MotherShip [Paperback]

Tony Chandler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001

Mankind has designed the ultimate warship - a starship endowed withArtificial Intelligence - to battle the evil Tkaan, a race of beings bent onthe total destruction of every other race. But too late! After the final Tkaanvictory, the sole survivors of mankind, three young children, are hidden awayby their parents on the AI starship. Soon they call the ship 'Mother'.....

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I did not want to put it down!" -- Joe Harding

"[MotherShip] brings me to the edge and back again." -- Jacqueline Anastaasia - author of Herman the Hermit Crab

"[MotherShip] should define an entire genre." -- W. Gregory Stewart

Emotion! Action! Energy!

Do you like books with these elements? If you do, you will love MotherShip. -- S. Joan Popek / EBook news and information

MotherShip brings me to the edge and back again. -- Jacqueline Anastasia

MotherShip should redefine an entire genre! -- W. Gregory Stewart

About the Author

Tony was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on April 3, 1959. His father was in the USAF, so Tony's family moved several times before they settled in the Low Country of South Carolina in 1970. Tony graduated from Summerville High School in 1977, and lived for a total of thirteen years in South Carolina. He has spent the last fifteen years in Atlanta, Georgia where he lives with his wife, of eighteen years, Melva, and his sixteen-year-old daughter, Meghan.

Tony's mother, Dorothy, introduced him to the joy of books at an early age, she being an avid reader herself. He ordered his first science fiction book, 'Dolphin Island' by Arthur C. Clarke, through a school program. Tony was hooked on science fiction from then on. He read and watched any sci-fi shows then available on TV . As a child, Tony watched the 'first run' of the original Star Trek series, and in 1977 he watched Star Wars nine times the first summer it premiered at theaters. Earlier, at the age of twelve, he read the seminal work of Isaac Asimov, 'The Foundation Trilogy', and was hooked by anything written by him from then on. Frank Herbert, Andre Norton, and Heinlein were among his favorite authors in addition to Clarke and Asimov. Today, some of his favorite authors are Orson Scott Card, David Brin, Connie Willis, Michael Crichton, Frederick Poul, Larry Niven, Robert L. Forward, Greg Bear, Timothy J. Zahn and Gregory Benford.

However, his love of books goes beyond science fiction. Tony loves to read poetry and both reads and regularly goes to watch live performances of 'The Bard', Shakespeare, at Atlanta's own Shakespeare Tavern and the fantastic Alabama Shakespeare Festival of Montgomery. His favorite book of all time is 'All Creatures Great and Small' by James Herriot, and this book comprises the first volume of his personal favorite series of books. Tony has read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes series of novels and short stories completely through a total of three times since 1973. He has read many novels by the great Agatha Christie and other writers of that genre. 'WaterShip Down', by Richard Adams, is also one of his favorite books of all time. Other favorite authors include Charles Dickens, Tolkien, Edgar Rice Burroughs [ the original 'Tarzan' is a must read ], and H.G. Wells. Another 'must read', in Tony's opinion, is T.H. White's 'The Once and Future King' and Frederick Rebsamen's translation of 'Beowulf.' Tony also loves to listen to music of many different types.

Tony has been writing for nine years. His short stories and poetry have appeared in the Webzines listed on the LINKS page during the past five years. The original short story version of 'MotherShip', which appeared at Dark Planet in 1997, won 9th Place in the 1998 Preditor's and Editor's Reader Poll. His story, 'Their Songs,' won 3rd Place at the 1998 Dragon*Con Writer's Contest. The Serial version of 'MotherShip', published at The Writer's Hood in 1999, placed in the Top Five of the Preditor's and Editor's Readers Poll.

Tony first developed the original concept for 'MotherShip' in 1977. This story germinated in his mind for many years until he first put his dream-story down in print in 1995 as a short story. He continued to expand the plot and to develop the characters, next into a Serial version, and now in 2001, the full-length novel of MotherShip will be published as a culmination of all those years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 452 pages
• Publisher: SynergEbooks (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931540578
• ISBN-13: 978-1931540575
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,153,545 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Different, Intriguing and a Really Good Read, February 23, 2006

By 

G. Ashton - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: MotherShip (Paperback)

This is a book that some sites have labelled for a young adult audience... Yes it's certainly suitable for such ones but by pigeon-holing it, older readers may be inclined to give it a miss. I'm pleased to say that Amazon haven't fallen into that trap. There's no graphic descriptions of violence or sex, so Mothership widens its audience immediately as a wholesome and yet captivating read.

By the time I read half-way into the book, the characters and their situation had really come to life and I found myself wanting to know "what happens next". Where the book touches science topics it's sufficiently knowledgeable without being overly obsessive and detailed. The development of the characters and the twisting storyline are the real strength of this book and I'd urge anyone from an young adult to a grandparent to read it.

The author informs us in his notes at the end of the book that the sequel, Borne on Wings of Steel,would follow in 2003 - However a search of all things Amazon and Google revealed that this has never happened. I feel this is a crying shame as there is great promise in Mothership of a fine sequel and the development of a different and riveting style of writing by Tony Chandler.

Read it, I very much doubt you'll reget it!

Glen Ashton

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great first novel!, September 11, 2004

By 

Ellen Denham (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: MotherShip (Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have been a science fiction fan for a long time but can sometimes get tired of books that have too much 'science' and not enough soul. MotherShip is a book with a lot of soul, and a very unique concept. I cared about "Mother" (the AI ship) more than any Artificial Intelligence character I can remember. It was fascinating to witness her thought processes and see how she had learned to love her children.

A few of the author's choices later in the book surprised me - I might have chosen to go a different route, but what fun is a book if it is too predictable? Though the book is self contained and does not beg for a sequel, I hope that there will be one because I am intrigued by the world and characters the author has created and would love to read more!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great read! I definitely recommend this!, February 28, 2002

By 

Shemah Fletcher "CatWhoWalksAlone" (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: MotherShip (Paperback)

I thought Mothership was just great... and I am NOT a scifi fan! Tony Chandler has a good flare for character development, which he does marvellously with for "Mother." It takes a little longer to get to know the children, but he very quickly makes us care a great deal about Mother and her young charges. The development of Mother's character and that of Guardian keep us riveted throughout the children's growing years, and once grown, events then begin to move swiftly, taking us to the critical peak of the story and then to its aftermath.

I found Mothership to be absolutely riveting, with a very well-charted plot, good character development (I did mention good character development, didn't I?), a nice sense of pacing, and a really, really marvellous story line! No sooner did the story end than I was wishing for a sequel... I do hope he plans to write one, and if so, I will be definitely in line to buy it :)