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The Essence Wars #1
Xeno Reckoning: An Interstellar War Story
Their survival is already on the line……and now more trouble is about to find them.
Stranded in a galaxy on the brink of war, the last of the human race are trying to survive. Regulation Officer Selina Ravencraft, a pioneer’s daughter, is doing what she can to help her kind settle and keep their makeshift colony safe.
But when Selina activates a mysterious device, she brings her people into the sights of the alien race that killed her father. Ready to prove she’s more than her father’s daughter, she flings herself between the humans and their biggest enemy. Can Selina keep the last of humanity out of harm’s way? Or will they die out forever?
If you like strong female characters and captivating intergalactic conflict, you’re going to love Xeno Reckoning, the first novelette in an exciting new space opera series. Get your copy now.
Stranded in a galaxy on the brink of war, the last of the human race are trying to survive. Regulation Officer Selina Ravencraft, a pioneer’s daughter, is doing what she can to help her kind settle and keep their makeshift colony safe.
But when Selina activates a mysterious device, she brings her people into the sights of the alien race that killed her father. Ready to prove she’s more than her father’s daughter, she flings herself between the humans and their biggest enemy. Can Selina keep the last of humanity out of harm’s way? Or will they die out forever?
If you like strong female characters and captivating intergalactic conflict, you’re going to love Xeno Reckoning, the first novelette in an exciting new space opera series. Get your copy now.
66 pages, Paperback
Published February 16, 2021
About the author
Paul Heingarten
30 books62 followersPaul Heingarten mainly writes science fiction and fantasy, with the occasional detour into general fiction. A musician for most of his life, and an IT professional because it pays the bills, he lives in South Louisiana with his wife Andrea. In addition to sharing his passion for writing with his wife and the local Bayou Writers Club they belong to, he's also a diehard Saints fan.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 24, 2021
I received a copy of this book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.
Very Interesting sci-fi tale. The author deals with multiple alien races living on the same planet, sharing the same resources, everyone trying to survive in a difficult environment. But – not everyone shares the same values, dreams and ideas of how to attain their dreams. In a move to learn how to work together two races of investigators are paired to learn how to reach the same end by working together.
With the odds against successfully reaching those goals increasing as two other races deliberately intervene, the task becomes almost impossible. To say nothing of the difficulty with successful communication between the paired officers. Thus, we have the background to an intensely satisfying tale.
There is much more to tell in this book and the author has plans to do so. It is well worth waiting for his next book. I loved the beginning and definitely look forward to more of his writing and learning more about the main characters he has put forth.
Very Interesting sci-fi tale. The author deals with multiple alien races living on the same planet, sharing the same resources, everyone trying to survive in a difficult environment. But – not everyone shares the same values, dreams and ideas of how to attain their dreams. In a move to learn how to work together two races of investigators are paired to learn how to reach the same end by working together.
With the odds against successfully reaching those goals increasing as two other races deliberately intervene, the task becomes almost impossible. To say nothing of the difficulty with successful communication between the paired officers. Thus, we have the background to an intensely satisfying tale.
There is much more to tell in this book and the author has plans to do so. It is well worth waiting for his next book. I loved the beginning and definitely look forward to more of his writing and learning more about the main characters he has put forth.
January 26, 2022
I have to admit when I started reading this, I didn’t read the fine print that this is a novelette. There were way too many species introduced right from the start for you to get a firm fix on figuring out who was who and how they interacted. You did however get the prejudices the humans and the Mardaks had with each other.
Selena seemed to be living in her father’s shadow and as such was hyper sensitive that she was failing both herself and him.
I was having a hard time getting the rhythm and understanding of what was going and just when I thought I had it slightly figured out the story ended abruptly... So cliff hanger of sorts or I guess the real start of the story which begins in the next book…
After seeing that it was actually a novelette it made sense that it was just a teaser to get you interested in the real story. Unfortunately there wasn’t enough for me to become invested in finding out what happens with Selena in the rest of the series.
I received an ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.
Selena seemed to be living in her father’s shadow and as such was hyper sensitive that she was failing both herself and him.
I was having a hard time getting the rhythm and understanding of what was going and just when I thought I had it slightly figured out the story ended abruptly... So cliff hanger of sorts or I guess the real start of the story which begins in the next book…
After seeing that it was actually a novelette it made sense that it was just a teaser to get you interested in the real story. Unfortunately there wasn’t enough for me to become invested in finding out what happens with Selena in the rest of the series.
I received an ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.
April 12, 2023
Our heroine wants to protect her people and is teamed with another alien as a peacekeeper. But not all of the alien races on this planet want peace. There is going to be trouble in the near future.
This is book one of the series, but it is rather short and more of a prequel than anything. Which is fine as it does an excellent job of setting up the situation and introducing the characters. We don't get nearly as much detail as we want, but I expect that is coming the series itself. What we do get is a fairly fast paced story that gives a very tantalizing taste of things to come. Note that this prequel does end of a cliffhanger. Overall, I enjoyed this introduction and look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Highly recommended.
I received an ARC from Hidden Gems for review purposes.
This is book one of the series, but it is rather short and more of a prequel than anything. Which is fine as it does an excellent job of setting up the situation and introducing the characters. We don't get nearly as much detail as we want, but I expect that is coming the series itself. What we do get is a fairly fast paced story that gives a very tantalizing taste of things to come. Note that this prequel does end of a cliffhanger. Overall, I enjoyed this introduction and look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Highly recommended.
I received an ARC from Hidden Gems for review purposes.
January 21, 2022
New Series!📚
Selina💃🔫, a human , is the star of this prequel to a new series, " The Essence Wars". She and other humans, are called Xeno's by the various alien species that inhabit the arid planet she is assigned to as a type of cop or peace keeper. Her partner is a Mardak, one of at least three alien species on the poor arid planet.
ARC Provided by Hidden 💎Gems
I also got this ebook from Amazon 📚with KU.
This is a short but action packed and violent novella by Paul Heingarten📚, a sci-fi author new to me. Takes about an hour or so to read, and ends in a cliffhanger, of course, as an introduction to the new series. I believe there may be some romance in the upcoming book 2. This is not strictly a space opera.
Selina💃🔫, a human , is the star of this prequel to a new series, " The Essence Wars". She and other humans, are called Xeno's by the various alien species that inhabit the arid planet she is assigned to as a type of cop or peace keeper. Her partner is a Mardak, one of at least three alien species on the poor arid planet.
ARC Provided by Hidden 💎Gems
I also got this ebook from Amazon 📚with KU.
This is a short but action packed and violent novella by Paul Heingarten📚, a sci-fi author new to me. Takes about an hour or so to read, and ends in a cliffhanger, of course, as an introduction to the new series. I believe there may be some romance in the upcoming book 2. This is not strictly a space opera.
February 19, 2021
Good, short read
This was a fun read, but it left me wishing for a bit more. It ends abruptly and you're expected to buy the next book to get the rest of the story. I'm not a fan of cliffhangers. The other thing I wanted more of was description of the native Mardaks. One race of lizard like creatures was described, but I wanted to know why the Mardaks stunk and what they looked like. Did they wear clothes similar to the humans? Maybe it'll all be clear in the next in series.
This was a fun read, but it left me wishing for a bit more. It ends abruptly and you're expected to buy the next book to get the rest of the story. I'm not a fan of cliffhangers. The other thing I wanted more of was description of the native Mardaks. One race of lizard like creatures was described, but I wanted to know why the Mardaks stunk and what they looked like. Did they wear clothes similar to the humans? Maybe it'll all be clear in the next in series.
July 23, 2021
Exciting and fun read. This is the start of a series based on the human race having to relocate to a new planet and galaxy. Humans have to get along with and co-exist with other species, and not all of them are friendly.
A promising start to an interesting universe. I look forward to reading the next in the series.
A promising start to an interesting universe. I look forward to reading the next in the series.
May 6, 2021
A great start to a good seroes
Paul Heingarten takes us to a new earth where different intelligent species gather with sometimes opposing purposes. I want to read the next episode and look forward to it.
Paul Heingarten takes us to a new earth where different intelligent species gather with sometimes opposing purposes. I want to read the next episode and look forward to it.
May 24, 2021
The writing is good, the plot is obvious, so easily followed, and the main character is likeable. It was not exactly my favorite type of story, though. I can recommend it for people who enjoy Sci-Fi war stories.
January 19, 2022
Great book 1 it got me hooked and I want to start book 2 I like the strong female character plus the story was interesting even if the premise sounds like it been done before I think you should get it I try because it very clearly written I got this book for free and honest review
February 17, 2021
Well written and entertaining, I HATE cliffhangers but this one left me wanting book 2 for a while now. I read a free advanced copy of this book but its one I would've bought now. Good job Paul
February 20, 2021
A brilliant start to this exciting new sci fi adventure! An enjoyable read, good ideas & characters! I can't wait to see where this goes in the second book!
November 9, 2021
Pretty good
It throws you into a very different place somewhere in the galaxy. This introduced several species. It was a quick, short intro to the series....might be interesting.
It throws you into a very different place somewhere in the galaxy. This introduced several species. It was a quick, short intro to the series....might be interesting.
August 12, 2022
Good read
Just as it was getting exciting it ended. At least the next book is already available to start reading right away.
Just as it was getting exciting it ended. At least the next book is already available to start reading right away.
February 15, 2026
I think your readers would be better served if you combined all these short stories into one book.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews