Earth--Last Sanctuary (Definitive Edition): Universe in Flames Series

Universe in Flames #1

by Christian Kallias, Greg Tremblay (Narrator)

Earth. Our last sanctuary. The last beacon of hope against the rising darkness.

The Obsidian Empire has shattered the Star Alliance. Lieutenant Chase Athanatos manages to escape their wrath, piloting his fighter to lead a band of survivors to the edge of the galaxy...to a little planet called Earth.

But Earth is in trouble. The Empire is hot on their trail, and unless Chase can find a way to stop them, what remains of the Alliance is doomed to extinction.

Unbeknownst to him, something dormant is coursing through Chase's blood. Something ancient. But does it hold the key to changing their destiny?

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Amazon, Fantasy, Space Opera, Space, Military Science Fiction

10 pages, Audiobook

First published September 16, 2015

About the author

Aided by an abundance of Sci-Fi characters with supernatural powers, Bestselling Sci-Fi author Christian Kallias has a secret. He lives two lives. One in the real world and one inside his own creations, in worlds where he can lay down the foundation of his universes for both his and your enjoyment. Guess which one he prefers?

Christian Kallias is the bestselling author of the award-winning Universe in Flames Space Opera series.

Reviews

[LMW · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is horrible! I made it through the first chapter, barely. If you are going to write science fiction, you have to know a little bit about science. The author clearly does not! First of all, space fighters having afterburners?? How would afterburners work in space? Second, skimming a moon only a few feet off the atmosphere? On planetary bodies with an atmosphere, there is no clearly defined point of where the atmosphere begins, it just keeps getting thinner as you go higher. Even satellites in low earth orbit have to occasionally give themselves a boost due to a minuscule drag by a very thin atmosphere.

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

Diabolically bad cheesy space opera of a sort that I thought went out 30 years ago. Yes, it's Star Wars meets Battlestar Galactica plus some Buck Rogers etc (but not oddly, Star Trek)... it's most like BG though, including the ancient Greek connection and the quest to find Earth (which is amazingly easy).

Luckily once the rag-tag fleet arrives poverty, hunger and war are banished within a couple of weeks and everyone is bestest friends. Couple more weeks and a re-jigged F14 Tomcat is now an F140 with a jump drive that can go 3 light years before needing a (half hour) recharge. Yeah, really.

And our granite jawed hero, Chad McMuffin (or whoever, I've forgotten already) still has time to romance the gorgeous fit ladies and on and on and bleurghhh...

The author has absolutely no skill in building tension, characters or anything original and interesting. S/he truly loves deus ex machina though; really, really big ones that you can see several parsecs off.

This is pulp fiction on an epic scale - lucky no trees were harmed in publishing this tripe but if the whole series is like this one (and there's no reason to think otherwise), then it's still a massive waste of digital storage.

[Milena Reinherz · Rating 4 out of 5]

An epic read!

[Vedran · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't finish this book, some parts made it impossible to read it:
- aliens speak modern english as their own language
- aliens use same military ranks as americans
- aliens actually are the same as modern day humans, without any differences
- physics don't exist (Newton's laws?)

This would be a good YA (or younger) novel if there wasn't so much political and social preaching.

If you are looking for military fiction, skip it. If you can't completely turn off your brain while reading, skip it.

[Autumn Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book!

I absolutely loved this book! The author has a writing style that kept me hooked from the first word until the last. I loved the story and he did an amazing job telling it. And that ending! I'll only say that I did not see it coming and I can't wait for the next one! Read this book! Kallias does not disappoint.

[Ian Mears · Rating 1 out of 5]

Utter rubbish unless you have a reading age of about 5. Poorly written, implausible plot lines, a central character that acts as the authors wish fulfilment fantasy and so many basic scientific errors it was almost embarrassing (in the first few chapters the author was clearly confused by the difference between a galaxy and the universe and how ships move in space)

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this is the first book of a new science fiction author. I could be wrong, but either way, it’s a darn good book no matter what. The story starts out right in the middle of a battle which is my kind of military science fiction. Unfortunately, this initial battle is just a simulation! But, just as Wing Commander Daniel Tharraleos and Lieutenant Chase Athanatos are getting ready to eat a meal, the battle station alarms start going off and all the pilots in the mess hall make a mad dash for their star fighters. Now the real battle begins.

