Title: Saving Paludis
Author: Clayton Graham
Genre: Science Fiction
Book Blurb:
Finalist in the Readers’ Favorite 2018 International Book Awards.
Winner Top Shelf Awards 2020
Book Excellence Awards Finalist
At the very edge of mankind’s cosmic reach, a small planet threatens Earth with extinction…
Stefan Lattanzis never expected his planet to become a battlefield, nor Earth for that matter. But when scientists from Paludis share a technological breakthrough with the mother planet, peace swiftly turns into deadly conflict. The downtrodden alien population, mistreated for centuries, seizes its chance, and a desperate human cult has a sinister agenda of its own.
To save his precious home world, Stefan must team with two strangers, a botanist and a mysterious seer. They must trust in each other to prevent the newly emerged forces from destroying Paludis, and forging a dystopia from which they could never return. But how will they defeat the might of Earth?
Saving Paludis is an electrifying sci-fi thrill-ride. If you like futuristic technology, alien political intrigue, and high-octane, paranormal action, then you’ll love this incredible interstellar adventure!
My Review:
A ground-breaking start to what could be an extremely popular series. The end is almost unlimited for this story. A smart streaming service would be lining up now to ink this project for a long-term series. Few first books provide such a basis of a story that this does.
The world-building is incredible. The author not only creates an entirely new world but a new world order. It is interesting to see Earth as the interstellar bad guy. The mind doesn't have to wander far to see a parallel to man simply destroying his own planet to Earth destroying galaxies for their own wants and needs.
The detailed description of what happened to the people of Paludis is eerie. A mind cannot help but see the similarity to how 'The West Was Won'. The Muskans were once millions of people but now barely 200,000 and live in a tiny cordoned-off area. The Natives of North America were in the millions before disease arrived to devastate them. Then as America moved West, their numbers dwindled and they ended up on tiny reservations. Without meaning to, the author has genuinely created a world that mirrors 19th century US.
A powerful beginning that will capture the attention of all readers of sci-fi. This book will appeal to any outer space fiction fan whether you are solo or JLP camp. Once you start reading, you have to keep going to see what will happen next. The world will be eager for book two.
My Rating: 5 stars
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Author Biography:
As a youngster growing up in the cobbled streets of Stockport, UK, Clayton Graham read a lot of science fiction. He loved the ‘old-school’ masters such as HG Wells, Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov and John Wyndham. As he left those formative years behind, he penned short stories when he could find a rare quiet moment amidst life’s usual distractions.
He settled in Victoria, Australia, in 1982. A retired aerospace engineer who worked in structural design and research, Clayton has always had an interest in science fiction and where it places humankind within a universe we are only just starting to understand.
Clayton loves animals, including well behaved pets, and all the natural world, and is a member of Australian Geographic.
Combining future science with the paranormal is his passion. Milijun, his first novel, was published in 2016. Second novel, Saving Paludis, was published in 2018. They are light years from each other, but share the future adventures of mankind in an expansive universe as a common theme.
The sequel to Milijun, entitled Amidst Alien Stars was released on December 1 2019. The third in series Alien Whispers: Conflict and Communion will be released in late 2022.
In between novels Clayton has published short story collections Silently in the Night and Looking for Life where, among many other adventures, you can sympathize with a doomed husband, connect with an altruistic robot, explore an isolated Scottish isle and touch down on a far-flung asteroid.
He hopes you can share the journeys.
Social Media Links:
You can follow Clayton on Twitter @CGrahamSciFi
His Facebook author page is at: https://www.facebook.com/claytongrahamauthor/
Reviewed by: Mr. N