The Auriga Project

The Translocator #1

by M.G. Herron

Transported light years in a heartbeat

Ripped from Earth in a horrifying teleportation accident, archaeologist Eliana Fisk finds herself stranded on a strange planet whose denizens want her as a human sacrifice.

Can she stay out from under the knife long enough to find her way home? Or will the desperate natives and their bloodthirsty gods get to her first?

The Auriga Project is a fast-paced science fiction thriller with an edge of the fantastic. It’s a harrowing tale of survival against all odds, and the gateway to an ancient alien mystery.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Amazon

236 pages, ebook

First published September 15, 2015

About the author

M.G. Herron is the author of The Gunn Files, The Translocator Trilogy, and other stories of science fiction and fantasy.

His work is published both independently and through publishing houses such as Audible Studios and Aethon Books. Altogether Herron’s novels have sold tens of thousands of copies.

Based in sunny Austin, Texas, MG’s alter ego, Matt, works for a product design agency as a content strategist. He enjoys traveling with his wife and their dog, hiking, rock climbing, and making up stories.

Learn more at mgherron.com.

Reviews

[Meenaz Lodhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series has it all! Sci fy, a touch of fantasy, teleportation, high tech and primitive beings on another planet. Fast paced, action and thriller, with mystery and intrigue. Interesting the similarities between these “aliens” and the Mayan civilization on Earth! I was transported willingly with Eliana, alas to fight for survival and understand the primitive ways and culture. Amazing and very imaginative plot!

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 3 out of 5]

A husband and wife have teamed up and created a device that allows you to transport a person or an object in the blink of an eye. They demonstrate the device to the public and loads of journalists by transporting something to the moon. But something goes wrong and his wife is transported to a whole other world that’s reminiscent of the Mayan civilization.


It’s an interesting twist to a familiar and strong concept, with more focus on the husband left behind on earth rather than his wife transported to the alien planet. Maybe there’s a reason why trapped in another world stories don’t usually take this route though. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fairly strong plot. With the FBI trying to shut down his project while he’s desperately trying to figure out how to bring back his wife. But exploring an alien world is one of the most interesting aspects of this kind of story for me. And it feels like the alien world is barely explored. We’re definitely shown some interesting details about this world, though not always the most exciting ones.


Overall, an interesting concept. Not the greatest execution but not bad either.

[Rick · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a romance novel posing as a work of SF. The author should find an editor to deconstruct this crap and reassemble it into something readable. What a disappointing read and I had high hopes. I don't believe in reading a novel partway and then giving it up if it is bad, but I should have broken my rule for this steaming pile of crap! Taking a HARD PASS on the rest of the trilogy.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Auriga Project" is an intoxicating science -fiction thriller that begins when the innovative new machine dubbed "the Hopper" malfunctions at an inaugural demonstration sweeping Eliana, the wife of its inventor Amon Fisk across the universe to a hostile, archaic planet that worships violent gods who demand blood sacrifices.

As Eliana struggles to survive among the Kakuli people with their superstitious beliefs, Amon works against time to uncover the glitch in the Translocator (a.k.a Hopper) so he can rescue Eliana, fighting the dishonesty and corruption within Fisk Industries that threatens his project.

M.G. Herron sets the stage with a ground-breaking but controversial machine that breaks down the molecular structure of an object, sending and reassembling it on the lunar surface. At the inauguration of the Hopper a strange phenomena occurs that sends Eliana Fisk to a bizarre planet with purple water and twin moons, one with a bite out of its corner. In an exciting well-developed plot the author brings to life not only Amon's frantic effort to unravel the mystery behind the glitch, his struggle to uncover the source of the corruption threatening a takeover of his company but also Eliana's survival in a harsh society with gods who demand blood worship.

The action never stops as events unfold that have Eliana fighting for her life against the chief of an "intergalactic race" that want to sacrifice her to appease Xucha, a living god who controls the Kakuli people through blood and cruelty. As Eliana strives to keep her hope alive living within an ancient Mayan-like culture, and Amon searches for answers so he can bring her home, the author quickly builds intensity and suspense that culminates in an explosive confrontation on the alien planet where a new chief arises and searches for truth as well as at Fisk Industries.

M.G. Herron in this novel has created strong, realistic and unforgettable characters who face seemingly insurmountable challenges, like Eliana Fisk an archeologist who's on a hiatus while searching for funding for her next project. Proud, spirited and clever she quickly adapts to the hostile environment of the alien world, never giving up hope that Amon will find and take her home. Amon Fisk a brilliant designer and founder of Fisk Industries is stubbornly persistent in his determination to find not only the underlying problem in the Hopper so he can save the woman he loves, but with his sharp mind uncover clues to the conspiracy that threatens his project and company. Reuben, a talented engineer who's trailed, attacked and threatened is a loyal friend and staunch in his resolve to assist Amon.

Among the Kakuli people Eliana's friend Rakulo is a caring, supportive young man who detests the violent old ways of his people while in contrast his father Chief Dombu's cunning and hatred hides his deep desire to overcome the bloody tyranny of Xucha. All these characters and many more bring passion, excitement and high-energy to this imaginative sci-fi story.

"The Auriga Project" which I wanted to read after previewing the outline on Goodreads/First Reads is fascinating; a page turner from beginning to end. I thoroughly enjoyed it and intend to read more by this gifted storyteller.

[Don Viecelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Book Review Number 151:

This review is on The Auriga Project, Translocator Trilogy Book One by M.G. Herron. This is the first book I have read by this author.

This story was hard to put down. I finished the book in a few days reading only a few minutes each night. It starts out with Eliana, the main character, getting ready for a special event she and her husband, Amon Fisk, are hosting at Fisk Industries. Eliana is a trained archaeologist, but is now helping her husband to raise more capital for his latest invention called The Auriga Project, which will radically change space travel forever. Auriga means charioteer in Latin, named after a famous Greek King.

The special event starts out okay as one would expect. The plan was to demonstrate the new invention to the important guests by actually sending an object from Earth to the Moon. Something drastically goes wrong and Eliana is transported instead to another world in the galaxy.

The rest of the story revolves around Amon’s desperate attempt to find Eliana who vanished into thin air. Most people assume Eliana would not have survived the translocation, but Amon is convinced she may still be alive and he will find her no matter the cost.

Eliana finds herself alive and alone on another planet with superstitious natives living in a small village by the sea. She must find a way to survive until Amon comes for her. Each day is a struggle and the natives seem to be controlled by some sinister force that exists in a ruined and deserted city that contains long forgotten secrets and technology.

I give this book Five Stars because the story is mysterious, entertaining and fast paced. The plot combines future world science and technology with old world civilizations and customs. The characters are memorable. The writing and dialogue are excellent. I look forward to reading more books in this Translocator Trilogy and other stories by this author.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ended up staying up past 3:00 a.m. finishing this story - its pacing, plotting, characterization, and descriptions all stand out. The author's adaptation of an ancient New World culture for use in a setting 'in a galaxy far, far away' is imaginative, and as this is the first novel of a trilogy, implies further connections between the story world and the actual historical society. Nicely done! Can't wait to read the second and third books.

[Cmoore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected to like this more... It's about a system that will transport something to a different place even people... During its unveiling things go awry... A woman lost and a husband who will stop at nothing to find her...

[Veronica Strachan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Portal plot with tech

Interesting concept nicely plotted around an experimental transporter. When all goes awry, we follow two very different povs. Technology, gods and nefarious colleagues.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What an intoxicating story of outer space. Just loved this first time read from this new author to me.

[Ann Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting idea, mixing science fiction technology with an ancient Mayan civilisation. The story works on both sides and draws the characters vividly. The technology is explained in enough detail to be convincing without blinding the reader with science and the same goes for the Mayan language. I found the plot gripping and couldn't put it down. I immediately bought book two. Highly recommended.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoa, what a trip! I felt so bad for Amon, I totally thought he was going to go mad scientist, which I think he partly did. The Hopper is a way better name than the official one they named BTW. Eliana, she must have been freaked the "F" out when that happened to her, although she seemed to pick-up the language pretty well. I am enthralled by their "gods" as they call them, I think there is something totally sinister going on on the other side of "the wall", especially since they are using chips embedded in the people and hlograms...totally space alien type stuff.

Awesome book and am super looking forward to the follow-up.

[Dennis Zimmerman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Among searches for his wife Eliana after a lab Accident causes her to disappear . Evil people try to take advantage.

I thought this book would really grab me but, nope!

It was just an ok book. If I had nothing else to read I’d continue the story.

I found this tale well written but it has some unexplained plot points that left me unsatisfied. The author has a great grasp of Aztec culture and portrayed it well however this culture seemed an odd choice for non Earth entities. I would have felt more satisfied if there were more details and explanation of the culture's "God" and the motivations of that superior being.

[Philip Dhingra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this debut sci-fi thriller from M G Heron. The atmosphere has echoes of Stargate, and there is a dreamy aura of looking up in the stars, wondering what far-flung worlds the Translocator might project to next. The chapters alternate between Earth and the other place (don't want to give away too much), which makes for a great rhythm. The tribe and their rituals are interesting, and it reminded me of Apocalypto. I'm looking forward to see how this plays out in the upcoming books!

[Alyssa Watson]

I sped through this in less than a week. A solid adventure in the style of classic Golden Age scifi with a diverse poc cast to boot. The relationship between Amon and Eliana was beautiful and I loved the ending. The chief was my favorite character and I loved experiencing ancient Mayan culture. A solid book and perfect for fans of Asimov, Clarke and other classic scifi. Looking forward to the sequels!

[A.R.K. Watson]

A solidly written well paced adventure with a well researched look into ancient Mayan culture. Good for fams of Stargate, StarTrek, and classic scifi.
Eliana and Amon have a wonderful marriage and Heron shows talent in coveying the social dynamics pf a whole village. Can't wait for the sequel. I am already spinning my own theories on what happens next.

[BP34 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written science fiction book with lots of action. It rotates between the Earth, the Moon and the planet of Kubal. A transformer accident causes archaeologist Eliana to be stranded on the strange planet of Kubal. Lots of action, danger and suspense, but we are left with many unanswered questions that hopefully will be answered in the next book in the trilogy.

[Richard Larraga · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick and enjoyable read. Not a lot of character development and lots of questions at the end teasing you to get the next book. One thing which did bother me was the utter lack of reaction to the astounding find of life on another planet. You would think that would be a major news event when the protagonists returned to earth, but it's not mentioned at all.

[Cheryl Montgomery-Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is a tense story of a sci-fi demonstration gone horribly wrong. I found it to be a quick and interesting read!

[Patricia Grigg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book I really enjoyed, it moved along nicely and more than held my interest as proven by the fact it was read all at one setting. Well worth you looking at.

[Richard New · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading The Auriga Project (Translocator Trilogy Book 1) found this reviewer tossed into a pleasant little sci-fi adventure.

During an unveiling ceremony, Eliana Fisk, wife of the inventor Amon Fisk, is accidentally translocated by her husband’s new invention millions of lightyears away. She finds herself on a planet where the locals resemble the historic Mayans. Back on Earth, Eliana is declared dead and Amon fights to save the company, taking about three or four Earth months to do so. Attacked by the Lunar Terraform Alliance, the FBI, company insiders, and others, Amon secures himself away within a research building where the machine sits. He spends this time with a long time company researcher and friend tracking and calculating where his wife went. He won’t believe she’s dead.

Meanwhile, Eliana finds herself alive and well in a strange place. Certain Amon will come to rescue her; she sets out along the strange beach she finds herself on, heading towards some distant mountains to find shelter—a cave or anything. After walking an unaccustomed long way in the unforgiving sand, she meets two locals before passing out. The locals take her to their village and revive her. A trained archeologist, Eliana recognizes altered Mayan speech and eventually learns to converse with the locals in their language.

She manages to survive becoming a sacrifice to the Mayan gods but has to witness the spectacle of an offering. She also manages to avoid the machinations and politics within the local tribe.

Overall, a nice read. There are a few bits of coarse language and some strange word or phrase choices.

[David Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another classic from this author.

Having read everything else by M. G. Herron, I thought it was time to check this out.
The story involves a husband and his wife working together to evolve a new form of space travel / transportation. Needless to say, things aren't as straightforward as that and they go wrong very quickly. This is a fascinating plot involving teleportation devices, primitive cultures with a strange god and human sacrifice, and corporate backstabbing. The world that M G Herron has created is well thought out, as are the questions raised by its very existence. The people on the planet really shouldn't be there at all, creating a fantastic contrast between past and future, which opens up multiple possibilities for the next novels as to how things came about and what happens next.

I have already purchased the other two books in this trilogy, as well as a short story accompaniment that I wasn't aware of.
A different kind of Sci Fi that is easy to get in to and difficult to put down.

[Mayhem-RW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amon has spent the last ten years and taxpayer money chasing this dream. He and his team have double-checked, triple-checked, quadruple-checked, and more to be sure, and so far, they have been on the money. But come reveal day, something goes wrong with the demonstration, and Amon’s wife, Eliana, disappears. Now he is in a race against time and government agencies to figure out what happened and bring his wife back safe and sound.

I enjoyed this story, and at the end of the book, it had me sitting on the edge of my chair. Though, the story did leave me with lots of questions. Guess I’ll have to read the next book in the series, if not the whole series, to get my questions answered.

I like hardcore sci-fi, and this book gave me the fix I needed, and if you like science fiction, you should read this. I give this read five stars out of five stars.

[Gwen Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just loved this book. Excellent writing by M.G. Herron. The very idea that she was transported to another galaxy far away is mind blowing on it's own. The idea that it might be tied in to our ancient Mayans was mind blowing. Would love to have a follow up to this to see what happened to the archeologist and her work in the Mayan depths of Middle America. Very thought provoking. I can't wait to read more by this author.

[Tonya OK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very engaging and fast-paced read. By the same token, it felt rushed in the second half. A lot of plot elements like corporate espionage and Eliana’s life non the alien planet that could have been expanded and added more depth, suspense and emotional texture to the story were glossed over. Basically, it’s a quick and really fun adventure read but with very little substance or character development.

[Sally Eldridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick jump. What could possibly go wrong?

Transporting to the moon is a great idea. However, adding an unknown meteorite bit into the mix caused a sparking anomaly to the jump. Where did Eliana land? What did she encounter? Would she survive? Would Amon find her? The twists and turns of her journey and those trying to find her will keep you on your seat waiting for the shoe to drop. A great read.

[Kavita Favelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, even though it was very different a story to the one I expected. The best bits for me were the interactions of Eliana with the local inhabitants, but I did also appreciate the other threads of the story relating to the machine / her husband at home and the other force in play, terrorising the local inhabitants.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hanging

While I normally do t like hanging stories such as this one, it is complete enough to satisfy my idea of a complete book. The translocator is like the “beam me up” transporters from Star Trek but more powerful with the right assists. Going a long way to a different world and adventures there along with potential demons makes for a good storyline. A worthwhile read.

[Peter Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read. I enjoyed it and thought it was extremely good value - especially for a freebie. I'm intrigued enough as to where the story might go to want to pick up the other two books and have already grabbed the short stories. The book also ends without an overly dramatic cliffhanger - so you could just leave it at that if you wished. Well worth the time to click, download and read.

[Bill Haddad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Science and Literature Thin

The fictional technology needs to be at least hinted at, to justify it's behavior, and the parallel stories needed to connect more vitally. There was virtually no interaction between them. I know this is the start of a series, but there are too many unanswered questions.

[Liza · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a 2 level story.

Eliana has been transported to another world and so has to start learning the new language and customs and tribal politics; also, she needs to avoid becoming a sacrifice.

In the meantime, her husband, Amon, has locked himself in the lab trying to work out where Eliana disappeared to so that he can bring her back.

Very engaging