When a pair of otherworldly spheres land on Earth in Canada and the UK, Amber and Daniel are instantly transported away from their homes to a strange world beyond a black hole, Amber and Daniel, are taken on an unwanted adventure to be studied by a race of people living without a sun in the desolate Dark Space.
Meanwhile, their families and friends on Earth remain frozen, trapped inside a twenty-mile bubble surrounding each sphere where time does not pass.
The governments on both sides of the pond struggle to explain what these anomalies are, why they are there, and exactly who is responsible for them.
Stuck in an alternate universe on the brink of civil war, Amber and Daniel’s captors inform them that they will not be returned home, forcing them to say goodbye to their families and lives on Earth.
Could an unlikely allegiance with their captor’s enemy help them secure a way home?
Let's get started shall we....
So we all know that the prologue of a book creates a 'dramatic' storyline that emphasises the suspense of a novel. Additionally we will also notice that they can also be too lengthy, overpowering, or straight rushed into a character. They are usually only meant to be a warm up. However in all aspects of a 'successful' prologue. Wayne committed to creating a perfect introduction, to what I realised would be an addictive, ingenious storyline. Not only was the prologue exciting, the use of rhetorical questions from Bailey triggers an immediate internal response from the audience, full of wonder and imagination.
Right at the start we see a heading called 'Entering the Milky Way'.
"Space is about a wide an unknown medium as the average person on earth could possibly comprehend".
For those big space opera or sci-fi fans out there. the above quotation is enough to get their feathers ruffling. But even for those who aren't familiar in this type of genre, anyone would agree the excitement this statement alone questions all beliefs about any otherworld's/galaxies and the 'stories' you have ever been told. Admitting that, this feeling never subsided for me throughout the entire novel.
Straight from chapter two, we are introduced to the 'intruder' and also have an insight into the first character Daniel. Without going too far into spoiling this book for anyone, this is the chapter we are reeled into the unknown with so many questions. A book that makes you think is a fantastic book in my eyes.
ln books we read we always seem to be connected into the most personal aspects, such as personality traits or geographical locations. This caught my attention straight away as it is RARE to find a book which is based around the area you were brought up in. Some of the aspects of dialect some may not understand, but Wayne got bonus points from me for that.
Conflict and War were both my favourite themes. Those from the desolate dark space begging to have a sense of life in the light space. A constant power battle the reader was tugged from side to side. The book was a clear vision in the fact that there was ALWAYS a forward momentum. A pure example of what we thrive on when we read, a new obstacle arrives...just like lives, and how the characters do what they do to be able to survive. Whether you are watching a film, reading a book or even playing a video game, the world building in this book was a true, real feeling and that is exactly what an audience wants from a book. It's technically an art. The level of dedication and effort Wayne put into this novel is substantially clear.
Creating a whole new fictional world can either make or break a novel, but this one was on point jam packed full of intense strong imagery. World building involves more than just a setting- but it can be as simple as tweaking the history of the world even the one we live in, altering my sense of purpose of reading this. There are many other similarities within this book to films or tv shows that we might already be familiar with, including Star Trek, Red Dwarf, Marvel. So any fans of these, get your money ready to go and grab this!
Wayne used a third person multiple narrative. I'm always a fan of this, if done correctly. Wayne managed to shine the spotlight on more than one character without any repetition. This allowed the reader to have a full 360 view as we especially have to follow the stories of two completely different young characters. We see Amber and Daniel, and their desperate quest of returning home but tied with the decision to also saving a far away galaxy without affecting too much of Earth and their families and friends within it. We also follow Mick, (based on Earth) who I don't want to say too much about because, 1.) It may ruin the story, and 2.) He was my favourite character, I adored him.
"The spheres are so powerful that in the wrong hands, they could alter everything".
There were so many hidden gems in this novel, including the way some of the characters are named, which I will reveal in my interview with Wayne shortly.
The ending of the novel had me at the edge of my seat the whole way through, a purely addictive debut novel that I couldn't put down. The surprise at the end also made my jaw drop, and with some level of truth I ended up throwing it across my bedroom.
Let's just say I need a book two...
Thank you so much Wayne, for sending me this book. What an impressive debut. I really hope you are proud of yourself because you should be.
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