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The Saa'ar Chronicles
Isolation
Book one in the Saa'ar Chronicles Series
Isolated, they are vulnerable. Working together, they might just survive.
Stranded on an alien space station at the edge of the Solar System, Dr Dana Sinclair has never felt so alone in her life.
While she and her fellow travellers wait for a spaceship to take them on the rest of their journey to the aliens� home planet, first the remaining Saa’ar on board then her superior, the chief Medical Officer all die mysteriously.
The health and welfare of the remaining humans is now her responsibility. Will she discover the truth behind their deaths in time?
Ethan O’Reilly, a disabled war hero and second in charge of the mission may be able to help, but can she trust him?
Isolated, they are vulnerable. Working together, they might just survive.
Stranded on an alien space station at the edge of the Solar System, Dr Dana Sinclair has never felt so alone in her life.
While she and her fellow travellers wait for a spaceship to take them on the rest of their journey to the aliens� home planet, first the remaining Saa’ar on board then her superior, the chief Medical Officer all die mysteriously.
The health and welfare of the remaining humans is now her responsibility. Will she discover the truth behind their deaths in time?
Ethan O’Reilly, a disabled war hero and second in charge of the mission may be able to help, but can she trust him?
- GenresScience Fiction
375 pages, Paperback
First published March 5, 2012
32 people want to read
About the author
A.B. Gayle
16Ìýbooks193ÌýfollowersUnlike many authors, I haven't been writing stories all my life. I've been too busy living life.
My travels took me from the fjords of Norway to the southern tip of New Zealand. In between, I've worked in so many different towns I've lost count. I've shoveled cow shit, mustered sheep, been polite to customers, traded insults with politicians and need to be forgiven on occasions when I get confused as to who needs what where. Now that I'm settled in Sydney, Australia, my real-life experiences can morph with my fertile imagination and create fiction which I hope readers will enjoy.
My philosophy on posting reviews is to recommend books I like which I think other people may not read and state why I like them. These are only the tip of the iceberg of books I read. If I do post a negative review, it's because there is some craft aspect (usually) that, to me, prevents the book from reaching its full potential. Books I straight out don't like or don't finish, don't even get a mention, as they may be someone else's cup of tea.
My travels took me from the fjords of Norway to the southern tip of New Zealand. In between, I've worked in so many different towns I've lost count. I've shoveled cow shit, mustered sheep, been polite to customers, traded insults with politicians and need to be forgiven on occasions when I get confused as to who needs what where. Now that I'm settled in Sydney, Australia, my real-life experiences can morph with my fertile imagination and create fiction which I hope readers will enjoy.
My philosophy on posting reviews is to recommend books I like which I think other people may not read and state why I like them. These are only the tip of the iceberg of books I read. If I do post a negative review, it's because there is some craft aspect (usually) that, to me, prevents the book from reaching its full potential. Books I straight out don't like or don't finish, don't even get a mention, as they may be someone else's cup of tea.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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June 26, 2012This was the first story I ever wrote. I conceived the idea while atending the 2009 Australian Romance Readers Associaton and jotted down the premise on the back of one of the handouts.
It was originally entitled "Beauty, the Beast and the Betrayer" and as such was a finalist in the RWA STALI competition.
As I wrote the story, I used to print it out chapter by chapter and give it to a lady I worked for. She had just been diagnosed as having secondary cancer and was happy to have something to distract her. It was great seeing her reactions to the story as it progressed and how her reactions to the hero changed.
Throughout I wanted to make my story real. At every stage I said to myself if this really happened, what would the next step be. Once you get away from pure speculative fiction, it's amazing how many mundane details have to be considered. Set a scifi 1000 years into the future and anything can happen, but put it into the here and now, and the story changes. Who would get picked. What would they take. The whole concept fascinated me.
Once the story was finished, it sat in my drawer while I wondered if it was good enough to be published. I subbed it to one large ebook publishing house without success.
