The Stars That Bend Time

by Kevin J. Simington

An intelligent, fast-paced hard science fiction novel that spans the galaxy!Four friends find themselves lost in a far corner of the galaxy, separated from those they love by both time and distance. Heartbroken by the cruel twist of fate that has carried them there, they must use all their wits to merely stay alive. As they desperately search for a way back home and a means of salvation, they are forced to make painful choices. Meanwhile, those they have left behind are caught up in a deadly struggle against a malevolent artificial intelligence that threatens the survival of the whole human race. As time and hope seem to be running out, the time dilation effects of a nearby black hole dish up a final complicating twist."The Stars That Bend Time" is the second book in the widely acclaimed STARPATH series, by Kevin J Simington. It is is an action-packed, hard science fiction space adventure that follows the problem-plagued journey of a mismatched band of post-apocalyptic space explorers as they seek to find a new world to call home. Written with intelligence, humour, a dash of romance and a twist of time travel thrown in for good measure, it is a thoroughly engaging and compelling read. The increasingly dark influence of a malevolent galaxy-spanning Artificial Intelligence adds a further element of suspense to an already gripping story. Be warned: there are plenty of twists and turns awaiting you!If you enjoyed the movies "The Martian", "A.I.", "I, Robot", "Ad Astra", "Passengers", "Supernova" or "Interstellar" you will love this book! Similarly, if you enjoyed the books "Children of Time", "Winter World", "The Enceladus Mission" or any of the classic space exploration stories by sci fi masters such as Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, & Arthur C Clarke, then this is the book for you!

310 pages, Paperback

Published March 27, 2020

Reviews

[Noel Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book (like the first in the series) is a mixture of frenetic action then cerebral musings. I like the pace. When I'm reading one of those action books like the Martian (Great book) I get tense and feel I have to read on till the current issue is resolved. Unfortunately there is always a current issue and you never get time to think about the characters or their motivations. That is not the case here. Sure you get action sequences but there are debates about the right approach with all sides having understandable motivations. There is not pure evil. Sure the author writes sympathetically to one side but you can understand the motivations of the 'bad guys'. Right from the start of the series the author seems to have had a coherent thought as to where the plot was headed and so you don't get any cognitive dissidence where crazy things happen to advance the plot. I really recommend this book from YA to older readers.

[steve irineou · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have up on it one third of the way in

As I said in the title ,I have up on this book one third of the way in.even though it was free on kindle unlimited,I feel I paid too much. A very weak story full of juvenile humor ,such as the aliens taking conversation literally done over and over. The character would say "you can say that again"in agreement an the aliens would say it again, or the character sound say "live of cake" meaning it was easy,and the alien would say "it's not came its..." . it was maybe funny the first time, but after a while.....

[Patrick D Ehrbar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished book 2 - soon to start book 3. These books are so good - so well thought out, great characters, and interesting science without getting overly techie. Frankly these books are as engaging as Project Hail Mary and The Martian - I just hope that this author continues to write and gets lots more exposure- and maybe even a tv offer - would love to see others visuals of what’s in these books. Well done!

[Tom Steele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave up

I read the first book and with some reservations I began the second. I finally gave up on this one about half way through. I just couldn’t handle the drastic losses of lives and relationships in the story. The author casually kills key players and subjects others to time dilation equivalent to death.

The story is interesting but the emotional toll is too high for me.

[Emz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things get really awkward for Zac, as his wife catches him in bed with another woman. Of course, there are a lot of other things going on as well, how to escape morally bankrupt, ethically challenged and murderous AI's. Another great addition to the series, well-rounded characters and an exciting evolving plot. Well, I'm hooked, I have to see it through now.

[David Besly · Rating 5 out of 5]

nice series’s

Fun series, with interesting characters and a different take on hard science fiction. I like the determination and the relationships of the main characters, even as things do not always go the way they plan.

[Garry Whitmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took a while to get into but eventually got pulled back into the story. Enjoyed enough to buy remaining two parts of the story.

[Vaun Fiedler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Escape

Imagine: everyone dies at 50. Evil AIs Are responsible. All computers must be eliminated before departure via wormholes. Excellent Sci-fi.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked it a bit more than first book. Sad to see humanity will never get passed war over stupid things. Interested to see how the third book goes.

[Genesis Management · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent series

Nice human stories wrapped ip in some excellent science fiction the one book leads nicely to the next in the series

[Leslie Benvenuti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hooked

I am so into this series. Not usually a sci fi fan but this series grabbed me from the start.