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Lost Helix
Lost Helix is the key… Stuck on an asteroid mining facility, DJ dreams of writing music. His dad is a corporate hacker and his best friend Paul intends to escape to become a settler in a planet-wide land rush, but neither interests DJ. When his dad goes missing, DJ finds a file containing evidence of a secret war of industrial sabotage, a file encrypted by his dad using DJ's song Lost Helix. Caught in a crossfire of lies, DJ must find his father and the mother he never knew. When the mining company sends Agent Coreman after DJ and his guitar, DJ and Paul escape the facility and make a run for civilization. Will DJ discover the truth before Coreman catches him?
264 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 2, 2020
About the author
Scott Coon
8 books31 followersScott Coon is an award-winning short story writer and former U.S. Army Intelligence Analyst.
Scott served for six years, rising to the rank of Sergeant. His service including a tour in Kuwait where he received a First Army Combat Patch and the Joint Service Achievement Award. Now a software developer for a major bank, Scott brings his computer and military experience into his work, along with a sense of spectacle.
Scott Coon's debut novel LOST HELIX, a sci-fi adventure/mystery, is available now. Scott's first published story, “Firewall,” appeared in Nth Degree Magazine in 2006. His short "Enduring Winter" was a finalist in the Writers of the Future Awards, won Second Place in the New England SciFi Writers Assn Contest 2016, and was published in Bewildering Stories, Issue 849, March 2020.
Scott Coon shares his knowledge of writing with others and helps other creatives do the same. He hosts the Writers of Sherman Oaks Critique Group meetings and National Novel Writing Month write-in events. His YouTube channel and websites provide insights into his work and give advice to writers. His Little Creative Interview series helps to foster learning in the creative community. See his websites for more information.
http://www.ScottCoonSciFi.com
http://www.LostHelix.com
https://www.facebook.com/scottcoon.scifi
https://twitter.com/ScottCoon
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClTE...
Scott served for six years, rising to the rank of Sergeant. His service including a tour in Kuwait where he received a First Army Combat Patch and the Joint Service Achievement Award. Now a software developer for a major bank, Scott brings his computer and military experience into his work, along with a sense of spectacle.
Scott Coon's debut novel LOST HELIX, a sci-fi adventure/mystery, is available now. Scott's first published story, “Firewall,” appeared in Nth Degree Magazine in 2006. His short "Enduring Winter" was a finalist in the Writers of the Future Awards, won Second Place in the New England SciFi Writers Assn Contest 2016, and was published in Bewildering Stories, Issue 849, March 2020.
Scott Coon shares his knowledge of writing with others and helps other creatives do the same. He hosts the Writers of Sherman Oaks Critique Group meetings and National Novel Writing Month write-in events. His YouTube channel and websites provide insights into his work and give advice to writers. His Little Creative Interview series helps to foster learning in the creative community. See his websites for more information.
http://www.ScottCoonSciFi.com
http://www.LostHelix.com
https://www.facebook.com/scottcoon.scifi
https://twitter.com/ScottCoon
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClTE...
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 2, 2020
This novel is pretty much a model of what YA Space Opera should be: a bit melodramatic, a bit realistic, a bit magical, and very escapist.
It has a nicely complex conflict, with DJ and Paul trying to escape the repressive, corporate-focused mining colony that restricts their lives and at the same time find DJ’s father, missing on a mysterious and possibly deadly mission. Meanwhile Derek, DJ’s father, is on a similar undertaking with less distinct objectives, and the two paths weave cleverly around each other until they meet, as we knew they would, at the end.
Like many Sci-Fi stories, this tale slips over the line into Fantasy; DJ the wizard with his magical ability to hack any computer system makes it easy for the author to move the plot along.
But the main attraction of the book is the characterization. DJ and Paul are the typical teenage duo: unpopular computer nerd and popular sports hero. The huge, cold physical and commercial environment they traverse is peppered with warm, realistic people, all with their own problems and goals. A standout is their fellow-stowaway, Maya, who is feisty and talented and appears and disappears like a wraith with her own kind of magic.
The more sophisticated reader will note that this tale takes the conventions of Space Opera a bit for granted: hopping from planetary metropolis to space station to colony outback farm with no pauses, like city folk jumping into a taxi at a whim. As mentioned above, more fantasy than perhaps the average mature reader wants.
But this is Young Adult, and other readers are probably willing to drop their inhibitions for the chance of a good, old-fashioned escape from reality.
July 1, 2020
A great sunny afternoon book, the space opera following DJ and his friend Paul escape a mining colony and go in search of DJ's family and a new life. A well built scifi world, great bad guys, overall a great read.
August 7, 2020
Need an escape from the Covid-lock-down? Lost Helix delivers. A space adventure with a tragic backstory. Imbued with Coon’s fun sense humor—I especially enjoyed Coreman and Hochstein—the pages click right by in rhythm with DJ’s special guitar.
April 24, 2020
I received an advance copy from the publisher a while back - glad I did. I was in the mood for a YA read and saw someone's review calling this a "great light space opera" - and that is what this was. Very much enjoyed - good characters, good pacing, and great descriptions...
March 27, 2020
Very enjoyable! I liked the music angle and the pacing was perfect. So many characters to root for and the author wrapped it up great.
March 1, 2021
Fun. Thriller. Sci-fi. YA. Family-friendly.
These are the things or feelings I am left with after reading Lost Helix.
Lost Helix is a YA sci-fi novel that follows DJ, a guitar-toting, shy teen who lives in what essentially is a corporate-owned (dystopian) mining town, with rampant joblessness, orphans raised for the sole purpose of mining, and deaths as common as flies. Born by what he believes is artificial insemination (and thus he is without a mother) and unaware of his father’s sordid career, DJ is caught by complete surprise when one day he finds his father missing. He is even more confounded when the private security starts to tear up his apartment looking for something, and worse, when they start to come for him.
Thankfully his best friend, Paul, has been planning for this—leaving. And thus, the two boys flee the station, launching them on a journey filled with danger, rock’n’roll, action-packed chase scenes, space pirates (one of which wants to learn guitar), Paul getting shot, and planet hopping.
Overall, this was a fun read. I enjoyed the friendship between DJ and Paul. The two of them had that opposites-attract kind of friendship where DJ is the shy hacker and Paul is the Zeroball champion. They both respected each other, though, and there wasn’t too much angsty stuff going on (like as in DJ never tried to steal Paul’s girlfriend or anything). The plot at all times was clipping along at great speed and easily held my attention. The ideas such as the grow shoes, or the crazy hermits under the farms were unique and interesting. I liked how the hacking was used in this story as something almost kind of magical and how DJ embraced both his public guitar playing and his hacking skills (and, I suppose, his fists).
I wasn’t as captivated by the characterization. I felt like Paul was a bit of a human plot device at times as he was always rescuing DJ and doing everything for him. Maya, I felt, had not much of a personality other than as a spunky love interest girl. Besides those complaints, I had trouble picturing some of the imagery at times. (That might just be me, though.) I also thought that some of the revelations for DJ might have hit harder if we hadn’t already seen everything from Derek’s POV. There was additionally something a bit (not sure what the right word is) strange, maybe, about how the beginning was rather dark in tone with bullying and murder, but the ending and middle bit was so light in comparison that it almost felt a bit cheesy at times.
This is not to say that I didn’t enjoy it, I certainly did (as I read it quite quickly), but I think I might not be in the ideal target audience range for this novel anymore. I would recommend this book for those who are looking for a fun, family-friendly, thrilling sci-fi novel with unique ideas (none of the aforementioned murdering happened “on-screen,” and I don’t think there were any swear words). I wouldn’t recommend this for people who are looking for more adult sci-fi.
These are the things or feelings I am left with after reading Lost Helix.
Lost Helix is a YA sci-fi novel that follows DJ, a guitar-toting, shy teen who lives in what essentially is a corporate-owned (dystopian) mining town, with rampant joblessness, orphans raised for the sole purpose of mining, and deaths as common as flies. Born by what he believes is artificial insemination (and thus he is without a mother) and unaware of his father’s sordid career, DJ is caught by complete surprise when one day he finds his father missing. He is even more confounded when the private security starts to tear up his apartment looking for something, and worse, when they start to come for him.
Thankfully his best friend, Paul, has been planning for this—leaving. And thus, the two boys flee the station, launching them on a journey filled with danger, rock’n’roll, action-packed chase scenes, space pirates (one of which wants to learn guitar), Paul getting shot, and planet hopping.
Overall, this was a fun read. I enjoyed the friendship between DJ and Paul. The two of them had that opposites-attract kind of friendship where DJ is the shy hacker and Paul is the Zeroball champion. They both respected each other, though, and there wasn’t too much angsty stuff going on (like as in DJ never tried to steal Paul’s girlfriend or anything). The plot at all times was clipping along at great speed and easily held my attention. The ideas such as the grow shoes, or the crazy hermits under the farms were unique and interesting. I liked how the hacking was used in this story as something almost kind of magical and how DJ embraced both his public guitar playing and his hacking skills (and, I suppose, his fists).
