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Along the Perimeter: Amboy Book One
A caustic fog blankets the Earth. Only the transparent barrier known as the Shield holds it at bay. It is the Amboians—an advanced alien species—and their technology that saved the last remnants of Humanity from the deadly Haze.
Cordelia Faucher, a scavenger known as the Haze Walker, has a secret she must keep hidden. Carter Gerro, one of the few Humans allowed among the City Guard is unexpectedly chosen to protect a member of the Amboian Council. A mercenary group known as the Amber Waves find themselves in over their heads after accepting a job they couldn't pass up.
As disturbing reports of attacks from beyond the perimeter of the Shield reach the capital city of Amboy, all eyes turn eastward.
It is these events that bring together the Haze Walker, a City Guardsman, and a band of mercenaries.
Cordelia Faucher, a scavenger known as the Haze Walker, has a secret she must keep hidden. Carter Gerro, one of the few Humans allowed among the City Guard is unexpectedly chosen to protect a member of the Amboian Council. A mercenary group known as the Amber Waves find themselves in over their heads after accepting a job they couldn't pass up.
As disturbing reports of attacks from beyond the perimeter of the Shield reach the capital city of Amboy, all eyes turn eastward.
It is these events that bring together the Haze Walker, a City Guardsman, and a band of mercenaries.
303 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2021
7 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Steven Healt
5 books6 followersSteven Healt was born and raised in the Adirondack Region of New York State. He graduated from SUNY Oswego with a degree in Geology. He then went on to achieve a Masters in Geoscience from West Chester University. When he isn't reading or writing he enjoys camping, hiking, playing the guitar and spending time with family and friends.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 18, 2021
An enjoyable read!
Healt’s debut novel, Along the Perimeter is a well written, enjoyable read. For me, it was a cross between The Hunger Games and Divergent with a splash of science fiction. Whenever I read dystopian fiction, I am always curious as to the who, what, why and when things went downhill for Humanity. I will definitely be returning for book two to find out what caused the Fog and what the Amboians (an advanced alien species) are up to!
Healt’s debut novel, Along the Perimeter is a well written, enjoyable read. For me, it was a cross between The Hunger Games and Divergent with a splash of science fiction. Whenever I read dystopian fiction, I am always curious as to the who, what, why and when things went downhill for Humanity. I will definitely be returning for book two to find out what caused the Fog and what the Amboians (an advanced alien species) are up to!
November 8, 2022
Healt builds a believable dystopian world with solid descriptions in the capitol city, the farmlands, and in the haze. It's the perfect place for his alien creation. Political intrigue keeps readers guessing if the Amboian overlords are friends or foes. The author has a cast of many human characters, and the book chapters are divided with each group of people's activities. The pace of the story slows at these points as the characters are gathering information and working together. The best parts are the fight scenes. Healt doesn't hold back with hand-to-hand, weapons, or android technology. (I love androids. There's so much superpower for extraordinary adventures.) Extra kudos for including serious women in warrior roles. Some of those scenes were epic! He hits the high notes with showing women as intelligent and capable leaders. I really appreciate that. Thank you, Mr. Healt.
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January 5, 2023Reading this book was a strange experience: it should not have worked and yet... I quite enjoyed it. It is a strong fantasy world mixed with sci-fi, and sometimes, especially in the beginning, every mention of the sci-fi part of the world-building irked me the wrong way because it threw me out of the reading experience, but slowly I got used to it and in the end, I quite enjoyed this unbalanced mixed setting.
And the plot is interesting even if this sounds just like a big set up for the next book, we follow a lot of different characters around, but they all come together, sort of, only at the end of the book, for the majority of it they are not even aware of the existence of the other (or at least, most of them), and, again, it is strange. And I thought it would have annoyed me, but it worked out somehow and I was really intrigued by the book.
The author has the habit of telling too much, some times, and maybe a good editing would make things better, but on the whole, I am quite happy to have read this book.
And the plot is interesting even if this sounds just like a big set up for the next book, we follow a lot of different characters around, but they all come together, sort of, only at the end of the book, for the majority of it they are not even aware of the existence of the other (or at least, most of them), and, again, it is strange. And I thought it would have annoyed me, but it worked out somehow and I was really intrigued by the book.
The author has the habit of telling too much, some times, and maybe a good editing would make things better, but on the whole, I am quite happy to have read this book.
May 6, 2022
An intriguing start to this sci-fi saga.
If you enjoy inventive world creation and colourful characters in a slow-burn interwoven plot, this could be right up your street.
The backdrop is of an alien species, the Amboians, which have ‘saved’ the warring human race from itself, and are ‘protecting’ the last remnant populations from the toxic atmosphere beyond by means of a forcefield. The current human population has been born into the Amboian-Human coexistence, and the history of the times before is lost in scripture and myth.
The story tracks various Human and Amboian characters, each with different perspectives and motives, as their paths converge around a small town near the perimeter. It’s a tale of struggle, power and politics.
Initially, I found the book stretching my powers of concentration, as there are lots of characters to try to keep up with. However, once I’d reached about half way, I become hooked into the story and eager to continue on to the next instalment. Well worth a read!
If you enjoy inventive world creation and colourful characters in a slow-burn interwoven plot, this could be right up your street.
The backdrop is of an alien species, the Amboians, which have ‘saved’ the warring human race from itself, and are ‘protecting’ the last remnant populations from the toxic atmosphere beyond by means of a forcefield. The current human population has been born into the Amboian-Human coexistence, and the history of the times before is lost in scripture and myth.
The story tracks various Human and Amboian characters, each with different perspectives and motives, as their paths converge around a small town near the perimeter. It’s a tale of struggle, power and politics.
Initially, I found the book stretching my powers of concentration, as there are lots of characters to try to keep up with. However, once I’d reached about half way, I become hooked into the story and eager to continue on to the next instalment. Well worth a read!
March 13, 2023
This is a fun book that has such amazing worldbuilding!!! See my full review here:
http://owwrpod.com/2023/03/13/along-t...
http://owwrpod.com/2023/03/13/along-t...
February 17, 2022
The world-building is the star in this story, which uses science fiction to pull of a science fantasy feel that I absolutely adored. In the future, aliens have saved humanity by shielding us within a, er, Shield. Thinking of that? Now think bigger. Way bigger. There are multiple villages, settlements, farmlands, and more contained therein, and this provides a lot of area for our characters to explore, even as they discover more beyond the Shield as well.
What I like the most is that Healt really nails the details of the world, making decisions in the storytelling that seem inconsequential but add to the flavor of the universe in ways that make it seem much more real. One example: the alien tech used to communicate/pay each other has signal issues farther away from the center of the Shield, so people along the perimeter use coins or bartering to pay each other. It's a little thing, but it makes the world feel lived in and realistic.
The novel definitely reads like book 1 of an epic saga, with a lot of threads introduced while very few mysteries are solved herein. I'm excited to move on to book 2!
What I like the most is that Healt really nails the details of the world, making decisions in the storytelling that seem inconsequential but add to the flavor of the universe in ways that make it seem much more real. One example: the alien tech used to communicate/pay each other has signal issues farther away from the center of the Shield, so people along the perimeter use coins or bartering to pay each other. It's a little thing, but it makes the world feel lived in and realistic.
The novel definitely reads like book 1 of an epic saga, with a lot of threads introduced while very few mysteries are solved herein. I'm excited to move on to book 2!
March 12, 2022
In some fantasic, but not all-too-inconceivable, alternate future, humans have become frighteningly close to creating their own extinction. War has decimated the planet and as a result, a toxic fog called the Haze has settled, blanketing the globe and rendering the land nearly uninhabitable. At mankind's darkest hour, a mysterious blue-skinned alien race called the Amboians came down from the heavens as salvation. They created a semi-permeable force field called the Shield to protect some from the effects of the Haze, but not all can fit inside its boundaries and some are still forced to struggle to survive beyond the perimeter. When these others begin invading the Shield, pillaging the countryside for resources and murdering innocent villagers, it becomes obvious that someone must take action. But who is behind these coordinated attacks? And can they be stopped before more blood is shed?
“Along the Perimeter” is the first book of the “Amboy” series by Steven Healt. Told from multiple vantage points, the story is filled with political intrigue and adventure. I really enjoyed the fantasy elements woven in. One thing I would have liked to see is the villain having a bit more of a presence. I thought he had great motive for his actions, driven by an ethical dilemma that leaves you wondering if he really is a villain at all. This could have made for a compelling antagonist if he was around more. The beginning is pretty heavy on world-building with some action sprinkled in for good measure, but the story really finds its footing in the back half, especially once you’ve entered into the Haze. I’d be curious to read in future books about the true origins of the Amboians and what their actual intentions are for the human race. All in all, this was a really solid start to the series.
“Along the Perimeter” is the first book of the “Amboy” series by Steven Healt. Told from multiple vantage points, the story is filled with political intrigue and adventure. I really enjoyed the fantasy elements woven in. One thing I would have liked to see is the villain having a bit more of a presence. I thought he had great motive for his actions, driven by an ethical dilemma that leaves you wondering if he really is a villain at all. This could have made for a compelling antagonist if he was around more. The beginning is pretty heavy on world-building with some action sprinkled in for good measure, but the story really finds its footing in the back half, especially once you’ve entered into the Haze. I’d be curious to read in future books about the true origins of the Amboians and what their actual intentions are for the human race. All in all, this was a really solid start to the series.
May 25, 2022
First I want to say that I enjoyed the concept of this book very much. The world in which Author Healt places us in is a mixture of the Divergent series, Hunger Games and a book I read so long ago about the poisonous air on the outside of their compound. I wish I could remember the name, but alas, I am old.
There were several characters introduced to us in this book which made it a bit hard for me to keep up so I focused on the ones I liked the most and that was the crew of The Amber Waves. Caleb, Lucas, Levi, Ana & Omar. They worked so well together and were so loyal I couldn't help but love them all. I also liked Cordellia's story arc and that she had so many connections in each level of their world.
It was interesting to read how the Amboian's (alien form) co-existed with humans and how they felt they were above human life. I instantly disliked the Amboian race, with the exception of a few and credit the author in creating a race I had such an aversion to because to create the much feeling inside of me is good writing. It will be interesting to see how book 2 picks up after the end hinted that Paelle and seemingly, Gaelcean have something up their sleeves.
I give this book 3 stars with respect to the author as I feel he has a good concept on his hands and I do enjoy dystopian stories. The reason it wasn't a 4 or 5 for me was due to a few things that confused me.
1. It was mentioned that humans could not understand Amboian tongue, yet even before Carter was given the ability to understand, it seemed the human race knew what they were saying. I don't know if it was just unclear in the writing and I read something incorrectly, which very well could have been, but it confused me.
2. Written primarily in 3rd person, the thoughts inside a characters head would switch to 1st person which threw me off each time it happened. I often found myself going back and double checking that I was reading in 3rd person. I think if everything, including inside thoughts remained 3rd person it would flow better.
Lastly, for me the story progressed very slowly and there wasn't enough dialogue between characters to keep my interest in every scene. I like a good description so I can picture people and places but for me there was a bit too much.
Overall I do think it was a good book and would recommend to any fan of dystopian worlds.
There were several characters introduced to us in this book which made it a bit hard for me to keep up so I focused on the ones I liked the most and that was the crew of The Amber Waves. Caleb, Lucas, Levi, Ana & Omar. They worked so well together and were so loyal I couldn't help but love them all. I also liked Cordellia's story arc and that she had so many connections in each level of their world.
It was interesting to read how the Amboian's (alien form) co-existed with humans and how they felt they were above human life. I instantly disliked the Amboian race, with the exception of a few and credit the author in creating a race I had such an aversion to because to create the much feeling inside of me is good writing. It will be interesting to see how book 2 picks up after the end hinted that Paelle and seemingly, Gaelcean have something up their sleeves.
I give this book 3 stars with respect to the author as I feel he has a good concept on his hands and I do enjoy dystopian stories. The reason it wasn't a 4 or 5 for me was due to a few things that confused me.
1. It was mentioned that humans could not understand Amboian tongue, yet even before Carter was given the ability to understand, it seemed the human race knew what they were saying. I don't know if it was just unclear in the writing and I read something incorrectly, which very well could have been, but it confused me.
2. Written primarily in 3rd person, the thoughts inside a characters head would switch to 1st person which threw me off each time it happened. I often found myself going back and double checking that I was reading in 3rd person. I think if everything, including inside thoughts remained 3rd person it would flow better.
Lastly, for me the story progressed very slowly and there wasn't enough dialogue between characters to keep my interest in every scene. I like a good description so I can picture people and places but for me there was a bit too much.
Overall I do think it was a good book and would recommend to any fan of dystopian worlds.
July 27, 2021
I enjoyed this first book in the Amboy series, which adeptly weaves together the stories and perspectives of a range of characters living under - and outside - the Shield, a forcefield created by the Amboian race to protect the remainder of humanity from the deadly haze that now covers most of Earth. The characters' experiences and motivations are layered together effectively to create a rich and nuanced world, where the Earth's saviours are both revered and sometimes reviled, different factions are jostling for power and influence, and tensions are rising amongst those living in scattered colonies beyond the Shield. This is an engaging book that definitely leaves the reader wanting to find out more... I'm looking forward to book 2!
November 25, 2021
The world building in Along the Perimeter is fantastic, with all aspects of the co-existence between man and alien described. It tells a complicated and multi-layered story. If you love to read slow-burn books that weave together different aspects of a single story into a complex web of political intrigue, then this book is definitely for you. Personally I prefer faster-paced stories, however by the end of the book I was hooked!
January 2, 2023
May I begin by saying, the worldbuilding in this book is absolutely stunning!
It can be a little confusing at first, the mix between what feels like a medieval-ish setting, sprinkled with technology and evidence of a "modern" past. Reminded me a lot of The Shannara Chronicles with fewer elves and more aliens.
It took me a while to get my bearings and start to truly enjoy the story. The political drama slowly unveils and the jumps between POVs make it a slow-paced read. However, once all the pieces are in place you just can't let go.
Looking forward to seeing what the future holds for Cordelia, Carter, and the Amber Waves.
It can be a little confusing at first, the mix between what feels like a medieval-ish setting, sprinkled with technology and evidence of a "modern" past. Reminded me a lot of The Shannara Chronicles with fewer elves and more aliens.
It took me a while to get my bearings and start to truly enjoy the story. The political drama slowly unveils and the jumps between POVs make it a slow-paced read. However, once all the pieces are in place you just can't let go.
Looking forward to seeing what the future holds for Cordelia, Carter, and the Amber Waves.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews