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The Frontiers #1
Black and White
Terry Clark grew up surrounded by his parent’s life’s work, the rescue and rehabilitation of cetaceans. Born just after first contact with the Galactic Union, he’s never known a time when aliens weren’t visiting Earth. At 10 years old, he had a normal life, until a visit from one of the aliens resulted in a ground-breaking discovery. The cetaceans have a developed and complex language…and it can be deciphered by the aliens’ translators.
When Terry’s father begins using alien implant technology to test the boundaries of the cetaceans’ language and society, though, he goes too far, and the fledgling world government becomes involved. Without warning, the scientists are labeled as criminals, and the cetaceans are scheduled for termination. In order to save the cetaceans, the researchers have to flee off-world with them.
In the Lupasha star system, Terry tries to begin a new life. While the world is ideal for the cetaceans, it’s difficult for their Human wardens. Even worse, the planet’s previous owners now want it back. As they don’t mind killing all the Humans in the process, Terry is trapped in a life or death struggle, which leads to a discovery that could change the course of humanity’s role in the galaxy.
Welcome to the “Frontiers” series, the first young adult collection set in the wildly popular Four Horsemen Universe.
When Terry’s father begins using alien implant technology to test the boundaries of the cetaceans’ language and society, though, he goes too far, and the fledgling world government becomes involved. Without warning, the scientists are labeled as criminals, and the cetaceans are scheduled for termination. In order to save the cetaceans, the researchers have to flee off-world with them.
In the Lupasha star system, Terry tries to begin a new life. While the world is ideal for the cetaceans, it’s difficult for their Human wardens. Even worse, the planet’s previous owners now want it back. As they don’t mind killing all the Humans in the process, Terry is trapped in a life or death struggle, which leads to a discovery that could change the course of humanity’s role in the galaxy.
Welcome to the “Frontiers” series, the first young adult collection set in the wildly popular Four Horsemen Universe.
- GenresScience Fiction
515 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 14, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 1, 2019
I obtained this book via the Kindle Unlimited program.
Excellent representational cover art, courtesy of Brenda Mihalko and Ricky Ryan.
I became a dedicated science fiction fan sometime before I was 10 years old (which was in 1963). Part of that was due to the fact that the Cold War was running rather hot at the time, and programs like the wildly popular Twilight Zone used space themes to examine all of the cultural deficits we struggled under. The space race was in full swing, and television sets were delivered to our classrooms so we could watch the earliest astronauts launch. Someone had the wisdom to get me started on the Tom Swift series of books, with all those extravagant themes. And, by the time I discovered Heinlein's "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel" in the sixth or seventh grade, I was forever hooked.
So, blessings on Mark Wandrey, because he has taken out the too-adult aspects of the standard (and excellent) Four Horsemen Universe books, and produced the first of a series of YA books in that universe.
And it works!
Note: it's not namby-pamby, sweet-as-sugar, nothing ever happens in Bubble Land reading. Terry, the protagonist, 10 years old at the start of the book, has some REAL LIFE bad things happen to him. The worst is that his parents have a nasty divorce, and there are continued hostile actions after that. This is, unfortunately, something that the YA audience is familiar with. He also is grilled by unsympathetic bureaucrats, which MAY have happened to a kid who is placed in contact with the system. And, he has to deal with the enforced loss of the only life he has ever known.
The specific circumstances, which involve escaping on a spacecraft, are admittedly not the every day fare of your average middle schooler. But that's okay; the characters are sympathetically portrayed, and Wandrey does an excellent job of showing the conflicts Terry experiences as his life is disrupted. We see that he has support, and we see the limits of that support.
Whereas exploding spaceships and flowing guts are a much-desired aspect of the adult books in the universe, the goriest parts are absent here. There is SOME essential story-advancing violence, and it's nothing that I would forbid my two young teens from reading, and likely is far surpassed in the shoot-em-up games 14 year old Kenneth plays. Appropriate adolescent-puberty-sexual feelings and tensions are tastefully presented, instead of ignored, as was the case in books written in the 1950s and 1960s.
It's a tough age to write about, and that is complicated by the fact that it's a tough TIME to be that age. Terry has to escape his near-idyllic life in Hawaii, spent time in space, then adapt to and underwater environment under kilometers of ice. In addition to the social support he has, he is also something of a natural when it comes to complex programming, which allows him to make some money on the side. He is also fortunate in his selection of friends and mentors, including the obligatory SEAL character. (Always gotta be a SEAL somewhere.)
It's very well executed, and though it is pitched to the YA audience, this senior adult found it to be enjoyable reading. Highly recommend.
Excellent representational cover art, courtesy of Brenda Mihalko and Ricky Ryan.
I became a dedicated science fiction fan sometime before I was 10 years old (which was in 1963). Part of that was due to the fact that the Cold War was running rather hot at the time, and programs like the wildly popular Twilight Zone used space themes to examine all of the cultural deficits we struggled under. The space race was in full swing, and television sets were delivered to our classrooms so we could watch the earliest astronauts launch. Someone had the wisdom to get me started on the Tom Swift series of books, with all those extravagant themes. And, by the time I discovered Heinlein's "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel" in the sixth or seventh grade, I was forever hooked.
So, blessings on Mark Wandrey, because he has taken out the too-adult aspects of the standard (and excellent) Four Horsemen Universe books, and produced the first of a series of YA books in that universe.
And it works!
Note: it's not namby-pamby, sweet-as-sugar, nothing ever happens in Bubble Land reading. Terry, the protagonist, 10 years old at the start of the book, has some REAL LIFE bad things happen to him. The worst is that his parents have a nasty divorce, and there are continued hostile actions after that. This is, unfortunately, something that the YA audience is familiar with. He also is grilled by unsympathetic bureaucrats, which MAY have happened to a kid who is placed in contact with the system. And, he has to deal with the enforced loss of the only life he has ever known.
The specific circumstances, which involve escaping on a spacecraft, are admittedly not the every day fare of your average middle schooler. But that's okay; the characters are sympathetically portrayed, and Wandrey does an excellent job of showing the conflicts Terry experiences as his life is disrupted. We see that he has support, and we see the limits of that support.
Whereas exploding spaceships and flowing guts are a much-desired aspect of the adult books in the universe, the goriest parts are absent here. There is SOME essential story-advancing violence, and it's nothing that I would forbid my two young teens from reading, and likely is far surpassed in the shoot-em-up games 14 year old Kenneth plays. Appropriate adolescent-puberty-sexual feelings and tensions are tastefully presented, instead of ignored, as was the case in books written in the 1950s and 1960s.
It's a tough age to write about, and that is complicated by the fact that it's a tough TIME to be that age. Terry has to escape his near-idyllic life in Hawaii, spent time in space, then adapt to and underwater environment under kilometers of ice. In addition to the social support he has, he is also something of a natural when it comes to complex programming, which allows him to make some money on the side. He is also fortunate in his selection of friends and mentors, including the obligatory SEAL character. (Always gotta be a SEAL somewhere.)
It's very well executed, and though it is pitched to the YA audience, this senior adult found it to be enjoyable reading. Highly recommend.
January 18, 2021
I can’t help but being bothered that the only person who is corrected for inappropriate language in front of the kid is the one woman of the merc group, even when she’s not cursing, and she’s being corrected by someone who has more than once cursed in front of said kid. It’s just weird and it’s annoying. Ugh.
Now that I’ve got that out of the way, I came into this book having read a pocket full of credits first. I have to say I liked that book better. I think Wandray does an amazing job at world building but I’m just not a big fan of his narrative style.
For example, kid who isn’t much special in school on earth is suddenly a genius when it comes to electronics. Kid who had nothing to do with the other kids is for some unexplained reason a hero and popular among the few other kids in his refugee group whom he has never met. An entire group of scientist refugees and the mercy helping them escape bend over backwards to do things for this one kid despite the inconvenience to hundreds of people for very little justification......(well the kid had justification it’s just the adults didn’t ask for much).
I also didn’t like the rough transitions where I couldn’t tell who was talking till the next paragraph. His mom just seemed negative about literally everything. The odd timing of the attack of the ooholo they’d never seen before was just a bit of a stretch of the imagination. There’s information that’s repeated, sometimes more than once.
I liked what the other authors did with a pocket full of credits which is probably why I didn’t like this book as much. He built an amazing, layered, and detailed world. But all I felt I got from that world in this book was a preteen’s wet dream.
Now that I’ve got that out of the way, I came into this book having read a pocket full of credits first. I have to say I liked that book better. I think Wandray does an amazing job at world building but I’m just not a big fan of his narrative style.
For example, kid who isn’t much special in school on earth is suddenly a genius when it comes to electronics. Kid who had nothing to do with the other kids is for some unexplained reason a hero and popular among the few other kids in his refugee group whom he has never met. An entire group of scientist refugees and the mercy helping them escape bend over backwards to do things for this one kid despite the inconvenience to hundreds of people for very little justification......(well the kid had justification it’s just the adults didn’t ask for much).
I also didn’t like the rough transitions where I couldn’t tell who was talking till the next paragraph. His mom just seemed negative about literally everything. The odd timing of the attack of the ooholo they’d never seen before was just a bit of a stretch of the imagination. There’s information that’s repeated, sometimes more than once.
I liked what the other authors did with a pocket full of credits which is probably why I didn’t like this book as much. He built an amazing, layered, and detailed world. But all I felt I got from that world in this book was a preteen’s wet dream.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2019
Like Norton and Heinlein this Book is a Real Killer
Black and White by Mark Wandrey is a YA novel set in the Four Horsemen Universe. We follow Terry Clark from age 10 to age 15 as he travels from Molokai, Hawaii, Earth to Hoarfrost, Lupasha System, Coro Region, Tolo Arm.
Terry is your average pre-teen. He plays baseball, swims and scuba dives with his friends. One of his friends is Doc, a retired Navy SEAL. The action/adventure is nonstop. With Doc’s assistance, Terry, and his Mom flee Earth one step ahead of the World Court who want to arrest them, as well as all the other marine biologists at the Institute. They also rescue the two pods of orcas and the one pod of bottle nosed dolphins who had been ordered euthanized.
With a bounty on their heads, they flee across the galaxy trying to find a safe place for themselves and more importantly, the cetaceans. We watch Terry grow and mature into a responsible young person and we watch the bonds strengthen between Terry, the orcas and the dolphins.
There is mild profanity, but every time the adult is chastised for using such language. Even though this is a YA novel, adults will enjoy the action. I hope there is a sequel so that we can follow Terry and his friends on further adventures in the 4HU.
Black and White by Mark Wandrey is a YA novel set in the Four Horsemen Universe. We follow Terry Clark from age 10 to age 15 as he travels from Molokai, Hawaii, Earth to Hoarfrost, Lupasha System, Coro Region, Tolo Arm.
Terry is your average pre-teen. He plays baseball, swims and scuba dives with his friends. One of his friends is Doc, a retired Navy SEAL. The action/adventure is nonstop. With Doc’s assistance, Terry, and his Mom flee Earth one step ahead of the World Court who want to arrest them, as well as all the other marine biologists at the Institute. They also rescue the two pods of orcas and the one pod of bottle nosed dolphins who had been ordered euthanized.
With a bounty on their heads, they flee across the galaxy trying to find a safe place for themselves and more importantly, the cetaceans. We watch Terry grow and mature into a responsible young person and we watch the bonds strengthen between Terry, the orcas and the dolphins.
There is mild profanity, but every time the adult is chastised for using such language. Even though this is a YA novel, adults will enjoy the action. I hope there is a sequel so that we can follow Terry and his friends on further adventures in the 4HU.
February 11, 2020
Very enjoyable!
OK, it is sold as a Young Adult, but an adult (like me) will enjoy it as well!
The book tells the story of Terry, an adolescent on Hawaii, son of marine biologists who has to grow up quite fast.
It is, of course, also a story of coming of age (it's YA) and our dear Teenager shows himself to be resourceful (and in part, too much for his own good) as well as a very tough customer.
I don't like to do spoilers in reviews but let's just say that many of the events in the book are of interest and relevant in the grand scheme of the 4HU !
The action happens 10 years roughly after first contact and ends up 4 years later so there isn't much direct interaction with the main story line begun with Cartwright's cavaliers.
It is a good, solid addition to the 4HU!
OK, it is sold as a Young Adult, but an adult (like me) will enjoy it as well!
The book tells the story of Terry, an adolescent on Hawaii, son of marine biologists who has to grow up quite fast.
It is, of course, also a story of coming of age (it's YA) and our dear Teenager shows himself to be resourceful (and in part, too much for his own good) as well as a very tough customer.
I don't like to do spoilers in reviews but let's just say that many of the events in the book are of interest and relevant in the grand scheme of the 4HU !
The action happens 10 years roughly after first contact and ends up 4 years later so there isn't much direct interaction with the main story line begun with Cartwright's cavaliers.
It is a good, solid addition to the 4HU!
April 9, 2022
Hey Mark, someone read David Brin's "Sun diver" and though hey all this universe building fluff exposition that gets passively discussed would make a great story all on its own.
Great book, loved it, I can see lots of other influences from plenty other sci-fi series like B.V. Larsens "undying mercs", and i'm pretty sure the credit chits are from Kevin Ikenberry's "Redacted Affairs" and peacemaker universe
Great book, loved it, I can see lots of other influences from plenty other sci-fi series like B.V. Larsens "undying mercs", and i'm pretty sure the credit chits are from Kevin Ikenberry's "Redacted Affairs" and peacemaker universe
May 17, 2019
Great editing and plot development lead the 4 Horsemen Universe into a new generation with their first foray into the YA genre.
Terry's life is turned upside down when his mother os hurt while researching whale communication. Forced to adapt or drown, he can only rely on himself and a few new friends to see his community through the hard times.
Terry's life is turned upside down when his mother os hurt while researching whale communication. Forced to adapt or drown, he can only rely on himself and a few new friends to see his community through the hard times.
September 22, 2019
Amazing, but I expected nothing less.
I was very sad at the end of the Omega Wars series, however my displeasure was totally unwarranted as Wandrey & company continue to enthrall and amaze. I can hardly wait to read more of the Frontiers Books! Thanks so much for the seemingly endless entertainment your wonderful and creative works have given me.
I was very sad at the end of the Omega Wars series, however my displeasure was totally unwarranted as Wandrey & company continue to enthrall and amaze. I can hardly wait to read more of the Frontiers Books! Thanks so much for the seemingly endless entertainment your wonderful and creative works have given me.
May 20, 2019
Survive first, think later.
Recommended for anyone who likes orcas and dolphins, computers, or survival adventures featuring young teenagers.
For adult readers, the story is a bit predictable but still fun.
Recommended for anyone who likes orcas and dolphins, computers, or survival adventures featuring young teenagers.
For adult readers, the story is a bit predictable but still fun.
May 31, 2019
Another fantastic story by Mark Wandrey. Incredible stories, love the characters and how the story flowed. I can't wait for the next Frontiers book. I recommend it to all and especially if you have ya children, it's really a great read.
October 17, 2019
Uplift Surprises
Black and white was a big surprise all around. It gave great mental pictures for me to make about this story. I would recommend this story to any sci fi followers. Look forward to the next story. Hope t comes soon.
Black and white was a big surprise all around. It gave great mental pictures for me to make about this story. I would recommend this story to any sci fi followers. Look forward to the next story. Hope t comes soon.
March 23, 2020
A great YA story set in the Four Horsemen universe, this is one of the better books in that whole universe to me. I love the interaction with the orcas and dolphins and how the young people are shown to make mistakes and learn from them.
January 5, 2021
A tale from the early days of the 4 Horsemen Universe.
In which we discover one of the first transgressions commited by Humanity aganst the laws established by the Galactic Union.
It also features a child protagonist that I don't absolutely dislike.
In which we discover one of the first transgressions commited by Humanity aganst the laws established by the Galactic Union.
It also features a child protagonist that I don't absolutely dislike.
May 21, 2021
This was a good and exciting story. It kept my interest level very high the entire time. I was a little worried that since the story was focused on a young person, it was going to be a YA novel, but I was pleasantly surprised. I am looking forward to the sequel.
May 20, 2019
YA Done Right
One of the best of the 4 Horsemen Saga.
Clean, fun read that is really good.
The cover is a big spoiler...
One of the best of the 4 Horsemen Saga.
Clean, fun read that is really good.
The cover is a big spoiler...
June 16, 2019
An amazing scifi story from a new writer to me. Intriguing story dealing with aliens. Loved it.
February 16, 2020
If Cussler and K S Robinson
Got together to write a sci to novel, this would be it. Engaging, well paced, and surfer dolphins always rock!
TTFN
-Will
Got together to write a sci to novel, this would be it. Engaging, well paced, and surfer dolphins always rock!
TTFN
-Will
August 7, 2021
Forced exile!
Exiled with killer whales and bottlenose dolphins across the galaxy, Terry and others forge new bonds and defend new allies.
Exiled with killer whales and bottlenose dolphins across the galaxy, Terry and others forge new bonds and defend new allies.
November 30, 2022
4.5
Was surprised at how much I enjoyed this YA book. The biggest problem I had was adjusting the MC’s age with his behavior.
Was surprised at how much I enjoyed this YA book. The biggest problem I had was adjusting the MC’s age with his behavior.
February 22, 2024
Awesome!
I've read a ton of 4HU books, and this is my favorite so far! It's great that it is introductory into the 4HU, so anyone can start the series with this one!
I've read a ton of 4HU books, and this is my favorite so far! It's great that it is introductory into the 4HU, so anyone can start the series with this one!
June 19, 2019
Great addition to the Four Horsemen universe! Takes place well before the main line novels so it stands on its own. Mark writes a fast paced action-oriented story that should keep readers of all ages engaged.
But wait! There’s more! The end ties in with the Omega War series in a cool way that is probably going to be expanded on in future books. Well worth your time!
But wait! There’s more! The end ties in with the Omega War series in a cool way that is probably going to be expanded on in future books. Well worth your time!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews