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Harsh Future: Volume 1
It's the Harsh Future. Earth recovers from a recent global war. As governmental bodies are widely out of function, industrial conglomerates and the trading confederation advance into the post-crisis power vacuum to assume control. Geopolitical conflict zones increasingly shift to the explanetary sphere, as these players are ambitious to win the economic race for settlement and exploitation of ressources at all cost. Much is at stake for those who engage in this affairs and thus Corporate Security troops are ramped up and ready to escalate simmering conflicts into a new ruthless shadow war any time.Harsh Volume 1 comes with three short novels of which two are the premiere episodes of a respective agents Keller, Aekbjorn and Leroux successfully extract a high profile scientist from a sealed laboratory and save him from reactive defense measures? Their plan of getting in and out quickly was bulletproof, but the situation gets tight, when the surrounding streets get plunged into a flaming inferno by security troops and augmented assassins.Jeroen Tyler is one of the acclaimed pioneers of the development and settlement of Mars, a lone maintenance technician, who is sent to bring the first full-coverage cellular network into operation on the red planet. When a critical malfunction leads to disaster, he must act fast if he wants to find a way back to orbit. But time and oxygen are running out.Duncan Crawford is dispatched as a miner on a dark rock out in the Kuiper Belt. What starts out as a routine maintenance operation turns into a dramatic emergency situation. Duncan has to act quickly to save his injured colleagues. And suddenly his decisions make the difference not only between life and death.All stories are indirectly connected through the Harsh Future narrative framework, a shared universe, where decisions in one novel can potentially affect the conditions in another. A hidden thread is taking shape over time and reveals the motivation and machinations of protagonists and antagonists alike.
61 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 15, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 14, 2021
It's a gem. Three well written sci fi short novels slash episodes introduce the Harsh Future from three different perspectives. Dropzone Calais and Apostate standing out over the rather linear Mars Pioneer. In Dropzone Calais the author plays out his conceptual creativity in bold tech-ideas and outlining structures of a military-industrial complex. Not without creating a surprisingly vast array of compelling main and side characters, who are often in a complete antagonist relationship and who i instantly feel attached with. All this is wrapped up as a fast paced military sci fi spectacle and corporate espionage thriller. I seriously can't wait for Volume 2 already.
Apostate on the other hand is probably the best and most empathetic villain origin story i've seen in a long time. How everything turns around is kafkaesque and how natural it feels and how close i feel to Duncan until i finally realise what's happening to him.
A pleasant and inspiring read.
Apostate on the other hand is probably the best and most empathetic villain origin story i've seen in a long time. How everything turns around is kafkaesque and how natural it feels and how close i feel to Duncan until i finally realise what's happening to him.
A pleasant and inspiring read.
April 17, 2021
First let me make one thing clear: I love this book and enjoy the thoughtful, quality writing in all aspects of the book. Great empathy on characters and motivations, dialogue always feels organic and authentic. But there is one thing that stands out for me and it's the relationship between Martin Keller and Sophie Leroux. No, i decided against spoiling the details upfront, yet it's among the most fascinating build-ups i've seen in a long time. And it's never forced, nor rushed. Hopefully Volume 2 comes out very soon.
Harsh Future: Volume 1
Harsh Future: Volume 1
September 29, 2021
Harsh Future: Volume I is an anthology novella that includes 3 short sci-fi stories, that take place in the distant future.
The first takes place on Earth in a technologically advanced future that uses cyborgs and other mechanized humanoids for warfare. For me the story started out a bit wordy in its attempt at world building, but this was quickly overcome by its great action scenes. They had me wanting to read on to see what they would do next. The descriptions of the characters (especially the cyborgs) really helped me to picture those characters in action as they fought. All the enhanced characters were badasses but still had personality. It reminded me a bit of Terminator.
Story #2 was slower paced and had me guessing as to what was really going on. It had me rooting for the main character until the reality of his situation hit me. The character surprised me with how accepting he was of his fate, he didn't fight it. In a way the ending was very peaceful.
Story #3 was my favorite of the bunch. It was the most interesting and best written in my humble opinion. I related to the character because of his want to just do his job, but when things got rough (really rough to be honest) he showed up for his coworkers with a lot of courage. Fate was working against him from the beginning and was literally trying to kill him. He persevered despite this and what was happening around him. The ending was both surprising and sad, but had a twist I wasn't expecting.
My last thoughts are that there was a lot of research and hard work put into this book. I came across terms I haven't before, which is always a treat. I feel that the author found his stride through the first story and got better from there, especially with world building. I can honestly say that I look forward to volume 2.
The first takes place on Earth in a technologically advanced future that uses cyborgs and other mechanized humanoids for warfare. For me the story started out a bit wordy in its attempt at world building, but this was quickly overcome by its great action scenes. They had me wanting to read on to see what they would do next. The descriptions of the characters (especially the cyborgs) really helped me to picture those characters in action as they fought. All the enhanced characters were badasses but still had personality. It reminded me a bit of Terminator.
Story #2 was slower paced and had me guessing as to what was really going on. It had me rooting for the main character until the reality of his situation hit me. The character surprised me with how accepting he was of his fate, he didn't fight it. In a way the ending was very peaceful.
Story #3 was my favorite of the bunch. It was the most interesting and best written in my humble opinion. I related to the character because of his want to just do his job, but when things got rough (really rough to be honest) he showed up for his coworkers with a lot of courage. Fate was working against him from the beginning and was literally trying to kill him. He persevered despite this and what was happening around him. The ending was both surprising and sad, but had a twist I wasn't expecting.
My last thoughts are that there was a lot of research and hard work put into this book. I came across terms I haven't before, which is always a treat. I feel that the author found his stride through the first story and got better from there, especially with world building. I can honestly say that I look forward to volume 2.
May 22, 2022
This is a military sci-fi that will keep you on your toes.The book is a compilation of three stories that keep getting better as we indulge in the story.
It all starts with the description of a drone-humanoid bot -Aekbjorn. It describes multiple scenes such as one in the research laboratory and another in the air ship. The descriptions help you to understand and immerse in the setting.
The writing is such that you can feel the emotions of various characters and feel for them. It deals with varied emotions that one goes through in a military-active environment. A character who is passionate about research and is living his dream job still feels incarcerated due to strict vigilance and loneliness. He wants to escape this world and start his life with his lover. His encapsulation can be felt through the words of the author.
The story also talks about how it is difficult to witness deaths and blood flows in real-time war setup. One character, Sophie, starts bleeding seeing the visuals. Another character tells her how, in a military school, they are taught to take tough decisions even at such vulnerable moments, sometimes killing one's inner conscience.
You have to read a full book to know about the other two stories and experience the thrill in its entirety.
It's a package of action, espionage, emotions, technology, and much more. The stories are interesting and full of action. However, the start of the book is quite confusing and will take some time to engulf you. One should be a little patient and give it some time.
Overall, it's an adventurous and hooking ride for both sci-fi and non-sci-fi lovers.
It all starts with the description of a drone-humanoid bot -Aekbjorn. It describes multiple scenes such as one in the research laboratory and another in the air ship. The descriptions help you to understand and immerse in the setting.
The writing is such that you can feel the emotions of various characters and feel for them. It deals with varied emotions that one goes through in a military-active environment. A character who is passionate about research and is living his dream job still feels incarcerated due to strict vigilance and loneliness. He wants to escape this world and start his life with his lover. His encapsulation can be felt through the words of the author.
The story also talks about how it is difficult to witness deaths and blood flows in real-time war setup. One character, Sophie, starts bleeding seeing the visuals. Another character tells her how, in a military school, they are taught to take tough decisions even at such vulnerable moments, sometimes killing one's inner conscience.
You have to read a full book to know about the other two stories and experience the thrill in its entirety.
It's a package of action, espionage, emotions, technology, and much more. The stories are interesting and full of action. However, the start of the book is quite confusing and will take some time to engulf you. One should be a little patient and give it some time.
Overall, it's an adventurous and hooking ride for both sci-fi and non-sci-fi lovers.
April 17, 2021
Harsh Future: Volume 1 includes Episode 1 of the Corporations at War miniseries, titled Dropzone Calais. It's easily the most stirring Military Scifi read i had in months. Two other short novels, Mars Pioneer and Apostate, are set in the same universe and introduce the reader to other parts of the Harsh Future.
October 4, 2021
Marvelous Read...
I really love the theory of the three well written sci fi short novels introduce the Harsh Future from three different perspectives. Dropzone Calais plays out his conceptual creativity in bold tech-ideas and outlining structures of a military-industrial complex.
And How the tech-design is bold and uncompromising in its strive for a unique and consistent vision of the Harsh Future.
I really love the theory of the three well written sci fi short novels introduce the Harsh Future from three different perspectives. Dropzone Calais plays out his conceptual creativity in bold tech-ideas and outlining structures of a military-industrial complex.
And How the tech-design is bold and uncompromising in its strive for a unique and consistent vision of the Harsh Future.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews