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The Stars Beyond the Mesa: In the Giant's Shadow Book One
In the desert of Northern Arizona is a research facility and an observatory that never opens its doors.
Stranded there for the summer with her distant father and her hyperactive brother, sixteen-year-old Katy is planning her escape.
Then the incident happens.
Now she, her brother Ben, and three others, the children of the scientists, must discover what their parents have created, and why strange lights dance across the night sky while people are possessed and attacked by a creature stalking the grounds.
Did their parents push too far? Has something come to push back? Find out in Book 1 of In The Giant’s Shadow.
Stranded there for the summer with her distant father and her hyperactive brother, sixteen-year-old Katy is planning her escape.
Then the incident happens.
Now she, her brother Ben, and three others, the children of the scientists, must discover what their parents have created, and why strange lights dance across the night sky while people are possessed and attacked by a creature stalking the grounds.
Did their parents push too far? Has something come to push back? Find out in Book 1 of In The Giant’s Shadow.
- GenresScience Fiction
231 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 15, 2021
67 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Pete A O'Donnell
8 books4 followersPete A O'Donnell Is the writer, creator, and performer of Ill-Advised Stories, a children’s story podcast full of free and funny tales. He is a graduate of Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is a member of the society of Children book writers and illustrators.
He makes his home in Rhode Island and the town he works in as a firefighter and EMT inspired the setting of his first book the Curse of Purgatory Cove about a boy and old man claiming to be a pirate.
He’s been telling stories about alien invasions and talking trees since first grade and loves diving into the worlds of science fiction writers such as Arthur C Clark, Issac Asimov and Greg Bear.
He draws a weekly comic strip at webtoons called Sparkie and Spaz. about a ten-year-old space explorer and his cranky Robot companion. Their entire first novel is available to listen to at Illadvisedstories.com
He makes his home in Rhode Island and the town he works in as a firefighter and EMT inspired the setting of his first book the Curse of Purgatory Cove about a boy and old man claiming to be a pirate.
He’s been telling stories about alien invasions and talking trees since first grade and loves diving into the worlds of science fiction writers such as Arthur C Clark, Issac Asimov and Greg Bear.
He draws a weekly comic strip at webtoons called Sparkie and Spaz. about a ten-year-old space explorer and his cranky Robot companion. Their entire first novel is available to listen to at Illadvisedstories.com
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 31, 2021
The Arizona desert is the setting for this science fiction thriller that has a group of kids living with their parents at a secret observatory and research facility. While their parents are all caring, the kids quickly realize that there is something top secret and dangerous going on. This becomes clearly evident when Katy tries to escape from the facility only to have the boy who joined her severely injured by some sort of unidentified creature.
This sets the children of the scientists off on an adventure to figure out wha their parents have done in order to help save the whole world from annihilation ... and to figure out how that weird creature is conencted to it all.
This was a fun adventure that will have fans of Roland Smith racing through the pages. Science and eerie mysteries blend together to create a plot that will make intermediate readers keep reading to find out how things are going to end.
This sets the children of the scientists off on an adventure to figure out wha their parents have done in order to help save the whole world from annihilation ... and to figure out how that weird creature is conencted to it all.
This was a fun adventure that will have fans of Roland Smith racing through the pages. Science and eerie mysteries blend together to create a plot that will make intermediate readers keep reading to find out how things are going to end.
October 4, 2021
The Stars Beyond the Mesa by Pete A. O’Donnell is a Mid-Grade Sci-Fi novel and has features that you would expect in a mid-grade novel – short chapters and a lot of action to hold the reader’s attention. The story revolves around five children, ages 12-17 living at a remote, top secret scientific compound. They are the children of the scientists working at the compound. As they are children, the scientists, their parents, try to keep from them that something has gone horribly wrong and they are all in danger. There is action and mystery.
The whole story takes place in about three days, so there is a lot of action to move the story along that quickly. But the novel also has plenty to offer the older reader – great character development for one. Using only a few words each time one of the main characters is involved in the action the reader can see that character’s qualities and flaws. One sees the basics first – Ben is impulsive, Katy is rebellious, Alex is angry; but then more information is given and you understand where each character is coming from and what has gone on before that makes them impulsive, angry or rebellious. Then more things happen and the reader can see that character grow: Alex isn’t just angry, he is brave and driven, concerned about doing the right thing, at first doing it his way and then growing so that he’ll accept help from another. Each of the children’s characters develops in this way.
Even as an adult reader, I enjoyed this book immensely. Pete cleverly leaves you hanging at the end of each chapter so that you have to turn the page to find out what happens next. Each chapter focuses on the action surrounding a single character or two or three characters, so when the chapter ends the reader not only needs to know what happens next in that situation, but also to the other characters not involved in that chapter and having separate adventures.
I have to say unreservedly that this book is very well written with an engaging story and characters and a mid-grade reader who is interested in stories about science, Sci-Fi, adventure, action and mystery, not to mention stories that are a little scary would enjoy this. I plan on buying a copy for my 12-year-old grandson, who isn’t a big reader, but would enjoy this story. I believe a great story is the best way to turn a non-reader into a reader and this novel should do just that.
The whole story takes place in about three days, so there is a lot of action to move the story along that quickly. But the novel also has plenty to offer the older reader – great character development for one. Using only a few words each time one of the main characters is involved in the action the reader can see that character’s qualities and flaws. One sees the basics first – Ben is impulsive, Katy is rebellious, Alex is angry; but then more information is given and you understand where each character is coming from and what has gone on before that makes them impulsive, angry or rebellious. Then more things happen and the reader can see that character grow: Alex isn’t just angry, he is brave and driven, concerned about doing the right thing, at first doing it his way and then growing so that he’ll accept help from another. Each of the children’s characters develops in this way.
Even as an adult reader, I enjoyed this book immensely. Pete cleverly leaves you hanging at the end of each chapter so that you have to turn the page to find out what happens next. Each chapter focuses on the action surrounding a single character or two or three characters, so when the chapter ends the reader not only needs to know what happens next in that situation, but also to the other characters not involved in that chapter and having separate adventures.
I have to say unreservedly that this book is very well written with an engaging story and characters and a mid-grade reader who is interested in stories about science, Sci-Fi, adventure, action and mystery, not to mention stories that are a little scary would enjoy this. I plan on buying a copy for my 12-year-old grandson, who isn’t a big reader, but would enjoy this story. I believe a great story is the best way to turn a non-reader into a reader and this novel should do just that.
October 18, 2022
Original story and interesting characters. I must read Book Two for the resolution of so many mysteries. Fascinating story.
August 26, 2023
“The Stars Beyond the Mesa (In the Giant’s Shadow #1) by Pete A. O’Donnell ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Middle Grade/YA SciFi. Location: Northern Arizona, USA. Time: Present.
Four Corners research facility and observatory is located on a mesa above the Painted Desert. It never opens its gates. Katy Virtanen (16) is stuck there for the summer with her research-obsessed father Dr Jonas Virtanen (a theoretical physicist) and her brother Ben (15), whose hyperactivity is both a curse and a blessing. There’s a mysterious explosion that no one will explain. Katy tries to run away, but a terrible incident occurs-and she may have seen a monster. Meanwhile, Dr Ellen Johnson (theoretical physicist) arrives at the facility, bringing teen sons Alex and Chris with her. As more residents are injured, and a monsoon storm pounds the area, Katy, Ben, Alex, Chris, and Amita Patel-the children of the scientists- must discover what their parents created. Strange lights in the night sky. People acting possessed. A creature stalking the grounds and attacking people.
Author O’Donnell has written a middle grade SciFi tale based on adults going too far for knowledge without considering the impact on the earth. He uses the points of view of a diverse group of teens-racially, ethnically, size, disabilities, personalities. Five teens means we don’t get to know any of them too well, but we do get a sense of their concerns.
O’Donnell sets the story in a visually interesting, remote part of Arizona, complete with mesas, slot canyons, and lots of desert dust. I wish he had included a map of the facility grounds. All in all, it’s a book middle graders should enjoy! It’s 3 stars from me🌵📚💁🏼♀️ Thank you to Prolific Works and Peter A. O’Donnell for this ecopy.
Four Corners research facility and observatory is located on a mesa above the Painted Desert. It never opens its gates. Katy Virtanen (16) is stuck there for the summer with her research-obsessed father Dr Jonas Virtanen (a theoretical physicist) and her brother Ben (15), whose hyperactivity is both a curse and a blessing. There’s a mysterious explosion that no one will explain. Katy tries to run away, but a terrible incident occurs-and she may have seen a monster. Meanwhile, Dr Ellen Johnson (theoretical physicist) arrives at the facility, bringing teen sons Alex and Chris with her. As more residents are injured, and a monsoon storm pounds the area, Katy, Ben, Alex, Chris, and Amita Patel-the children of the scientists- must discover what their parents created. Strange lights in the night sky. People acting possessed. A creature stalking the grounds and attacking people.
Author O’Donnell has written a middle grade SciFi tale based on adults going too far for knowledge without considering the impact on the earth. He uses the points of view of a diverse group of teens-racially, ethnically, size, disabilities, personalities. Five teens means we don’t get to know any of them too well, but we do get a sense of their concerns.
O’Donnell sets the story in a visually interesting, remote part of Arizona, complete with mesas, slot canyons, and lots of desert dust. I wish he had included a map of the facility grounds. All in all, it’s a book middle graders should enjoy! It’s 3 stars from me🌵📚💁🏼♀️ Thank you to Prolific Works and Peter A. O’Donnell for this ecopy.
December 22, 2021
Doorway to another world
Opening a corridor to earth provides an opportunity for others to visit. Full of intrigue and suspense. Alien creatures helping and hindering efforts to close the door.
Opening a corridor to earth provides an opportunity for others to visit. Full of intrigue and suspense. Alien creatures helping and hindering efforts to close the door.
July 29, 2022
Cute entertaining story filled with mystery. Some good twists and turns.and the ending makes me very excited for book 2 in the series
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews