We never would have come here if we’d known.Two hundred years ago, the great Ark Horizon Alpha escaped a doomed Earth and went searching for a new home. The passengers landed on Teu Ceti e expecting paradise, but instead they discovered a planet stuck in its own version of the cretaceous period. The humans’ one defense against the dinosaurs ravaging the planet is an electric fence, built from the … built from the remains of the shuttles that brought them there.
But Eden base has only days of power left.
With most of the adult men dead, rookie soldier Caleb Wilde and his unit of teenage boys leave the electric fences of Eden in search of a reactor core lost deep in the jungle.
The last remnant of the human race waits behind the electric fence for their return. The dinosaurs wait, too–for the electricity to die and the feast to begin.
It’s like…
Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park or A.G. Riddle’s Atlantis World. Horizon Alpha is a space colonization and space exploration novel with dinosaurs!
Praise for Horizon Alpha: Predators of Eden
I’ve often dreamt of trying to survive on a new planet and pitting myself against nature. My dreams were never this chilling, nor the ending as thrilling. I highly recommend this high energy adventure and would place it between Isaac Asimov and Arthur C Clark. –Reid Minnich, author of Koinobi trilogy.
There’s plenty of jet fuel for the imagination. The pace is fast, the stakes are high, and the safety of no one is guaranteed. –John Burris, author of Brothers
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I don’t usually read MG/YA, or even Scifi for that matter, but I found this story to be quite fun! Here’s the thing: I LOVE dinosaurs. I mean, these aren’t actual Earth dinos, but those are details, and I loved them anyway.
Alright, so onto the story itself! I enjoyed the main character’s (Caleb) growth throughout the story. It’s done so naturally and with such great flow that by the end, I could look back on how Caleb was at the beginning, and realize just how much he’s matured. Not only physically, but emotionally as well.
I got attached to a lot of characters, (view spoiler). These dinos are hungry, and humans are easy prey ((view spoiler)). Yet, none of the scenes were described in gory details – instead, it was left up to the readers’ imaginations, which for some of us, is so much worse.
The pacing of the story is great – I always felt on edge while reading, wondering what would pop up next, and who would survive. The author does a fantastic job at keeping this pace throughout the whole story, and I found myself holding my breath along with the characters whenever a T-Rex appeared (I love those dinos!). All five senses are used so well that it’s easy to picture yourself there with the group, trying desperately to get back to their base to survive. Not only that but (view spoiler). That burden really upped the stakes, and you can’t help but hope they make it, even if it seems hopeless at times.
The whole world is developed in such a real way that every time Caleb heard a crunch, I always wondered what it was this time. From the fauna to the temperature, traveling by night versus by day, and even the different terrains they crossed were very well described without it ever being too much description.
I actually really loved the epilogue as well – it had a (view spoiler). Made me smile, and wrapped up the story nicely!
All in all, a great adventure story that kept me turning the pages while holding my breath a few times!
I received a copy of Horizon Alpha: Predators of Eden from Future House Publishing in exchange for an unbiased review.
Well thought out plot with lots of action.
Space travel and dinosaurs (or a reasonable facsimile)! What’s not to like. Imaginative. Fun. Characters sufficiently developed to garner empathy. All around entertaining book.
I could not put this book down. had to know what would happen next. good book
I read the complete series and enjoyed them very much. I didn’t want to stop until I had finished reading them all.
Very fun to read. This is one book I wish had more parts. A sequel covering the time after they find their sanctuary would be good to see.
Enjoyed this book, but it did remind me of an older book by Anne McCaffrey, Dinosaur Planet, but you would expect similarities because of the subject matter. Continued to read the 2nd in the series and have preordered the 3rd in the series.
OK, an easy read.
This was only a so-so book. A little bit of a disappointment as I thought it could have been a little more interesting. The basic idea of the book was original and intriguing but it was a little disappointing. Not bad, just a little juvenile for my taste.
Nice story. Very simplistic plot, kind of like a bubble gum novel. It was easy to read and didn,t require alot of thought to retain the story or story line.
A grade B action thriller. Beats TV
I love books about dinosaurs and the whole adventure with them…. If I want to read about monsters, I read about them….. wish there were more to read…
Teen age adventure. OK but nothing extraordinary.
My first thoughts were that this is a hokie plot, but thought I’d give it a try anyway, after all the price was right.
When I got into the story, I was surprised at howegood a read it was. It is well done, and deffinately a unique tale.
Great read! Cool premise, and fast paced.
Did not like it disjointed and somewhat unbelievable