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Mind Painter
Who—or what—shall inherit the Earth?
In 2045, the climate crisis has pushed civilization to the brink of nuclear war. Trillionaire space magnate John Rook leads a desperate escape to the nascent Mars colony. But when the atomic auroras fade and those left on Earth find themselves struggling against more than just fallout and other survivors, the lucky ones who got away fear they made a one-way trip.
Centuries later in the now-sprawling Martian metropolis, a transformed species tries to cope with life on an alien world starved of flora and fauna. Their ancestors’ actions and the distant neon blue flicker of the rewilded Earth haunt those confined to the rusty red planet. None feel it more than John’s daughter, the eminent Gloria Rook. Her mind and body are sharper than ever, but no cybernetic implant or designer chemical can dull the longing.
An impossible signal hints there may be a way to return to Earth and reveals another more nefarious secret. It might just be Gloria and the Martians’ chance to finally go home, or destroy everything they’ve built.
In 2045, the climate crisis has pushed civilization to the brink of nuclear war. Trillionaire space magnate John Rook leads a desperate escape to the nascent Mars colony. But when the atomic auroras fade and those left on Earth find themselves struggling against more than just fallout and other survivors, the lucky ones who got away fear they made a one-way trip.
Centuries later in the now-sprawling Martian metropolis, a transformed species tries to cope with life on an alien world starved of flora and fauna. Their ancestors’ actions and the distant neon blue flicker of the rewilded Earth haunt those confined to the rusty red planet. None feel it more than John’s daughter, the eminent Gloria Rook. Her mind and body are sharper than ever, but no cybernetic implant or designer chemical can dull the longing.
An impossible signal hints there may be a way to return to Earth and reveals another more nefarious secret. It might just be Gloria and the Martians’ chance to finally go home, or destroy everything they’ve built.
- GenresScience Fiction
290 pages, Paperback
Published November 14, 2020
7 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Tom B. Night
3 books21 followersTom B. Night is an American-Australian technologist and author whose novels include Where Light Does Not Reach, Circadian Algorithms, and Mind Painter. He grew up in the Pacific Northwest then spent 15 years at tech companies in the Bay Area. He now splits time between Seattle, San Francisco, and various dreamed-up worlds. Get in touch or stay up to date at tombnight.com.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 20, 2025
DNF at 25%.
I'm almost sure this book gets better the farther it goes, but I cannot do this anymore. Mindless, senseless machismo and a cardboard cutout of Elon Musk populate the first quarter of this book. Nah.
I'm almost sure this book gets better the farther it goes, but I cannot do this anymore. Mindless, senseless machismo and a cardboard cutout of Elon Musk populate the first quarter of this book. Nah.
November 26, 2020
Found it refreshing and on point.
April 7, 2021
Beautifully and Skillfully written
The idea of the book intrigued me. The jumping backwards and forward in time within the story was a bit off putting, and felt almost like I was reading 2 different books. I was very pleased as the book continued, and the author artfully, and skillfully pulled the story together from both time frames into one cohesive story. I really enjoyed reading this, and love the imaginative possibilities of a tragic yet hopeful future of mankind. I was looking for new authors to follow and read by signing up for Kindle Unlimited, and I found my first one!
In addition, I recognize the open ending leaves the possibility of a sequel. I'm hoping there is one.
The idea of the book intrigued me. The jumping backwards and forward in time within the story was a bit off putting, and felt almost like I was reading 2 different books. I was very pleased as the book continued, and the author artfully, and skillfully pulled the story together from both time frames into one cohesive story. I really enjoyed reading this, and love the imaginative possibilities of a tragic yet hopeful future of mankind. I was looking for new authors to follow and read by signing up for Kindle Unlimited, and I found my first one!
In addition, I recognize the open ending leaves the possibility of a sequel. I'm hoping there is one.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews