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David Adams

Lacuna Kindle Edition

by David Adams (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

564 ratings

Book 1 of 6: Lacuna

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"Never again attempt to develop this kind of technology."

It is with these words that an unknown alien attacker destroys the Earth cities of Tehran, Sydney and Beijing. Fifty million people die... and nothing is ever the same again.

Some call them Demons, some call them Aliens, but to Chinese Naval Captain Melissa Liao... they are the enemy. She is given command of one of three great warships built to fight the "demons", the TFR Beijing.

Her task is simple. Find who attacked Earth and why... then stop them.

Book one of the Lacuna series.

Print length

382 pages
Language

English
Publication date

December 1, 2013
File size

5215 KB
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Books In This Series (6 Books)

Complete Series

Lacuna

Kindle Edition

Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1

1
Lacuna
David Adams

(564)

Kindle Edition

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2
Lacuna: The Sands of Karathi
David Adams

(92)

Kindle Edition

$4.99
3
Lacuna: The Spectre of Oblivion
David Adams

(48)

Kindle Edition

$4.99
4
Lacuna: The Ashes of Humanity
David Adams

(41)

Kindle Edition

$4.99
5
Lacuna: The Prelude to Eternity
David Adams

(33)

Kindle Edition

$4.99
6
Lacuna: The Requiem of Steel
David Adams

(31)

Kindle Edition

$4.99

JS Carter Gilson
285
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $0.00
L J Duncan
69
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $1.99
Sam Bradbury
11
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $2.99
Warwick Gibson
62
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $2.99
Alicia Michaels
408
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $0.00
Joshua Todd James
15
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $2.99

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Adams is an Australian based author who lives with a very cute cat named Fall. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B006RZNR3Y
Publisher ‏ : ‎ David Adams; 5th edition (December 1, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 1, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 5215 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 382 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #7,584 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #36 in Space Fleet Science Fiction eBooks
- #48 in Alien Invasion Science Fiction eBooks
- #57 in Space Exploration Science Fiction eBooks

Customer Reviews:
564 ratings

About the author

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David Adams

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I've always been thinking of stories for as long as I've been alive. I have way, way, way too many to tell and far too little time to tell them.

I joined UFOP: Starbase 118, a Star Trek roleplay-by-emails group, in 2010 and it was there where I learned my craft. But despite being one of the more active writers in the group and simming to my heart's content, I still couldn't tell all the stories I wanted to. It was only in 2011 that I actually started shaping and weaving those random, jumbling, chaotic masses of thoughts into coherent narratives and began self-publishing.

Writing's my full time job now. I write a little science fiction, a little fantasy, a little humour and comedy, and a few other things all over the place.

You can get updates from my Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/lacunaverse

And my mailing list here: http://eepurl.com/toBf9

If you want emails whenever I publish something new, click the link to your right.

Customer reviews

5 star		38%
4 star		27%
3 star		15%
2 star		11%
1 star		9%

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Top reviews from the United States

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I tried....

Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2019

Verified Purchase

It doesn't seem well thought out. Book description leads one to believe it is going to be some type of space military story, which is what I was looking for. Author does not seem to have any grasp of military protocol, behavior, etc. - no discipline in the ranks, higher ranking officers fraternizing openly with subordinates, and rampant disrespect. I could almost think this was supposed to be the US military, since I think it's a 'non-American' author and we have developed somewhat of a bad rep in various areas of the world, but it is supposed to be Chinese military, and I just cannot picture the afore-mentioned issues being tolerated.
I think I got less than 25% through before I gave up. Too bad, too, because I had also picked up the second book - both got deleted.

11 people found this helpful

Helpful

Cary H

Word fail me

Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2021

Verified Purchase

This is such garbage that I don't know where to start.

I saw this book listed for free, and that it was the lead of a seven book series. I went to"buy" it to give it a try and found that I had purchased it long ago. Intrigued, I went to my library and see that I'd gotten only 36% of the way through. After reading again, this time to 39%, I see why I stopped before, and realize the trauma that obviously made me purge this memories.

A few examples of the horror, a ship's captain that strikes a subordinate, a mass of reporters with free range of motion on a warship in a warzone, and a bridge with a 100% oxygen atmosphere.

Please don't waste your time with this travesty.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Perry Tamte

Cliched themes and veiled sexism drag it down

Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2017

Verified Purchase

It was good enough that I finished it, but not enough that I want to read the next in the series. I had three main issues. First, it felt very much like a man trying to write in an enlightened way and not realizing that it was still pretty sexist. For example, making a woman captain and having her fully in charge of her sexuality, but then having her get all fluttery and distracted because, damn, that other captain is such a hunk. I found it very off-putting. The sex scenes, as well, seemed gratuitous and unnecessary. Made it feel like a romance novel at times. The second issue is the inconsistencies and "magic." There were multiple times where the narrative depended on some absolute fact that was established, and then later the opposite was suddenly true without explanation -- seemingly just because the author needed it to be so to support the story at that point. Like sometimes the human missile attacks completely destroy an alien ship and at other times they have no effect. A magic example is when some of the huge human ships get massively damaged and then in a short time, "magically," get all fixed up when it realistically would have taken many months to years. My third issue is that some of the main themes are a bit tired, overdone, and cliched -- unbelievably powerful aliens attack; plucky humans, with nothing more than meager resources and fortitude, somehow manage to steal advanced technology, figure it out in no time thanks to an abrasive but well meaning genius, and then, unlike all other species, refuse to submit and fight back.

9 people found this helpful

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Keith Burton

I finished it, and I think I enjoyed it. But I sure yelled at it a lot!

Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2017

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I'm one of those weirdos who cares whether sci-fi stories could actually happen in this universe. Sadly, Mr. Adams loves throwing around technical terms but couldn't be bothered to Google them to be sure he used them properly. Plus his characters think they're so clever when they come up with ideas other authors had already used repeatedly in the 50s and 60s. And of course the biggest problem, which many other reviewers have already pointed out: The author seems to know literally nothing about military life. Let's see, his Chinese military has an arbitrary rule requiring females to keep their hair so it doesn't touch their uniform collars. That's perfectly believable, and was the sole such example I can recall. Everything else was as absurd as when some officers got caught screwing in a warship's unsecured armory...which resulted in nothing but some verbal scolding and them being told to keep it in their cabins. And has any real ship's Captain ever known so little about how her ship works? Her officers keep having to explain simple things to her. I realize some exposition is necessary for the reader, but that's a terrible way to do it.

On the other hand, unlike most books I rated so low, I still finished Lacuna. I liked the protagonist, at least when she isn't busy having sex with her superior officer (even sleeping overnight in his quarters, while they knew the press was right outside)! I liked the world-building, and enjoyed most of the dialog. Loved the eventual reveal of the reasons behind the initial alien attack. Hopefully the author will grow into his craft, and learn to do better research.

7 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Malcolm Haig

A readable, if somewhat predictable, tale

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 31, 2013

Verified Purchase

This was an enjoyable yarn, although there are several holes in the plot. I think this is the author's first published novel, so it isn't a bad effort. The story line is described elsewhere, so I won't go into that (you'll have to read it).

I like SF, but I also like to try and base it on what may be possible in the future. The author describes the jump drive, and also the Toralii home system, as being millions of light years away. This puts it in another galaxy (Andromeda is approx 2 million light years distance), which makes the tale a bit fanciful, even within the bounds of SF.

I also think the relationship between the commanders of two of the mammoth space dreadnoughts is somewhat over the top, and I doubt would be tolerated within a military organisation. However, that's just my opinion.

On the plus side, the story flows quite well, and is an easy read. There is little in the way of superfluous waffle and padding, something I am keen on. Some very well established authors are guilty of that, especially later on in their writing careers (probably to fulfil publishing contracts).

I have rated this as three stars, but it should really be three and a half. Also, I have reviewed this as if I had paid for it, rather than being a freebie from Amazon. I think the author would prefer that to be the case. Will I buy the next in the series? Perhaps.

6 people found this helpful

Not buying this would leave a lacuna on your Kindle

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 16, 2013

Verified Purchase

Lacuna paints a rich backdrop, led by a Chinese superpower and some interesting tech (if perhaps a little too advanced given the minimal time lag between the 2029 setting and present day).

Adams has well thought out combat scenes that really used the third dimension to great effect. Combined with some promising primary character development, this instalment sets up an interesting world to play in.

Secondary characters felt a little cardboard cut out, but that is par for the course. I'm also surprised that the ships aren't 'dry' - to give terrifying tech to those under the influence doesn't quite ring true.

Dialogue was realistic, if not quite as militaristic as one might expect given the backgrounds of those speaking. I liked the use of a non-English speaking alien as that forced richer development.

I did note a few typographical errors, and display issues with Chinese characters but these do not detract from the story in any meaningful way. The other slight niggle for me is that characters seemed to be assigned nationalities without any development of that aspect of their character. The culture was not differentiated, as if the world had become homogenised by 2029.

It's quite a short book (214 pages) but I think that's probably wise as the length reflects the meat to the story without too much fluff. The pace does ebb and flow throughout, but it's compelling enough to make you want to read the whole story (and subsequent installments).

Overall, well worth grabbing (particularly while it is free). 8/10

Mike

Poor plot

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2019

Verified Purchase

Although has some good concepts. The relationship dynamics between captains was so implausible. Really a captain leaving his ship to have a dalliance with another while enroute to battle. Emotions getting in the way of command decisions. This book is terrible, won’t be buying anymore.

Owen Adams

A strong sci-fi adventure with few surprises, but a lot of fun.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 7, 2012

Verified Purchase

Lacuna: Demons of the Void is a space-hopping science fiction novel with a strong military them to it. This is not normally the kind of book I enjoy, but I found it a very compelling read.

The story opens with an alien attack on the Earth. This unprovoked and mysterious assault leads Earth's bigger power blocks to construct three massive starships to make up the core of Earth's defence. It's a good set up, but once the foundations are set, the book uses them to explore concepts of personal politics, multicultural interaction and even a bit of gender politics. In true Star Trek fashion, we get to see science fiction used to explore the world around us a little more. Overall, the book reminded me a lot of both Star Trek and the Mass Effect games, which is a nice genre to see explored in original fiction.

There were a few problems that jarred me as I read through, mainly that the story sometimes unfolds a little conveniently. Characters always seem to find just what they need, just in time, with just enough spanners thrown in the works to stop it being too easy. But, this is a small gripe and definitely not a deal breaker.

I can recommend Lacuna to anyone who enjoys a good sci-fi/action read. The plot bounces along nicely and it's all set within a universe that has a lot of character. I will definitely be buying the second book in the series.

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Stroppy lovesick emotional girl gets a starship command

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 15, 2016

Verified Purchase

Ok personally had a few major issues with this book. And ended up speed reading through the final chapters till the end!
To start with there is the main character flaky and immature emotional to an extreme! But put in charge of one of only three starships in existence to save the whole human race? Second are the stupid plot holes the main device has a flaw in the beginning of the book that could destroy the galaxy! but later they use said device without a second thought ? You are also told of another weapon that would be stupidly crazy to use in a certain way, which they go on to use in that exact way with not a care in the world?
Then there is the alien that betrays her entire race on a whim ? And the captain jerking off another captain in sick bay getting caught and keeping her commission?
But after all that, the thing I was most annoyed with, were the lines of random Chinese added for no apparent reason? Which are not explained, have to be looked up on google translate and then add absolutely nothing to the plot..? Why?
There are so many other problems here though it's hard get past the build up of silliness. As I said earth has three ships in total, this alien race has lots. We lock them out of our system and instead of regrouping building an armada and protecting the planet we take our under matched ships and inferior weapons and set up an ambush against a vastly superior enemy? Just so the book can get a finale! It gets two stars from me only really because it tried, it was cheap and it passed a couple of hours, but if you want a strong female space captain and battles in space I would suggest the Honour Harrington series! Read this one only if your idea of the navy is the love boat but in space! Sorry but I Won't be reading the next one?

One person found this helpful

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