack discovers a thriving intergalactic community on humanity’s doorstep. They have the technology to save Earth. The problem is, nobody’s ever heard of the place… and the androids are more interested in finding a mythical sanctuary than taking Jack home.
Jack wanted to escape Earth. Now he has to find a way back there – before it’s too late.
The Final Dawn is the first book in the Final Dawn series. If you like page-turning space operas, then you’ll love this epic science fiction adventure.
254 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 30, 2020
562 people are currently reading
650 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
August 9, 2021
"What sort of idiot thinks he can single-handedly commandeer the bridge of a battlecruiser?" Jack whispered to himself, clenching his jaw.
This... was... Fantastic! Every single page oozed brilliance. Brilliantly written, and gripping throughout.
The sun is dying and it's going to take Earth with it. Humans have built arcs to take a limited amount of people away, but they haven't figured out how yet.
Jack is an engineer working on the arcs, his life takes a drastic turn when he is asked to accompany the army because they need extra hands.
He overhears a conversation about wormhole travel and how they need more pilots to test on. Jack jumps at the chance. Unfortunately the test goes wrong and Jack is teleported millions of light years away.
He is saved by a race of sentient machines known as the automata. The events that follow this mean that Jack has to fight to survive on several new planets against many new species all the while gaining trust of the flesh hating automata and their enemy.
5* I will be buying the rest of the series right now.
This... was... Fantastic! Every single page oozed brilliance. Brilliantly written, and gripping throughout.
The sun is dying and it's going to take Earth with it. Humans have built arcs to take a limited amount of people away, but they haven't figured out how yet.
Jack is an engineer working on the arcs, his life takes a drastic turn when he is asked to accompany the army because they need extra hands.
He overhears a conversation about wormhole travel and how they need more pilots to test on. Jack jumps at the chance. Unfortunately the test goes wrong and Jack is teleported millions of light years away.
He is saved by a race of sentient machines known as the automata. The events that follow this mean that Jack has to fight to survive on several new planets against many new species all the while gaining trust of the flesh hating automata and their enemy.
5* I will be buying the rest of the series right now.
October 27, 2023
Not My Thing
I wanted to like a book about space as much as I enjoy films about space but it didn't happen for me with The Final Dawn.
The beginning when the experiment starts had me intrigued but as soon as the automata were introduced the story started to kind of lose me. I couldn't connect with any of the automata, the sarcastic/passive aggressive humour from them to Jack didn't really feel believable... the main city/port world felt like there were TOO many different species to imagine, as if the writer had a goal to reach and was trying to think of the most random thing that came to his mind for each of them...
I guess not much of the story was convincing or felt "real" to my imagination.
I ended up skipping bits of some chapters and then skipping right to the end. I guess one good thing is that I did want to find out what actually happened to Earth. Whether it ended up in the past/future or had evolved into a different planet by the time Jack got there. I didnt find the answer I was looking for but I won't be buying the rest of the series to find out.
I wanted to like a book about space as much as I enjoy films about space but it didn't happen for me with The Final Dawn.
The beginning when the experiment starts had me intrigued but as soon as the automata were introduced the story started to kind of lose me. I couldn't connect with any of the automata, the sarcastic/passive aggressive humour from them to Jack didn't really feel believable... the main city/port world felt like there were TOO many different species to imagine, as if the writer had a goal to reach and was trying to think of the most random thing that came to his mind for each of them...
I guess not much of the story was convincing or felt "real" to my imagination.
I ended up skipping bits of some chapters and then skipping right to the end. I guess one good thing is that I did want to find out what actually happened to Earth. Whether it ended up in the past/future or had evolved into a different planet by the time Jack got there. I didnt find the answer I was looking for but I won't be buying the rest of the series to find out.
February 3, 2022
This was my first sci-fi book and I loved it! I can't wait to find out whether Jack will ever get back to Amber.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2024
I've been aggressively searching for something that feeds my brain and takes me on a fun adventure with guardians of the galaxy vibes but genuinely creative.
Thank you Threads for showing me this author. I need to read all his books now. This was INSANELY good. GREAT for both seasoned sci-fi readers and those wanting to dip their toes into the genre.
You will laugh and also be white knuckling your ereader out of suspense.
The writing style is UGH CHEFF KISS.
Thank you Threads for showing me this author. I need to read all his books now. This was INSANELY good. GREAT for both seasoned sci-fi readers and those wanting to dip their toes into the genre.
You will laugh and also be white knuckling your ereader out of suspense.
The writing style is UGH CHEFF KISS.
January 1, 2021
It's okay.
It has a relatively generic plot which seems to be a mix between farscape, andromeada ascending and a DnD campaign. I did enjoy reading it to some extent but it was definitely lacking for me in terms of getting me to care about the characters. In addition the characters are so generic to each other that it would almost be impossible to describe how the automata differ from humans and how humans differ from any of the limited species you meet.
The story also lacks the science part of scifi and does little to describe how alien the technology is and just allows the protagonist to flounder at things until areas where he needs to be able to do things to further the plot.
Again it's not a terrible book, but I am not going to immediately read the next in the series as there are other books I am more excited to read. Take from that what you will.
It has a relatively generic plot which seems to be a mix between farscape, andromeada ascending and a DnD campaign. I did enjoy reading it to some extent but it was definitely lacking for me in terms of getting me to care about the characters. In addition the characters are so generic to each other that it would almost be impossible to describe how the automata differ from humans and how humans differ from any of the limited species you meet.
The story also lacks the science part of scifi and does little to describe how alien the technology is and just allows the protagonist to flounder at things until areas where he needs to be able to do things to further the plot.
Again it's not a terrible book, but I am not going to immediately read the next in the series as there are other books I am more excited to read. Take from that what you will.
March 14, 2024
This is a great start to a series by an author I'd never read before. It's very well written, and it was easy to get into the story right from the start.
The main character, Jack Bishop, is a human stranded far from Earth, on a spaceship run by robots. There is a period of adjustment both for Jack and the robots, as each have to learn how to deal with the others' customs and prejudices.
With plenty of action, great characters, and some humour too, the story kept me involved to the end. Now I want to read the rest of the series to see what happens! Highly recommend.
The main character, Jack Bishop, is a human stranded far from Earth, on a spaceship run by robots. There is a period of adjustment both for Jack and the robots, as each have to learn how to deal with the others' customs and prejudices.
With plenty of action, great characters, and some humour too, the story kept me involved to the end. Now I want to read the rest of the series to see what happens! Highly recommend.
May 1, 2021
Fun, but.....
The story started well - Jack is a good character and the automata interesting - but it soon became quite amateurish. Attacking a baddie's stronghold, patrol ships having sensors comprising only radar, flying in canyons "only twice as wide as the ship" and a huge space monster! This book is really just a sub Star Wars jape. Such a pity, as it had potential.
The story started well - Jack is a good character and the automata interesting - but it soon became quite amateurish. Attacking a baddie's stronghold, patrol ships having sensors comprising only radar, flying in canyons "only twice as wide as the ship" and a huge space monster! This book is really just a sub Star Wars jape. Such a pity, as it had potential.
July 12, 2020
Recap: Jack is an engineer working on the Arks that will save a small percentage of humanity when the sun dies. Then he volunteers for what he thinks is a simple piloting mission and ends up in space. With automata.
Review: Brilliant. Couldn't put it down. Great characters, great pacing, great storyline. A little bit of Firefly space-faring magic, a reluctant hero and endearing robots. It's a fab first book.
Review: Brilliant. Couldn't put it down. Great characters, great pacing, great storyline. A little bit of Firefly space-faring magic, a reluctant hero and endearing robots. It's a fab first book.
November 22, 2024
It started out a little slow for me but it did pick back up and I got hooked to it. There wasn't an over abundance of world building lore but just enough to keep the story interesting and move fluidly. Jack is the main character but the story gets insight through other characters perspectives without it being overwhelming or clustered. I'm curious to see where this story goes!
April 16, 2025
I did something on this book that I rarely do. I read the entire thing in less than 24 hours. Before I started reading this, I had no idea what space opera was, so I guess, judging by my enjoyment of this book, I'm a fan of it. Granted, it is a shorter book than most others I've read, but, for me, it was THAT good. The characters, even though most of them were robotic, still had their own voices and personalities that were easy to enjoy. The book is well-written and well-edited.
If I had to give one dislike about the book it was the scattered profanities. As with all books, this one wouldn't have suffered from a lack of filthy language. That said, this book contains MUCH less profanity than most other secular books I've read (ten or less, if I had to estimate), so I was comfortable to continue reading rather than abandoning it.
Even if I like a book that is part of a series, I tend to not enjoy series books as much because I get bored with the same characters and locations. While I will probably put a book or two between the books of this series, this is one I plan to keep reading over time.
If you enjoy space-themed books with no romance, you should enjoy this book. Highly recommend!
If I had to give one dislike about the book it was the scattered profanities. As with all books, this one wouldn't have suffered from a lack of filthy language. That said, this book contains MUCH less profanity than most other secular books I've read (ten or less, if I had to estimate), so I was comfortable to continue reading rather than abandoning it.
