Gareth Worthington

Paralas is a freighter visiting Jupiter to siphon off Helium 3. The danger is getting too close and being unable to break the planetary pull, so they though. Actually, Jupiter had moved. As the crew debates the possibilities, an escape pod appears…a very old one. They proceed to investigate.

Dr Sarah Dallas is the main character, but that is not meant to deny that the peripheral characters don’t have an important part to play in the story, especially Kara, the 15 year old girl they had found on the escape pod.

Nobody respects Sarah, considering it is her family that has gotten rich from siphoning off the Helium 3 from Jupiter creating an empire back on earth. Helium 3 was needed, because humanity cannot live without electricity and they have depleted many of Earth’s resources through greed and disregard of what nature had given them.

Kara states that she is Captain Kara Psomas, who died over a hundred years ago in a failed mission. She confides in Sarah, because she needs her help to be released from the contamination chamber they locked her in. She knows about Captain Chau’s plan, but she can use what he has hidden to stop the Fulcrum that was set in motion eons ago.

Commander Feng Chau resented everything about Sarah, but there is more to his story than that. He has a mission of his own and has worked with Dona, the artificial intelligence that runs the ship to implement it. Dona has the ultimate power, so negotiating with the AI is required from the crew members.

The danger and suspense comes from without and within. I wonder who will live and who will die, or will they all have to sacrifice themselves to save humanity? Sacrifice the few for the many? Does humanity deserve to be saved? After all, they are destroying their own world and branching, taking others down its own destructive path.

My thoughts about the singularity was flawed and I love it. As I approached the emotional ending, I wondered how Gareth would make it happen. I couldn’t decide how ‘I’ wanted it to end. The tension increased, the danger rising, I read faster. The Epilogue…..

Gareth Worthington doesn’t just think outside the box, he creates a new one. His ability to create worlds that stretch the imagination never fail to amaze me. ‘Gareth…take me away.’

See more at http://www.fundinmental.com… (mehr)

I really enjoyed this read and all the ideas incorporated into the build to make it new and fresh. The science in this thing was awesome without being overwhelming, though I wish the world and character building had been more in depth. That’s my biggest problem with this book, the characters are a little 2-dimensional. Likable, but not lovable and not really knowable. The author falls back on some common tropes to get us through the slower parts in the story and the dialogue in those parts seems formulaic and dull. When this thing is on, it’s really on. Cool villains, unlikely heroes, really neat world (we’re in a sub-zero Siberian type place that holds the last human population on earth—so cold they use air locks to stay alive). But when it’s off, I felt very frustrated as a reader, because it has so much potential for growth!

In all, I’d definitely recommend you give it a read. Just don't expect to be blown away.… (mehr)

“A lot of bad shit has happened throughout history in the name of ‘just following orders’.”

And that raises a lot of questions. Riveting. Amazing. Terrifying. Action packed.

Although Marie, the Baghdad Bureau Chief for the Washington Post, watched the beheading, that wasn’t why she was in Syria. A low block building stood out amongst the mud huts…that was her destination. Why was that more important?

Evan adored his wife, Marie. She was his life…that and his work, but she would always come first. When he got the call from the CDC, he dropped everything and ran to her. Why had she been in Syria? As an autistic, he needed order, and for Marie to be somewhere other than what she’d told him, it must have been very important.

Billy is way over his head. He works for the Criminal Investigation Division of the Army and known for not shirking his duty, but sometimes…doing what is right does not align with taking orders from your superiors. When do you say no to an order? It can be lethal, deadly, pitting soldier against soldier. But…again…why? What can be so important?

The results of terrorism in Condition Black have led to martial law. People are ruled by fear. Lockdowns, quarantines, curfews, rationing…could this happen in the United States? Think about it…hard. Who do you want leading the country when the shit hits the fan? It’s amazing the things that go on around us that we are never aware of.

The characters are amazing. Even the bad ones are filled with depth, as we learn who they really are and their motivations for their actions. I am very worried about some of the characters I have figured out are the good guys. I am very worried for them, because there are disgusting, pathetic ‘people’ doing their worst and it is like an out of control locomotive coming right at them.

The ability and desire to corrupt anything, whether it’s original intent was good or bad, is always there. And it is even scarier when the government is involved. Where those who desire what you have, or want a coverup to hide their actions, which happens all too often, will stop at nothing to stop those who get in their way.

Condition Black by Stu Jones and Gareth Worthington is one of those books that gets me going. Anger…because I feel this is all too possible. Feelings of disgust, desperation, terror, sadness…and always there is hope…for a better day.

Stu Ones and Gareth Worthington are an unbeatable team. The depth and detail of their writing and the subject matter they cover paints a picture that makes me feel the story is all too real. I got lost in the narrative, unable to stop reading, ignoring everything around me, because there is sooooo much going on. I know there can be no happy ever after, but my main concern is…will there be a future for anyone?

I could go on and on, but to get the full affect, you need to read this for yourself. I highly recommend doing so.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Condition Black by Stu Jones and Gareth Worthington.

See more at http://www.fundinmental.com… (mehr)

There was a mention of this book being compared to The Fugitive. This time I will agree. It did feel a bit like that vibe. Yet, it is a true medical thriller in all the sense. I am a fan of medical thrillers. One of my favorite authors of these types of books is Tess Gerritsen.

This duo author team really bring it together. These are a powerhouse writing duo. I plan to check out more books by these authors. With Gareth's knowledge of marine biology, a PhD in Endocrinology, an executive MBA, is Board Certified in Medical Affairs, and currently works for the Pharmaceutical industry educating the World's doctors on new cancer therapies and Stu's military background; these two men really do know what they are talking about.

While, this book is fiction; I could see it be reality. Which made it even more intriguing. There is a lot of action happening in this book. It moves at a fast pace. The two main characters, Evan and Billy were the guys you want to cheer for. Condition Black is a roller coaster thrill ride that you don't want to miss!… (mehr)