Dawn of Destiny

Epic, Book 1

By: Lee Stephen

Narrated by: Patrick Quance

The year is 0011NE, and mankind is under attack. Hostile forces from other worlds have come to Earth, their motivations a mystery, their objectives unknown. In the face of the alien threat, a global military called the Earth Defense Network - EDEN - was created.

Dawn of Destiny begins the story of Scott Remington, a new graduate of EDEN Academy. It is the first chapter in an epic that will carry him to the ends of the Earth, challenging the very faith he clings to as he confronts a purpose he can barely understand. For Scott, war is more than an occupation. It is the place God has led him. It is his destiny. Only one thing remains to be seen.

Is it a place he's willing to go?

©2006 Lee Stephen (P)2014 Lee Stephen

Science Fiction. Christian Warrior.

Science Fiction. Alien Invaders. War. This is a fun tale where men and women unite in armies and Navy as well as every other armed forces to fight back inside the Alien Invaders. The main character is unique, and not seen often in Science Fiction. He's a man with morals, who left his fiance beyond to help fight the aliens, and a Christian. It shows of his leadership, and their missions from USA to being transferred to Russia, where things are a lot harder, and they're a lot less respected. The narration is a full cast, and very neat. But with all the sound effects, it does negate the audio a little bit. However, I'd be very interested to listening to book two, first cast or not.

I wish I could give this book 6 Stars!

If a great audio book is a scoop of ice cream this one is a chocolate sunday. Different characters have different voices, there are sound effects and music to go along with certain scenes. And also you get a great story, battles, things blowing up; everything a young reader will like. But under this a story about doing the right thing, about the hero of the story wondering, 'Am I doing the right thing, what IS the right thing?'

You don't have to be a young person to ask yourself these questions. It is a book that makes you think, when was last time you read one like that!

This is one of the best audio books ever!

This is one of the most amazing audio books I have ever heard. The only reason I am not giving the performance 5 stars is sometimes the music and effects are so loud, they occasionally overpower the narration and characters' lines. Otherwise, I was blown away!

The story is gripping, and the characters are engaging. You really feel for the characters in the story. You feel elated when they are elated, you feel crushed when they do...

I look forward to the audio book versions of the next books in the series!

Check this out, Payoff good!

Great book, lots of potential. I appreciate the “Christian Sci-fi” approach which basically means the book is a normal representation of life, I mean come on - to be a Christian is the normal standard of life, people want to push weirdo agendas and make it seem like everyone is steeped in alcohol, drugs and all kinds of sexual things and that this is somehow what normal is or should be. They are weak counterfeits to living real life. Btw there were not many overt Christian references in the book, I think the author didn’t want to be preachy, and that the Christian element may speak more to what is not in the book, which readers like me appreciate and that everyone can appreciate if they get off their agendas.

Anyway, aside from some clunky writing which seems typical for first time authors (and, ahem, self-publishers), I really enjoyed the full voice cast, sound effects, and music and the good effect they have had on the story, and that this is an unabridged recording - I find this combination of full voice on unabridged to be rare.

I read a couple of reviews complaining about the music being too loud relative to the voice acting but I did not experience this at all. Is it possible the voice audio was better adjusted since those reviews? Not sure, but it worked for me and felt like a movie at some key junctures - those alone make the book worth it imo.

The buildup of all the characters throughout the story begins to pay off toward the end. I was surprised by the direction and look forward to the future. Especially the Arbiter-like muscle alien? Not much was said about that one but who knows? Looking forward to reading book 2 hardcover, I hope the author finishes the series soon (currently wrapping up book 6 with three more to go is what I’ve heard) and that he will provide the same audiobook treatment to each book.

Thanks Lee! Exciting things to come I’m sure.

Full of highly technical battles scenes

This review was originally published way before the Audible release

First thing that drew my attention about Dawn of Destiny was the fact that it was not available on Audible. According to Lee Stephen, Audible does something to the audio quality and he did not want to chance it being degraded in any way. Knowing that Audible is one of, if not the largest audiobook marketplace, I hope he doesn’t loose any of his potential audience.

Full of highly technical battles scenes that, literally, had me frozen on the edge of my seat. Leaving me with nothing else to do but breath a huge sigh of relief, with my heart pounding, when the action has subsided.

There were extended lengths of time between action sequences, for, I assume, character and story building. There are strong religious undertones and periods that will smack you in the face. I didn’t see this coming at all. Earth Defense Network (EDEN), the main character Scott prayed to God several times. While this was all done tastefully, I didn’t think that it added anything to the story at all.

Looking for a fast paced alien invasion military science fiction adventure? Dawn of Destiny will not disappoint.

The audio production was up there with the best “movie” style audiobooks I have listened to. Boasting 30 voice actors all on the top of their game. It is difficult to single any single one out as they all were very enjoyable.

The only fault I could find was the music. Often times being much louder than the performer, leading to me having no idea what was just said. Because of this interference I could not give this category a 5 star rating.

Audiobook provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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