Valhai

The Ammonite Galaxy #1

by Gillian Andrews

Six has survived ten of his fourteen years as an outcast in subzero temperatures - being drugged and shipped off to another planet as an unwilling apprentice is not going to make him a victim.

Neither is his travelling companion, who makes it clear she isn’t keen on sharing space with a no-name like him. No wonder she’s on the apprentice program - Six is amazed her aristocratic family managed to put up with her for so long.

Their destination is Valhai – a planet in orbit around a red dwarf star - where they are to spend so much time in a strange solitary confinement that even the sight of each other might be welcome. Nobody on Valhai seems to know or care what happens to the apprentices - until one hesitant girl with an uncertain future of her own stumbles across the real nature of the donor program—

—and the biggest surprise on Valhai, which has been lying dormant for thousands of years, wakes up ...

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy

310 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 6, 2010

About the author

Gillian Andrews is the author of "Termination Shock" (2019) "Interdicted Space"(2019) and "Exceptional Point" (2020), the first three books in the "Interstellar Enforcement Agency" series; "Kelfor" (2017) and the seven book young adult scifi adventure series "The Ammonite Galaxy" (2010 to 2015)

Reading Order for The Ammonite Galaxy series:
Valhai
Kwaide
Xiantha
Pictoria
The Lost Animas
The Namura Stone
The Trimorphs

Reviews

[Lysne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read. At first I thought it was an echo of Hunger Games, but no- it is it's own story, and very engrossing. I was only planning on reading a few chapters and then ended up staying up all night reading the whole darn thing. I am looking forward to the next.

[Amber Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Page turner

This book will keep you engaged from beginning to end. Its a fantastic world, full of greed and prejudices but with hope from the people who are both served and destroyed by the ideals of each world. Full of wonderful characters, amazing arcs and brilliant friendships.

[Tibbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story. Original concept. The best of the series.

[Rosemary Cantrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a young adult science fiction. What makes this book successful are the characters and their interactions with each other. They are all individuals, with unique personalities. There is humor, mystery, suspense, and plenty of science fiction. Even though science fiction is not my cup of tea, I found I actually enjoyed this book quite a bit. I think young readers would love it.

My biggest problem is Arcan, the lake made of whatever it is, and some of the incidents there. That is a big part of the story, of course, so it was necessary to just suspend believability for those incidents.

I would definitely recommend to young readers.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for writing a review, but the opinions are truly my own.

[Angela Goldsmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story that took an unexpected turn in a good way. I don't want to give anything away as the plot twist makes this story. I am looking forward to where the characters go from here and if the author can sustain the story without it coming to a predictable end - I hope so!

[Squeak · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable Young-Adult Sci-Fi. I enjoyed the different worlds and the different interactions between the people from the different worlds. It was kinda sad that the worlds were in such a terrible shape with some people being so much better than others, but ....

Thanks for the story!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very different...

This tale of young people traded as commodities is very different...yet it drags you into their fight for survival . I thoroughly enjoyed it. The writing is well-thought out, edited well, and overall rather clever.

[Ed Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading "Valhai" and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. The characters are well developed and I grew to care about their fate and that of the planet. Gillian Andrews has a great future as a science fiction writer.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband suggested this series and I wm hooked! definitely some characters you just despise and I don't think that is to harsh. already on to my 2nd novel.