Dark Sanity

By: Paul L. Centeno

Narrated by: Martin Wurst

Set in the 54th century, the story focuses on Flint Cross, a gunslinger ripped from his roots in the Wild West and placed into the desolation of post-apocalyptic Australia. Plagued with amnesia and nightmares, he finds himself lost and on the brink of madness, doomed to forever wander an empty realm of war-torn souls.

But with the very fate of the universe in Flint's hands, the ancient forces of the aboriginal dreamtime are his only hope. Through seemingly endless experimentation, he must learn to recover his lost memories, raise an army, and construct a steam-powered, interstellar starship to locate and take down his enemy - all while working against the clock and resisting the slowly creeping insanity that threatens to keep him lost forever.

©2014 Paul L. Centeno (P)2016 Paul L. Centeno

very good book, not my usual type.

very interesting book, it took me a little bit to get into it though. once I got into it, it kept my attention well. I would recommend this book to everyone. like I said not my usual type of book but very enjoyable.
thanks

Fantasy

Dark Sanity by Paul L. Centeno is a wonderful post- apocalyptic Sci-Fi, Fantasy Western with steampunk elements. Martin Wurst did an amazing job with the narration. The story is entertaining, interesting, and more. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. Highly recommend.

Great idea but poor development

Any additional comments?

Flint Cross is a gunslinger living in post apocalyptic Australia. The world is desolated due to sun flares which killed most of the population. People needed to adapt to the heat or die. Flint is disturbed many night by dreams that result to be pieces from a past life. He will have to seek the aboriginal tribes for help in finding out the truth behind those dreams.

Despite the initial premises, this is not only a book with western reminiscences set in a post apocalyptic Australia. We are in the 54th century and there are other worlds and technologies that Flint will have to rediscover, along with his true identity, his lover and his mission.

I found the beginning of the book quite enjoyable and it really picked my curiosity. The set and characters were interesting, and the mystery behind Flint's dreams made me want to know more. The characters were well portrayed, and we get enough information to make a well built story. But when Flint realizes that his dreams could mean that he had a different life and acts upon it, the rhythm and atmosphere suddenly changes. If I felt that the beginning was slowly cooked, the middle and especially the end of the book were rushed. We did not have enough time to know Flint's friends and find out why he needed to complete his mission. Also, the information from the middle to the end was given in a very artificial way, through monologues from secondary characters. The ship building felt rushed, without any detail about the design or construction. I think it would have been interesting seeing how Flint starts remembering about technology. This is one of the aspects which makes this book non science-fiction but mere fantasy.

We get glimpses of the dimensional synthesis but we do not get the complete explanation why this will mean the cosmos destruction. I think there was a lack of fundament here.

I had troubles with the names Amanda and Amara, and got confused at times whether Flint was referring to one or the other. In hindsight I think this similarity was intended, but for me it did not add any value and made things confusing.

The narration was very well done, except for a couple of audio inserts that were a bit evident. The diction was clear and the voices well differentiated. I was bothered about the voice of a couple of characters, but in general I enjoyed the narration, especially how the Australian accents were done.

I enjoyed this book, even though I think this would have benefited from a longer a deeper exposure, even fragmenting the story into several books.

Received this book in exchange for an honest revie

What made the experience of listening to Dark Sanity the most enjoyable?

The most enjoyable part for me is the fact it wasn't my usual type of book

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dark Sanity?

The most memorable parts for me were the three transitional periods in the book, I could relate to the main character better because of this

What about Martin Wurst’s performance did you like?

He was a fresh narrator for me, he was easy to listen to and I thought he brought the book to life.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending was the most moving for me, when the main character found what he most wanted

Any additional comments?

Sorry if I seem a little vauge, I didn't want to give away any spoilers, this book is well worth the read and I highly recommend

It's a yowie...not a bear!

I'm usually not a fan of sci-fi/fantasy stuff. I mostly like psychological thrillers, but with covid going on I have more time stuck at home and gave this a chance. This sci-fi book is an exception because it's full of mystery. I was hooked from the start.

That crazy bear/yowie creature Flint hunts in the beginning was creepy. Bears are not native in Australia and Flint knows this. Joey is superstitious and thinks it's a yowie which is sort of like big foot or something like that in Australia. Mysteries like this are scattered throughout the book. The biggest mystery is Flint. He's a futuristic gunslinger/cowboy and can't seem to remember his past, so he needs help from aboriginals using dreamtime to rediscover himself. The aboriginals in Australia reminded me of American Indians...clever. At first I thought the whole story would take place in Australia but there is so much more. I don't want to give any spoilers here.

Overall the story is compelling and Flint's journey was very entertaining with a few twists that I couldn't predict. I'm not really familiar with steampunk stuff but feel there should have been more. The fuel was cool though. I wish my car could use that lol. Martin also did a decent job narrating. I recommend this book especially if you are a sci-fi or fantasy fan.