I wasn’t as captivated by the characterization. I felt like Paul was a bit of a human plot device at times as he was always rescuing DJ and doing everything for him. Maya, I felt, had not much of a personality other than as a spunky love interest girl. Besides those complaints, I had trouble picturing some of the imagery at times. (That might just be me, though.) I also thought that some of the revelations for DJ might have hit harder if we hadn’t already seen everything from Derek’s POV. There was additionally something a bit (not sure what the right word is) strange, maybe, about how the beginning was rather dark in tone with bullying and murder, but the ending and middle bit was so light in comparison that it almost felt a bit cheesy at times.
This is not to say that I didn’t enjoy it, I certainly did (as I read it quite quickly), but I think I might not be in the ideal target audience range for this novel anymore. I would recommend this book for those who are looking for a fun, family-friendly, thrilling sci-fi novel with unique ideas (none of the aforementioned murdering happened “on-screen,” and I don’t think there were any swear words). I wouldn’t recommend this for people who are looking for more adult sci-fi.
September 2, 2020
This book has a witty plot. DJ's search for his father really becomes an interesting adventure. The characters had fascinating and admirable personality traits. It was a great read, fast paced and easy to follow.
I highly recommend it for adults and young adults.
I highly recommend it for adults and young adults.
July 28, 2020
You won't regret picking up a copy of Lost Helix. It's a fun read that goes by faster than you would like, with intriguing details and "what ifs" about the future. It's basically a space mystery with guitars, industrial sabotage, and family drama! Scott Coon has a knack for world-building and character development, so if you're looking for an escape to another world (especially now if your whole world is your home during this pandemic!) pick up a copy.
October 3, 2020
DJ is the son of a programmer/computer hacker living on a spaceship and working for a corrupt mining corporation that has taken on the role of the government. Mystery has always surrounded DJ's dad and his personal life. DJ is trying to get to the truth. What exactly does his dad do? Who is his mother? And why are the corporate executives trying to get his guitar?
Lost Helix is a coming of age story set in a futuristic society. The cat and mouse games DJ and his friends have to play to avoid the bad guys and get answers, make it a fast-paced read. The characters are realistic with strengths and flaws. It's also nice to see a strong young female in the character of Maya.
Lost Helix is a fast-paced read recommended for YA and adult readers who enjoy fantasy, sci-fi, space odysseys, and coming of age stories.
Lost Helix is a coming of age story set in a futuristic society. The cat and mouse games DJ and his friends have to play to avoid the bad guys and get answers, make it a fast-paced read. The characters are realistic with strengths and flaws. It's also nice to see a strong young female in the character of Maya.
Lost Helix is a fast-paced read recommended for YA and adult readers who enjoy fantasy, sci-fi, space odysseys, and coming of age stories.
May 1, 2020
Lost Helix is an intelligent and exciting thrill ride of a novel. It contains a cast of characters that readers will care about and root for until the end.
From the outset, it’s clear that life in Stone River is bleak and offers little in the way of choices. The mining corporations rule the lives of all who work for them. D.J. Fletcher is almost eighteen and is facing a life of working for Black Mountain. He lives with his father, who is constantly away working a job that D.J. knows almost nothing about. He finds joy in spending time with his friend Paul and playing music on his Rigozy. He writes his own songs, but he suffers from a bad case of stage fright and can scarcely envision a life where he could travel and play his music in front of a crowd.
His life is thrown into turmoil when his father goes missing and D.J. gets his hands on an encrypted file with all kinds of secrets that Black Mountain will do anything to keep hidden. D.J. and Paul end up running for their lives and must use their skills to stay alive and keep ahead of the authorities pursuing them. Along the way, they meet a variety of interesting people, and D.J. learns to face his fears.
This novel deftly handles many heavy topics. D.J. doesn’t know who is mother is and aches to find her. It also contemplates the reasons people lie, and the damage those lies can do to people’s lives. They also have to grapple with the secrets they must keep to ensure their survival and the guilt they feel as their presence puts other people’s lives in danger.
This novel will keep you enthralled and guessing what will happen next until the very end. Highly recommended!
From the outset, it’s clear that life in Stone River is bleak and offers little in the way of choices. The mining corporations rule the lives of all who work for them. D.J. Fletcher is almost eighteen and is facing a life of working for Black Mountain. He lives with his father, who is constantly away working a job that D.J. knows almost nothing about. He finds joy in spending time with his friend Paul and playing music on his Rigozy. He writes his own songs, but he suffers from a bad case of stage fright and can scarcely envision a life where he could travel and play his music in front of a crowd.
