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Earth Exiles #1
On Distant Shores
Alternate cover edition can be found here.
When Chief Warrant Officer Mike Duggins and his SpecOps team are assigned to a DARPA black site, their reality is changed in the blink of an eye, leaving them in an unrecognizable world, stalked by massive, draconic predators. With only his team, untested Mech Armor, and DARPA techs keeping the cunning predators at bay, they will have to employ every tactic they know in order to survive or risk becoming prey for the hostile carnivores. Can 5 experienced warriors and the DARPA tech team outsmart and outwit an enemy like no other they've seen before and find their way back home?
About the Author
I'm currently an over the road truck driver, frequently found at the end of a 400 to 500 mile day trying to peck out one to two thousand words on a new book. I'm an Army paratrooper with a background in intelligence operations. I spent six years in Iraq and Afghanistan, in uniform and out. Currently, my greatest challenges are black ice, lake effect snow, and uploading word documents to the ebook format, all equally treacherous endeavors. My greatest hope is to write stories that my readers enjoy.
When Chief Warrant Officer Mike Duggins and his SpecOps team are assigned to a DARPA black site, their reality is changed in the blink of an eye, leaving them in an unrecognizable world, stalked by massive, draconic predators. With only his team, untested Mech Armor, and DARPA techs keeping the cunning predators at bay, they will have to employ every tactic they know in order to survive or risk becoming prey for the hostile carnivores. Can 5 experienced warriors and the DARPA tech team outsmart and outwit an enemy like no other they've seen before and find their way back home?
About the Author
I'm currently an over the road truck driver, frequently found at the end of a 400 to 500 mile day trying to peck out one to two thousand words on a new book. I'm an Army paratrooper with a background in intelligence operations. I spent six years in Iraq and Afghanistan, in uniform and out. Currently, my greatest challenges are black ice, lake effect snow, and uploading word documents to the ebook format, all equally treacherous endeavors. My greatest hope is to write stories that my readers enjoy.
297 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 19, 2014
143 people are currently reading
201 people want to read
About the author
Mark Harritt
12 books31 followersDon't tell me the moon is shining, show me the glint of light on broken glass. - Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
July 3, 2019
Not sure
While it was an interesting read, I'm just not sure about this book. I really wanted to enjoy it and at times I did, but there were also times when I wanted it to be over
While it was an interesting read, I'm just not sure about this book. I really wanted to enjoy it and at times I did, but there were also times when I wanted it to be over
November 4, 2025
Manuprāt, ļtoi labi uzbūvēta pasaule un pietiekami izkoptas arī galvenās personas.
Stāsts ir par kādu specvienību, kura tiek nosūtīta uz speciālu bāzi testēt jaunākās tehnloloģijas. Tajā pašā laikā Z-Korejas narkotirāniņš izdomā, ka jāpalaiž uz Ķīnu atomene, kas uzsāk vispasaules atomkaru. Sprādziena rezutlātā specvienība kopā ar visu bāzi attopas kaut kur, nezin kur, kaut kad, nezin kad...
Nu - tiec nagad skaidrībā, kā tikt atpakaļ pie mīļajiem un vai vispār to var izdarīt?
Stāsts ir par kādu specvienību, kura tiek nosūtīta uz speciālu bāzi testēt jaunākās tehnloloģijas. Tajā pašā laikā Z-Korejas narkotirāniņš izdomā, ka jāpalaiž uz Ķīnu atomene, kas uzsāk vispasaules atomkaru. Sprādziena rezutlātā specvienība kopā ar visu bāzi attopas kaut kur, nezin kur, kaut kad, nezin kad...
Nu - tiec nagad skaidrībā, kā tikt atpakaļ pie mīļajiem un vai vispār to var izdarīt?
September 11, 2015
Outstanding science fiction
Indeed a great sci-fi book. I very much enjoyed this tale of adventure in, quite literally, distant shores.
The plot is excellently thought out and the clues are there to be able to deduce what is happening before the reader and the characters discover it for a fact.
The characters are varied and very alive. You sympathize, or not, with them. Some are lovable, some enviable and others hateful...quite like in life itself.
The science is good and solid. It is fiction, but has good arguments that allow the reader to enjoy the flight of fancy with belief in the tale.
A very good beginning for a series. A full tale that opens the door for a larger universe, but a complet and stand alone tale.
