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Inertia
Gliese 581g is the last remaining colony of the human race, located twenty light years from Earth. The planet was once tidal locked to its sun, with one side draped in darkness and the other half always bright. This changed after a radical group called O.A.K. increased the planet’s rotation to bring daylight cycles to all in the name of equality. All was not well, however, as decades passed, and new generations dealt with continual floods as the newfound sunlight melted the icecaps. Entire neighborhoods went aquatic from rising sea levels.
Soon, the planet was spinning out of control, with sunrises occurring every few hours.
Ash Rivenshear works as a geophysicist at Geosturm, a company contracted by the New Order to monitor the geological crisis. As she investigates the planet’s increasing rotation, she uncovers classified data indicating that someone is intentionally manipulating it to their own ends. An attack on her life is made to cover up the intel. After surviving, she contacts her estranged father for help, Severum Rivenshear. Having no idea he had a daughter, Severum agrees to help, but the tension of his absence throughout her life builds as he works to build a relationship with her.
Soon, the planet was spinning out of control, with sunrises occurring every few hours.
Ash Rivenshear works as a geophysicist at Geosturm, a company contracted by the New Order to monitor the geological crisis. As she investigates the planet’s increasing rotation, she uncovers classified data indicating that someone is intentionally manipulating it to their own ends. An attack on her life is made to cover up the intel. After surviving, she contacts her estranged father for help, Severum Rivenshear. Having no idea he had a daughter, Severum agrees to help, but the tension of his absence throughout her life builds as he works to build a relationship with her.
- GenresScience FictionDystopia
293 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 11, 2022
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 16, 2024
My Ratings - 4.8/5
“Inertia” by Mark Everglade is a riveting and intricately crafted science fiction tale set on the distant colony of Gliese 581g. The novel unfolds in a world shaped by radical interventions, where the manipulation of the planet’s rotation becomes the focal point for a gripping narrative filled with ecological crises, corporate machinations, and personal discoveries.
The author immerses readers in a future where Gliese 581g faces the consequences of well-intentioned yet disastrous attempts to bring equality through altering the planet’s rotation. As daylight cycles disrupt the balance of nature, Ash Rivenshear, a geophysicist working for Geosturm, finds herself entangled in a web of classified data that hints at intentional manipulation. The story gains momentum as Ash, resilient and determined, uncovers a conspiracy that goes beyond ecological concerns.
Everglade expertly weaves multiple layers into the narrative, introducing characters with complex backgrounds and motivations. The strained relationship between Ash and her estranged father, Severum Rivenshear, adds emotional depth to the storyline. As they delve into the conspiracy, the father-daughter dynamic becomes a compelling element that humanizes the overarching science fiction plot.
The political intrigue involving the Old Guard and the New Order, with echoes of a defunct Government of Evig Natt, injects a sense of urgency and suspense. The novel explores themes of power, manipulation, and the consequences of unchecked authority, making it not only a thrilling science fiction adventure but also a reflection on societal structures and their impact.
Severum’s journey, marked by cybernetic upgrades and a quest for redemption, adds an element of personal growth and transformation to the larger narrative..
“Inertia” stands out as a well-crafted and immersive science fiction novel that transcends genre conventions. For fans of science fiction that explores both the external and internal frontiers of human experience, “Inertia” is a captivating journey into the complexities of a distant yet eerily familiar world.
“Inertia” by Mark Everglade is a riveting and intricately crafted science fiction tale set on the distant colony of Gliese 581g. The novel unfolds in a world shaped by radical interventions, where the manipulation of the planet’s rotation becomes the focal point for a gripping narrative filled with ecological crises, corporate machinations, and personal discoveries.
The author immerses readers in a future where Gliese 581g faces the consequences of well-intentioned yet disastrous attempts to bring equality through altering the planet’s rotation. As daylight cycles disrupt the balance of nature, Ash Rivenshear, a geophysicist working for Geosturm, finds herself entangled in a web of classified data that hints at intentional manipulation. The story gains momentum as Ash, resilient and determined, uncovers a conspiracy that goes beyond ecological concerns.
Everglade expertly weaves multiple layers into the narrative, introducing characters with complex backgrounds and motivations. The strained relationship between Ash and her estranged father, Severum Rivenshear, adds emotional depth to the storyline. As they delve into the conspiracy, the father-daughter dynamic becomes a compelling element that humanizes the overarching science fiction plot.
The political intrigue involving the Old Guard and the New Order, with echoes of a defunct Government of Evig Natt, injects a sense of urgency and suspense. The novel explores themes of power, manipulation, and the consequences of unchecked authority, making it not only a thrilling science fiction adventure but also a reflection on societal structures and their impact.
Severum’s journey, marked by cybernetic upgrades and a quest for redemption, adds an element of personal growth and transformation to the larger narrative..
“Inertia” stands out as a well-crafted and immersive science fiction novel that transcends genre conventions. For fans of science fiction that explores both the external and internal frontiers of human experience, “Inertia” is a captivating journey into the complexities of a distant yet eerily familiar world.
November 14, 2022
The Review
This was such a thoughtful and captivating sci-fi read. The author does an incredible job of balancing the larger-than-life climate and the geological crisis of this fictional planet with the much more intimate personal crisis between a father and his daughter. The imagery the author conjures up in this book really emphasizes the crisis itself, as the opening pages highlight the damage done to this world with a mixture of flood and trash hitting the protagonist as she makes her way to work. The atmosphere and tension continuously ratchet up as the mixture of atmospheric suspense and action thriller bleed into this epic sci-fi narrative.
Yet to me, this was a narrative that was only as engaging as it was thanks to the infusion of such a profoundly meaningful character direction for both protagonists. The heartbreak as Ash struggles to connect with her absentee father while Severum tries to be there for the daughter he never knew existed was incredible to read, as it added the human element that sci-fi reads of this caliber need. The themes of family, our own mortality, and how parents are compelled to protect their children are felt so profoundly in this novel.
The Verdict
Harrowing, thought-provoking, and entertaining, author Mark Everglade’s “Inertia” is a brilliant sci-fi novel and a great followup to the author’s book “Hemispheres”. The twists and turns that this narrative takes to mirror the life or death stakes perfectly of this global dilemma, and the personal story of this father and daughter duo will have readers invested until the book’s final pages.
This was such a thoughtful and captivating sci-fi read. The author does an incredible job of balancing the larger-than-life climate and the geological crisis of this fictional planet with the much more intimate personal crisis between a father and his daughter. The imagery the author conjures up in this book really emphasizes the crisis itself, as the opening pages highlight the damage done to this world with a mixture of flood and trash hitting the protagonist as she makes her way to work. The atmosphere and tension continuously ratchet up as the mixture of atmospheric suspense and action thriller bleed into this epic sci-fi narrative.
Yet to me, this was a narrative that was only as engaging as it was thanks to the infusion of such a profoundly meaningful character direction for both protagonists. The heartbreak as Ash struggles to connect with her absentee father while Severum tries to be there for the daughter he never knew existed was incredible to read, as it added the human element that sci-fi reads of this caliber need. The themes of family, our own mortality, and how parents are compelled to protect their children are felt so profoundly in this novel.
The Verdict
Harrowing, thought-provoking, and entertaining, author Mark Everglade’s “Inertia” is a brilliant sci-fi novel and a great followup to the author’s book “Hemispheres”. The twists and turns that this narrative takes to mirror the life or death stakes perfectly of this global dilemma, and the personal story of this father and daughter duo will have readers invested until the book’s final pages.