Then I saw that Total Ebound had a submission call for science fiction romance. So off it went and was accepted. They felt there were a few problems plotwise (which I had already noted) and their suggestion (start the story earlier) paid off. I wrote one new chapter and what I did have as the beginning got rewritten and appears much later! So thanks Stacey and all the crew at TEB!
As for inspiration? I have a friend with a lower leg prosthetic who is determined not to let that get in the way of living life to the fullest. I'm also intimately acquainted with people sitting isolated (supposedly) in their rooms to play computer games. Mind you that's how my daughter met her current boyfriend four years ago, by playing Guild Wars together.
I've already written the first chapter of the sequel "Nature" which can be found on my website here: Our heroes will finally reach their destination and discover who and what the Saa'ar really are.
It was originally entitled "Beauty, the Beast and the Betrayer" and as such was a finalist in the RWA STALI competition.
As I wrote the story, I used to print it out chapter by chapter and give it to a lady I worked for. She had just been diagnosed as having secondary cancer and was happy to have something to distract her. It was great seeing her reactions to the story as it progressed and how her reactions to the hero changed.
Throughout I wanted to make my story real. At every stage I said to myself if this really happened, what would the next step be. Once you get away from pure speculative fiction, it's amazing how many mundane details have to be considered. Set a scifi 1000 years into the future and anything can happen, but put it into the here and now, and the story changes. Who would get picked. What would they take. The whole concept fascinated me.
Once the story was finished, it sat in my drawer while I wondered if it was good enough to be published. I subbed it to one large ebook publishing house without success.
Then I saw that Total Ebound had a submission call for science fiction romance. So off it went and was accepted. They felt there were a few problems plotwise (which I had already noted) and their suggestion (start the story earlier) paid off. I wrote one new chapter and what I did have as the beginning got rewritten and appears much later! So thanks Stacey and all the crew at TEB!
As for inspiration? I have a friend with a lower leg prosthetic who is determined not to let that get in the way of living life to the fullest. I'm also intimately acquainted with people sitting isolated (supposedly) in their rooms to play computer games. Mind you that's how my daughter met her current boyfriend four years ago, by playing Guild Wars together.
I've already written the first chapter of the sequel "Nature" which can be found on my website here: Our heroes will finally reach their destination and discover who and what the Saa'ar really are.
March 23, 2012
This review was originally posted at
If someone offered me a one-way ticket to the next solar system, I would be so there. I probably, wait, I know I wouldn't read the fine print on the contract.
Which is why I understand what motivates a character like Dana Sinclair to sign up to be part of mankind's first journey outside Earth's solar system in the first volume of A. B. Gayle's Saa'ar Chronicles, Isolation.
In real life, one would expect exploring uncharted space to be a rough trip. One might not expect the kind of pre-flight corporate machinations to spillover into in-flight betrayal that helps make Dana's story so compelling. On the other hand, the nastier bits of Dana's adventure do turn out to have their...compensations.
Although this story takes place aboard a space ship, there's a reason for that title. Most of the story takes place in isolation. Different kinds of isolation.
The ship sets out from Earth for the planet Sa'ar, with a mostly human crew and a few Saa'arians. Nearly everyone spends three months in suspended animation for a high-speed trip to Neptune.
When Dana wakes up, the situation has gone to crap in the recycling unit. Instead of being the second-in-command of the medical team, she's in charge. Her chief is dead. It seems to have been a heart attack. But he wasn't ill, and she's not permitted to do an autopsy. All the Saa'arians are dead, and again, no autopsy is permitted.
The woman in charge of the expedition is a corporate bigwig, with no experience running an exploration mission or for that matter a diplomatic mission. Or much experience motivating people. The crew call her "the ice queen" for a reason.
But the second-in-commend, now there's a man Dana wants to get to know better, if he could stand to spend two minutes in a doctor's company ever again. But that's a problem for Ethan Reilly. He was a bona fide war hero, until he deliberately stepped on a landmine to save his men. Now he has prosthetics from below the knee on both legs, and scars on half his face that he refuses to have healed. The prosthetic joints work so well, people forget he has them, but Ethan never does. And he's had his fill of doctors in white coats. After months of rehab, he'd be happy to never see another one again.
Until he meets Dana Sinclair. And discovers there's a smart, funny and sexy woman under that coat. One who doesn't care about any of his scars, because as a doctor, she's seen it all before. She only cares about the man inside. Not the hero on the Army recruiting posters that he used to be.
The ship is stranded near the planet Nebula, waiting for help to come from the planet Saa'ar to pick them up. The expedition leader wants Dana to declare that all the Saa' ar on board the ship died of natural causes, by exposure to an Earth disease, and that the problem is solved. Dana's not so sure. There's too much pressure to rush to judgment, and too little data.
And there's a whole lot of the antidote for Sarin gas on board.
Only one person is willing to help her investigate. Ethan Reilly. Or so it seems. Until he turns on her, and gets her locked up. In isolation.
But not until after he's gotten her to fall in love with him. Has Ethan betrayed her, or is he keeping her safe? Can he find the answers to all the problems without her?
Escape Rating A-: I couldn't put this down once I picked it up. It was easy for me to get sucked into Dana's point of view.
The story here is really about how the crew bands together to solve the mystery much more than it is about the space travel or anything else. There is kind of a locked-room aspect to the story, since the ship is out by Neptune and they can't go anywhere.
I want the next book now. I have to know what happens when they reach the Saa'ar planet.
If someone offered me a one-way ticket to the next solar system, I would be so there. I probably, wait, I know I wouldn't read the fine print on the contract.
Which is why I understand what motivates a character like Dana Sinclair to sign up to be part of mankind's first journey outside Earth's solar system in the first volume of A. B. Gayle's Saa'ar Chronicles, Isolation.
In real life, one would expect exploring uncharted space to be a rough trip. One might not expect the kind of pre-flight corporate machinations to spillover into in-flight betrayal that helps make Dana's story so compelling. On the other hand, the nastier bits of Dana's adventure do turn out to have their...compensations.
Although this story takes place aboard a space ship, there's a reason for that title. Most of the story takes place in isolation. Different kinds of isolation.
The ship sets out from Earth for the planet Sa'ar, with a mostly human crew and a few Saa'arians. Nearly everyone spends three months in suspended animation for a high-speed trip to Neptune.
When Dana wakes up, the situation has gone to crap in the recycling unit. Instead of being the second-in-command of the medical team, she's in charge. Her chief is dead. It seems to have been a heart attack. But he wasn't ill, and she's not permitted to do an autopsy. All the Saa'arians are dead, and again, no autopsy is permitted.
The woman in charge of the expedition is a corporate bigwig, with no experience running an exploration mission or for that matter a diplomatic mission. Or much experience motivating people. The crew call her "the ice queen" for a reason.
But the second-in-commend, now there's a man Dana wants to get to know better, if he could stand to spend two minutes in a doctor's company ever again. But that's a problem for Ethan Reilly. He was a bona fide war hero, until he deliberately stepped on a landmine to save his men. Now he has prosthetics from below the knee on both legs, and scars on half his face that he refuses to have healed. The prosthetic joints work so well, people forget he has them, but Ethan never does. And he's had his fill of doctors in white coats. After months of rehab, he'd be happy to never see another one again.
Until he meets Dana Sinclair. And discovers there's a smart, funny and sexy woman under that coat. One who doesn't care about any of his scars, because as a doctor, she's seen it all before. She only cares about the man inside. Not the hero on the Army recruiting posters that he used to be.
The ship is stranded near the planet Nebula, waiting for help to come from the planet Saa'ar to pick them up. The expedition leader wants Dana to declare that all the Saa' ar on board the ship died of natural causes, by exposure to an Earth disease, and that the problem is solved. Dana's not so sure. There's too much pressure to rush to judgment, and too little data.
And there's a whole lot of the antidote for Sarin gas on board.
Only one person is willing to help her investigate. Ethan Reilly. Or so it seems. Until he turns on her, and gets her locked up. In isolation.
But not until after he's gotten her to fall in love with him. Has Ethan betrayed her, or is he keeping her safe? Can he find the answers to all the problems without her?
Escape Rating A-: I couldn't put this down once I picked it up. It was easy for me to get sucked into Dana's point of view.
The story here is really about how the crew bands together to solve the mystery much more than it is about the space travel or anything else. There is kind of a locked-room aspect to the story, since the ship is out by Neptune and they can't go anywhere.
I want the next book now. I have to know what happens when they reach the Saa'ar planet.
October 31, 2013
This was really good. This m/f romance was just right for me because it is a sci-fi romance. I don't read much m/f romance unless it is urban fantasy because I do like action with my m/f romance, or some kind of mystery, or women wielding swords. This one has women with tech know how, fighting skills and courage.
This is not a long book but it manages to hold so many different aspects together in a way that is deeply creative and satisfying on many levels. I liked it. I really appreciated reading about a woman - Dana - who held her own and is both courageous but also in some ways vulnerable and the battle-worn injured ex-soldier - Ethan - who sees Dana as both a colleague and fellow adventurer as well as a woman he can love.
The story is appealing. The whole idea of professional men and women flying through space with a groups of aliens is just great. For the crew this was supposed to be a journey of exploration to the home planet of the Sa'ar - the aliens - but half way there the aliens and the ship's senior medic all die of some mysterious virus.
The crew now have to sit it out and wait for rescue but things are not as simple as they seem. Throw in an ex-special forces soldier who has disabilities from battle and the ships medic who is intent on finding out what has happened and you have a couple who know that something isn't right. They start to solve the mystery individually not sure they can trust each other and as the story develops they have to piece the mystery together and also learn how to trust each other at the same time as dealing with their attraction and desire for each other.
I really liked the sci-fi aspects of the story. It wasn't too technical so it will be ok for people who just want to read for the romance. For me it was great. The descriptions of the alien technology and the ship and other aspects were beautifully written. It enabled me to picture the ship and the technology for myself but it wasn't so techy that it became boring.
I also enjoyed the crew dynamics and the whole feel of being with a group of people who you need to trust but you know you can't trust or like them all. This was very realistic much like an ordinary work place but so much more edgy because in space you cannot escape your colleagues and something dangerous is happening.
I liked the romance. The couple were not overly romantic. They were sexually attracted to each other but not lost in each other. The romance developed slowly and given their histories of hurt and broken relationship this made sense and made it real. It didn't feel like a fairy tale romance. It felt like a real romance - two people coming together but bringing who they were in the past and who they are now into this new relationship. Also I just liked all the ups and downs of having a relationship that needed to be hidden because something was going on - mystery.
I liked the mystery in the book. Here on the ship is a crew of supposed civilians but there are big powers at work: the Govts, big business, the Mercs and other power players all with their own aims and there own interests in the aliens. Then there are the questions about the aliens and how they died and who they are and how their technology works.
The story delivers in so many different ways. I am glad this is the first in a series and there is another to come. I hope it comes soon.
This is not a long book but it manages to hold so many different aspects together in a way that is deeply creative and satisfying on many levels. I liked it. I really appreciated reading about a woman - Dana - who held her own and is both courageous but also in some ways vulnerable and the battle-worn injured ex-soldier - Ethan - who sees Dana as both a colleague and fellow adventurer as well as a woman he can love.
The story is appealing. The whole idea of professional men and women flying through space with a groups of aliens is just great. For the crew this was supposed to be a journey of exploration to the home planet of the Sa'ar - the aliens - but half way there the aliens and the ship's senior medic all die of some mysterious virus.
The crew now have to sit it out and wait for rescue but things are not as simple as they seem. Throw in an ex-special forces soldier who has disabilities from battle and the ships medic who is intent on finding out what has happened and you have a couple who know that something isn't right. They start to solve the mystery individually not sure they can trust each other and as the story develops they have to piece the mystery together and also learn how to trust each other at the same time as dealing with their attraction and desire for each other.
I really liked the sci-fi aspects of the story. It wasn't too technical so it will be ok for people who just want to read for the romance. For me it was great. The descriptions of the alien technology and the ship and other aspects were beautifully written. It enabled me to picture the ship and the technology for myself but it wasn't so techy that it became boring.
I also enjoyed the crew dynamics and the whole feel of being with a group of people who you need to trust but you know you can't trust or like them all. This was very realistic much like an ordinary work place but so much more edgy because in space you cannot escape your colleagues and something dangerous is happening.
I liked the romance. The couple were not overly romantic. They were sexually attracted to each other but not lost in each other. The romance developed slowly and given their histories of hurt and broken relationship this made sense and made it real. It didn't feel like a fairy tale romance. It felt like a real romance - two people coming together but bringing who they were in the past and who they are now into this new relationship. Also I just liked all the ups and downs of having a relationship that needed to be hidden because something was going on - mystery.
I liked the mystery in the book. Here on the ship is a crew of supposed civilians but there are big powers at work: the Govts, big business, the Mercs and other power players all with their own aims and there own interests in the aliens. Then there are the questions about the aliens and how they died and who they are and how their technology works.
The story delivers in so many different ways. I am glad this is the first in a series and there is another to come. I hope it comes soon.
March 19, 2012
SFR Reading Challenge 2012 6/15
3.5*
Grade B/B-
I, for one, want to encourage writers to pen more science fiction romance novels. In the tradition of , solid SF mixed with romance is an exciting and enjoyable genre. Isolation hits the mark well enough for me to recommend it to SFR fans, although it's not perfect.
The basic storyline is quite good and unique. The book is about an Earth mission to colonize a distant Saa'ar planet and the problems that ensue when someone's unknown agenda ends up killing the aliens and stranding the colonists on a space station. The characters are well-drawn for the most part, and the SF details included show the author has done her research. (I liked the interactive computer game the colonists played on board. That was a good touch.) The problem comes with putting all these good points together in a cohesive whole. Somehow the author just misses making the story read as a smooth, continuous entity. There were a few too many side trips with details that were interesting bu interrupted the flow of the story. There was also an occasional scene that left me feeling that the author had a very certain visualization of the scene in her head, but not all of it communicated to the printed page, leaving the reader a little confused about what was going on. This includes the motivations or future plans of the villains of the story, which I never quite understood. Lastly, a few of the character interactions were a bit stiff, and didn't have an authentic feel to them. (Note to author if you're reading along: the scene were the captain shows Ethan the gun. I didn't understand the significance of that scene, or why the captain was nervous.)
While the main characters get their resolution, the story ends rather without the larger story arc resolved. I was glad to see this is the first of a series, which means I'll probably get my answers in the next installment.
3.5*
Grade B/B-
I, for one, want to encourage writers to pen more science fiction romance novels. In the tradition of , solid SF mixed with romance is an exciting and enjoyable genre. Isolation hits the mark well enough for me to recommend it to SFR fans, although it's not perfect.
The basic storyline is quite good and unique. The book is about an Earth mission to colonize a distant Saa'ar planet and the problems that ensue when someone's unknown agenda ends up killing the aliens and stranding the colonists on a space station. The characters are well-drawn for the most part, and the SF details included show the author has done her research. (I liked the interactive computer game the colonists played on board. That was a good touch.) The problem comes with putting all these good points together in a cohesive whole. Somehow the author just misses making the story read as a smooth, continuous entity. There were a few too many side trips with details that were interesting bu interrupted the flow of the story. There was also an occasional scene that left me feeling that the author had a very certain visualization of the scene in her head, but not all of it communicated to the printed page, leaving the reader a little confused about what was going on. This includes the motivations or future plans of the villains of the story, which I never quite understood. Lastly, a few of the character interactions were a bit stiff, and didn't have an authentic feel to them. (Note to author if you're reading along: the scene were the captain shows Ethan the gun. I didn't understand the significance of that scene, or why the captain was nervous.)
While the main characters get their resolution, the story ends rather without the larger story arc resolved. I was glad to see this is the first of a series, which means I'll probably get my answers in the next installment.
May 31, 2013
Dr. Dana Sinclair signs up for a mission, which includes a stop-over at a space station. The Saa’ar and head doctor die mysteriously and she is put in charge. She has to work with Ethan, the second in command, to investigate, and wonders if she can trust him. While looking into the facts, they grow closer.
Ethan O’Riley, a disabled veteran, signs up for the trip to try and get away from his past. What is happening looks questionable. He has to get everyone else to use their individual skills, regardless if it makes him look good or jeopardizes what is growing between him and Dana.
The mission to go to the Saa’ar's home planet is put on pause by the deaths of the Saa’ar traveling with them and leaving everyone isolated at the space station. Suspicions are raised and people will have to pool their specialties together to find out the truth. Will they remain isolated? Will they figure out what is going on? And is Ethan really on the bad guy’s side?
The characters felt real and the plot was original. I learned about the technology and world in a way that was entertaining. I did not feel I was being lectured to. I did not want to stop reading, and tried to limit myself so it would not end too soon, but at the same time wanting it to go faster to see what happened next. Dana and Ethan were written in a way that made me love them. I felt their ups and downs together, along with sympathizing with the other characters, even if they were the bad guys. One of my favorite parts was when Ethan told Dana how he felt. It consisted of a fake injury, a marker, tape, and his knee � Yeah, he is not romantic ... I thought that this book was awesome and loved it. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
Ethan O’Riley, a disabled veteran, signs up for the trip to try and get away from his past. What is happening looks questionable. He has to get everyone else to use their individual skills, regardless if it makes him look good or jeopardizes what is growing between him and Dana.
The mission to go to the Saa’ar's home planet is put on pause by the deaths of the Saa’ar traveling with them and leaving everyone isolated at the space station. Suspicions are raised and people will have to pool their specialties together to find out the truth. Will they remain isolated? Will they figure out what is going on? And is Ethan really on the bad guy’s side?
The characters felt real and the plot was original. I learned about the technology and world in a way that was entertaining. I did not feel I was being lectured to. I did not want to stop reading, and tried to limit myself so it would not end too soon, but at the same time wanting it to go faster to see what happened next. Dana and Ethan were written in a way that made me love them. I felt their ups and downs together, along with sympathizing with the other characters, even if they were the bad guys. One of my favorite parts was when Ethan told Dana how he felt. It consisted of a fake injury, a marker, tape, and his knee � Yeah, he is not romantic ... I thought that this book was awesome and loved it. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
June 19, 2012
In one word... "Keeper"
This was an amazing story of love amongst the stars. Ethan O'Reilly is damaged, inside and outside. He makes a terrific hero. Broken emotionally.
Dana Sinclair is also making the best of her decision. With the death of Abu Bakara she has to take over as the medic for the entire contingent of humans on their way to the world of the Saa'ar.
The emotional growth of these two characters takes place among lies, hidden truths and a plot which could leave them all dead.
Looking for the perfect SciFi Romance option? Try Isolation.
This was an amazing story of love amongst the stars. Ethan O'Reilly is damaged, inside and outside. He makes a terrific hero. Broken emotionally.
Dana Sinclair is also making the best of her decision. With the death of Abu Bakara she has to take over as the medic for the entire contingent of humans on their way to the world of the Saa'ar.
The emotional growth of these two characters takes place among lies, hidden truths and a plot which could leave them all dead.
Looking for the perfect SciFi Romance option? Try Isolation.
Want to read
June 22, 2012Yup, I'm going to try A.B. Gayle's MF. Keep your fingers crossed. XD
August 1, 2012
I had a sneak look at this a long time ago, before it found a home. I think I'd have marked this version higher, if I hadn't known so much of what was going to happen. On the other hand, the world building is as splendid as it was first time around, and the characters are well-drawn and impressively diverse. Some clever use of recreational technology to get around security systems too. SF romance needs more love, and I suspect quite a few people who read my reviews would like this one.
April 22, 2012
review copy for ARRA
2.5 stars
2.5 stars
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