The stars brought life to the planet, and the stars destroyed it.Siblings Calix and Annora have spent their entire lives within Sanctum, the domed town that protects them from the dangerous sands that storm against the curved wall. But they are orphans, with questions about their heritage. With a childhood that prepares them to become scavengers. With a father figure in Kirillion who has an … figure in Kirillion who has an agenda all of his own – just what are they searching for when the scavenger crews depart?
All grown up, they join Walker’s crew, scouring the sand in giant Crawlers, ready to dig. When an accident unlocks childhood memories and murder, questions arise within the crew about where their allegiances lie, and what their true purpose is. And then their search hits the big time.
A sci-fi dystopian adventure in an inhospitable landscape, Neon Sands is the opening book in an epic series that will explore Man’s technological and innate potential, and the search for hope when all looks bleak.
Praise for the Neon series:
“Neon Sands is sci-fi with conviction, and that conviction displays most evidently in setting. A world built of glorious and alienating sands, both a marvel and irritant. Chocka with filmic interludes, glowing horizons, red dusty skies. This novel quietly won me over.”
“It has great tension and some wonderful world building details which hook you in to the claustrophobic existence of the characters.”
“The tension really is well maintained throughout and the sense of mystery, high-stakes and justified paranoia that the characters experience is excellently portrayed.”
Neon Sands trilogy 1/3
Neon series 1/9
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Imagine you’re in a room, a darkened room, lit with a single candle…
… You have a little circle of light and all about you are nearly formless shapes suggestive of many things, but nothing you can be sure of. Then a second candle is added, and another part of the room is lit, and what is revealed is murder, then a third candle lights up and you see tight-knit loyalty, then a fourth candle reveals hidden agendas…..
Adam J. Smith has written a science-fiction dystopia that I liked enough to give a solid 4 stars to – and I’m not a fan of the sub-genre. For me, that’s like reading a cozy romance and saying, “Hey, that rocked!” (Shakes head with bemusement.)
The writing is literally gritty, the world is almost tactile in its presence in the story. Which is an interesting contrast as the main character, a young fellow named Calix, remembers, imagines, dreams, & hallucinates his way through a broken world.
Can anyone maintain purpose, love and hope in such an environment. Yes, it seems they can.
Smith has a, let me say it, an unusual storytelling style – whoever the POV character is, you’re going to be presented with the memories, associations, and imagined hopes, dreams, and fears as they make their way through the story’s events.
This is a double-edged sword, on the one hand you get a tremendous insight into featured characters, on the other it slows the pace of the narrative to a leisurely stroll, at this point in the review, just let me point out that this book is essentially a MURDER MYSTERY/CONSPIRACY set in a dystopic nightmare of a dying world, and not a THRILLER…
To each their own I say.
All that said, Smith’s writing has a slow and steady power within it – like a current in a flowing river of red sand, implacable and driven – but, revealing what final mystery – you’ll have to read it to find out.
4 mysterious stars – well earned.
Earth is just a “sandbox” with a few groups barely surviving in underground sanctuaries. Our main protagonists, male & female, were adopted at an early age into one such sanctuary. They are raised by leaders who turn out to quite a bit different from the benevolent “parents” they seem to be. The book is “hard” SciFi with exacting descriptions of everything from the technology (both current and lost over time), the weather, farming techniques, etc. The storyline develops slowly with a feeling of menace just below the surface. Book 1 ends with somewhat of a cliffhanger but at least we find out who the bad guys are even if we don’t yet know their motivation. The narrator, for those who choose the audio version, uses the same voice for every character so keep a sharp ear for which character is speaking at any given time.
Neon Sands: A Dystopian Sci-fi: The Neon Sands Trilogy (Book One), my first read from author J.D. Allen. December seemed to be my month for new authors and January looks to continue the trend. I prefer mystery and thrillers & this didn’t disappoint. I was gifted a free copy back in November of 2018 and lost track of it until I was given an Audible copy of Plains of Ion: A Dystopian Trilogy: The Neon Sands Trilogy, Book Two, and I’m voluntarily reviewing it because every good books need reviews. I look forward to more from this author and in this series, Up next. is Plains of Ion: A Dystopian Trilogy: The Neon Sands Trilogy, Book Two, (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 – July 24, 2018)
Engaging Sci-Fi Dystopian Tale!
Interesting futuristic story of Calix and Annora, orphans raised in the domed city of Sanctum, as they fight to survive on a hostile planet plagued by sand storms. Great combination of well written characters and intrigue, suspense, twists and betrayal. I enjoyed the narration of Steve Miller on the audiobook and would definitely recommend it. Enjoy!
I really enjoy dystopian fiction and when you through a lack of reason for the apocalypse it becomes so much better. I have to admit to being somewhat disoriented by the layout of the story as it shifted between the present to the past through the experiences of young Calix and Annora. Once a sufficient foundation had been built the story shifted to the present and took on a whole new tone as the scavenger crew found the destroyed dome and its secrets. Once this change occurred the story became a runaway train barreling toward a station that may not be what was expected. Steven Miller’s narration kept the story going through the slow spots and made it come alive as the action escalated.
Something under the sand.
Neon Sands launches a gripping trilogy set in a world challenged by a harsh environment and hidden corruption. I highly recommend starting with the prequel novella, Neon Zero, for context and insight into this Earth-colonized planet and the diabolical deeds of the Neon City elite that underlie the action of the entire series.
In this first book, we are introduced to a small band of people surviving in Sanctum, one of a handful of domed cities in a wasteland of sand under constant cloud cover. The characters and background events are laid out in clearly labeled segments that come together into cohesive, rolling action. The narrative is told from multiple points of view which gives depth to the story and color to the protagonists and quirky side characters.
Calix and Annora, both orphans raised in Sanctum, join a crew to scavenge the sands for anything worth salvaging. Out in the grimy crawler, Calix begins to realize the depth of his feelings for Annora and an injury triggers memories that indicate a childhood friend was murdered. When their crew uncovers an empty dome with solar hoverbikes and intact underground levels strangely devoid of bodies, events quickly spin into something ugly, orchestrated by individuals among them who are motivated by a hidden agenda.
Neon Sands is the first chapter in Calix’s journey of discovery. He is the heart and soul of the trilogy and his unshakable love for Annora carries through the events of all three books. At the end of this first volume, his world is cracked wide open and he finds his quest has only begun. Neon City isn’t even mentioned in this book, but its dark tentacles are distinctly felt. When I finished, I was happy I had Book 2 ready to dive into and as I continued, I found, like Calix, the weirdness just kept coming.