[BOTM] - INDIE PICK - The Remnant by Paul B. Spence

[Anna]

The Remnant by Paul B. Spence is our INDIE PICK for July.



"Lt. Commander Hrothgar Tebrey finds himself assigned to an archaeological expedition as a military attaché because of his knowledge of alien technology. It should have been an easy assignment, light duty to recover from the disaster of his previous mission, but things quickly begin to go wrong. Someone, or something, is manipulating events to sabotage the expedition.

When the science team becomes marooned on the planet by the tides of war, the sinister force reveals itself, and Tebrey must fight against a seemingly unstoppable enemy to save not just himself, the expedition, and the woman he loves, but his very soul.

Some things are worth dying for, but it’s the things worth living for that matter..."

Are you reading The Remnant? Tell us what you think and post links to your reviews in the thread below. Remember ... hide your spoilers behind the spoiler .html (click 'some html is ok' above the comment box to learn how).

[Paul]

I honor of being picked for this month's read (and in honor of my independence from traditional publishing) I would like to offer The Remnant for free in mobi format for the rest of the week ( July 2nd through July 5th) at Amazon.com.

http://www.amazon.com/Remnant-Paul-B-...

Now available on smashwords in many formats:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Coupon Code: QU84A

If you get the smashwords version, you may notice a slightly different cover. Don't worry, the text of the book is the same. The new cover is to link it to book two The Fallen

[Anna]

Thanks! Grabbed it ... converted it to .epub using Calibre.

[Heidi]

Thank you, Mr. Spence, for your generosity! :) I downloaded your book, and I look forward to reading it.

[Paul]

Thank you, Heidi. I hope you enjoy.

[Conal]

Thanks Paul, I also took advantage of your offer.

[Shannon]

I, too, took advantage of it. Thanks.

[Robert]

As luck would have it, I read this book last weekend! My review is here:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

-Rob

[Anna]

Sweet...

[Anna]

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Author interview ... author interview ... get your author interview ... only sixpence and twenty... :-)

AUTHOR INTERVIEW is HERE: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

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[Vincent]

Thanks, Paul! Got my kindle copy.

--VV

[Paul]

Thanks you all!

Also, it is now available on smashwords, link and coupon above.

[Paul]

For anyone who is interested, here is my new First-Reads Giveaway for The Fallen



I'm giving away 10 signed copies of Book 2, sequel to the The Remnant

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/en...

[Betsy]

I think this book -- The Remnant -- may be too long. I'm about half way through and although I enjoyed the first half, for the last couple days I haven't felt any need to get back into reading. I feel like I should have a better idea where it's going by now, if it's going to be worth my time to continue.

[Betsy]

Thomas wrote: "Betsy -- What chapter did you stop on? The story does take a change in direction at around the mid-point, with more complexity/subplots."

Chapter 39, page 295. (view spoiler)[Already left the dig site and through the really creepy really old ruins, at the mid-sized city. Not at the capitol yet. (hide spoiler)]

I'll keep at it, in hopes it gets better.

[[deleted user]]

I just joined the group and by coincidence I read this book only last month. My review of the book is already on Goodreads. I did find some problems with it, but thought the author showed a great imagination and much potential a great future in writing.

[[deleted user]]

Thomas wrote: "Looking at the reviews of this novel, I see that a majority of readers say it's a 'mixture of sci-fi and fantasy,' and I don't understand that. Since I'm currently trying to understand why a lot o..."

Thomas...I mentioned the sci-fi/fantasy mix but only to point out my take away. I did not feel that the lower level tech was the reasoning for me but only added an element that helped bridge the gap. I felt that with the dig site/local tribes who were so superstitious/the many times of ominous feelings by the team/the "Thing" that ravaged Tebrey's ship and killed his companion and almost killed him planet side....along with the companion..the black ubercat...just kind of kicks up a little mix feeling to me. Which I think is good...I love the mix myself as I have always believed that tomorrows science will be indistinguishable from magic.

I am not in the camp with those who think low-tech equals the past...civilizations have to progress. Just because we have FTL starships and visit planets through out the galaxy does not mean we will not encounter Neanderthal like beings if we travel far and wide.

I just loved the book and have no regrets for coming away with my mix of sci-fi/fantasy take on it.

[Robert]

Thomas wrote: "Looking at the reviews of this novel, I see that a majority of readers say it's a 'mixture of sci-fi and fantasy,' and I don't understand that. Since I'm currently trying to understand why a lot o..."

Well, for me, I didn't feel this book was a fantasy novel at all. Everything was set in the distant future, and there didn't seem to me to be much truly in the vein of fantasy, though there are some settings and scenes that might appear they would work in a fantasy novel if the context were different (and I suppose the time spent in the low-tech setting is the reason). Any idea that this would morph into a fantasy book go away upon just reading the thing, though. My concern when I encountered the setting change from spaceships to a low-tech world was that I would not get my sci fi fix on with no space battles or trips through hyperspace happening. But the sci fi elements were there when the archaeology occurred and when the main character pulled out his tech and went to town on some bad guys.

To me, the most fanstasy-like element may be the big bad in the novel, revealed at the end, though that entity really hasn't been explained enough to know exactly what to make of it.

For me, if someone asked me for recommendation for a fantasy read, this book would not cross my mind. If someone asked me if I had read any good sci fi lately, I would totally tell them about this book (and have).

As to your other points, I agree; the ancient past (even on Earth), does not equal low tech. (I believe the pyramids were built with modern to better than modern tech, myself.) The distant future does not have to equal high tech or sci fi. Nor does low-tech have to equal fantasy (Little House on the Prairie books are set in low-tech environs and are not fantasy at all.) To me, high tech and/or futurism is usually sci fi. Alternate or rewritten/reframed history can be sci fi--or fantasy, especially if low tech is involved. For me, sci fi revolves around futuristic technology.

What would you call a story like C.S. Freidman's Coldfire Trilogy? Or Turtledove's Guns of the South? Books like those blur the lines between fantasy or historical fiction and sci fi and make statements like the ones you mentioned on your blog really nonsensical, as you said. (To me, these books are technically sci fi, but they aren't good examples of sci fi reads, because you don't get spaceships, space battles, flying cars, cool tech, etc., but they have to be sci fi because they're set in places or have plot elements that include high tech.)

[[deleted user]]

Hahaha...I look at this question of sci-fi or fantasy in my simple little mind as.."I can't define it but I know it when I see it".

I am not a big fan of pure fantasy as far as reading but I do love the silver screen versions of such. Where as with sci-fi...I love both the read and the flickering screen versions.

Fantasy is not my escape to genre but sci-fi has always been there for me. Remnant gave me the escape with good hard sci-fi with just a smidge of fantasy feel to fire me up.

You guys have made this a very interesting discussion and I want to thank you all for helping me understand what a lot of folks think about what makes a read sci-fi or fantasy.

You guys and gals rock!!!

[Paul]

Thomas wrote: " -- not just Andre Norton, but also H. P. Lovecraft ..."

Hi Thomas. You nailed it on that one. I've always been a huge fan of HP. At the Mountains of Madness and Within the Walls of Eryx are both fantastic sci-fi stories from HP and I'm sure influenced my sanity thinking.

Robert wrote: "Thomas wrote: "Looking at the reviews of this novel, I see that a majority of readers say it's a 'mixture of sci-fi and fantasy,' and I don't understand that. Since I'm currently trying to underst..."

Oh, solidly science fiction. The Stone Dogs by Sterling is another alternate timeline story. It even has some really interesting biotech and orbital weapons.

As a scientist, I wanted something in my story that wasn't easy to explain. Something that the scientifically-minded characters would be troubled by. Aliens? Demons? Something else? I didn't want to make it too easy on any of them. Grin.

I also want to thank everyone for reading The Remnant. I'm glad that you enjoyed it.

[[deleted user]]

Paul...you nailed it with "Remnant" as far as I'm concerned.
I have not mentioned this thought but I can say that this book read like a I was playing a video game.
I can say that I've never had that experience before...I know..I know...but not only after I shut down the Kindle but even while reading....my mind was playing the audio and I could see the graphics working on the screen. Can't wait to follow up with the expansion pack!!

[Betsy]

I had mixed feelings about this book. It had possibilities but was too long, too diffuse, and too full of errors.

Here is my review.