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New Foundation Project #1
A Signal for Redemption
In the distant future, Piers Haldon is the last, best hope for the Redemption: an interplanetary ark ship bringing settlers to their new home. As the most powerful Empath the ship can spare, he is charged with a critical scout the planet and find a way for the ark to avoid catastrophe.
Arriving a thousand years behind schedule, after a failure in the ship's time-drive, the rundown and overcrowded vessel can no longer support the settlers who have called it home for generations. But, on arrival, the time-traveling colonists realize all is not as it should be on the planet's surface.
The settlers expected a technologically advanced civilization, and are shocked to discover a bygone feudal society of swords, blacksmiths, and horse-drawn carriages. Missing the vital technology that they so desperately need, they have no way to land. Piers must find others on the planet who share his psionic ability while navigating a dangerous world - one ruled by rebellious noble families on the brink of war. Finding the Empaths and channeling their collective psychic force is the only chance he has of guiding the ship to a safe landing. If he fails, those on ark ship will be doomed to a fiery end.
Piers knows that he can't save the ark ship on his own, but, for the sake of the passengers on the Redemption he's willing to do what it takes, or die trying.
Arriving a thousand years behind schedule, after a failure in the ship's time-drive, the rundown and overcrowded vessel can no longer support the settlers who have called it home for generations. But, on arrival, the time-traveling colonists realize all is not as it should be on the planet's surface.
The settlers expected a technologically advanced civilization, and are shocked to discover a bygone feudal society of swords, blacksmiths, and horse-drawn carriages. Missing the vital technology that they so desperately need, they have no way to land. Piers must find others on the planet who share his psionic ability while navigating a dangerous world - one ruled by rebellious noble families on the brink of war. Finding the Empaths and channeling their collective psychic force is the only chance he has of guiding the ship to a safe landing. If he fails, those on ark ship will be doomed to a fiery end.
Piers knows that he can't save the ark ship on his own, but, for the sake of the passengers on the Redemption he's willing to do what it takes, or die trying.
- GenresScience FictionFantasy
504 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 19, 2022
5 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
A.C. Meehan
2 books2 followersA.C. Meehan has lived in seven states and three countries, and is fascinated by the way interactions and environments shape personality. A self-described happy introvert with close friends in distant places, she enjoys reading, writing, taking courses, playing the piano and the harp, and taking long walks in the woods whenever possible. A Signal for Redemption, winner of a National Indie Excellence Award, is the start of the New Foundation Project series.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 27, 2022
I throughly enjoyed this book. It is well written, the characters are fleshed out, and the plot deepens as it unfolds. There are lots of twists and turns throughout.
This is an unexpected meeting of the past with their present.
I give more kudos to this book as it is Meehan's debut novel. I await the next in the series.
Well done!
This is an unexpected meeting of the past with their present.
I give more kudos to this book as it is Meehan's debut novel. I await the next in the series.
Well done!
June 26, 2022
Really?! In the time of space travel women are still in long dresses, are bartered as property, and collapse weeping into a big strong man's arms. They start a new civilization and still have Lords and servants?! The story premise is creative and it is well written, but the need to for a medieval setting did not jibe with the space travel. The characters were clichés, only the dragon was missing. I finished it because it was the only book available and as readers know, sometimes even a bad book is better than no book. Ok probably 2.5 stars, i mean I did finish it.
March 30, 2022
What a start to a super science fantasy epic. You'd be forgiven for not realizing this was a debut self-published novel. You like your Game of Thrones and Dune slow paced politics mixed with fantastical world building, plot driven destinies, and intelligent grown up writing that'd still be good for a more thoughtful YA reader? Come on in, we've got psionic powers and Medieval machinations aplenty here. There may have been a few times I quibbled about the slow pacing and stylistic oldskool sometimes-tell-sometimes-show choices, but there's undeniable talent here that kept me hooked.
As the blurb says, we're introduced to Piers, a scout sent down to a planet his ark ship, The Redemption, was supposed to arrive at roughly 900 odd years ago. Their tech failure cost them more than just time: people on their new colony planet, in the nation of Marra, don't even know they're coming. In fact, Piers discovers they don't know anything about having come from the stars at all. Nor do they know about the psionic Empath abilities that should technically be prevalent in the population; and that crucially would be needed to safely land the ark ship. Stranded on this strangely historical world without the advanced tech they'd expected, Piers must listen and learn to fit in before approaching the leaders who might know enough to help his people. Meanwhile the people of Marra are slowly but surely succumbing to a power struggle centuries in the making. With the Prime House Ettori stifling all who oppose them, it's up to a small group of noble rebels and a man with a mystery past to try to make a stand. But their world is about to change when their legends might just prove true.
This is a slow paced book. It's one that takes the time for us to get to know the characters, and it does have several POVs to alternate between. They each have their own stories and timelines brimming full of foreshadowing and slow-boil tension that characterize the novel. None of that slow time is wasted; everything is important and nuanced in such a way you probably won't even recognize it. If you do it's because you read too much and know the tropes and cliches, but even if that was true of my case I still loved the original takes on everything from how language and customs evolved over time to just that old "mysterious orphan" chestnut we all know and love.
While I wouldn't say the cast were overly stand-out, they are all distinct and I never felt hard done by when the POVs changed. Piers is the systematic off-worlder trying to parse his lack of connection to others when he's spent his whole life Empathetically connected to others. His POV gets the most moody and technical; we learn from his musings what it means to feel alone in the universe as well as the space travel history side of things. Arissa, Lady of a poor ruling house, is the young and hot-headed one who brings the simmering anger. Davlyn, man of mystery, is a counterpoint to Piers; moody, wistful and adrift but brimming with loyalty to those he loves. Then there's Rane, a second son who resents and fears the power games he sees around him, and can't bring himself to play along like his brother or ignore them like everyone else. Each have their own distinct characteristics and side characters, each gets their time to shine.
The world building is, quite frankly, stellar (excuse the pun). Imaginative, quirky at times, and just plain old clever the rest. 'Nuff said without spoilers. You'll want to savour the moments as you use each POV to put the pieces together. Intelligent writing like this gets you to think, but doesn't lose you along the way.
The only downsides I found where stylistic. Anyone triggered by many commas might get bad nerves, and I felt that sometimes the narration could drift off into a more tell than show style particularly later on in the book. Several times it felt like we were having time-skips only for characters to "remember" events or skim over conversations that it would have been more satisfying to see play out in real time. This is one of the few times I've wished a long book would have been longer! The stylistic choice could also lead to me feeling confused (there was a battle scene I ended up reading 3 times to be sure I know what had happened, but I didn't know quite why) and a little left out at times. It's entirely personal preference, but I enjoyed the more "in the moment" sections of the story where everything played out before us.
Even so, it was a gripping debut read and one I'd urge fans of science fantasy to try out. It may end of a To Be Continued, but it's the satisfying take a deep breath before the plunge kind that could be where the story ends... But after that villainous epilogue, you'll likely be glad it isn't. The plot, characters and machinations deserve multiple books, and I'd be looking forward to the next.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
As the blurb says, we're introduced to Piers, a scout sent down to a planet his ark ship, The Redemption, was supposed to arrive at roughly 900 odd years ago. Their tech failure cost them more than just time: people on their new colony planet, in the nation of Marra, don't even know they're coming. In fact, Piers discovers they don't know anything about having come from the stars at all. Nor do they know about the psionic Empath abilities that should technically be prevalent in the population; and that crucially would be needed to safely land the ark ship. Stranded on this strangely historical world without the advanced tech they'd expected, Piers must listen and learn to fit in before approaching the leaders who might know enough to help his people. Meanwhile the people of Marra are slowly but surely succumbing to a power struggle centuries in the making. With the Prime House Ettori stifling all who oppose them, it's up to a small group of noble rebels and a man with a mystery past to try to make a stand. But their world is about to change when their legends might just prove true.
This is a slow paced book. It's one that takes the time for us to get to know the characters, and it does have several POVs to alternate between. They each have their own stories and timelines brimming full of foreshadowing and slow-boil tension that characterize the novel. None of that slow time is wasted; everything is important and nuanced in such a way you probably won't even recognize it. If you do it's because you read too much and know the tropes and cliches, but even if that was true of my case I still loved the original takes on everything from how language and customs evolved over time to just that old "mysterious orphan" chestnut we all know and love.
While I wouldn't say the cast were overly stand-out, they are all distinct and I never felt hard done by when the POVs changed. Piers is the systematic off-worlder trying to parse his lack of connection to others when he's spent his whole life Empathetically connected to others. His POV gets the most moody and technical; we learn from his musings what it means to feel alone in the universe as well as the space travel history side of things. Arissa, Lady of a poor ruling house, is the young and hot-headed one who brings the simmering anger. Davlyn, man of mystery, is a counterpoint to Piers; moody, wistful and adrift but brimming with loyalty to those he loves. Then there's Rane, a second son who resents and fears the power games he sees around him, and can't bring himself to play along like his brother or ignore them like everyone else. Each have their own distinct characteristics and side characters, each gets their time to shine.
The world building is, quite frankly, stellar (excuse the pun). Imaginative, quirky at times, and just plain old clever the rest. 'Nuff said without spoilers. You'll want to savour the moments as you use each POV to put the pieces together. Intelligent writing like this gets you to think, but doesn't lose you along the way.
