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127th out of 336 books
—
190 voters
Haven (The Fall of Haven #1)
by
Justin Kemppainen (Goodreads Author)
Looking for the Uprising version? See here.
The Citizens of Haven have finally realized their dream; separation. They have ascended. A new layer has been placed upon the city, sealing anyone they deem unfit down below. In the dark slums beneath the city, something has been set in motion that will usher in a change. Something that will rattle the city of Haven to its core an...more
The Citizens of Haven have finally realized their dream; separation. They have ascended. A new layer has been placed upon the city, sealing anyone they deem unfit down below. In the dark slums beneath the city, something has been set in motion that will usher in a change. Something that will rattle the city of Haven to its core an...more
ebook, 926 pages
Published
December 15th 2009
by Smashwords, Inc.
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A Kindle freebie, this ended up being a pretty good one! But there are a lot of editing errors, which are very distracting when you are immersed in a good book!
I love this type of genre, and I felt that Haven had an interesting perspective. There really wasn't one main character, and it was nice to get inside the minds of people on both sides of the battle.
Some parts were more gory than I expected. Very descriptive killing scenes, which actually sort of reminded me of a "shoot 'em up" action mo...more
I love this type of genre, and I felt that Haven had an interesting perspective. There really wasn't one main character, and it was nice to get inside the minds of people on both sides of the battle.
Some parts were more gory than I expected. Very descriptive killing scenes, which actually sort of reminded me of a "shoot 'em up" action mo...more
This was an interesting book. At times it was a bit slow, but I always found myself returning to find out what happened next. I did not find a lot of the editing issues that others mentioned, so it's likely that a new edition has been released with many of those errors corrected.
This was a kindle freebie, but I definitely think it's worth the 1.50 that it's currently for sale for on amazon. The author paints a very interesting world, both below and above. The world below is split up into differ...more
This was a kindle freebie, but I definitely think it's worth the 1.50 that it's currently for sale for on amazon. The author paints a very interesting world, both below and above. The world below is split up into differ...more
Sep 23, 2012
David
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Sci-fi,Dystopian thrill-seakers
Recommended to David by:
Amazon
Firstly, let me start out by saying that most of the editing/formatting issues are not entirely the fault of the author. As far as I am concerned, the free kindle version of the book I received didn’t have very many misspelled words nor was it plagued with poor grammar, or badly formatted pages. All things considered, without an editing staff and publisher it was in pretty great shape.
As for content, it was a great idea for a book and I enjoyed the writing style and world building along with th...more
As for content, it was a great idea for a book and I enjoyed the writing style and world building along with th...more
3.5 stars really.
I'm an avid sci-fi and fantasy reader, thus this book appealed to me greatly, because of the genre, as well as the pricing of well... zero.
I went into this knowing this was the first novel from this author, and had set the bar very low.
The author leaped over my bar with ease, which is very positive of course. I shall outline what I felt was good about this story, and what I feel, requires some improvement.
The action scenes to me, were very well described. I do like in-depth desc...more
I'm an avid sci-fi and fantasy reader, thus this book appealed to me greatly, because of the genre, as well as the pricing of well... zero.
I went into this knowing this was the first novel from this author, and had set the bar very low.
The author leaped over my bar with ease, which is very positive of course. I shall outline what I felt was good about this story, and what I feel, requires some improvement.
The action scenes to me, were very well described. I do like in-depth desc...more
Should I judge free Nook Books using the same standards that I judge edited publishing house books? I think to use a different standard would be insulting to the authors. But using the same standard means that they may be rated lower than they would have been if they'd had the benefit of a good editor. I'm using the same scale for content and ignoring copy-editing entirely.
This book contains a lot of good material. It has interesting characters and well-thought-out action. So why didn't it get m...more
This book contains a lot of good material. It has interesting characters and well-thought-out action. So why didn't it get m...more
As I stated after having finished 80% of this book:
I never before considered abandoning a book after having read so far, but this time, I did.
(Finished though.)
I never ever have come across a book that was edited and proofread so poorly.
There are gazillions of typos and grammar mistakes ("it had merely take an hour", "pehaps", [r]"eact", "it it was"......) and wrong formatting (blank spaces where they don't belong in an ebook) that even I (normally rather easy-going regarding things like that) f...more
I never before considered abandoning a book after having read so far, but this time, I did.
(Finished though.)
I never ever have come across a book that was edited and proofread so poorly.
There are gazillions of typos and grammar mistakes ("it had merely take an hour", "pehaps", [r]"eact", "it it was"......) and wrong formatting (blank spaces where they don't belong in an ebook) that even I (normally rather easy-going regarding things like that) f...more
From the description of this book I was really excited to read it (especially because it is(/was) a free kindle download). I was expecting to really become lost in this story as I have with other post-apocalyptic (kind of...) stories, but unfortunately it just wasn't a must-read for me. Until I got my kindle and started reading free kindle downloads I wouldn't really have considered not reading a book all the way to the end, but book got very close to being deleted before the end. The thing was,...more
I. Read a lot of free books, and lately have been wondering if there is actually a cost associated with getting a book for free. Many other reviewers have complained about the lack of editing, but really, if a writer gives his work away, how is he supposed to pay a professional editor and proofreader? Those services are not cheap, and when I get an indie book for free I expect there to be some typos and such. In this case it really wasn't that bad - I've seen much worse!
One of the interesting a...more
One of the interesting a...more
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The upper class Citizens have separated themselves from the dregs of society. All who they consider inferior now live under Haven. But an uprising is brewing beneath the surface. Elijah unites the factions below ground to end their miserable living conditions, to stop the abuse and injustice from the forces ruling Haven, and to exact revenge. But the Council in Haven recognizes the threat and plans their own offense to annihilate their enemies from below once and for all.
The story starts slowly...more
The story starts slowly...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I got this for free via the Amazon Kindle app on my phone and I read the most recent version: a lot of the frustrating errors that other reviewers complain about have been cleaned up. A few remain but it is by no means unreadable.
I enjoyed this book but I have to admit that I found the ending incredibly disappointing. Although I thought the idea of a separation by 'superiority' in a near-future city - and subsequent threats of civil war and genocide - was not exactly a new plot for a fantasy nov...more
I enjoyed this book but I have to admit that I found the ending incredibly disappointing. Although I thought the idea of a separation by 'superiority' in a near-future city - and subsequent threats of civil war and genocide - was not exactly a new plot for a fantasy nov...more
I stumbled on this book, bargin book shopping and i have to say i'm happy i found it. I liked the cover and after reading some reviews i jumped in. The story is paced very well. The book has many characters POV of things going on at the same time. Thats something i enjoy in a book. I have to say this isnt my genre but tho i do go outside my comfort zone for a change. There is no romance or love story tho, there are some possible relationships. Lots of action and violance, this is a semi end of t...more
This book went up and down in the rating I would give it, to be perfectly honest. Some days, it was taking forever to finish and I was adamant--a two star MAX. But then something decently interesting would happen and it would move up a star. Well, then I read the last hundred and fifty pages or so and it got promoted to a four star BECAUSE of the brilliantly intricate plot, the complicated characters, and the heart-pounding scenes. It's through characters like Citizen Michaels that I kept readin...more
This book had such potential. I was so disappointed with the end. I would read a sequel, but it woud have to have a good storyline to hook me in. WAY to many loose ends.
2 likes · like · see review
There were so many twists and turns the ending left me speechless. Ithad some errors but overall the book was pretty good. I never would have guessed the ending. In the beginning it was hard to keep up with all the character changes and remembering who everyone was but it all tied together nicely once I got used to it. This book really made me look at society and my view of others. The people of Haven were ignorant and believed because of their wealth and intelligence they were better but in rea...more
I downloaded Kemppainen's Haven for free from the Sony Store for my new e-reader. I found that I looked forward to reading a few pages from it each night, and quickly finished the almost-400 page story in just a couple of weeks. Haven is a dystopian-science fiction, and after several years of reading non-fiction for my university degree I realized how much I missed reading from this genre. The story was pretty consistent and the characters were realistic (except for the alien - but how realistic...more
Oct 17, 2012
Lee Brindley
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Emergency loo roll
This book took me ages to finish mostly because quite simply it's boring, could only manage 15-20 pages at a time. The characters are either annoying, whimsical and spend most of their time whining. Quite frankly there's no new interesting take on the genre of a dystopia and is the one of if not the worst examples I've come across, a good editor could quite easily cut out 4/5ths and leave a somewhat reasonable short story. A waste of time better spent reading say: We, 1984, Dayworld or washing t...more
I got this one from Amazon as a cheapy 49p one because it sounded intriguing and I'm glad I did. The story is set in 2032, so in the not too distant future, in a society of elitists who believe they are better and more valuable than the rest of the city. In order to demonstrate their self importance, they refuse to share their world with people less desirable than themselves and build a whole new city on top of the original one, leaving the unwanted members of their society to live in a world of...more
This was a free Ebook. Only my second one. The first I read was Red Crows, which was, to say the least, terrible. So I can't say my expectations for Haven were very high, but I was quite surprised and happy! It has restored my faith in free books (sort of haha, Red Crows was just THAT bad!).
It is however in terrible need of editing! There were critical errors in spelling and grammar that actually did affect the meaning of the sentences where the errors. In some sentences words were mixed up (suc...more
It is however in terrible need of editing! There were critical errors in spelling and grammar that actually did affect the meaning of the sentences where the errors. In some sentences words were mixed up (suc...more
If you disregard the numerous spelling and grammatical mistakes, this was quite a strong outing by JK. There was enough mystery and action to keep me engaged and curious about what would happen to the characters. However there were some major flaws, principally the fact that the author failed to properly delve into the psyches of the citizens esp Michaels, or tell us about the origins of Citizen One that made him the man he became.
Also, the book talks about this one city, but what about tue res...more
Also, the book talks about this one city, but what about tue res...more
A 3.5. It's a while since I've read an adult dystopian sci-fi, but this book was a good way to get back into it. The story has some interesting concepts (read the blurb to find out), and was well written with developed characters. I especially liked the characters of Kaylee and the mysterious stranger Malcolm. Hopefully there will be more about them in future books. I did find the combat scenes a bit long and hard going but that's just me!
Earlier reviews of this book mentioned poor editing but...more
Earlier reviews of this book mentioned poor editing but...more
Haven by Justin Kemppainen is not one of my favorite books. it has an okay concept but there was nothing that exciting about this book. There are some grammatical errors and a bad ending that was rather quick. I also am not a big fan of science fiction books. There was however some action to satisfy the reader, however one of the only big pros of the book is that it is free on eBooks. I might however I might read the sequel only because of the short ending.
A rare recommendation from my dad (who is addicted to his kindle app!) this is a decent, fast-paced little sci-fi.
I read this on my Kindle fire and didn't have any problems with errors or horrible formatting so I'm hoping that since the last reviews I read on here that the edition has been updated.
I liked the mix of characters and the split between the world above and below. Though some parts were a tad predictable it didn't really spoil anything, the story is still enjoyable. It's currently fre...more
I read this on my Kindle fire and didn't have any problems with errors or horrible formatting so I'm hoping that since the last reviews I read on here that the edition has been updated.
I liked the mix of characters and the split between the world above and below. Though some parts were a tad predictable it didn't really spoil anything, the story is still enjoyable. It's currently fre...more
This was actually a pretty good book for a freebie! Obviously the people complaining about typos haven't read many free books! There were a lot of things that were left open to your imagination, but the author does say that they are independent and doesn't get a chance to get his works out to a wide audience. I took that to mean that they are just starting out as a writer and with time and experience they will develop stories and characters better.
C2009. FWFTB: Citizens, separation, unfit, below, Haven. Another Kindle freebie from Amazon which had all the components for an enjoyable read.Excellent beginning leading the reader through the under world of the Haven. It is a bit of a predictable plot and there are some loose ends and unexplained bits but it held my attention throughout. Recommended for readers that are relative newcomers to this genre.FCN: Malcolm, Kaylee, Elijah, Rick, Lange.
You know when you were young and you had a Jumbo Jawbreaker, and all you wanted was to get to the center, so you'd try and bite it. You knew it would hurt (a good pain) and you ended up biting your own tongue six million times, but still you persisted in hope you would crack the hard candy in half with the power of your incisors alone. Then you sucked it for an entire week giving yourself a migraine and jaw ache but when you got to the middle the sense of achievement was palpable, because it was...more
Great idea, love the concept and for the most part enjoyed the story but there were parts that i thought could have been left out or at least explained more. The Malcolm charecter annoyed me all the way through until it was revealed who he was. I think for a first novel this was a great start and i would probably read another book from him. But this one I was looking forward to finish to start my next book! saying that I did want to finish it as the story and idea really interested me.
I loved this book. I was in the middle of reading two others when I opened it up on my Kindle to rid my mind of the lack of true plot I had been stumbling through, and was drawn in from the beginning. The dystopic nature of the book reminds me of "Brave New World" and has the story line moving from not only the higher level Citizens point of you but also the rabble of the forgotten. The story moves at a quick pace so you don't get bogged down too much in introspective nonsense that would throw o...more
My first Kindle book too. As enjoyable as other dystopian novels such as Brave New World and 1984. I read the second edited release of Haven with I believe has a slightly different ending and doesnt have the typos present in the earlier release. The story leaves you wanting more - there are many questions left unanswered and so will be looking forward to the publication of the sequel.
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