Still Falling (Solstice 31 Saga: Book 1)

By: Martin Wilsey

Narrated by: Andrew Tell

Barcus is a working stiff looking for a good paycheck. When the Ventura and its crew enter orbit for a scheduled planet survey, the ship activates an automated defense system protecting the planet. Although the Ventura is destroyed in the attack, Barcus alone survives the harrowing fall to the remote planet surface. He struggles to remain alive and sane, and to discover why everyone he knew and loved on the Ventura was deliberately murdered.

Swinging between despair and fury, Barcus discovers that for every answer he obtains, there are more questions raised. Barcus is assisted by the Emergency Module, Em, his most useful tool. It is an artificial intelligence system contained in an all-terrain vehicle specifically designed to help him survive. Barcus soon finds himself in the middle of a planetary genocide of the local native population. He is unable to stand passively by as more people die, even if they are long lost colonists who fear "the Man from Earth" like children fear the monster under their bed.

Will Barcus ever find his way home? Will he find out who is responsible? Will his rage just burn this world down? Or will he find his soul in the eyes of a starving, frightened woman?

©2015 Martin Wilsey (P)2015 Martin Wilsey

Wow... Just wow.

An amazing mix of old English knights and modern tech. A classic one man against all odds vs tyranny. A story. I , cannot wait for book 2.

Can't wait for Book 2

What made the experience of listening to Still Falling (Solstice 31 Saga: Book 1) the most enjoyable?

The plot was fantastic, the dash of sci-fi, a sprinkle of survival, with a dusting of world building. It was a great listen. I await Book 2.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes it was.

Any additional comments?

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."

Not to my taste...

This story has pretty decent bones, and I actually kinda liked the story thread and characters, but that's as far as it went. The execution leaves much to be desired!  The writing is stiff, stilted, and often redundant. Awkward syntax runs rampant throughout! 
I picked up this story because I've  enjoyed Andrew Tell's narration of other books... unfortunately, you can have the best narrator in the world, but great narration can't turn a lump of clay into a bar of gold... Even with Andrew at the helm, I was only able to finish this book because I sped up the playback .

I received a copy of this audio title for free in exchange for an unbiased review. 

Instructive

If my space ship is shot down over a planet where life is similar to medieval Earth, I will find this book invaluable as a survival guide. Having an almost omniscient AI and some trusty high tech weapons would also prove handy.

Good People Doing Good Things

Still Falling is the first book in an ongoing series. The book is told in two paths, the main one being the story of Barcus and his exploits on a backwards planet he was stranded on, and the second, which is used to open each chapter, covering an investigation taking place at some time in the future investigating the Solstice 31 incident. I'd have to take off half a point for the story due to the fact that the main story I felt told a very good tale, and ended in a satisfying junction, but the investigation story just stopped. From a story telling perspective, as a reader I find that pretty unforgivable, to have listened to an entire longish novel and have no idea what one particular story thread was actually about. I even rewound and listened to a lot of the chapters again to see if I missed something, but no.

That aside, I did enjoy the story and liked how it was essentially the story of a good man in a bad situation, coming to terms with a new world he is on, and his unfailing journey to make that world a better place, and the hardships on.

The narration was very clear and easy to listen too, and the only reason I had for rewinding was not due to missing something said, but the above mentioned missing something I think the author did not write...

In all an enjoyable listen, and I look forward to the next book. I did get this book as a free review copy, but I'd likely purchase the second book when available, just to find out what happens next.