His life is thrown into turmoil when his father goes missing and D.J. gets his hands on an encrypted file with all kinds of secrets that Black Mountain will do anything to keep hidden. D.J. and Paul end up running for their lives and must use their skills to stay alive and keep ahead of the authorities pursuing them. Along the way, they meet a variety of interesting people, and D.J. learns to face his fears.
This novel deftly handles many heavy topics. D.J. doesn’t know who is mother is and aches to find her. It also contemplates the reasons people lie, and the damage those lies can do to people’s lives. They also have to grapple with the secrets they must keep to ensure their survival and the guilt they feel as their presence puts other people’s lives in danger.
This novel will keep you enthralled and guessing what will happen next until the very end. Highly recommended!
February 5, 2020
Lost Helix is an engaging light scifi story set in an interesting world with a healthy serving of grit. It’s not the sanitized idealistic world of a “better future” where we humans have supposedly evolved. Nope, this has corporate greed, space pirates, intrigue, adventure, and plenty of conflict.
I enjoyed the rocky relationship between father and son and I liked that I got to see both point of views. Paul, the sidekick of the story and best friend of the main character, DJ, stole the show for me. He was super interesting, energetic, and streetwise. His optimism was charming. DJ, however, struggled more with the circumstances around him. I wanted him to adjust faster. There were a lot of characters but they were all interesting in their own way and they all had their own agendas, which I loved.
Because the story was written in multiple point of views, I liked being in the know while watching the characters struggle through. It could be tightened, but it was a fun romp. A great light space opera.
I enjoyed the rocky relationship between father and son and I liked that I got to see both point of views. Paul, the sidekick of the story and best friend of the main character, DJ, stole the show for me. He was super interesting, energetic, and streetwise. His optimism was charming. DJ, however, struggled more with the circumstances around him. I wanted him to adjust faster. There were a lot of characters but they were all interesting in their own way and they all had their own agendas, which I loved.
Because the story was written in multiple point of views, I liked being in the know while watching the characters struggle through. It could be tightened, but it was a fun romp. A great light space opera.
January 14, 2021
I prefer my science fiction with a gritty, dystopian bent, and generally steer clear of both YA and space opera. This may be why I found Lost Helix such a refreshing change of pace. The novel's optimistic, feel-good tone does not detract from the tight plotting and great characterization in the slightest.
What can inspire a peril-filled, heroic journey in a world where corporations own their employees and provide for all their needs, gravity can be turned on and off more or less at will, and travel from mining colony to planet and back again is as easy as hopping onto a plane (used to be)? Plenty, if you ask Scott Coon. The author pays homage to the standard tropes of both space opera and YA fiction. At the same time, he meticulously details the setting, paying attention not only the the characters' immediate surroundings, but the technology, the politics, the interconnected economics and ecosystems, even the evolving social relations of human expansion into space. In Lost Helix, oppression is no mere plot device to drive the story forward, and the strained dynamics between the corporate colonies and settled freeholds are built on solid logic.
The main challenge for every space opera writer is to craft a world radically different from any reality known to the reader, yet still believable and engaging, with humans doing things in recognizably human ways, having human aspirations and doubts, making human mistakes. In my opinion, it is a test that Scott Coon passes with flying colors.
What can inspire a peril-filled, heroic journey in a world where corporations own their employees and provide for all their needs, gravity can be turned on and off more or less at will, and travel from mining colony to planet and back again is as easy as hopping onto a plane (used to be)? Plenty, if you ask Scott Coon. The author pays homage to the standard tropes of both space opera and YA fiction. At the same time, he meticulously details the setting, paying attention not only the the characters' immediate surroundings, but the technology, the politics, the interconnected economics and ecosystems, even the evolving social relations of human expansion into space. In Lost Helix, oppression is no mere plot device to drive the story forward, and the strained dynamics between the corporate colonies and settled freeholds are built on solid logic.
The main challenge for every space opera writer is to craft a world radically different from any reality known to the reader, yet still believable and engaging, with humans doing things in recognizably human ways, having human aspirations and doubts, making human mistakes. In my opinion, it is a test that Scott Coon passes with flying colors.
December 31, 2024
I always love a good revolution story, and Scott Coon’s Lost Helix did not disappoint. Full of all the kinds of dark secrets and lies that add more color, texture, and political intrigue to young adult dystopian stories such as this one, I also appreciated that many of these lies orbited around his family too.