September 13, 2024
‘Yesterday the sun rose three times. Three times!’ – climate changes in a solid cyberpunk delivery
Florida author Mark Everglade is both a sociologist and author and his ongoing fascination with science fiction is evident in his publications in Exoplanet Magazine and Unrealpolitik, using the platform of imagination to create opportunities for his readers to consider ideological divisiveness – ‘exposing each side's strengths and weaknesses, and understanding our underlying values are more similar than we think, regardless of how we look, act, or vote.’ His books to date include several anthologies and novels - Neo Cyberpunk: The Anthology, Song of Kitaba, Hemispheres and now INERTIA.
To understand the philosophical messages contained in this luminous novel, it is best to view Mark’s distillation of the story: ‘Gliese 581g is the last remaining colony of the human race, located twenty light years from Earth. The planet was once tidal locked to its sun, with one side draped in darkness and the other half always bright. This changed after a radical group called O.A.K. increased the planet’s rotation to bring daylight cycles to all in the name of equality. All was not well, however, as decades passed, and new generations dealt with continual floods as the newfound sunlight melted the icecaps. Entire neighborhoods went aquatic from rising sea levels. Soon, the planet was spinning out of control, with sunrises occurring every few hours. Ash Rivenshear works as a geophysicist at Geosturm, a company contracted by the New Order to monitor the geological crisis. As she investigates the planet’s increasing rotation, she uncovers classified data indicating that someone is intentionally manipulating it to their own ends. An attack on her life is made to cover up the intel. After surviving, she contacts her estranged father for help, Severum Rivenshear. Having no idea he had a daughter, Severum agrees to help, but the tension of his absence throughout her life builds as he works to build a relationship with her.’
In creating a ‘different world’ for the stage on which the action (and messages) occurs, Mark reveals a dramatic, painterly skill that gains our attention with its credible beauty. Excellent illustrations provide visual assistance, as the novel opens introducing Ash Rivenshear: ‘Ash stepped out of the Sloumstone Apartments and trudged through the knee-high water to work with the rest of the wage slaves. The floods were getting worse each day, and the whole place stank like a gym locker in dirty dishwater…’ That picturesque manner opens the gate for Mark’s excellent observations and suggestions, especially relevant in this time of climate change discussions! Very highly recommended for a wide audience.
Florida author Mark Everglade is both a sociologist and author and his ongoing fascination with science fiction is evident in his publications in Exoplanet Magazine and Unrealpolitik, using the platform of imagination to create opportunities for his readers to consider ideological divisiveness – ‘exposing each side's strengths and weaknesses, and understanding our underlying values are more similar than we think, regardless of how we look, act, or vote.’ His books to date include several anthologies and novels - Neo Cyberpunk: The Anthology, Song of Kitaba, Hemispheres and now INERTIA.
To understand the philosophical messages contained in this luminous novel, it is best to view Mark’s distillation of the story: ‘Gliese 581g is the last remaining colony of the human race, located twenty light years from Earth. The planet was once tidal locked to its sun, with one side draped in darkness and the other half always bright. This changed after a radical group called O.A.K. increased the planet’s rotation to bring daylight cycles to all in the name of equality. All was not well, however, as decades passed, and new generations dealt with continual floods as the newfound sunlight melted the icecaps. Entire neighborhoods went aquatic from rising sea levels. Soon, the planet was spinning out of control, with sunrises occurring every few hours. Ash Rivenshear works as a geophysicist at Geosturm, a company contracted by the New Order to monitor the geological crisis. As she investigates the planet’s increasing rotation, she uncovers classified data indicating that someone is intentionally manipulating it to their own ends. An attack on her life is made to cover up the intel. After surviving, she contacts her estranged father for help, Severum Rivenshear. Having no idea he had a daughter, Severum agrees to help, but the tension of his absence throughout her life builds as he works to build a relationship with her.’
In creating a ‘different world’ for the stage on which the action (and messages) occurs, Mark reveals a dramatic, painterly skill that gains our attention with its credible beauty. Excellent illustrations provide visual assistance, as the novel opens introducing Ash Rivenshear: ‘Ash stepped out of the Sloumstone Apartments and trudged through the knee-high water to work with the rest of the wage slaves. The floods were getting worse each day, and the whole place stank like a gym locker in dirty dishwater…’ That picturesque manner opens the gate for Mark’s excellent observations and suggestions, especially relevant in this time of climate change discussions! Very highly recommended for a wide audience.
