Lunara: Seth and Chloe Kindle Edition

LUNARA: Seth and Chloe: Oh to be 10 years old again and pick this up as a Sci-Fi starter! Nobody that age worries about grammar, punctuation or spelling, and neither does the author it seems. Characters are predictably cardboard, but how many times do we have to be told that Seth is filled with hatred, Chloe is sensitive (and a mind reader with no real ability to use her "gift") etc. The plot? Interplanetary Intrigue supported by the presence of a "Two Governments" political solution, but we never find an explanation of how the two governments actually differ and/or interact. Oh yes,throw in about a half-dozen sub plots, including of course some love stories, physical heroics climbing through vents, grates, up sheer walls ...
And now on to the Technical Stupidities: Pointy-nosed, winged starships (in Vacuum of course), an "atomic reaction" when a "cruiser" is chopped in half (but no radiation effects as people get blown around by the "shockwaves" (Hmm, Vacuum again)), unexplained "sonic guns" shooting bullets? How about a thinly disguised Taser stick to knock people out. Oh yes a blast door eaten through by a jellied gas (Napalm) grenade (Not even Thermite). Of course ships curve and bank in empty space. Surprised they don't go "Boom" too. The book is a summer beach read for kiddies!
Oh yes, I almost forgot the "Principles of Man" ... some completely unexplained moral code, or just the 10 commandments?

Lunara:Seth and Chloe by Wyatt Davenport

I really enjoyed this story for the depth of the characters. There's the science and it's important but to me it was more a backdrop to develop the characters around rather than an important piece that needed in depth discovery. It sustained itself and seemed quite plausible along with the politics of the planets. In some way the politics outweighs the science. This might be considered more of a Sci-fi political thriller than a Sci-Fi space science trilogy. There are more than three stories in this universe but it is safe to call the first three books a complete trilogy. This is important because I have a friend and fellow reader who once lamented over these series that seem to go on and on with no true resolution of the plot lines while continually adding more unresolved issues and how that caused them to give up on one series after the forth or fifth book when it seemed there might be no end in store and no clear explanation of primary events. I think this is a valid complaint and I see that this trilogy holds well within itself to be satisfactory.

I first purchased the whole trilogy elsewhere and let it sit for quite a while when I was busy doing other things. I'm not sorry I let it lie although I am glad I chose to take this break to start reading it. Politically this story has three main players. Lunara (the colony on moon) has been setup to protect the remnant of Earth 200 years after Earth has nearly been destroyed by asteroid showers. Using the Black Widow network(one million satellite links from mars to earth) Lunara colony and the ship Protector and the smaller Starwings catch and destroy the asteroids. Their initially primary functions is to save the earth but now that they've found valuable ore within these deadly asteroids they've become a mining colony that fractures any asteroid that approaches Earth and they then collect the deposits of Metalor from those fragments all for the Martian government. That government consists of the Zephyria and Aethpis colonies acting as checks and balances on each other and they are the government born out of the Revolutionary war in which the notorious raiders were destroyed.

Chloe and Seth come from a long dead colony that was destroyed by the raiders and they are both traumatized by that destruction and the subsequent hardships they faced before escaping to Lunara where they were adopted by Jan and Ty Falloom, the couple in charge of the the Lunara colony. Everyone on Lunara have escaped Mars for some reason or another and Seth has a dream that some day the Earth will become habitable again while he has no desire to return to Mars.

This story is peopled by a huge cast and it primarily revolves around a handful on Lunara with another handful that are crew aboard the Protector and a handful for each of the two ruling colonies. Eventually we'll get some from the other colonies but the majority in the first book are limited to those four handfuls. Now if someone were to take anything away from Stephen Kings book on writing and his own experience it might be that when the author creates too many interesting characters there is only one sure way to make it all work. This is a spoiler of a sort...it reaches a point where you have to start killing a lot of them off.

But not before we find many of them trapped in convoluted personal crisis that draw many of them apart with all the intrigue and betrayal and even self examination. Everyone of the crew of Protector (Seth Smith,Chloe Jones, Parker McCloud, Eamonn Dalton, Gwen Arwell and Gordon Roche) have issues but the worse seem to be with Seth and Gwen. Seth because they are heading to Mars and he hates Mars for many good reasons. Gwen because her father Damon Arwell is a part of the government that everyone aboard the Protector seem to hate.

When they reach Mars they are welcomed with mixed feeling because some unknown force has invaded the Lunara Colony and taken over. At first no one seems to know who it is and everyone is suspicious of everyone including the crew of Protector. As things begin to become less clear and more murky it's evident that there is some political posturing going on among all the powers that be and Lunara might be a bargaining chip. But what this story is ultimately about is the fact that Seth and Chloe have special powers through some supposed mutation and someone has a eugenic goal of creating the master race of humans. Metalor the ore being harvested by Lunara plays a great part in all of this but it's still in the end just another piece of the eugenic puzzle.

While the crew of Protector split into three groups and begin their own search for the truth they don't realize they are cutting themselves off from each other and that each will only have a part of the puzzle at the end. It's this separation that leads to the outcome and proves the undoing of almost everything that led to the founding of the Principles of Man that have governed them since the end of the Revolution.

While everyone drifts in their own direction while fighting their own demons they unravel the tight crew that previously existed and it will take a lot of effort for them to eventually come to the plate and demonstrate their abilities and loyalties that will position everyone where they need to be to carry this into the next book.

This is a good set of books for Science Fiction fans and SFF fans and even those who like the political thrillers. There are plenty of themes to go around and lots of tense situations. This can be a hard to put down read so it might be best to get the books individually rather than in the bundle especially as they are in the E-book. Some people might want to just keep reading and it's pretty long.

J.L. Dobias

I generously give this book one star. After reading 79% I closed it and won't reopen. At times I thought the author was finally getting it together with the plot/storyline but he kept failing. The favorite two words used by this author is "smirk" and "smirked". I can't begin to count the number of times these two childish words were used. I believe the book could be greatly improved and probably become a good story with help. As it is, I couldn't begin to recommend to anyone to purchase. It was free to me and now I know why.

I think the book has potential. I don't want to completely pan it, and I DID actually finish reading it.

The concept has merit. The writing is awkward, and it seemed the further in I got, the worse the grammar and misuse of words got. This is very distracting, when trying to enjoy the novel.

It really dragged in the middle.

Oh, and the author needs to realize people don't smirk nearly as much as these characters seem to. There ARE other facial expressions, and he should use them.

If you can force yourself through the somewhat poor writing and misuse of words and grammar, with some elisions, the actual story isn't bad. Get it when it's free so you won't kick yourself for paying any money for it.

While I am somewhat curious as to what happens next, I can't see putting myself through this again to find out.