This book was a ride that I was happy to take with its lighter tone, and yet it explored the complexities of family and the choices we must make in the face of love, or in spite of it, which I found both familiar and refreshing. Coon’s writing style is concise and descriptive. I was always happy to page to the next chapter to find out what would happen next. The juxtaposition of the hacker and music worlds was well executed and I loved how it all came together in the end, what DJ learned, and what he was left with, internally and externally. It was also nice to see the male companionship play out in this story.
I recommend this book to anyone seeking escape via an action adventure young adult space opera!
This book was a ride that I was happy to take with its lighter tone, and yet it explored the complexities of family and the choices we must make in the face of love, or in spite of it, which I found both familiar and refreshing. Coon’s writing style is concise and descriptive. I was always happy to page to the next chapter to find out what would happen next. The juxtaposition of the hacker and music worlds was well executed and I loved how it all came together in the end, what DJ learned, and what he was left with, internally and externally. It was also nice to see the male companionship play out in this story.
I recommend this book to anyone seeking escape via an action adventure young adult space opera!
October 8, 2020
This is the first book I read from this autor and let me tell you that I loved it! Such a good book
with great characters that keeps you obsessed with every page since the first one. The ending of this book.. come on! I just didn´t expect it! Can´t wait for book 2! Amazing job! definitely a must read!. 5/5 A fantastic story that has it all!
the space opera following DJ and his friend Paul escape a mining colony and go in search of DJ's family and a new life. A well built scifi world, great bad guys. It's a fast-paced read recommended for everyone readers who enjoy fantasy, sci-fi, space odysseys. A highly recommended book!!!
with great characters that keeps you obsessed with every page since the first one. The ending of this book.. come on! I just didn´t expect it! Can´t wait for book 2! Amazing job! definitely a must read!. 5/5 A fantastic story that has it all!
the space opera following DJ and his friend Paul escape a mining colony and go in search of DJ's family and a new life. A well built scifi world, great bad guys. It's a fast-paced read recommended for everyone readers who enjoy fantasy, sci-fi, space odysseys. A highly recommended book!!!
January 31, 2021
A true YA sci-fi, if I've ever seen one.
That being said, it can truly appeal to readers of all ages, since it's fast-paced, easy to read and follow, and with a compelling story.
If you like space, mystery, action, and music, this one is for you.
Steven
BooksShelf Reviewer
That being said, it can truly appeal to readers of all ages, since it's fast-paced, easy to read and follow, and with a compelling story.
If you like space, mystery, action, and music, this one is for you.
Steven
BooksShelf Reviewer
July 8, 2021
Lost Helix by Scott Coon is just a fantastic YA Sci-fi. It is a light read that I'm sure many would enjoy. I loved the descriptions and the characters. The tragedy mixed with the drama and humor and ...music was wonderful. Everything was the right amount. I recommend it for sure!
June 23, 2020
I wrote this so...It's awesome! :^)
June 18, 2024
Really enjoyed this story, music, scifi and an escape. Great quick read
January 9, 2023
Lost Helix is a hell of a fun space romp! I thoroughly enjoyed being along for the ride with with main character DJ and his best friend Paul as they made their escape from the corporate mining colony that controls every aspect of their lives.
DJ and Paul’s desire to get away from Black Mountain Mining Commercial Space Station IV suddenly becomes an urgent necessity when DJ’s father goes missing, and they end up on the wrong side of the mining corporation’s law. What follows is a nail-biting mad dash across the void of space, fraught with danger, intrigue, guitar solos, and found family.
Scott Coon gives readers characters to empathize with and root for, frustrating corporate bad guys that you really want to see get their comeuppance, and plenty of plot twists to keep readers guessing along the way.
This book also gave me a hankering for cornbread. Real cornbread, made with real corn, not that synthetic stuff. Time to fire up the oven …
DJ and Paul’s desire to get away from Black Mountain Mining Commercial Space Station IV suddenly becomes an urgent necessity when DJ’s father goes missing, and they end up on the wrong side of the mining corporation’s law. What follows is a nail-biting mad dash across the void of space, fraught with danger, intrigue, guitar solos, and found family.
Scott Coon gives readers characters to empathize with and root for, frustrating corporate bad guys that you really want to see get their comeuppance, and plenty of plot twists to keep readers guessing along the way.
This book also gave me a hankering for cornbread. Real cornbread, made with real corn, not that synthetic stuff. Time to fire up the oven …
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews