Jackie’s Reading Corner

SYNOPSIS

It’s 2312 and Leo Fischer is a fifteen-year-old computer whizz on his first ever journey off Earth. He’s heading to the moon colony to help his mother Lillian with her scientific work. But before he can reach her, she is kidnapped.

Determined to find and rescue her, Leo has no choice but to accept the help of his newest friend, Skater Monroe, the daughter of a shuttle pilot and already an experienced space traveller. Their investigation leads them to an old freighter captain with a strange story about two spaceships: one a long-lost piece of junk called the Arcadian; the other, a sleek, ultra-modern ship of mysterious origin. Both craft are involved in some kind of cover-up, and Leo and Skater become convinced the conspirators are the same people who kidnapped Leo’s mother. 

Dodging space pirates as well as a ruthless assassin in the pay of the soon-to-be president of Mars, they stumble upon a secret that could lead to all-out war in the solar system. 

The first instalment of Andrew Stickland’s Mars Alone Trilogy is a gravity-defying thrill-ride into the human race’s all-too-believable future in space.

MY REVIEW

This book is aimed at YA readers, but I am a lot more mature reader and found this to be a book I couldn’t put down. I loved the characters (well most of them}. The world building was great as it just flowed with the whole story. This is a book I would recommend to anyone who likes a sci/Fi Fantasy read, no matter your age. This is still a fairly new genre for me but each one I have Read so far have been good. I found myself being whisked away from my four walls and transported into space.

It’s 2312, Professor Lillian Fischer is on Luna working with some students when they are kidnapped. Leo Fischer is a 15 year old nerd, he has been at a boarding school in Cambridge, whilst his mum is working on Luna. But Leo is now on his way to meet up with his mum and to help with some of the computer things she is working on, Leo loves being in front of a computer, he has very few friends. Lisa Kate or better known as Skater is also 15 and is in the seat next to Leo she is also travelling alone and will be greeted by her dad when they reach Luna, and then she is off to Mars for a holiday with her dad Pete. Skater has flown before unlike Leo. Pete is a pilot for MarsMine and because of that he gets a pass to bring his family to him for a holiday, Skater’s parents are divorced.

I love how well Leo and Skater get on so well, despite some of their differences, they spend the rest of the trip from earth to Luna together. When they arrive Skater’s dad is there waiting for her but Leo can see no sign of his mum, but he is used to this she can be absent minded. After waiting a while a man who calls himself Aitchison is there to meet him, claiming to be a type of policeman, he is there to tell Leo of his mum’s disappearance and probably kidnapping. Luckily Pete and Skater have hung on for a while and check Leo is ok. When Leo tells them what has happened Leo’s dad agrees to have Leo with them.

This is just the beginning of the adventure I don’t want to really go into too much of the story as it would give things away. But along the lines, we meet Mr Archer who works for Carlton Whittaker who owns MarsMine and is up for job as president. But what will he do if he gets that title?

If you enjoy science fiction then this will appeal to you, the story has lots of twists and turns and is high adrenalin, you are hooked from the prologue and this is just book one. This is a terrific read, I can see many young people enjoying this but also some of the older generation. I love a book which has great characters, where the story is at a good pace, and this book has it all. For me it’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read.

I would like to thank the publishers and the author for a gifted copy of this book, all opinions are my own and have not been influenced in any way.

Preorder a copy now for delivery on the release date you will not be disappointed.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrew Stickland is a prize-winning poet and short-story writer whose work has variously been published by the British Fantasy Society, Games Workshop, the Royal Statistical Society and The Economist. He studied law at University College London, then creative writing at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland. He lives in Cambridge.