January 17, 2024
In the technology-immersed colony of Gliese 581g is Ash, a 19-year-old resident of the city of Blutengel and an employee at Geosturm. Upon arrival at work, they were informed of a crisis that had to do with the planet's rotation. Shortly after, Malik Aldweg, her manager, whom she was often at loggerheads with, gave her a task about writing a history of what happened to the planet over some decades since the Great Rotation started. Although initially unwilling, she commenced her research by leveraging advanced technology. She found that the planet had undergone several negative environmental changes, such as shorter days and flooding, and those were the result of intentional manipulation of the planet. However, after submitting the report, she was fired. Furthermore, her discovery would lead to a series of attacks and threats to her life. In the quest for discovering the culprit(s) and stopping the disasters, different people, including Severum, would play certain roles while risking their lives. One would wonder how far they are willing to go to stop further damage to their world.
Mark Everglade uncovered different layers of the story and introduced more characters with great finesse, which made me ease into the story without feeling overwhelmed.Considering that a huge part of this book revolves around cyberspace, its complexity, especially for a person with little knowledge in the field, is no surprise. However, I love the way the author made repeated references to certain aspects of the story, as this gave me a clearer understanding, thereby flowing along with the story. Some of them include the details of how the colony started having certain environmental issues, the persons and organizations involved, and Severum's and O.A.K.'s involvement with the planet's rotation back in the day, among others.
The suspense and engagement levels of this book are reasonable. Various aspects of the book had me on the edge of my seat, especially when Ash was trying to hack into a server and when she was searching for who "Sibi-nite2" was, both virtually and in the real world. On the other hand, when the city of Blutengel was introduced, it was said to have been formerly called Evig Natt. However, I wondered why the author interchanged between calling it Evig Natt and Blutengel as the book progressed.
This book deserves an easy 5-star rating. However, if you are not familiar with technology terms, it will definitely be a tough read for you. But if you want this to be a learning experience, you will appreciate it. Finally, I recommend it to lovers of science fiction books.
Mark Everglade uncovered different layers of the story and introduced more characters with great finesse, which made me ease into the story without feeling overwhelmed.Considering that a huge part of this book revolves around cyberspace, its complexity, especially for a person with little knowledge in the field, is no surprise. However, I love the way the author made repeated references to certain aspects of the story, as this gave me a clearer understanding, thereby flowing along with the story. Some of them include the details of how the colony started having certain environmental issues, the persons and organizations involved, and Severum's and O.A.K.'s involvement with the planet's rotation back in the day, among others.
The suspense and engagement levels of this book are reasonable. Various aspects of the book had me on the edge of my seat, especially when Ash was trying to hack into a server and when she was searching for who "Sibi-nite2" was, both virtually and in the real world. On the other hand, when the city of Blutengel was introduced, it was said to have been formerly called Evig Natt. However, I wondered why the author interchanged between calling it Evig Natt and Blutengel as the book progressed.
This book deserves an easy 5-star rating. However, if you are not familiar with technology terms, it will definitely be a tough read for you. But if you want this to be a learning experience, you will appreciate it. Finally, I recommend it to lovers of science fiction books.
January 1, 2024
Inertia" by Mark Everglade.Gliese 581g is the last colony left of the human race, and it is located twenty light years from Earth.The territory was once a good-living and habitable place, with one side having light and the other side dark. All these events turned around after a group called the O.A.K. increased the planet's rotation to bring about equality in the daylight cycles. Soon the planet was spinning out of control, creating much havoc for the inhabitants through continual flooding and aquatic rising above sea level.Ash Rivenshear is a geophysicist at Goestrum, a company that monitors the geological crisis, contracted by the New Order. She plunges into investigating the turnout of events after decades pass; she uncovers that there is someone behind all the ecological effects on the planet, and after the classified discovery, an attack was made on her life because of the intel, she uncovered, which she survived. After her survival, she made contact with her estranged father, who didn't know he had a daughter, and they both found a research lab where they traced the connection between Geostrum and the Old Guard, a scion of the now-defunct government of Evig Natt led by Eduardo Culptos.Severum worked with his daughter and is still trying to make up for the years he hasn't been in her life.
Ash Rivenshear is a physicist with great passion for her planet, wanting to change the perspective and bring liberation to the people. With the help of her father, whom she later contacted, they were able to uncover more mysteries behind the ecological effects on their planet.
This book was a fascinating read for me. I couldn't stop reading until I covered the whole book. There was no fault in the book, which means that it was carefully edited, and there are pictorial representations of certain places, which made the book more interesting to read.
I will rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend this book to all readers and lovers of science fiction books.
Ash Rivenshear is a physicist with great passion for her planet, wanting to change the perspective and bring liberation to the people. With the help of her father, whom she later contacted, they were able to uncover more mysteries behind the ecological effects on their planet.
This book was a fascinating read for me. I couldn't stop reading until I covered the whole book. There was no fault in the book, which means that it was carefully edited, and there are pictorial representations of certain places, which made the book more interesting to read.
I will rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend this book to all readers and lovers of science fiction books.
March 19, 2023
The last colony of the Earth has one side that is always bright and the other that is filled with darkness. But when a radical group increases the rotation of the planet in a bit to distribute sunlight to both sides of Gliese 581g, everything changes. Tasked to investigate the unusual rotation and the dangers it poses to the colony, geophysicist Ash Rivenshear uncovers a dark secret — someone is manipulating the rotation of the planet for their selfish ends. But this is just the tip of the iceberg as she puts her life in danger. Securing the help of Severum only plunge them into a deeper conspiracy. Can the planet be saved or is humanity facing imminent extinction?
The conflict in this novel is phenomenal and the author illustrates what can happen when humans interfere with the natural course of the world. Readers are plunged into a world that is stunningly imagined and wonderfully written, and it is intriguing to follow the conflict and the conspiracy that unfolds from page to page. A world in which the sunlight is manipulated to occur after every few hours is hard to imagine, yet Mark Everglade writes in a way that makes readers feel as though this were possible. The writing is bold and assured, the descriptions vivid and engaging, and the characters are fully drawn and believable. The short chapters and the intense drama transform this tale into an engrossing, page-turning narrative.
The conflict in this novel is phenomenal and the author illustrates what can happen when humans interfere with the natural course of the world. Readers are plunged into a world that is stunningly imagined and wonderfully written, and it is intriguing to follow the conflict and the conspiracy that unfolds from page to page. A world in which the sunlight is manipulated to occur after every few hours is hard to imagine, yet Mark Everglade writes in a way that makes readers feel as though this were possible. The writing is bold and assured, the descriptions vivid and engaging, and the characters are fully drawn and believable. The short chapters and the intense drama transform this tale into an engrossing, page-turning narrative.
January 4, 2024
I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I have been trying to read more out of my comfort zone. Cyberpunk is definitely that. The way this world is describes really does show the world they last colony of humans have to survive on a planet that is going through some issues. The story moves along smoothly and makes what to know what is going to happen next to the characters. It is a bit intense and thought-provoking all the way through. This could happen to us if we don't take care of our own planet.
November 6, 2022
Thought provoking sci-fi. Severum Rivenshear has aged since Hemispheres and though slower & weaker, he's wiser and a prosthetic titanium hand makes up for much of what he's lost anyway. While Hemispheres was about bringing equality to a world riven by light and dark / wealth and poverty, Inertia focuses on the family and individual responsibility, on taking responsibility for those that rely on you.
December 8, 2024
This one took a bit to get into, but I’m glad I pushed through.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews