Dawn of Destiny by Lee Stephen
Book review time! I don’t read too many books – I can make up a thousand excuses, but I’ll use time. I’ve got so little of it. I’m trying to get back to not being consumed by TV, computer, work, and technology by reading more. Here’s the first book I’ve picked up in too long: Dawn of Destiny by Lee Stephen.
First off, for you non-sci fi fans, don’t get scared off by the genre. It’s so much more than ‘a genre’. I was enveloped in the story from start to finish. I consider myself an average reader (as far as how fast I read) and I ate up that book in a few hours (which is pretty good for me). I read it every moment I had at work, at home, and in between. The story sucks you in from the first page. The characters are well developed and believable – I think that’s what attracted me most to them – they were people I could point out and say, “Hm, I know a guy like that” and mean it. There’s a great mix of action wonderfully spaced throughout the book with a few dramatic sequences, tense moments, and plenty of comedic relief.
You follow the lead character, Scott Remington, through his experience as a soldier in Earth’s global military. The story takes place in the future, with the dawn of world piece at hand. Contact is made with extraterrestrials and the unified Earth Defense Network (EDEN) is the first and only line of defense. This book is the first in a series of eight or nine to follow.
While the book has a clear begining, middle, and end, it leaves much to look forward to. If there is one concern I had, it was that there wasn’t an in depth look to how Earth became what it was – they adopted a new ‘era’ called, the “New Era”, so dates are described as 0002 NE. That’s awesome, but I’m super intrigued as to how Earth got to even that point, what made them decide to unify, and how does the world exist in that time – are there still countries, governments for each? How does society function? EDEN gives plenty of insite into how their military functions, but the book steers away from much more than that. I’m anxious to see what answers are given in the upcoming book, Outlaw Trigger, the next in the series. Some of my favorite points of the book:
- The introduction and staying power of the characters – different personalities, characteristics, and even nationalities make each person unique, identifiable, and unforgettable.
- The fact that everyone in the book is ‘real’. No one is indestructable. No superheroes. And no outrageous feats. But along with that, characters show they can be heros, be ‘invinsible’, and accomplish amazing feats. Just in the way that humans sometimes do.
- Intensity. There are a few battle sequences where I feel like I’m sitting across the street from the action watching every moment. Like I can almost feel the heat from the guns.
- Real fiction. What I mean by that, is Lee Stephen makes the story as close to believable as you can be with aliens involved. The way they act, move, react, and relate is something lots of other sci-fi book/movies, miss. They become too ‘fantasy’ or forced.
- It kept me entertained throughout the entire book. Not at any point did I say, well this chapter is moving kinda slow. I didn’t want to put down the book and I didn’t want to finish. I was actually upset that I finished the book.
- Undertones. While I believe they’re obvious throughtout the book, the undertones, messages, and morals flowed right with the story. Again, nothing was forced. Everything had it’s place and it’s place had everything. There is a strong Christian undertone throughout the book, some quite obvious (Scott Remington has a Bible that he keeps with him and often prays for guidence and strength) and others not so obvious until you’ve finished the scene, chapter, or even the book.
This is an excellent read for sci-fi and non sci-fi alike. Good for all ages, even young teens. I anticipate the next book more than any other right now. The book should be on shelves at a major bookstore in December of 2007 (just in time for Christmas!). I plan on reading Dawn of Destiny one more time before I dive into Outlaw Trigger to keep myself fresh with the characters, plot, etc.
If I had some sort of system of rating… like stars or thumbs or cookies, I’d give it 5 chipmunks out of 5. Visit the EpicUniverse website at www.epicuniverse.com. Browse the forums, find out more about the author, or order the book from there.