Easily recommended, will not disappoint.
Indeed a great sci-fi book. I very much enjoyed this tale of adventure in, quite literally, distant shores.
The plot is excellently thought out and the clues are there to be able to deduce what is happening before the reader and the characters discover it for a fact.
The characters are varied and very alive. You sympathize, or not, with them. Some are lovable, some enviable and others hateful...quite like in life itself.
The science is good and solid. It is fiction, but has good arguments that allow the reader to enjoy the flight of fancy with belief in the tale.
A very good beginning for a series. A full tale that opens the door for a larger universe, but a complet and stand alone tale.
Easily recommended, will not disappoint.
October 8, 2015
The military aspect of this sci-fi series is a new thing for me, but I very much enjoyed the book. I can't answer to the accuracy of any military points, but the idea of mixing something so serious as a Black Ops team from the real world with something as fantastical as time travel appeals to me. While it may seem a bit too handy that so much of the group's technology translated to the future along with them, meh, go with it--it's fiction, after all, and it makes the story more fun to read. The characters are engaging and believable. By the time I came to the end of the book I was thoroughly invested in the plot and it was over all too quickly. The author did a fine job of leaving us hanging and anxious to read the next book.
October 1, 2015
The story was mildly interesting but the writing was terrible. Every character got a full paragraph description immediately upon mention and each description is a series of robotic sentences. "He was tall. He was athletically built with a bald head. His square jaw was covered with stubble. Later on. he found out he was Italian." (not actual excerpt) And the like.
Over explained. Detailed to the point of nearly forcing readers to start skipping entire, superfluous paragraphs. And missing nothing at all.
The writing was stilted. It was actually difficult to read, nearly painful. The characters felt like cardboard cutouts from any bad B-level military action movie you'd care to consider.
Over explained. Detailed to the point of nearly forcing readers to start skipping entire, superfluous paragraphs. And missing nothing at all.
The writing was stilted. It was actually difficult to read, nearly painful. The characters felt like cardboard cutouts from any bad B-level military action movie you'd care to consider.
March 9, 2016
I read a lot of military science fiction. This author has a talent that is undeniable . The plot is appropriately fast. The characters are believable and relate to each other in a natural fashion . The storyline is unique . There appears to be numerous possibilities for this narrative. I very much look forward to reading additional works by this author.
The author is a clever developer of plot and character. The action of the book never stops. The characters are always relatable end seem to interreact in a very normal fashion. If this is just the beginning of this author's work there should be many Greg reads beyond this.
The author is a clever developer of plot and character. The action of the book never stops. The characters are always relatable end seem to interreact in a very normal fashion. If this is just the beginning of this author's work there should be many Greg reads beyond this.
March 1, 2016
The opening chapter turns out to be a flash forward (repeated entirely when you catch up on the timeline) which is very exciting, and enticing. The second chapter starts with an eleven sentence paragraph, seven sentences of which begin with 'He'. And so it goes. Masses of unnecessary detail. A dreary listing of events. I don't usually skip text but I had to with this, because I did want to finish it. Which is a shame as Mark Harritt has a lot of potential. A good editor would help. His life experience sounds fascinating.
January 1, 2015
Wheres book 2?
January 6, 2015
Good read.
Gave this four stars because of poor editing, but was a good read. The plot and setting were imaginative. Will be looking for book two in a moment.
Gave this four stars because of poor editing, but was a good read. The plot and setting were imaginative. Will be looking for book two in a moment.
January 29, 2015
No spoilers... Good military sci-fi/fantasy book. Got your mechs, got your dragons, got your science geeks, got your military specialist. All in all a good read
February 13, 2015
Good development of the characters. Fun to read, flowed easily
April 20, 2015
Great book
This was a great read. The characters were well written and the story line flowed very good. I can't wait for the next one to come out.
This was a great read. The characters were well written and the story line flowed very good. I can't wait for the next one to come out.
December 11, 2022
As the author recognizes himself, this book should have had an editor; apart from repititious language the most striking flaw is that he sometimes even mixes up his character names (Randall/Russell).
The characters make for an engaging if a bit cliched setup: mad scientist, obstinate beaurocrate, brave and honest soldier. They and their motivations are even believable. For a book published in 2014 the cast is rather male, perpetuating gender stereotypes from the 80s.
