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Beyond the Impossible #1
The Simmering Seas: An epic science fiction saga
Betray your family. Save your world. Kara Syung has always lived a life of luxury and privilege among Hokkaido's elite. Yet beneath the glitz and glamor, she senses a looming darkness. Not until her brother's mysterious death and his final words to her - "They're going to burn it all. Be a soldier." - does Kara open her eyes.
Determined to seek justice for her brother and uncover the truth behind his death, Kara must navigate against powerful forces, including her own family and those who control the planet's food supply. With only a few allies by her side - a lifelong best friend and servant, a ruthless immortal seeking vengeance, a renegade from a fallen empire, and a snub-nosed laser pistol - Kara's time is running out. In seven days, she will be forced to marry a man she doesn't love.
Does Kara have the strength to go against everything she has been taught and stand up for what is right? Will she be able to uncover the dark conspiracy that threatens not only Hokkaido, but the entire galactic sector? Join Kara on a wild journey through unexpected worlds as she faces desperate odds in the first installment of the galaxy-spanning nine-book series, Beyond the Impossible.
Expect insane twists and turns in a complex saga where nothing is what it seems, and the laws of time and space are flexible. For readers who love intricate mysteries, space opera on a grand scale, and the rise and fall of galactic empires.
Determined to seek justice for her brother and uncover the truth behind his death, Kara must navigate against powerful forces, including her own family and those who control the planet's food supply. With only a few allies by her side - a lifelong best friend and servant, a ruthless immortal seeking vengeance, a renegade from a fallen empire, and a snub-nosed laser pistol - Kara's time is running out. In seven days, she will be forced to marry a man she doesn't love.
Does Kara have the strength to go against everything she has been taught and stand up for what is right? Will she be able to uncover the dark conspiracy that threatens not only Hokkaido, but the entire galactic sector? Join Kara on a wild journey through unexpected worlds as she faces desperate odds in the first installment of the galaxy-spanning nine-book series, Beyond the Impossible.
Expect insane twists and turns in a complex saga where nothing is what it seems, and the laws of time and space are flexible. For readers who love intricate mysteries, space opera on a grand scale, and the rise and fall of galactic empires.
- GenresScience Fiction
433 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 17, 2021
86 people are currently reading
469 people want to read
About the author
Frank Kennedy
23 books14 followersFrank Kennedy has been writing all his life (the boy who was penning crazy space stories that had the other kids giggling), and now he's taking charge of his career. He is a former journalist (back when people read the news on actual paper), and now teaching English to middle-schoolers (cue the giggling). His work spans all manner of genres, but he is particularly fond of science fiction / alternate history / and bizarre mashups. Expect darkness, tension, and the twists and turns that make great drama. He was that 14-year-old kid who couldn't believe what he was seeing when the Imperial Star Destroyer chased the rebel blockade runner over Tatooine in May 1977, and became lost in awe when the mothership appeared over Devil's Monument that same year.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 14, 2023
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
After a galaxy-wide civil war all the planets involved are struggling. When someone discovers their planet might be in on it, they try to get to the bottom of things.
Took a while to get going.
After a galaxy-wide civil war all the planets involved are struggling. When someone discovers their planet might be in on it, they try to get to the bottom of things.
Took a while to get going.
October 7, 2021
I received this kindle copy of Simmering Seas as a Goodreads first read.
The world of this book was very interesting, but I found the writing, plot, and characters to be fairly flat. On the plus side, the trans-galactic future created by Kennedy was fascinating. He’s clearly spent a lot of time thinking about the politics of the future he’s imagined, as well as the history of how humanity reached the setting of the book. I’d definitely be interested in learning more about the world and it’s history.
That said, I was pretty underwhelmed with everything else. The characters all felt like uncomplicated tropes. The plot was fairly predictable. And the writing ranged from bad to mediocre. Although the book got me truly engaged at a few points, I seriously considered not finishing it every few chapters.
If you’re looking for a quick sci fi read with good world-building, this may be a good option—as long as you don’t care much about flat writing and characters.
The world of this book was very interesting, but I found the writing, plot, and characters to be fairly flat. On the plus side, the trans-galactic future created by Kennedy was fascinating. He’s clearly spent a lot of time thinking about the politics of the future he’s imagined, as well as the history of how humanity reached the setting of the book. I’d definitely be interested in learning more about the world and it’s history.
That said, I was pretty underwhelmed with everything else. The characters all felt like uncomplicated tropes. The plot was fairly predictable. And the writing ranged from bad to mediocre. Although the book got me truly engaged at a few points, I seriously considered not finishing it every few chapters.
If you’re looking for a quick sci fi read with good world-building, this may be a good option—as long as you don’t care much about flat writing and characters.
July 11, 2021
I received a copy of this book from the author in the hope of an honest review so here is my completely honest opinion of his book.
This is the first book in what promises to be a very exciting and enjoyable read that throws all our preconceived ideas about time, trust, family loyalty and peace of mind into turmoil.
The story takes place on Artemis Station a Planetoid in the Oorton system and on Hokkaido Planet between the standard years 5363 and 5366.
It does move about a bit in time but this all adds to the plot making me question “what is time anyway”?
While the time frame for this story is as I said above, the families involved have some old fashioned ideas about family loyalty and the role of a daughter.
For Kara an arranged marriage is not what she wants. Her dream is to be an engineer.
Will she go through with this marriage to please her family?
Her marriage to Ya-Li would unite two families to make them stronger both financially and more importantly, politically.
Much more is going on around Kara than wedding preparations. There is the fallout of poisons from the Kye-Do rings that surround the planet that the wealthy families like Kara’s don’t want ordinary Hokkis to know about. The riots in the streets for food as the prices are sky high and becoming unaffordable for most people. And what is a splinter anyway? Not just a small sliver of wood or metal.
There is so much going on in this book that I will be reading it over several times and I think I will find something new each time.
I recommend that you read it for yourself if you enjoy a well written story that pulls you into it and makes you think about the concepts described in it.
This is the first book in what promises to be a very exciting and enjoyable read that throws all our preconceived ideas about time, trust, family loyalty and peace of mind into turmoil.
The story takes place on Artemis Station a Planetoid in the Oorton system and on Hokkaido Planet between the standard years 5363 and 5366.
It does move about a bit in time but this all adds to the plot making me question “what is time anyway”?
While the time frame for this story is as I said above, the families involved have some old fashioned ideas about family loyalty and the role of a daughter.
For Kara an arranged marriage is not what she wants. Her dream is to be an engineer.
Will she go through with this marriage to please her family?
Her marriage to Ya-Li would unite two families to make them stronger both financially and more importantly, politically.
Much more is going on around Kara than wedding preparations. There is the fallout of poisons from the Kye-Do rings that surround the planet that the wealthy families like Kara’s don’t want ordinary Hokkis to know about. The riots in the streets for food as the prices are sky high and becoming unaffordable for most people. And what is a splinter anyway? Not just a small sliver of wood or metal.
There is so much going on in this book that I will be reading it over several times and I think I will find something new each time.
I recommend that you read it for yourself if you enjoy a well written story that pulls you into it and makes you think about the concepts described in it.
November 2, 2021
This book started in a way that felt very familiar and fit some well-worn space opera tropes. A couple of rich girls slumming it in disguise to try to ferret out clues about a mystery left behind by one of the girl's brothers. The noticeable stranger in the bar. The inevitable trouble. But from there it veered off into entirely unpredictable territory spinning a story I never would have guessed the original pieces were building towards.
This is a slower burn story that jumps around both in time and from POV. It is a complex, nuanced narrative that really needs to be digested to be fully appreciated. There were parts that threw me for a bit when they were introduced that were absolutely brilliant once it became clear how they fit the larger narrative. By the end, things were moving at breakneck speed. The focus I think was more on the world building and the premise behind the series, but there were a few characters who were carefully developed though the book too. The reveals and growth were well done.
This is the first book in a series and does contain a full story arc - the major questions set forth in the beginning were answered, but in a way that just opened far more questions and makes you want to explore the concepts more in book 2.
This is a slower burn story that jumps around both in time and from POV. It is a complex, nuanced narrative that really needs to be digested to be fully appreciated. There were parts that threw me for a bit when they were introduced that were absolutely brilliant once it became clear how they fit the larger narrative. By the end, things were moving at breakneck speed. The focus I think was more on the world building and the premise behind the series, but there were a few characters who were carefully developed though the book too. The reveals and growth were well done.
This is the first book in a series and does contain a full story arc - the major questions set forth in the beginning were answered, but in a way that just opened far more questions and makes you want to explore the concepts more in book 2.
July 20, 2021
If you read the wild and wonderful space opera quartet of The Impossible Future, you know to grab Book One in a new series. The Simmering Series is set in a ringed world where calamity looms. A feisty young woman, member of a ruling family, teams up with an ex-Collectorate ruffian and an immortal, vengeful gangster, to discover what the hell is going on. And Kennedy takes that plot beginning into wild territory that promises a wonderful series.
July 23, 2021
This book twists your mind in ways you never imagined. It's a slow burn, but it ends spectacularly. There's mystery, intrigue, trust that becomes distrust, enemies who are friends, and family you think you know (but you really have no clue). And through it all, Kara is trying to understand who the bad guys are and why. A most excellent read!
(I received an ARC of this book.)
(I received an ARC of this book.)
April 25, 2023
great story action line
A great mystery/adventure from first page to last. All the important sci-fi elements—aliens, war-hungry megalomaniacs, determined heroine, soldier/mercenary, mad scientist, betrayers, cool tech and inventive science… you’ll enjoy this one!
A great mystery/adventure from first page to last. All the important sci-fi elements—aliens, war-hungry megalomaniacs, determined heroine, soldier/mercenary, mad scientist, betrayers, cool tech and inventive science… you’ll enjoy this one!
February 8, 2022
Interesting read. Too many conspiracies on top of conspiracies. Too many Dey’s ex machina moments and characters.
October 13, 2025
**Goodreads Giveaway
Amazing, love this series, jumping into the next installment immediately
Amazing, love this series, jumping into the next installment immediately
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews