Book Review: Ground Zero

~ beetleypete

I saw this book recommended on another blog, and bought it from Amazon the same day.

Here is a short bio of the author.

Magus Tor is a nickname I got while playing Dragon Warriors (Pen and Paper RPG) with my friends. Ever since the name stuck with me. 🙂
Magus Tor is a dreamer who enjoys dreaming varied dreams of being a doctor, a lawyer, a police officer and a teacher but never in the wildest dream to become a writer. Since starting to write in 2007, Magus continues to explore creating worlds in his imaginative mild. Although he wishes to specialize in writing fantasy but his mind twisted his will and he ended up writing more Science Fiction than Fantasy. So far, his only fantasy novella is D-Nine: Protectors of the Crown.

This is my four-star review on Amazon.
This science-fiction prequel had me involved immediately. The experiences of the two young friends Aurelia and Marnee as they study to become Medical Personnel far in the future, and the rigid society that they live in. The idea of a future where people are tightly controlled is nothing new of course, but Magus Tor manages to make it feel current, and I could imagine it in my mind from the first page.
It is so short, I finished it quickly, and was left wanting more, eager to know the future of Aurelia as she departs for her distant posting, hoping to change so many things in her allotted career. I will definitely be buying the next book in this series.

That review sums it up, but I would add that the style is fluid, and enjoyably easy to read. Unlike many other science fiction novels, there is no baffling pseudo-science to deal with, and no strange creatures, or alien languages. Instead, it it set in a world we can all understand, at an unspecified time in the future. Young Aurelia has been chosen for medical training, in an over-populated society where living beyond the age of 55 is no longer allowed. Despite that sounding something like ‘Logan’s Run’, it feels contemporary, and readers of all ages can easily relate to the characters, as they are drawn into the plot.

One thing I will question is whether a book of only 51 pages is really a book. Although it clearly states it is a prequel, and only costs 99p, it reads more like a short story. I would have liked more, at least 100 pages, to get me completely immersed in the fate of Aurelia.

Here is a link to the book on Amazon.

15 thoughts on “Book Review: Ground Zero”

  1. As a wouldbe author of short books–monographs, I can sympathize with those who write them adn those who compalin about them being so sort. It is a bunch of words, no matter how many pages they take up–it is readible. Warmest regards, Theo

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  5. I, for one, am not interested in teasers. To my mind, it’s just a marketing ploy, and cheats the reader out of a “real” book. Also, I’m not fond of series-in-progress because oftentimes one doesn’t know how many installments there will be. Serials can become a commitment, and they can drag out forever with no end in sight. Series (and serials) have been around since at least the 19th Century, but they’re actually more popular among authors now specifically because it’s easier to develop a committed following by publishing installments rather than by writing “once-and-done” stand-alone books.

    The only series I’ve ever read was the six-volume French translation of Philip José Farmer’s “Riverworld,” which strained my patience. I read Farmer’s series decades after the last book was written, and read it straight through, one book right after another. Of course, I’ve read some trilogies, but I don’t think they count as a serial. I feel sorry for anyone who read Jean Auel’s “Clan of the Cave Bear” back in 1980 and got hooked on the “Earth’s Children” series—the last book, “The Land of Painted Caves” was published in 2011. As for George R. R. Martin’s series, “A Song of Ice and Fire,” the first book was published in 1996, and readers are still waiting for the final installments.

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    1. I also struggled through ‘Riverworld’, with each book becoming less appealing. I read the first two of Auel’s books before I tired of the repetition. I agree that the trend for teasers is annoying, and will no doubt end up putting me off certain authors.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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