The main story turns out to be post-apocalyptic (*very* much post) and is kind of interesting; apart from advanced computing and military tech it has few scifi elements. However, I started skipping over large sections of backflash and of overly detailed descriptions of weaponry which both don't contribute to the story.
There is no conclusion to anything except maybe a first hint at what might have caused the initial conditions of the story which seemed to me a rather heavy-handed vehicle for throwing a bunch of people into a bizarre setting for showing off soldierly qualities. Clearly intended as the start of a series but really only the start.
The characters make for an engaging if a bit cliched setup: mad scientist, obstinate beaurocrate, brave and honest soldier. They and their motivations are even believable. For a book published in 2014 the cast is rather male, perpetuating gender stereotypes from the 80s.
The main story turns out to be post-apocalyptic (*very* much post) and is kind of interesting; apart from advanced computing and military tech it has few scifi elements. However, I started skipping over large sections of backflash and of overly detailed descriptions of weaponry which both don't contribute to the story.
There is no conclusion to anything except maybe a first hint at what might have caused the initial conditions of the story which seemed to me a rather heavy-handed vehicle for throwing a bunch of people into a bizarre setting for showing off soldierly qualities. Clearly intended as the start of a series but really only the start.
July 6, 2025
On distant Shores is a scifi story that starts out completely different from where the story winds up. The transition is very much a type of story. The time scale is different, and the outcome is different, but the very concepts are identical. So, if you read Robert Heinlein's book, and liked it, or just liked the time travel portion of it, then you're likely to enjoy this story as well.
Of course, if you don't care about setting, and just like to see mechs kick some serious wildlife butt, then you're in the right place. Well done story, and I'm likely to read more in the series.
Of course, if you don't care about setting, and just like to see mechs kick some serious wildlife butt, then you're in the right place. Well done story, and I'm likely to read more in the series.
March 13, 2024
Didn't see that coming.
From the first page, the reader can tell something bad is going to happen. There are no clues. There are many books written based on the basic plot shared here, but the aftermath is one most people would not have considered.
From the first page, the reader can tell something bad is going to happen. There are no clues. There are many books written based on the basic plot shared here, but the aftermath is one most people would not have considered.
May 28, 2025
WOW, started "Okay" yet I found that his prose snagged me.
Mr. Harritt's ability to describe and his character development were far above the average for the genre. This made this made his book a joy to read and hoping to find more. Well done and thank you for the adventure.
Mr. Harritt's ability to describe and his character development were far above the average for the genre. This made this made his book a joy to read and hoping to find more. Well done and thank you for the adventure.
August 4, 2025
Combines the best of military technology with future science fiction. Recommended for anyone who is thrilled by these genres. I am retired military and I love science fiction. This story was fantastic and I can’t wait to read the rest of this series.
June 20, 2017
Enjoyable read
Good guy characters and a fascinating story. This left me looking forward to the next in the series. Nice mix of science fiction and action.
Good guy characters and a fascinating story. This left me looking forward to the next in the series. Nice mix of science fiction and action.
May 17, 2025
Very good read!
The characters were fleshed out nicely. I really enjoy the futuristic science parts of this book. It moved along well and was very interesting to me.
The characters were fleshed out nicely. I really enjoy the futuristic science parts of this book. It moved along well and was very interesting to me.
March 27, 2015
Mark Harritt's 'On Distant Shores,' book 1 in the Earth Exile series, kicks off with a bang. It opens with a female dragon whose babies have died due to a disturbance lurks deep within a cave, furious and ready to hunt. Mike is a chief of a SpecOps team who is married but must leave his pregnant wife for a mission that suspiciously isn’t at all specified. The only information he receives is that it is in the US and requires five guys with TS and DOE clearances, and infantry backgrounds. Mike is jokingly referred to as a member of the “Geek Squad”, because they all have backgrounds in the sciences, engineering, or mathematics.
Mike and his team discover that they are test subjects for a new invention which is impressive on any scale. They couldn’t have been better test subjects, because they are so in shape, they are essentially athletes of the highest caliber. Although they don't mesh well with some of the "higher ups" in the mission, the crew love them and the invention looks promising. Further along in the book, it turns to the subject of North Korea and their leader. North Korea causes a massive disturbance that touches Mike’s location and affects the whole mission. The scene flashes back to the original dragon scene, and spurs the intensity of the already frenzied situation. And so, a nightmarish hunt begins, in which Mike and everyone who was working with him is involved.