The Star Alliance has been in a continuous war with the Obsidian Empire for a long, long time. While the war has been about equal between the two, word has spread that the Obsidian Empire had some how joined with the Zarlacks, an ancient, very war-like, race thought to have been extinct. This current battle shows that alliance in full force. There are Zarlack battleships and escorts among the Obsidian battleships and their combine forces are wiping out the Star Alliance in all sectors of their space. The Captain (wonder where all the Admirals are?) of the Battle Group which Daniel and Chase belong decides he’s had enough and he’s got to warp out of this battle to fight another day. He tells his navigator to put in some random coordinates and get them the heck out of there.

And of course, this random jump puts what’s left of the Star Alliance just on the edge of the Solar System. They soon find out that Earth is inhabited, but that the civilization there is about two centuries behind them in technology. They also realize that they might have just alerted the Zarlacks of their new location and revealed the planet Earth to this new enemy. The Zarlacks were notorious for attacking isolated planets that could not defend themeselves just to make sure they didn’t become competition in the future.

So, the former Star Alliance needs to get to Earth and see if they can agree to an alliance between the two. They are willing to defend Earth as long as Earth will supply manpower and material to repair and build new starships. Their only problem is that there may not be enough time before a Zarlack battle group arrives and begins destroying Earth.

There’s a lot of stuff going on in this book. That’s fine, I kind of like different story-lines. The main characters are pretty much identified although as with most books of this type, there seems to be one big hero who has to do everything all by himself, well, almost. Chase is the guy in this book. He’s a starfighter pilot, but is put on an Alliance dreadnought, the Iron Fire, as Captain with no explanation of where the current Captain went. There’s also the romantic angle when Commander Sarah Kepler is introduced. She and Chase get together almost immediately since they are both fighter pilots. It’s a nice addition to the story, but then Chase starts paying too much attention to Sarah’s well-being. And finally, the author does have some fantasy involved when he introduces visions from Aphrodite, the Olympian Goddess of Love. Fortunately, these insertions are few and far between.

I liked this book on the whole and will be reading the new two, Fury to the Stars (Universe in Flames: Book Two) and Destination Oblivion (Universe in Flames: Book Three).

[Walter Wartenweiler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had the pleasure of being an early reader of Christian's new book. I love scifi and space opera as well as magic and mythology. This book brings this all together. I warmly recommend this fast paced and deep scifi book. Looking forward to the next volume of the Universe in Flames Saga!

[Vedat GURER · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story line

I think that the author accomplished a great deal of work by establishing a powerfull baseline for a great continuation. Will the next book reveal omnia vinxit amor?

[Brent Knorr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Never really clicked with me. Seemed like everything revolves around the main character and no one else seemed to be able really contribute.too many unlikely events and last second saves for me to really buy into the story

[Mick Bird · Rating 4 out of 5]

A interesting start to what looks like a good series of books, I look forward to book two when it is published later this year.

[Mick Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the first book of this series a few ears ago, and with the rewrite or definitive additions made it is outstanding! With technology that has improved over the years and with the adventure and battle scenes you can’t ask for more. The characters are even more developed and dimensional. Great new book
DISCLAIMER: I got a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for a review.

[Mo Jacobs · Rating 2 out of 5]

HUH? This was an odd story. The premise is your typical space adventure. Bad guys trying to rule the universe; a group of rebels trying to stop them; and Earth caught in the middle. The fight scenarios were done well and fun to read. You could almost imagine yourself in the space fighter spinning and shooting. It was fun. Then you bring in a goddess and the story just falls. I almost put it down then but continued on because the fighting was enjoyable and almost made up for the lost Olympian gods.
 
I felt the author over simplified the story a bit and well dumbed it down. Perhaps the intended audience is much younger but it just didn't seem to flow well. 
 
I really doubt I will hunt down the rest of the series. But if you like simple action with a bit of love and gods thrown in then check it out. There are four books in the series. 

[J.G. Gatewood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the premise and the concept of the story, I just think it could be cleaned up/done better. I didn't really care for the Aphrodites/Olympus Gods aspect, and when she spoke the people of Earth it seemed a little cheesy (IMHO). I would also expect the different alien races to speak differently. They all sounded human to me. It also seemed to me that Univesium and English are exactly the same thing except for the Human slang. We kept hearing Chase mention that they were different, but it wasn't present in the writing.

As I said, I liked the story and concept and will probably read the next to see what happened, but I do think it could use some tightening up.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book starts out with detailed battles with improbable heroics and lots of action. Reminds me a bit of a Tom Cruise movie. One minute we're in very heavy battle scenes and then the whole tone of the book changes when the hero has a vision of Aphrodites. The writing seems clumsy with little character development.



.

[Nathan Shickle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful. Couldn't get past the first chapter. The dialogue was vacuous and unimaginative. Space combat with proper reference to Newtonian physics would have made a much more fascinating read. You can suspend some concepts in science fiction but basic physics is not one of them.

[richard a rishell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different to say the least

If you like space battle you will enjoy this book. There is love theme running thru the book but it only becomes excessive until the end of this book.

[Aviar Savijon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Earth Last Santuary

The journey begins with this book and its high action from start to finish. A must read for those that enjoy sci fi, space opera and adventure.

[Kathy KS · Rating 2 out of 5]

In some ways, this first volume in the series has some elements that are reminiscent of the "new" version of the TV series,Battlestar Galactica, albeit not nearly as well done. An alliance from far, far away (I can't remember if it's another galaxy or solar system...) is humanoid. They have been severely trounced by an alien empire and are now on the run with just a small group of ships. They decide to make a run for some place called "Earth." Oh, and their religion is based on the gods of Olympus! Sound familiar yet?

Although this is billed as "science fiction," there is definitely a familiar fantasy trope here: "the chosen one," with some mysterious powers emerging.

If any of these plot lines sound interesting or you enjoy military science fiction, go ahead and give it a try. Just don't expect it to be filled with accurate science and believable shipboard hierarchies. There is a touch of a love story beginning, but it's mainly about the battles.

I have been reading science fiction for over 65 years (I started with the Mushroom Planet books in grade school). I've always been irritated that people often say science fiction is for adolescent boys. Well, I'm now a retired woman who still enjoys the genre; I've read the grand masters and precursor works from the last few centuries, both science fiction and fantasy. I still love space fiction. This is a weak version that DOES seem like the target is those young boys, in my opinion.

The narration on the audiobook was pretty good. I'm just not so sure I plan to read anymore of the series or author. Just one woman's opinion...

PS-- I'll admit I laughed off and on during the book for one reason... The big bad of the book is a villain that seems straight out of old Flash Gordon and/or Buck Rogers serials. Every time one of the villain's minions said "Yes, Master" I had to snort and envisioned those old serials...

[Angie Gallion · Rating 4 out of 5]

If space fantasy is your thing you should definitely get involved with Christian Kallias.  He has created a complex story line with lost civilizations, extinct races, mysterious beginnings and celestial guidence.  Universe in Flames:  Earth, Last Sanctuary is the first in this ever expanding series and moves with a quick pace even while filling in the background to set the groundwork for the rest of the series.  

At first I thought this was fan fiction, and when I happened into a scene where a well known space adeventure was featured, I was convinced.  However, by the end of the novel, I thought something different.  Perhaps this is fan fiction, but it's also something bigger, Kallias didn't stop at paying homage to worlds created by others, he went in depth and created his own. 

It was fast paced through the battle scenes, but when it slowed down it had a message.  A message delivered by Aphroditis, of Greek legend.  He took his love of the legends, and his interest in the stars and merged them in a very unique fashion.  This book clipped along in rapid fire, and although space adventure is not my first choice for relaxation, I have no doubt that I will have to move through is series to see how it matures.  The end of Earth, Last Sanctuary leaves you with a very effective hook drawing you to the next book in the series, Universe in Flames: Fury to the Stars.

Beyond this book, Kallias has built a very impressive website, which will pull you even further into the adventure.  Overall, an impressive offering.  There were moments when I felt his characters were stereotypes, then, when I had gotten comfortable with their simplicity, Kallias changed it up and built their depth.  He's an author to keep your eye on, as you are looking to the stars. 

Check out his website.  His books are available at amazon.com and for a limited time, some are offered at a discount.

[WyoGal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent space battles, dialog needs work

The space battles described in this book are excellent. They are very similar to Star Wars scenes in intensity and visually. The good guys losing against the bad guys and needing to escape into deep space also echos Star Wars.

I was enjoying reading this book until the main character meets his love interest. Then the story grew tedious and forced. I quit at about the 73% point. Here are the reasons why I stopped reading: First, the protagonist and his people aren’t from Earth, but they use cliches referencing Earth experiences (barn doors, elephants, Ace up a sleeve, Christ, etc.). Second, when a supernatural-like being appears in the story, there has been little foreshadowing, and there is a huge information/backstory dump that kills the momentum of the plot and is a little too late to add to the already dire stakes. Third, the dialog between the romantic duo is painfully dull at times, and the commanding officers take way too long to get their points across, even during tense moments. Fourth, the comma errors increase in frequency the further into the book, and there are other typos that distract from enjoying the story. Last, the plot gets too predictable, heavy-handed, hokey, and/or too obvious. Telling the protagonist that someone he cares about is going to die ruins the suspense unless there’s hints that fate can be thwarted. Last, the character shifts from cocky and exciting to awkward and whiny. Not a good progression to sustain interest.

While the fight scenes are fantastic, the rest of the story needs work.

[Liquid Frost · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Space Operas from time to time, and if I'm honest, I picked this up due to the cover. Don't let the bit about "goddess of love" make you think this is romance book. Yes, there is a new relationship between a human and a near-human, but it isn't the main driver of this introductory adventure.

Note: this is Book 1 of 8, but don't worry - you do get a satisfying story with the promise of more.

In a nutshell, this is a space alliance being crushed by an evil empire. A handful of alliance ships jump away and find themselves going to protect Earth. Since I didn't read the bit about Aphrodite (itis), I was tossed the curve-ball, a.k.a. 'd.e.m' intervention in the form of a Greek Goddess. I had to chuckle, but still pressed on.

So, you have the evil empire in bed with an unknown more-evil master, and an alliance and distant relative of Humans of Earth working together to survive the crushing blow of war. And yes, a new relationship brewing. The star of this show, Chase Athanotos is the archetype hero: handsome, smart, brave, and an excellent pilot. He banters with Aphrodite and patiently awaits answers to guidance as he - seemingly - can turn the tides of war.

There is a small cast of characters - all fun in their own way. In all - it was entertaining. I plan to read Book 2 soon.

[Jeff Willis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've heard a lot of good things about Christian Kallias' books and the universe he's created, so I was looking forward to reading this book. Unfortunately, I was really disappointed. The dialogue is, to be blunt, just bad. It's heavy with exposition that is inconsistent with character relationships (old friends say things like, "As you know from when we did that thing all those years ago") and there are a lot of bad one-liners that felt like they were meant to sound dramatic but fell flat or sounded silly. There are also a number of unrealistic scenes in the narrative (the protagonist's reckless flying is directly responsible for the deaths of several of his squadron pilots and it's only ever casually mentioned, the protagonist pulls a gun on a superior to compel action and suffers no consequences except for a little light chastising from the superior, etc.) that took me out of the story because they were such unrealistic responses to the gravity of the scenes. The worldbuilding was good and I'm interested in the universe the author is constructing so I will probably check out at least one other book... but this one I just couldn't get into.

[Sam G.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Christian Kallias is worthy of attention. The style is bold, super clear and fast. So direct that sometimes even you miss some long descriptions here and there. But it hooks you fast, and he is not afraid of taking turns and embrace the whole world in the process (changing the sociopolitical stage of the earth in 4 weeks, while ending with famine?) That makes you expect the unexpectable, it creates that great illusion that few writers had nowadays, always following straight roads.
Yes, I know, I read those sci-fi nerds that need their science in fiction. But this is not Greg Egan, don't get your expectations. Kallias gots more of the science involved wrong (even the military ranks) but this is more a ride into the pulp (and fun) zone of a story. Big, fun and fast.
I read it faster than other books in the genre in the last few years, and I started already with the next (a novelette -again a pulp specialty)
I will stick to the series and the author because it brings me joy for the reading and for the ride. But I understand that is not for everybody.

[Red Tide · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really bad

Space carriers that are battleships, silly. (Battlestar Galactica) Crack pilots who individually kill enemy pilots five at a time (it's a good thing that the enemy doesn't have any crack pilots). Evil enemy admiral of the Obsidian Empire (it even sounds like Flash Gordon) launches evil surprise attack. Evil enemy battleships can't destroy little good guy fighters, thank goodness.

Meanwhile the good guy escort ships can't do their job of screening the good guy battleships from pesky bombers. What is a good guy to do?

That's when I bailed. The dialogue was worse than any bad war movie I've ever seen, probably because it was an amalgam of every trite silly airwar movie made. The characters were so flat that it might have been funny with some effort put into the writing.

The saddest part is that the writer seems to think that his insanely simplistic and surreal battle scenes are exciting.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reads like a bad 80’s movie script

The author claims that he heavily revised the book for this edition. It’s still bad. 2 stars for the originality of the plot and that’s it. It reads like a teenager in high school decided to base a book off of bad 80’s movie scripts. It’s simply immature, testosterone-laden, and reminiscent of every sci-fi movie that doesn’t get the science right or have any idea of how the military operates. The interaction between military members and political entities is actually pretty insulting. I blame Top Gun for this kind of crap. And the book isn’t even as fun as a classically bad movie like Lethal Weapons. It’s more like Dolemite.

A few side notes: things implode in space, not explode. There is no such thing as flaming debris in space, as there is no oxygen or heat for fire to maintain itself. Also, sound can’t travel in a vacuum. But don’t feel bad. Star Wars was just as ridiculous.

[Met · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not entirely bad.
Me being more of a hard Sci-Fi reader, this being pure space opera with loads of scientific inaccuracies kinda caught me off guard (got it recommended on Amazon and the description sounded interesting enough).
Once you get your head around that, well, meet the superhero main character. Not quite, but close enough. He's awesome at everything, just not so confident with women - Well, doesn't that sound just like me...
Speaking of women, of course we need to have cliché romance too. You know where I'm going here.
Interesting, weird thing: the mythological twist. As I said...space opera. Can't decide how I feel about it just from book 1 in the series, it might lead somewhere.

The plot is interesting enough so I finished the book, cue the cliffhanger. Again a bit of cliché, who would have thought.
All in all, not enough for me to continue the series...

[Iah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has some interesting ideas, but nothing new I didn't hate it but on reflection it hasn't left me caring about anyone or really wanting more.

Aside from the science which is all wish fulfilment.


it seems odd a fighter pilot is also a top computer programmer able to write test and deploy a fly by remote system for multiple ships! Also that he has a super tactical grasp of major battle planning.
But the most obvious and glaring fault is that a fighter pilot takes control of a battle group with the most advanced ship they have and tells it's commander what to do, and that commander rolls over and obays, As does his own commander all the people in control of battleships and it's axillary ships do what a fighter pilot tells them to do!

[The Mysterious Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

First a warning: if you're someone who demands scientific realism, figures out the "science" and "engineering" behind sci fi books and draws detailed plans of space craft, this is not the book for you. If you're someone who is willing to totally suspend belief, accept the premise of Greek mythology mixed with sci ft and scacecraft that defy engineering logic etc in a grand-scale space opera, then you're going to find this book to be a real hoot and a load of fun. I fall into the latter group. Christian Kallias' books are a wild Adrenalin filled ride of fun and that’s certainly the case for this book. And I definitely recommend it. Earth's Last Sanctuary was really fun and I know that its just the leading edge of a great series.

[Francene Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the story a little short on sensory perception and lacking in emotion. However, if you enjoy reading about advanced technical air maneuvers, then this is the novel for you. Otherwise, you may find the plot tedious. Well described, tactical space-fights are more for men than women.

For me, the story came alive the main character, Chase, arrived on earth in his fighter vessel. One third of the way into the story, interaction between the species kicked in. Oh, what a wonderful world Earth could be if we lost our need for self-aggrandizement. The author showed the changes to such good effect that the concept brought awe.