On Distant Shores (Earth Exiles Book 1)

A really unique kind of science fiction novel....not your typical storyline at all. The character development is solid and the transition to some really well thought out action sequences is right on.

Can't wait to dig into books 2 & 3 next!

Great Job Mark! Keep on Trucking....

I was mildly put off at first by overelaborate descriptions and who is who layout. However as the book progressed it became more gripping with every page. It's not the best military sifi i've read but not the worst one. So go ahead and give it a try.

Considering this appears to be a new author, the storyline was well structured, the character creation solid and was well developed, the light banter and wartsan all depiction of human nature was refreshingly frank, I am looking forward to the next book, and anticipate seeing Mark develop his skills even further, with a rivetting, I cant put it down read!

Pro:
Good story idea, fun action sequences, and fun tech.
Cons:
- I couldn't care less about any (none, zero) of the characters. They may as well have been paper cut-outs. Even the hamfisted attempts to make you love the protagonist and his wife had no effect. In fact, they made me hate them more, somehow. Between the implicit jingoism and sexism (every female is good looking, and the Lt Pang only gets respect when a Delta unit officer foists responsibility on her), I couldn't figure out how I might convice myself to like ANYBODY in this book.
- The military minutia was intolerable.

I'll give it a 2 star, only because this is the first book for this author, and he clearly needed editing help from someone with a different world-view than his own. Of course, an author can express any viewpoint he/she chooses, but a good editor can at least help blunt the espression of those opinions to make a book palettable to those who don't share the opinions. Please hire one.

Unfortunately, I will not be reading more from this series.

Well written, the Author has shown insight into the human condition and the interplay of a combat team. On Distant Shores has a very good story line and leave you looking forward to the next installment.

Very intriguing premise, unlimited available power, limitless knowledge and virtually the cream of the crop for survivors. A cross between Quantum Leap and Starship Troopers. Can't wait to read the next book.

A great read. Read this on Kindle Unlimited and had to buy the book. It has some editorial issues (wording, misspelling, and missing spaces) but they don't detract from what is a great story. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Liked the concept but the book was over loaded with meaningless detail concerning weapons and training, entire chapters filled with nothing else. There were also too many characters that play no significant role in anything but like the weapons the author goes into minutia that doesn't matter to the reader.

I hope the author keeps writing and improving because there is story teller in there somewhere.

The story was pretty good. However, I read a number of sentences twice because the editors didn't catch problem words. What seemed to be a single character was called both Dr. Randall and Dr. Russell.

The first chapter had so much promise. Then absolutely nothing happens, literally, until 48% of the way through the book, when we experience that opening sequence again word for word. Things pick up nicely at the 51% mark but that is too much character development. Pages and pages of military banter and filling out forms by our hero. While that my be an accurate portrayal of military life...it is boring science fiction! I need my military science fiction to shoot some aliens. This book is Slow, s l o w, s l o w.

You can tell the author has a military background. The start of the book was slow, and there wasn't much individual character development; however he spent quite a bit of time describing a military unit.

My fault for not reading a sample before buying.

Any book that manages to slip the words "eldritch" and "chthonic” into the first sentence is always going to be a challenge. Over-blown, flowery and hyperbolic style of writing one would expect from a Year 9 student with an open thesaurus beside him. Every sentence read like it should be capitalised with double exclamation marks.

I did not get more than twenty pages into the book before the lack of narrative structure, twisted prose and awkward syntax became all far too much. Even if this was directed at the teenaged market, it was still juvenile rubbish.

If this was a free book, I would have discarded it without a murmur. However, since the author chose to charge like an established Kindle author, he can cop it on the chin like a big boy. As a new author, not a really bad first attempt (just plain bad). However, I would recommend a recognised writing course and a good editor/mentor before giving it another go.

However, what annoys me the most is the store putting it on my “Recommended for You” list in the first place. And, obviously, the other reviewers who encouraged me to buy this rubbish by giving a five-star review.

I liked this first book of the series. The author pays a lot of attention to detail, and the reader feels that the author might have been in the military, or at least have studied its procedures. The book takes a while to get to the big bang, but holds the reader's interest the whole way. I also like that the loose ends are tied up before the book's last page. But, since I've started the second book in the series, I now see how seamlessly that the second book picks up where the first ended. I highly recommend this book for someone who wants a great sci-fi read, but wants a change from space and pulse rifles.

Excellent effort by a new author , books well written with enough storyline and plot to keep your interest. The only bad thing is the author falls into the trap so many young new ones do , he drowns some portions with mind numbing extraneous detail thinking they are fleshing out the characters or the the story line. I mean seriously we don't have to known what jammies wifey was wearing while she packed the guys sausage & egg biscuit snacks also another detail that did nothing for the story, and so it goes.

I will follow the trilogy however and see if how the author develops , for a first attempt this wasn't bad at all.

Recently re-edited, so is much more readable. The story is quite enjoyable if one is into monsters and high fire-power. The second book in the series has just been released, and I'm on my way to purchase it now.

Make sure you download a sample first. The writing style is just awful. As one other reviewer said, any book that has 'eldritch' and 'chthonic' in the first sentence cannot turn out well. Add "amygdalae" and a seven-ton monster with thick fangs, gigantic talons, tentacles around its neck, and the chest of a bulldog that nevertheless moves "with sinuous grace" and you know you're in the presence of some serious over-writing where the author throws all his vocabulary at the page and hopes some of it will stick. Personally I couldn't make it past the first two pages.

The prologue was evidence of an interesting story,but the first 25% of the book should have been condensed into one chapter to get to it. I was ready to set it put it down when a very exciting and unique sci-fi/military/altered history erupted that finished with a titillating segue for a sequel.