This book is a story of survival, chaos, heroic actions, and loss. The story is filled with dialogue between the team and the people they are working with, prodding the plot forward and keeping things fast-paced. The characters are well-developed and fleshed out as the story progressed. Although some of the elements are based on fantasy, the story remains believable and enjoyable. One can tell that the author has extensive knowledge of how the military works, between the military jargon and the team interactions. I think anyone who likes books with military, survival, and action will enjoy this book.
Mike and his team discover that they are test subjects for a new invention which is impressive on any scale. They couldn’t have been better test subjects, because they are so in shape, they are essentially athletes of the highest caliber. Although they don't mesh well with some of the "higher ups" in the mission, the crew love them and the invention looks promising. Further along in the book, it turns to the subject of North Korea and their leader. North Korea causes a massive disturbance that touches Mike’s location and affects the whole mission. The scene flashes back to the original dragon scene, and spurs the intensity of the already frenzied situation. And so, a nightmarish hunt begins, in which Mike and everyone who was working with him is involved.
This book is a story of survival, chaos, heroic actions, and loss. The story is filled with dialogue between the team and the people they are working with, prodding the plot forward and keeping things fast-paced. The characters are well-developed and fleshed out as the story progressed. Although some of the elements are based on fantasy, the story remains believable and enjoyable. One can tell that the author has extensive knowledge of how the military works, between the military jargon and the team interactions. I think anyone who likes books with military, survival, and action will enjoy this book.
Read
April 8, 2015I really enjoyed this book very much, Mr Harritt has come up with something novel and exciting. The characters are well thought out and you quickly become interested in what's happening to them. I am looking forward to reading more about this crew and what has
happened to them and the families left behind. This new world and It's inhabitants also peak my interest It's an added dimension that adds something special to the book and hopefully a few sequels..
happened to them and the families left behind. This new world and It's inhabitants also peak my interest It's an added dimension that adds something special to the book and hopefully a few sequels..
February 11, 2016
Great Read by a First Time Author
For a polished author, this was a well written book. To find out Mr. Harriett was a first timer surprised me. Unlike most self-published authors, this book was well written, as well as edited and proofed. The story was fast paced, action filled and well thought out. The characters and dialogue were believable. It was constructed with a sequel in mind, but ended in a manner that tied up the loose ends and made it a successful stand alone tome.
For a polished author, this was a well written book. To find out Mr. Harriett was a first timer surprised me. Unlike most self-published authors, this book was well written, as well as edited and proofed. The story was fast paced, action filled and well thought out. The characters and dialogue were believable. It was constructed with a sequel in mind, but ended in a manner that tied up the loose ends and made it a successful stand alone tome.
May 6, 2015
Basically a Good Story
I'm not much of a fantasy fan. I much prefer sci-fi - in the traditional sense.
This book is a combination of the two. The sci-fi aspects sufficient to keep me interested.
I enjoyed the story, liked the main characters and was able to envision the author's message.
I will keep an eye out for a sequel.
Overall, this story is worth a read.
Ted
I'm not much of a fantasy fan. I much prefer sci-fi - in the traditional sense.
This book is a combination of the two. The sci-fi aspects sufficient to keep me interested.
I enjoyed the story, liked the main characters and was able to envision the author's message.
I will keep an eye out for a sequel.
Overall, this story is worth a read.
Ted
April 26, 2015
Very good , quick read. Good development of the characters, plot, and storyline.
July 11, 2015
Great book! I have read a lot of books and this one is a real page turner and a new, different twist than some I have read. Looking forward the the next book in the series.
November 2, 2015
Good book
This was an enjoyable experience book to read. I would recommend this book. I look forward to the next one in the series.
This was an enjoyable experience book to read. I would recommend this book. I look forward to the next one in the series.
February 19, 2016
Got my attention. I liked the Mechs especially. Also enjoyed there was human interaction with relationships and politics. Even in the military there are political elements. Especially REMF's ; )
March 2, 2016
Good military fiction
I came looking for some good military fiction and got it. The story line is nice and the characters are the kind you can root for.
I came looking for some good military fiction and got it. The story line is nice and the characters are the kind you can root for.
April 22, 2016
a really good spin on this type of story. Enjoyed it greatly.
June 19, 2016
Hard to read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews