Customer Reviews

The Caverns of Mare Cetus

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As the author of "The Second Virgin Birth," I must say that "The Caverns of Mare Cetus," is one good science fiction tale. It starts with a bang that will immediately grab you, then settles back to an uneasy calm, the tension building throughout the rest of the novel, chapter after chapter, until it gets to what I would call a literally cinematic climax. If you're good at unraveling a storyline, you'll need all your wits to figure out where this one is going. It's not because the author's misleading or pulls events out of a magician's hat, it's because the author is good at building an insidious plot. Most of the story takes place in a huge cavern on the lifeless planet of Mare Cetus, a planet some twelve light years from Earth. The year is 2165. The team exploring the caves has all kinds of high tech equipment at their disposal, but they are ill prepared for what happens to them as they get deeper into the caves. Time and again, the author springs traps on the reader, catching you with thrills when you least expect them. Then just when you think you might have things figured out, something changes the course of the story, and now you're going in a slightly different direction. Later you realize that new direction was dictated by the puzzle pieces that had been there all along, right in front of you. You just needed to put them together. Very late in the book, I was certain the author had to have finally run out of surprises. He hadn't. I should have known better than to let my guard down. This is not your average science fiction novel, and it's certainly an excellent novel for a first-time author. It was entertaining from start to finish, and I felt the author was challenging me, as well as the characters, to figure out the secrets of the caverns. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who wants a fast-paced story with some powerful dialog and excellent character development. I look forward to his second novel.

Who knew geology could be so exciting--and so deadly?

The Caverns of Mare Cetus is a remarkable read--and almost a new science fiction genre--the geology terror mystery. What sets the book apart from most science fiction is that the author is obviously a master at a scientific field, geology, that almost never makes its way into science fiction.

So, while getting your socks scared off by the cruel mysteries beneath Mare Cetus, be prepared to also see extraterrestrial exploration through a lens you've never been offered. In a book that is exciting, ominous, startling and very learned, The Caverns of Mare Cetus will, literally, rock your world--and several others, too!

Before I read The Caverns Of Mare Cetus, I wasn't really into science fiction but after reading just the first few pages I was drawn into Erjavec's novel. The characters and plot find a way to pull you into the book and not let you go till the end. Which still leaves you hanging, I have to say I am beyond excited for the second installment.

The Caverns Of Mare Cetus starts right off the bat, taking you right into the caves of Mare. Mare, a plant in orbit around Tau Ceti, has been deemed void of life, but, then why do all the strange things happen within the caves? Why is the company that Hunter and his crew, the third team sent into the caves after the last two had horrible endings, covering up everything that is going on? Why are team members already acting wierd when they haven't even entered the caves yet? Erjavec's characters paint clear pictures that seem to create a movie within your head as you read. His mystery seems to find a way into your thoughts and doesn't leave even long after you've finished his novel. Overall his story is absolutely amazing.

Erjavec not only has the science to back up his plot, he actually has a plot! Characters are in a constant state of motion through twists that keep you reading.

I look forward to seeing this new writer's next story - too many books have become almost sedentary with plodding storylines and too much introspection.

Worth the read.

Set in the Earth year 2165. The Explora Corporation sends ten people to inspect the caverns on Mare Cetus. Mare is an enigma to most. It sits at the edge of Tau Ceti's habitable zone. Though conditions are excellent for a thriving habitat of various species of life, Mare is void of any life whatsoever. Only Commander Hunter Larson knows at the beginning that the team is actually on Mare Cetus to lay claim on a large, priceless mineral deposit hidden deep within the caverns. Once known, the team members pack up to leave. Each member is an expert in their field. To lay claim on a stake is beneath them. However, once Hunter tells of the bonus they would receive if they remain, all agree to stay.

Renata "Rene" Stone is Second in Command, a pilot, engineer, and Cavern Scientist. Trent Logan is Third in Command. He is an archaeologist and robotics expert. Ramon Ramirez is a Subsurface Engineer and Groundwater Specialist. Arielle "Ari" Talarian is a Planetary Geologist. (Ramon and Ari are a couple.) Edison March is a Subsurface Engineer with a history in dentistry. Garrett Jansen is a former mercenary, now the Security Specialist. Devon Snow is an Internal Observer (IOB). Isis Sandale is a Biochemist subcontracted to Explora. Richelle Ivers is an Organic Sedimentologist, also subcontracted to Explora.

Shortly into the caverns, the robotics start disobeying commands and go rogue. Sometimes they actually seem to go beyond what is in their programming, as if they were actually thinking for themselves. Trent, the expert in robotics can find no possible way for this to be. When Hunter and Ramon cannot seem to stop bickering at each other, Rene must assume command. One team member dies and soon others are lost. Stranger still, instruments are now acting odd and a bio-scan shows that the team members are having abnormal spikes in their brain waves, pointing toward mental impairments. One catastrophe after another has each person looking at the others with suspicions. The worst part is that a few team members are positive they are being followed in the caverns even though no life registers on any piece of equipment. One member is attacked during a blackout, even though no one was close to her. Yet the scars support her claim.

Rene becomes the glue that seems to hold the group together. Each member is trying to sway Rene to their view, but with the outrageous changes in everyone around her, Rene feels alone. Unable to contact Explora or request help, Rene must keep the team moving toward safety, while avoiding rogue robotics out to kill them, possibly one or more unknown entities stalking them, mental disabilities showing in everyone (including herself), and more. Even with all this, Rene has no idea just how much trouble she is really in!

***** This is hard sci-fi. By that I mean you must read every word to get the full impact of everything going on and to ultimately understand what happens toward the end. Those who understand Spanish will be able to follow everything Ramon says. Most of the time he speaks English, but he often switches over to Spanish when talking to himself or making some sort of rude remark about someone in the party. Even if you read every single word, chances are you may not "get" the things mentioned or shown toward the beginning of the book unless you read it twice. (I did.) Personally, I love books that you can re-read and find things you missed the first time around. They are subtle things that most will not catch the first time.

The author has the option of stopping the story right here or continue another using some of the same characters. Toward the end of this story, the author gave many cool scenarios that could easily turn into future plots. I can only hope that Jim Erjavec decides to run with the Mendrax thread. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Erjavec has written a lurid tale that creates reader anxiety and interest via enigmatic characters and the not-so-fictional future technology that betrays them. Imagine your present dependence on communication technology scaled up several orders of magnitude to allow you to navigate and map in vast underground cavern systems, and your survival acutely challenged when the technology begins to fail you. Couple this with a twisted subplot on the corporate manipulation of human intelligence and you have a frenzied finale that illuminates the internal good of the human spirit, while provoking many what-if questions on our ultimate fate. Cognizant readers will find the plot less cryptic than those people looking for a quick read, but there is ample entertainment for all science fiction fans.

The Caverns of Mare Cetus is a fascinating read! I must say, I went into this book with the misconception that I would be passing time with just another mildly interesting sci-fi adventure/horror story of a space mission of completely unscientific basis involving tepidly interesting characters going predictably awry, resulting in all too familiar struggles of good vs. evil, leading up to a vaguely familiar crescendo with forgettable results. I could not have been more surprised. From cover to cover, the plot continued to thicken to an almost suffocating array of alarmingly real horror, intrigue, and possibility, without ever approaching ridiculous or running the risk of becoming entangled in its own twists. In fact, the book I finished bore little resemblance to the one I started. But, rather than feeling duped by improbable twists, the reader finds him/herself buried in layer upon layer of absorbing and momentous plot that was there all along but somehow overlooked as the author guides us from the chilling darkness to the horrifying light. I walked casually into a book that found me sprinting, battered and bruised, to the end and wanting more. Seemingly insignificant detail finds importance - the reader never finds him/herself victim of the author's maniacal fascination with weighty detail void of any relevance to the story. Truly, every word appears calculated. Though the story contains hard geologic science, the author doesn't lead us trudging through page after page of inconsequential look-how-smart-I-am dissertation on rock formations and mineral types. Furthermore, the `sci' element is real enough to be thoroughly convincing, while the `fi' element is presented in terms fresh and interesting enough without becoming fantastically absurd. Erjavec creates a wildly entertaining and complex story with seemingly endless peril and prospect. I'm left wondering where he'll take us from here.

A mysterious exoplanet featuring a spectacular array of tunnels and caverns sets the stage for this fascinating and unique science fiction tale written by professional geologist Jim Erjavec. Discover the hidden secrets that will chill the marrow in your bones! You will learn about velandrite, neurosilica, kinetic nucleic acid and mind control. And who are the Mendrax? You have to read the book to find out.

The author has not only created an entertaining, action-laden hard sci-fi story, he also succeeds in educating the science-keen reader by creating a brilliant example of an Earth-like exoplanet. The way that planet is depicted gave me the feeling that it must really exist somewhere. It must be out there in this vast expanse of our galaxy. Jim Erjavec's novel is character-driven and dialog-rich in which you encounter many vivid and memorable characters. A team of explorers is given the task to unravel the mysteries of Mare Cetus's gigantic underground labyrinth. They were told the entire planet is completely void of life. But is it really? Hunter Larson and Renata Stone, the two main characters of the book, are determined to find out the truth and they are joined by a small group of scientists and explorers.

Instead of clarification, they are confronted with new puzzles at almost every turn of the strange and sometimes cruel underground world. Then the team starts acting weird. Eventually they encounter rogue robots also acting weird. Is the technology acting up against its human creators? Or are dark evil forces behind all this, willing to sacrifice the lives of the explorers?

The Caverns of Mare Cetus is an exceptionally well-written and well-edited novel. Jim Erjavec describes the events on an Earth-like planet--light years away from Earth--in vivid personal detail. His storytelling is both thought-provoking and insightful. He captures the hearts and the imagination of all his readers turning them into fans. I've become one of them!

Now buckle up and enjoy this rocky and mild-blowing roller-coaster ride. It's a must read for all hard science fiction and mystery fans. Strongly recommended!

Jim Erjavec has produced a winner: an intriguingly complex, visually dazzling, multi-layered sci-fi adventure of the first order. The Caverns of Mare Cetus moves relentlessly, intelligently forward, as everything extraneous gets chucked over the side - the book thrums with an unbelievable amount of energy. A deliciously dark affair, brimming with impressively gritty characters but still managing to balance hard-science wonder with breathless excitement. The author gives audiences a contact high from his visual flair alone and proves that he's one of the more interesting and entertaining writers working today, no matter what the genre.

This is hugely enjoyable science fiction that delivers likable characters, a decent plot, plenty of wisecracks and more breathtaking action than you'll know what to do with. It pins you into a claustrophobic chamber of terror for a surprisingly stomach-turning thrill ride. But it is still an intellectual, character-driven book, one that gets under your skin not through your stomach, but through your nightmares. If you haven't yet read Mare Cetus, you're in for a treat!

This book is a great read with the suspence of Stephen King combined with the hard science of Larry Niven. Good science makes the story seem real. There are interesting characters that interact with each other, their environment and circumstances adding to the tension.