The only downsides I found where stylistic. Anyone triggered by many commas might get bad nerves, and I felt that sometimes the narration could drift off into a more tell than show style particularly later on in the book. Several times it felt like we were having time-skips only for characters to "remember" events or skim over conversations that it would have been more satisfying to see play out in real time. This is one of the few times I've wished a long book would have been longer! The stylistic choice could also lead to me feeling confused (there was a battle scene I ended up reading 3 times to be sure I know what had happened, but I didn't know quite why) and a little left out at times. It's entirely personal preference, but I enjoyed the more "in the moment" sections of the story where everything played out before us.
Even so, it was a gripping debut read and one I'd urge fans of science fantasy to try out. It may end of a To Be Continued, but it's the satisfying take a deep breath before the plunge kind that could be where the story ends... But after that villainous epilogue, you'll likely be glad it isn't. The plot, characters and machinations deserve multiple books, and I'd be looking forward to the next.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 29, 2022
When I downloaded this ARC to review, I genuinely had no idea what to expect. The synopsis intrigued me; a space ship orbiting a planet – desperate to land and bring the three thousand passengers to safety – but the planet isn’t expecting them, nor is it technologically ready for them – despite it have being supposedly prepared.
It was obvious that there was a mystery in the book – why was the space ship in orbit? Why was it arriving over a thousand years late? Why hadn’t the planets’ inhabitants evolved technologically from a basic feudal system? The questions just kept coming as I excitedly dove into the book.
A Signal for Redemption did not disappoint. From the very first page, I was swept into the story, compelled to keep reading. The prologue, even if I didn’t realise it at the time, had plenty of answers and light bulbmoments when I hesitantly flipped back to check – always a sign of a well thought out, intricately planned book.
As we move through the story, there’s mentions of ‘Empaths’ and people who have a ‘Psi ability’ – something you don’t need to have a genetically engineered psychic ability to understand. Meehan writes with such clarity, so emotively, you fully understand exactly what the Psi characters are experiencing. You feel the depth of their emotions, the crippling anxiety, the overwhelming confusion and the dizzying joy. Those scenes are so exquisitely written, you’re in the heads of the characters, whether you wish to be or not.
The only thing that’s stopping this book from receiving five stars is that at times the pacing of the story is somewhat confusing. The ending is abrupt – there’s no resolution – and you’re left feeling somewhat breathless and confused. I can only hope this means that Meehan is planning on expanding the story to further books – I need to know what happens next.
A Signal for Redemption by A. C. Meehan is a book with an unusual juxtaposition. A feudal civilisation that’s at odds with itself as it waivers under a despotic leader whose ambition knows no bounds. An orbiting space ship from an earth (which may or may not have been destroyed), a thousand years late with rapidly dwindling supplies. Although these two tropes should clash, Meehan has made them work in beautiful harmony.
SA
I received this book as an ARC from the Reedsy Discovery Program.
It was obvious that there was a mystery in the book – why was the space ship in orbit? Why was it arriving over a thousand years late? Why hadn’t the planets’ inhabitants evolved technologically from a basic feudal system? The questions just kept coming as I excitedly dove into the book.
A Signal for Redemption did not disappoint. From the very first page, I was swept into the story, compelled to keep reading. The prologue, even if I didn’t realise it at the time, had plenty of answers and light bulbmoments when I hesitantly flipped back to check – always a sign of a well thought out, intricately planned book.
As we move through the story, there’s mentions of ‘Empaths’ and people who have a ‘Psi ability’ – something you don’t need to have a genetically engineered psychic ability to understand. Meehan writes with such clarity, so emotively, you fully understand exactly what the Psi characters are experiencing. You feel the depth of their emotions, the crippling anxiety, the overwhelming confusion and the dizzying joy. Those scenes are so exquisitely written, you’re in the heads of the characters, whether you wish to be or not.
The only thing that’s stopping this book from receiving five stars is that at times the pacing of the story is somewhat confusing. The ending is abrupt – there’s no resolution – and you’re left feeling somewhat breathless and confused. I can only hope this means that Meehan is planning on expanding the story to further books – I need to know what happens next.
A Signal for Redemption by A. C. Meehan is a book with an unusual juxtaposition. A feudal civilisation that’s at odds with itself as it waivers under a despotic leader whose ambition knows no bounds. An orbiting space ship from an earth (which may or may not have been destroyed), a thousand years late with rapidly dwindling supplies. Although these two tropes should clash, Meehan has made them work in beautiful harmony.
SA
I received this book as an ARC from the Reedsy Discovery Program.
December 9, 2022
I highly recommend this novel. Some of my highlights, without giving away spoilers:
1. The characters. I loved the characterization in this novel. Even the minor characters were memorable and left me curious to know more about them. One of the many difficulties I see in writing a great novel is to have characters that seem both real/three dimensional and at the same time interesting and engaging. I think the author does a fantastic job of doing that in the book. I want to read more about Piers and the other characters.
2. The genre. There are a lot of books that are formulaic. That in itself doesn’t mean it is a bad novel, as I have read many I have enjoyed. This author doesn’t seem to have been constrained to one genre of storytelling. There are elements of science fiction, medieval fantasy, political intrigue, and others all beautifully blended together. I feel like it is very different from any novel I have read before, in a very good way.
3. The scope of the world building. Aside from wanting to know more about the characters, I wanted to know more about what was happening onboard the ark ship, what was happening with the other scouts, what had happened in the past to make this world the way it is, and what had happened on the ark ship itself in the past? To me, the author has built a world where she can explore many areas in future books just with what has been revealed in this book. This novel definitely left me wanting to read more about the world it is set in.
While this is an exciting adventure story with good versus evil elements, there is a lot more to it than that, with its story of connection and psi-abilities. It is a fascinating part of the story. I am anxiously looking forward to the next novel.
1. The characters. I loved the characterization in this novel. Even the minor characters were memorable and left me curious to know more about them. One of the many difficulties I see in writing a great novel is to have characters that seem both real/three dimensional and at the same time interesting and engaging. I think the author does a fantastic job of doing that in the book. I want to read more about Piers and the other characters.
2. The genre. There are a lot of books that are formulaic. That in itself doesn’t mean it is a bad novel, as I have read many I have enjoyed. This author doesn’t seem to have been constrained to one genre of storytelling. There are elements of science fiction, medieval fantasy, political intrigue, and others all beautifully blended together. I feel like it is very different from any novel I have read before, in a very good way.
3. The scope of the world building. Aside from wanting to know more about the characters, I wanted to know more about what was happening onboard the ark ship, what was happening with the other scouts, what had happened in the past to make this world the way it is, and what had happened on the ark ship itself in the past? To me, the author has built a world where she can explore many areas in future books just with what has been revealed in this book. This novel definitely left me wanting to read more about the world it is set in.
While this is an exciting adventure story with good versus evil elements, there is a lot more to it than that, with its story of connection and psi-abilities. It is a fascinating part of the story. I am anxiously looking forward to the next novel.
July 7, 2024
Two starships leave a dying Earth with plans on settling a new homeland. One arrives hundreds of years before the other -- and when the second ship finally arrives, its eighth-generation crew discover a planet with a feudal society whose inhabitants believe the tales of their ancestors coming from the stars to be just legends.
All of that might sound like a lot to digest. But Meehan skillfully maneuvers between the alliances, romances, and deceptions of the Great Houses of Merra and the efforts by Piers Haldon -- interplanetary scout, empath and reluctant (and somewhat inept) diplomat to understand the new planet's ways and find a landing place for his people.
By the last few chapters, I was irritated and annoyed not with the book, but with anyone and everything that prevented me from finishing it. I hated to put it down, and am looking forward to the next story set in these worlds.
All of that might sound like a lot to digest. But Meehan skillfully maneuvers between the alliances, romances, and deceptions of the Great Houses of Merra and the efforts by Piers Haldon -- interplanetary scout, empath and reluctant (and somewhat inept) diplomat to understand the new planet's ways and find a landing place for his people.
By the last few chapters, I was irritated and annoyed not with the book, but with anyone and everything that prevented me from finishing it. I hated to put it down, and am looking forward to the next story set in these worlds.
July 30, 2022
I throughly enjoyed this book. I don’t usually read sci-fi but do really like historical novels. This story felt like it was set in the middle ages which I liked - the juxtaposition of the space ship advancements with medieval times was very interesting. The beginning to middle were a little slow & then the novel moved at warp speed near the end. I was very impressed with this first book and look forward to the next one!!
July 18, 2024
This book is captivating. Not only does Meehan take you on a journey into another world ruled by alternative politics, culture and science, but she also explores the mind like it's a new realm. I highly recommend.
March 12, 2022
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Very much enjoyed this one. We have well-developed characterization where there's enough spotlight for a few interesting side characters to shine.
The world-building is handled pretty well too. And there's still room for a lot more to be explored. I loved the craft and creativity put into the narrative which was truly engaging. Definitely will read more form the author!
Very much enjoyed this one. We have well-developed characterization where there's enough spotlight for a few interesting side characters to shine.
The world-building is handled pretty well too. And there's still room for a lot more to be explored. I loved the craft and creativity put into the narrative which was truly engaging. Definitely will read more form the author!
April 19, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The manner in which the characters are woven together has me hooked. I look forward to continuing their journey in the next book. For those reading this who may think, this is not a genre for you, I say don't count it out. I, too, was hesitant and boy was I wrong. So different than most things I read and extremely enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews