The McGregor Chronicles: Book 1 - Saving Mike
by Larry K. Collins, Lorna Collins
My rating: 4.3 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
When space travel is an everyday occurrence, sleeping for long periods of travel is the norm. As Matt is waking from his sleep, he is hearing voices. Turns out he has medical nanobots in his body and they are ready to help him. As Matt finally comes to, he realizes that his brother Mike is gone. The McGregor Chronicles: Saving Mike is the story of what Matt goes through to rescue his brother, including being paired with a young Federation Officer, Tracy Warren, who although she has a pilot license, has never actually flown a craft. Whereas Matt, who doesn't have a license, has grown up on a space craft. The two work together against pirates and even some shady officials to hopefully bring their family back together again. Authors Larry K. Collins and Lorna Collins have teamed up to create a new space adventure.
The McGregor Chronicles, is set to be a series and this book in particular is the beginning. As a beginning book in a series, we are introduced to a very large McGregor Clan, mainly focusing in Matt and somewhat Mike, but you meet a number of others. We are also given some background and history of Tracy and her unique upbringing. Authors Larry K. Collins and Lorna Collins have given the reader space travel, adventure, pirates, corruption, military, family and a touch of romance all in one story. All of this keeps the story moving along at a quick pace and before you realize it the book is over. There is also the nanobot technology and the moral and ethical questions in how to use it, which will cause you to pause and think. This is a very clean book, no sex or foul language. I feel confident recommending it to teens, young adults and older readers.
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Titan Lost (Galactic Lineage, Book 1)
by Colin Kortekaas
My rating: 4.2 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
War, environmental destruction, and greed are only a few things that have made Earth someplace not really all that great to live. An experimental mining colony has been set up on Saturn's moon, Titan. It seems to be a strange cross-section of people who have chosen to try life in the colony. A jumbled distress call goes out from the colony and Mack is hired to travel to the Titan colony and find out what is going on. In the book, Titan Lost (Galactic Lineage Book 1), you start with Mack arriving at Titan, then you jump back three years to when the distress call was sent out and as you progress through the story, you go back and forth, in flashbacks and such. Author Colin Kortekaas gives you a number of characters that you will either like or hate. There is the scientist, Gus; the doctor, John; the biologist, Irene; and the miner, Max.
Titan Lost (Galactic Lineage, Book 1) is the beginning of a series. Usually when you read a book you are pretty sure where the series is going to go, but with this, there is a slight teaser at the very end, but no real hints as to what you will find in the next book. That makes the wait for the next book that much harder. Author Colin Kortekaas gives the reader an story full of adventure, morals, future living and the story moves along quickly. You find yourself engaged in the story and before you realize it the book is done. Other than some mild adult language, this is a fairly clean book. I would easily recommend it for teens, young adults and older readers.
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The Sundered
by Ruthanne Reid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers Favorite
Water is no longer blue, it's black and it's dangerous. Not only is it dangerous, but it covers most of the world. The world is inhabited by the humans and those they can The Sundered. The Sundered come from the water, but can be controlled by the human mind. It can be difficult, but they have to be harnessed for humanity to live in this world. Ruthanne Reid weaves a story of co-dependency and mutual distrust. The humans need the sundered to grow food and survive on the world. The sundered don't need the humans, but they are less powerful and submit to the control, for the most part. The story follows one young man, and his group as they search the world over for the Hope. The Hope of Humanity is rumored to be what will fix the world back to what it used to be. Other's want to destroy the Hope to in turn destroy the sundered and take the planet for themselves. The truth, is somewhere altogether different.
Ruthann Reid creates a world that feels like Earth, only many years advanced when water covers most of the planet and land is rare. The humans can't touch the water, it will drag them in and kill them. They have to have the sundered to get the water to live. The Sundered is well written and has you really thinking. There are the two factions, one that says the Hope will fix the world, the other that says the Hope must be destroyed. As the story progresses and you learn more, things are uncovered that make you question each faction. Can two cultures survive on the world together, or does it have to be just one or the other? Which culture is really the one that invaded the other and forced themselves on the planet? Great read for adults and teens alike.
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Exiles of Gaia
by H. R. Olsen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Exiles of Gaia is aptly titled. As humans in this future world we are exiled from Earth. We did not take care of the planet and it could no longer support life. Everyone now lives in space stations or colonies on the moon. Only one mission to Earth has taken place in the time they have lived in space. That mission ended badly, now another is in the works. H.R. Olsen does a wonderful job of weaving together the flight crew, the movements, political intrigue and murder to create a captivating story. As there are grass root movements today, there are groups that want to return to Earth, some that want to stay in space, and still others that love the Earth but don't want to return to it. As each of these groups plot against each other and political rivals face off over the planned Earth trip we follow the story, twisting and turning until the end.
H.R. Olsen is a wonderful writer, in that I started reading this book, and just couldn't put it down. I wanted to keep reading to find out who and where. As you turned each page in Exiles of Gaia and got further into the story, what once seemed like random characters are starting to come together. They are crossing paths and being connected to each other, making for unplanned twists in the storyline. It is a great science fiction book, even for young adults and teens, as well as the older crowd. Everyone would get enjoyment out of this book.
Reviewed by Michelle Randall for +Reader's Favorite
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