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Rescue One #2
Rescue One
Fifty years have passed since Antonio Baros travelled faster than the speed of light. Humanity has ventured to the stars. Interstellar exploration and the colonisation of new worlds is big business. Space has become a busy place.
When accidents happen, the ships and crews of Earth Rescue are ready to save lives.
Mission Commander Sam Swain and his team end up on the wrong side of a galactic emergency when a routine mission takes an unexpected turn.
Rescue One is called upon to transport a vaccine for a pandemic on the planet Paraiso. As they embark on their voyage, the crew discovers the fate of two planets now rests solely with them.
When accidents happen, the ships and crews of Earth Rescue are ready to save lives.
Mission Commander Sam Swain and his team end up on the wrong side of a galactic emergency when a routine mission takes an unexpected turn.
Rescue One is called upon to transport a vaccine for a pandemic on the planet Paraiso. As they embark on their voyage, the crew discovers the fate of two planets now rests solely with them.
- GenresScience Fiction
ebook
First published June 27, 2014
6 people want to read
About the author
Michael Gardner
20 books73 followersFind all my titles at my Amazon author page.
The marketing experts say authors need a compelling biography. They say we should answer the following four questions, because this is the information you, the reader, really want to know.
1. Why do I write? I write because I have an obsession with writing which borders on a mental disorder. I’ve often wondered if I can get medicated for this condition, but it’s much cheaper and easier to spend time at a keyboard.
2. How long have I been at it? I’d love to tell you I had some magical writing awakening, but the truth is I’ve been writing since I could combine a noun and a verb to form a sentence. Not sure when that was or what I used. Probably the red crayon on the kitchen wall incident. It was a good story, but not well-received.
3. What is my inspiration? I’m inspired to write so I don’t have to find another pastime. I’ve tried stamp collecting, golf and other forms of self-harm, and writing seems to be the least destructive to my mental well-being and the environment. I also have an allergy to churning out books in a specific genre, which makes me a difficult author to follow. Sorry about that.
4. Do I have a pet, is it cute and what’s its name? I do have a pet. My wife thinks it’s cute. It’s actually the embodiment of evil with a soft coat. Amongst other names, I call it the Anti-Bob. If you'd like to know why, read The End and Other Stories.
Thanks for reading,
MG
The marketing experts say authors need a compelling biography. They say we should answer the following four questions, because this is the information you, the reader, really want to know.
1. Why do I write? I write because I have an obsession with writing which borders on a mental disorder. I’ve often wondered if I can get medicated for this condition, but it’s much cheaper and easier to spend time at a keyboard.
2. How long have I been at it? I’d love to tell you I had some magical writing awakening, but the truth is I’ve been writing since I could combine a noun and a verb to form a sentence. Not sure when that was or what I used. Probably the red crayon on the kitchen wall incident. It was a good story, but not well-received.
3. What is my inspiration? I’m inspired to write so I don’t have to find another pastime. I’ve tried stamp collecting, golf and other forms of self-harm, and writing seems to be the least destructive to my mental well-being and the environment. I also have an allergy to churning out books in a specific genre, which makes me a difficult author to follow. Sorry about that.
4. Do I have a pet, is it cute and what’s its name? I do have a pet. My wife thinks it’s cute. It’s actually the embodiment of evil with a soft coat. Amongst other names, I call it the Anti-Bob. If you'd like to know why, read The End and Other Stories.
Thanks for reading,
MG
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 7, 2020
Rescue One by Michael Gardner is a creatively imagined and totally consistent future world where humans have achieved faster than light travel and have colonized far off planets. Paraiso (one of these colonized planets) is in the grip of a dangerous pandemic, and the crew of Rescue One is tasked with delivering a newly formulated vaccine to its citizens. The mission is dangerously compromised by the possibility of an undercover mole on-board and a well-funded and sophisticated band of eco-terrorists bent on taking the vaccine hostage. I found the writing entertaining and exciting. Kudos to Gardner for creating such relatable characters and heart pounding action sequences.