Even if I like a book that is part of a series, I tend to not enjoy series books as much because I get bored with the same characters and locations. While I will probably put a book or two between the books of this series, this is one I plan to keep reading over time.
If you enjoy space-themed books with no romance, you should enjoy this book. Highly recommend!
February 23, 2023
This is one of the most enjoyable, most readable and most engaging books I have read in a long time. You do have to get through the ‘Oh, no - Cute robots!’ moment at the beginning and the occasional scifi trope but, once you do, you’ll be taken on a rollercoaster ride through space with a man, and automata, that you quickly become really invested in. This is a seriously good, well written adventure story with cracking characters and an intriguing quest which is only just beginning when the book ends. I loved it. Roll in Book 2…
October 4, 2020
A Quirky but Enjoyable Read
The plot went quickly off at a tangent I didn’t see coming, into a refreshingly different direction.
There are quite a few gaps in the narrative about the robot cast, the societal structure (doesn’t appear to be any) and the back story to the bad guys (several of whom are quickly rendered extinct!) . However the book rattles along merrily, and I’ll probably read the sequel to see if any of these thin areas are padded out a bit.
The plot went quickly off at a tangent I didn’t see coming, into a refreshingly different direction.
There are quite a few gaps in the narrative about the robot cast, the societal structure (doesn’t appear to be any) and the back story to the bad guys (several of whom are quickly rendered extinct!) . However the book rattles along merrily, and I’ll probably read the sequel to see if any of these thin areas are padded out a bit.
August 3, 2024
Not my thing, the minute the automate turned up I knew I wasn’t going to be able to get into it. I love sci-fi books but I just couldn’t connect with this story to I’ve reluctantly abandoned it before the end 😔.
Read
June 6, 2025This was a fun, quick read. Lots of action to keep my attention. A lone guy taken from everything he knows, never knowing if he will even survive and finding more within himself than he thought was left to be had.
July 20, 2023
Not a good book to read. The premise was engaging - interesting, even - but this is just not a good reading experience. One star is generous
October 13, 2021
The Final Dawn Book One
This book rather took me by surprise, but in a good way. Clearly I had not read the blurb properly, or even at all, as the story unfolded in a completely different direction to how I imagined.
As I said, in a good way. This is an exciting space adventure with an unassuming hero, thrust suddenly way out of his comfort zone, and striving to find his way home.
His adventures with a host of new friends, and lots of well described aliens on a variety of unusual planets is good rollicking fun, with the deeper message of doing what is right for his new allies, despite the differences between them.
All in all a jolly good read, with some interesting characters, providing danger at every turn. It smacked a little of a Matthew Reilly in style, which is not a bad thing, and one character brought images of a Han Solo type, but unfortunately, he did not live too long. Could have been an interesting opponent for Jack Bishop, whose continuing adventures, I will be purchasing soon. Well worth 4 stars.
This book rather took me by surprise, but in a good way. Clearly I had not read the blurb properly, or even at all, as the story unfolded in a completely different direction to how I imagined.
As I said, in a good way. This is an exciting space adventure with an unassuming hero, thrust suddenly way out of his comfort zone, and striving to find his way home.
His adventures with a host of new friends, and lots of well described aliens on a variety of unusual planets is good rollicking fun, with the deeper message of doing what is right for his new allies, despite the differences between them.
All in all a jolly good read, with some interesting characters, providing danger at every turn. It smacked a little of a Matthew Reilly in style, which is not a bad thing, and one character brought images of a Han Solo type, but unfortunately, he did not live too long. Could have been an interesting opponent for Jack Bishop, whose continuing adventures, I will be purchasing soon. Well worth 4 stars.
April 12, 2025
4 Estrelas
Foi uma história bem legal do gênero space-opera.
Jack é um protagonista bastante gostável. Ele é interessante e as motivações dele fazem sentido ainda que eu não tenha me importado muito com Amber.
O universo é interessante, ainda que não tenha visto muito dele salvo algumas poucas localidades.
Sobre os aliens eu queria que eles sentisse um pouco mais diferentes. A grande maioria parecia ser só diferente na aparência. Mas a forma que se comunicavam parecia humana demais. É possível que seja o chip tradutor de Jack, que traduziu da forma que ele melhor entenderia. Mas ainda assim, eles pareciam culturalmente semelhantes. Eu também queria que os Automata fossem um pouco menos emotivos e mais roboticos, daria uma explicação melhor porque a maioria dos "fleshies" (orgânicos) não os veem como seres vivos. Entretanto eles se comportam muito como os orgânicos. Entendem sentimentos complexos e os demonstram também. O que me faz pensar porque outros orgânicos não se padecem pela causa deles.
Foi uma história bem legal do gênero space-opera.
Jack é um protagonista bastante gostável. Ele é interessante e as motivações dele fazem sentido ainda que eu não tenha me importado muito com Amber.
O universo é interessante, ainda que não tenha visto muito dele salvo algumas poucas localidades.
Sobre os aliens eu queria que eles sentisse um pouco mais diferentes. A grande maioria parecia ser só diferente na aparência. Mas a forma que se comunicavam parecia humana demais. É possível que seja o chip tradutor de Jack, que traduziu da forma que ele melhor entenderia. Mas ainda assim, eles pareciam culturalmente semelhantes. Eu também queria que os Automata fossem um pouco menos emotivos e mais roboticos, daria uma explicação melhor porque a maioria dos "fleshies" (orgânicos) não os veem como seres vivos. Entretanto eles se comportam muito como os orgânicos. Entendem sentimentos complexos e os demonstram também. O que me faz pensar porque outros orgânicos não se padecem pela causa deles.
June 22, 2020
Star Wars meets Red Dwarf!
I thoroughly enjoyed book 1 of Final Dawn Series. It was fast-paced with plenty of action, some wonderful characters (the automata were every bit as good as R2D2 & C3P0) and tongue in cheek humour that had me smiling and laughing aloud. The hero, Jack Bishop is a likeable chap, desperate to get tickets for he and his wife onboard a space arc scheduled to leave the dying planet of Earth. With little foresight, Jack hopes to secure their passage by signing up as pilot in an experimental space wormhole test. It all goes horribly wrong and he is shot into deep space where he's rescued by the automata and becomes embroiled in their escape from an evil space oligarch.
The writing is sharp and cinematic - I could have been on the Star Wars set in many a scene - and I look forward to reading more in the series.
Space Opera at its best.
I thoroughly enjoyed book 1 of Final Dawn Series. It was fast-paced with plenty of action, some wonderful characters (the automata were every bit as good as R2D2 & C3P0) and tongue in cheek humour that had me smiling and laughing aloud. The hero, Jack Bishop is a likeable chap, desperate to get tickets for he and his wife onboard a space arc scheduled to leave the dying planet of Earth. With little foresight, Jack hopes to secure their passage by signing up as pilot in an experimental space wormhole test. It all goes horribly wrong and he is shot into deep space where he's rescued by the automata and becomes embroiled in their escape from an evil space oligarch.
The writing is sharp and cinematic - I could have been on the Star Wars set in many a scene - and I look forward to reading more in the series.
Space Opera at its best.
February 8, 2025
I loved this. I'm fairly new to reading so when I say a series hasn't grabbed me fully yet, take it with a pinch of salt; but The Final Dawn is the first series where I've finished reading the first book and had to rush to buy and read the second book.
Ashford has a concisely detailed writing style that allows a story like The Final Dawn to be as short as it is, but filled with entertainment and interesting developments.
The pacing, as well as character introductions and counts are well managed and make for an enjoyable reading experience that allows me at least to be swept away by the story and lose hours to the book.
The Final Dawn tells a great story while also setting up the future of The Final Dawn series and the Dark Star Panorama universe.
If you enjoy space operas or a developed sci-fi universe, you'll enjoy The Final Dawn.
Ashford has a concisely detailed writing style that allows a story like The Final Dawn to be as short as it is, but filled with entertainment and interesting developments.
The pacing, as well as character introductions and counts are well managed and make for an enjoyable reading experience that allows me at least to be swept away by the story and lose hours to the book.
The Final Dawn tells a great story while also setting up the future of The Final Dawn series and the Dark Star Panorama universe.
If you enjoy space operas or a developed sci-fi universe, you'll enjoy The Final Dawn.
September 23, 2024
( Format : Audiobook )
"Another day, another planet."
By
Not a bad book. Indeed, there are some interesting ideas buried within. But not one to inspire, either: more like a bad scene from an early Star Wars film with myriad alien creatures but nothing else happening. Oh, don't get me wrong, there is lots of action but it is subdued, not highlighted so the scene just seems to go on without truly going anywhere. Perhaps the author is using this as a device to illustrate the main protagonist's frustration, but some how, I don't think so.
In many ways, an innocent book. But not one which drew me in, sadly. Perhaps better for a young teen reader.
Nicely narrated by Joel Benedict.
The first of a three part series, I very much doubt I will venture to part two.
"Another day, another planet."
By
Not a bad book. Indeed, there are some interesting ideas buried within. But not one to inspire, either: more like a bad scene from an early Star Wars film with myriad alien creatures but nothing else happening. Oh, don't get me wrong, there is lots of action but it is subdued, not highlighted so the scene just seems to go on without truly going anywhere. Perhaps the author is using this as a device to illustrate the main protagonist's frustration, but some how, I don't think so.
In many ways, an innocent book. But not one which drew me in, sadly. Perhaps better for a young teen reader.
Nicely narrated by Joel Benedict.
The first of a three part series, I very much doubt I will venture to part two.
August 31, 2020
Quirky & Humorous Sentient Androids Save the Read
“The Final Dawn” tells the tale of a sad sack and a whiny human engineer Jack Bishop who gets dumped through an experimental wormhole into interstellar space far, very far from a desperate Earth.
Fortuitously rescued by a sentient and quirky android crew of a steam punk-esque sentient starship, Jack stumbles reluctantly through a series of events.
The androids make the book for this reader. Without them Jack’s tale would be a bore.
Read via Kindle Unlimited.
“The Final Dawn” tells the tale of a sad sack and a whiny human engineer Jack Bishop who gets dumped through an experimental wormhole into interstellar space far, very far from a desperate Earth.
Fortuitously rescued by a sentient and quirky android crew of a steam punk-esque sentient starship, Jack stumbles reluctantly through a series of events.
The androids make the book for this reader. Without them Jack’s tale would be a bore.
Read via Kindle Unlimited.
March 16, 2023
It was ok, it felt like it had a missing ingredient, I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I don’t entirely understand why write about enslaved robots or automata and then give them human emotions and feelings, wouldn't it be better or easier to make them some kind of humanoid. So hey-ho I’m not a writer so there we go. Another thing I thought was odd, calling the main character an engineer, when all he did was hold a blow torch, it would be like calling someone an electrician for screwing in a light bulb or someone a plumber for filling a glass of water.
July 3, 2020
brilliant, no no just brilliant but absolutely superb. Well written with great pace throughout making this a very hard read to put down. Interesting and slightly left field thinking mean that the tale is difficult to predict. There is an underlying british humour that keeps you chuckling to help keep the whole thing flowing. I would recommend this to anyone and most likely will. I look forward to continuing the series as it looks like it will be a good one.
November 3, 2020
I have to say I don't normally read books like this.
However, I found myself being drawn in and totally immersed in this book. I loved it.
The characters were so well written and the story really surprised me. I had no idea what was going to happen.
I have now read the second book in the trilogy and I'm about to start the third one.
Really looking forward to what happens next.
Totally recommend this read.
However, I found myself being drawn in and totally immersed in this book. I loved it.
The characters were so well written and the story really surprised me. I had no idea what was going to happen.
I have now read the second book in the trilogy and I'm about to start the third one.
Really looking forward to what happens next.
Totally recommend this read.
April 4, 2024
I now know how middle-school English teachers feel when grading fiction assignments. Great starting concept but painfully disjointed. The protagonist's personality changed to suit what action would push the plot along, very silly, cheesy, wince-worthy dialogue and far out of place one-liners, and I lost count of the inconsistencies. If you're going to world build, you have to keep track of the rules of that world and the beings within it.
July 24, 2024
Almost didn't read it
I am into hard science not c-3po or R2zD2 type books. But I just wanted to see what happened next, then next until I started rooting for the character s. Now I have to find out how or if Jack makes it home. A pleasant diversion from my normally hard science reading.
I am into hard science not c-3po or R2zD2 type books. But I just wanted to see what happened next, then next until I started rooting for the character s. Now I have to find out how or if Jack makes it home. A pleasant diversion from my normally hard science reading.
December 4, 2024
A light-hearted space opera about an Earth man, Jack, who gets accidentally transported to another galaxy and meets up with a band of rogue robots seeking freedom from enslavement. A bit of fun and quite short, but it didn't grip my attention as much as it might have done. Think Farscape meets Star Wars and you'll get the idea.
June 16, 2020
Loved this book, it had me gripped from the start and kept me up all night to finish! My only upset with it was it wasn’t quite long enough for a sci-fi saga, really looking forward to more of the series.
June 30, 2020
Having been a fan of Tom's for a number of years after reading his checking out series I couldn't wait to read this book. It is book 1 of a new series and the way Tom writes you are instantly immersed into the world he has created and need to keep reading as it is such a great book.
July 21, 2020
Entertaining read
An interesting out of the box yarn, a progressive yet simple storyline with supporting characters, a hero that has no choice in the matter, no harem, no in your face offensive language, in short a story for all ages, great for a rainy day.
An interesting out of the box yarn, a progressive yet simple storyline with supporting characters, a hero that has no choice in the matter, no harem, no in your face offensive language, in short a story for all ages, great for a rainy day.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews