Lost Earth

by Michael McCollum

A Galaxy RebornIt is the 43rd century and humanity occupies a substantial chunk of the Orion Spur, the small galactic arm in which Sol is located. Homo sapiens Terra has become Homo sapiens Galactica.Following the invention of faster-than-light travel in 2530, the Great Hegira went from a trickle to a flood as human-occupied space expanded at an exponential clip. Over the centuries, rivalries grew, as did star system navies. When widespread war finally came, it raged across entire sectors.Mass bombardments of enemy planets took their toll. Much that had been built during the preceding thousand years was smashed in flashes of nuclear fusion.A dark age descended. Eventually, a new Pax Galactica took hold. The return of stability brought with it a renaissance. Much knowledge that had been lost was regained.Much, but not all.On worlds across human space, parents told their children stories of a place where once dwelt knights and princesses, magicians and dragons, where bold warriors sallied forth to victory or defeat.What the children did not learn was where this magical place could be found. The years of chaos had robbed them of that information. The stellar coordinates of Sol were lost.And with them, the location of Planet Earth.

Genres: Science Fiction

393 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2020

About the author

Michael McCollum was born in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1946, and is a graduate of Arizona State University, where he majored in aerospace propulsion and minored in nuclear engineering. He is employed at Honeywell in Tempe, Arizona, where he is Chief Engineer in the valve product line. In his career, Mr. McCollum has worked on the precursor to the Space Shuttle Main Engine, a nuclear valve to replace the one that failed at Three Mile Island, several guided missiles, Space Station Freedom, and virtually every aircraft in production today. He is currently involved in an effort to create a joint venture company with a major Russian aerospace engine manufacturer and has traveled extensively to Russia in the last several years. In addition to his engineering, Mr. McCollum is a successful professional writer in the field of science fiction. He is the author of a dozen pieces of short fiction and has appeared in magazines such as Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, Amazing, and Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. Mr. McCollum is married to a lovely lady named Catherine, and has three children: Robert, Michael, and Elizabeth.

Reviews

[Glenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a shockingly dull story, although I did read the entire book. The writing was flat and boring; it read like a child's essay: they did this, then they did that, then this happened. But not much happened! Sure, the spaceship found lost earth, but aside from an encounter with a pirate spaceship, none of it was exciting. There was no tension, no drama. The characters had very little personality. In the three planets that they visited, everyone was totally agreeable and helpful to their mission - a very boring story. Yes, we all wish for our lives to be free of conflict and danger, but surely we don't want to read novels with no drama.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t usually leave ratings on here, let alone reviews, but I feel this one needs a bit of a reality check. Interesting concepts in this, to be sure, but I’m surprised it’s over 4 stars.

No real tension, all the characters seem to be the same voice and personality. A lot of things just kinda happen or are glossed over that don’t make a ton of sense, or at least could be explored in more depth.

That being said, the hyperspace was cool, the diaspora of humanity was interesting to explore (even if differences were superficial), and any book that normalizes non monogamy will always please me.

[Allen McDonnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating future history

This is a novel of the far future where after spreading for hundreds of light years out from Earth a destructive war has cut off communication. The Earth is lost to the far colonies and a developing genetic issue is motivating them to find humanities original world. This space adventure has interesting characters in a culture very different from our own.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could easily see this book as the start to a whole series. Unfortunately, that seems not to be the case (at least not yet). Very well done scifi story, and one with a rather surprising solution. It's an interesting speculation on what happens when attempting to solve one problem presents major issues for others. I liked it.