November 16, 2020
Sam Swain is Mission Commander aboard Rescue One, a faster-than-light spacecraft charged with rushing into danger to save lives and ships. His craft is the space-faring equivalent of an ambulance, and his crew are the paramedics, the EMTs who will risk life and limb to deliver others from danger. In this case, however, it’s not just the injured crew of a disabled freighter they must rescue, it’s a world being threatened with extinction by a lethal virus. Their task: bring the vaccine to the dying planet and disperse it into the atmosphere, saving millions of lives. But a sinister power, bent on destabilizing the fragile United Government, will stop at nothing to prevent this outcome.
Gardner has created an engrossing, page-turner of a novel, with a story line that moves at near light-speed. It’s a fasten-your-seatbelts and take-no-prisoners kind of book that you may find yourself trying to read in one sitting. In fact, my only complaint is that I would have liked a little more description so my aging brain could have more clearly visualized devices like the “HUB” and the “winch.” (What? Is he complaining that he didn’t get bored? Is he shameless?)
That said, I highly endorse Gardner’s sci-fi adventure. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, as I do, it’s the perfect book to curl up by the fireplace with on a rainy November night, your Kindle in one hand and a perfectly made Old Fashioned in the other.
Gardner has created an engrossing, page-turner of a novel, with a story line that moves at near light-speed. It’s a fasten-your-seatbelts and take-no-prisoners kind of book that you may find yourself trying to read in one sitting. In fact, my only complaint is that I would have liked a little more description so my aging brain could have more clearly visualized devices like the “HUB” and the “winch.” (What? Is he complaining that he didn’t get bored? Is he shameless?)
That said, I highly endorse Gardner’s sci-fi adventure. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, as I do, it’s the perfect book to curl up by the fireplace with on a rainy November night, your Kindle in one hand and a perfectly made Old Fashioned in the other.
July 2, 2014
Rescue one is a solid action story about the crew of a small space ship that is charged to deliver a vaccine to a distant planet; of course, not everybody wants them to succeed on their mission. It will have a certain ring of familiarity to most sci-fi fans, with the easy camaraderie between the captain and the crew that mans the ship’s flight deck, but the story and characters are distinctive, and author Gardner succeeds in making the archetypes his own.
He also doesn't overwhelm the reader with futuristic terminology, using just enough jargon to establish the story’s context without distracting from the ongoing action, which is well-paced and effective. There are a few personal conflicts and just enough development to make us care about the characters, in what is primarily a plot-driven story. The plot itself has enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing, and reading in order to find out how things turn out. The book is a bit on the short side, but that just means that the story doesn't drag, and when it ends the reader is left wanting more, which is always a good thing.
He also doesn't overwhelm the reader with futuristic terminology, using just enough jargon to establish the story’s context without distracting from the ongoing action, which is well-paced and effective. There are a few personal conflicts and just enough development to make us care about the characters, in what is primarily a plot-driven story. The plot itself has enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing, and reading in order to find out how things turn out. The book is a bit on the short side, but that just means that the story doesn't drag, and when it ends the reader is left wanting more, which is always a good thing.
March 7, 2016
'Rescue One' is set in the not so distant future and follows the faster-than-light adventure of a space rescue team. What starts out as a difficult but successful rescue mission, ends as a seemingly routine assignment to save an entire planet. But the mission goes disastrously wrong. Caught in an age-old conflict between world governments and terrorists, the lives and destinies of entire planetary populations rely on the extraordinary courage and honesty of these brave, competent heroes.
In this book, Michael Gardner displays his marvellous talent of easing us into a realistic and believable future. His style of writing reminds of Arthur C. Clarke, except with a dash more flamboyance and without the boring bits.
The story is compact, action packed, and has a surprise twist at the satisfying conclusion. A most enjoyable read.
In this book, Michael Gardner displays his marvellous talent of easing us into a realistic and believable future. His style of writing reminds of Arthur C. Clarke, except with a dash more flamboyance and without the boring bits.
The story is compact, action packed, and has a surprise twist at the satisfying conclusion. A most enjoyable read.
February 26, 2018
This is an action-packed sci-fi thrill ride that keeps you hooked. The writing is good and the characters are an interesting bunch. The author did a good job packing a lot into a small package. I'm not a big fan of multiple flashbacks, but it all worked, and once I accepted it as part of the overall build of this story, I was OK with it. It did help with character development, especially in short novel like this. Overall this was a fun read. This would work well as a movie - I'd buy a ticket to see this crew in action. Great series potential.
November 29, 2015
Rescue One is a Sci-Fi adventure that follows the crew of a rescue ship shortly after the discovery of faster-than-light travel. It takes place in a world that is still coming to grips with the awesome power and consequences of what FTL travel brings.
This book works as a pilot episode for what will be the Rescue One series. While aspects of the overarching world are discussed briefly, the story focuses on the ship’s small crew and their one mission. The ending sets up what is to come in the rest of the series nicely, without leaving the reader on the edge of a cliff.
Like the Rescue One ship itself, the story moves at breakneck speed. After an opening scene the reader is thrown into the action of a mission gone awry and the conspiracy behind its sabotage. The story has the feel of the more action oriented episodes of Star Trek to it. Those looking for a rollicking space adventure will not be disappointed.
The one negative critique I have is that for the first half of the story, each chapter of the main plot is broken up with flashback chapters that focus on one of the characters in the story. Some of these chapters seemed relevant to later plot details, while others did not, and those latter types broke up the flow of the main plot. When the main plot is fueled by nonstop action this can be distracting to the reader. Some of these flashbacks may be more important in sequels to Rescue One, so this critique may fall flat as more books are released.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book works as a pilot episode for what will be the Rescue One series. While aspects of the overarching world are discussed briefly, the story focuses on the ship’s small crew and their one mission. The ending sets up what is to come in the rest of the series nicely, without leaving the reader on the edge of a cliff.
Like the Rescue One ship itself, the story moves at breakneck speed. After an opening scene the reader is thrown into the action of a mission gone awry and the conspiracy behind its sabotage. The story has the feel of the more action oriented episodes of Star Trek to it. Those looking for a rollicking space adventure will not be disappointed.
The one negative critique I have is that for the first half of the story, each chapter of the main plot is broken up with flashback chapters that focus on one of the characters in the story. Some of these chapters seemed relevant to later plot details, while others did not, and those latter types broke up the flow of the main plot. When the main plot is fueled by nonstop action this can be distracting to the reader. Some of these flashbacks may be more important in sequels to Rescue One, so this critique may fall flat as more books are released.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 15, 2016
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
Although I felt like I was missing some of the story, I did find this book really entertaining to read... even though it was especially short. I did find it a bit difficult to get to know all of the characters really well... but I did find it a really intriguing idea.
I would have preferred the present-day storyline to have been expanded and the flashbacks to have been minimised. Although there were some nice elements of foreshadowing, I kept getting confused about which character was which.
It was nice to see that Sam had a relationship outside of his work on Rescue One, but I would have liked some more details about the personal relationships that some of the other crew members had. Although the flashbacks did provide some details, the characters like Jack had family mentioned that were never referred to in the present day.
I liked the fact that there were some elements of mystery through this book and it was good to see something of the friendships in the crew. I did, however, spend a lot of the book trying to figure out exactly who was playing what role. I think I'd figured it out a bit more by the end of the book.
I liked the fact that, at the start, the crew had to make the decision whether to obey the orders they were given, or carry out their true mission. I found it easy to identify with the conflict they were experiencing then... and I did feel a lot of sympathy for Sam and the rest of the crew when the real contents of the ship at the beginning were revealed.
I found Chris to be quite an interesting character, even though I didn't really know him very well and was about as suspicious as the rest of the crew were of him. I didn't really like him being teabagged... although the misunderstanding about it did make me giggle at probably an inappropriate moment.
I did think there was a lot of tension during the book and I especially liked the ending. This book did succeed in making me want to read the next book/s in this series in the future.
(This review may contain spoilers).
Although I felt like I was missing some of the story, I did find this book really entertaining to read... even though it was especially short. I did find it a bit difficult to get to know all of the characters really well... but I did find it a really intriguing idea.
I would have preferred the present-day storyline to have been expanded and the flashbacks to have been minimised. Although there were some nice elements of foreshadowing, I kept getting confused about which character was which.
It was nice to see that Sam had a relationship outside of his work on Rescue One, but I would have liked some more details about the personal relationships that some of the other crew members had. Although the flashbacks did provide some details, the characters like Jack had family mentioned that were never referred to in the present day.
I liked the fact that there were some elements of mystery through this book and it was good to see something of the friendships in the crew. I did, however, spend a lot of the book trying to figure out exactly who was playing what role. I think I'd figured it out a bit more by the end of the book.
I liked the fact that, at the start, the crew had to make the decision whether to obey the orders they were given, or carry out their true mission. I found it easy to identify with the conflict they were experiencing then... and I did feel a lot of sympathy for Sam and the rest of the crew when the real contents of the ship at the beginning were revealed.
I found Chris to be quite an interesting character, even though I didn't really know him very well and was about as suspicious as the rest of the crew were of him. I didn't really like him being teabagged... although the misunderstanding about it did make me giggle at probably an inappropriate moment.
I did think there was a lot of tension during the book and I especially liked the ending. This book did succeed in making me want to read the next book/s in this series in the future.
January 3, 2016
Deep space thrillride!
A tightly written SF thriller, and I do mean thriller - this kept me hooked for the several hours, almost a single sitting, in which I devoured this shortish novel. Make no mistake, short is not bad. It's relatively short (about 35k words) because it's so tightly written and well edited.
A dynamite package lands in the lap of commander Sam Swain and his flawed but feisty crew, and they must keep up with the different ways it bounces. Characterization is just one of the outstanding things about this work; there is also the pace, plot, and their tangibly envisioned ship, Rescue One, almost a character in itself.
The presentation of the story unfolds in a nicely levelled and accessible way: Gardner is careful to present his oh so human characters individually, while never allowing the pace of the story to slacken. The ending has a very nice twist, about which I will say no more than... enjoy! Highly recommended, without any reservations.
Fans of The Vesta Conspiracy by Felix R. Savage will almost certainly like this, and vice versa.
A tightly written SF thriller, and I do mean thriller - this kept me hooked for the several hours, almost a single sitting, in which I devoured this shortish novel. Make no mistake, short is not bad. It's relatively short (about 35k words) because it's so tightly written and well edited.
A dynamite package lands in the lap of commander Sam Swain and his flawed but feisty crew, and they must keep up with the different ways it bounces. Characterization is just one of the outstanding things about this work; there is also the pace, plot, and their tangibly envisioned ship, Rescue One, almost a character in itself.
The presentation of the story unfolds in a nicely levelled and accessible way: Gardner is careful to present his oh so human characters individually, while never allowing the pace of the story to slacken. The ending has a very nice twist, about which I will say no more than... enjoy! Highly recommended, without any reservations.
Fans of The Vesta Conspiracy by Felix R. Savage will almost certainly like this, and vice versa.
June 28, 2014
I liked the story in this book, especially the twist at the end that caught me completely by surprise. Unfortunately, the writing style just didn’t really work for me. While there were some wonderful metaphors -- a particular favorite was “Tyrone had a face like an overloaded power relay on the verge of exploding.” -- most of the narrative was a bit dry, and sentences lacked complexity to the point that I felt like I was reading a YA book, which made the occasional obscenity rather jarring. The dialogue alternated between awesome and feeling stilted and artificial. I also found some of the attempts at humor to be really, really lame. The characters were another good point, except for the one who was supposed to be naive and young, yes, but who came across like a preteen a bit too often. Still, the story was good enough that I’ll probably keep my eye out for more by this author.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews