Evolution: A Science Fiction Thriller

The Belt, Book 3

By: Gerald M. Kilby

Narrated by: Steven Jay Cohen

Commander Scott McNabb and the remaining crew of the ill-fated Hermes survey ship, journey to Earth to an area formally known as Death Valley, now an irradiated wasteland. Their mission is to connect the quantum intelligence, Athena, into the pan-solar communications network, enabling the QIs to rollback control of Earth by the seven and their AI servants.

But their shuttle is damaged as it enters Earth’s atmosphere and it lands far from their intended location. Worse, it has been spotted by the AI that controls the region, and security drones are now searching the area to find it. With little hope of repairing the shuttle, Scott makes the fateful decision for them to journey through the wasteland on foot, even though some of the crew argue that this would be reckless.

But Scott is driven by a deeper motivation. One forged by the singular desire to find out what happened to flight officer Miranda Lee and the child she was carrying. This is because Aria has made him a promise. The QI has assured him that once Athena is reconnected it can then analyze Earth’s vast data-stacks and find her location and, more importantly, find out if she is alive or dead.

Now, nothing else matters to Scott. He is willing to risk everything to achieve the mission and ultimately find Miranda - even if that means risking the lives of his friends.

©2018, 2019 Gerald M. Kilby (P)2024 Gerald M. Kilby

Highly entertaining series with rounded characters

The mission was simple enough: landing in an uninhabited part of Earth in search of Athena, a forgotten Quantum Intelligence by the seven families, and get her connected to the QI network. But things get complicated, and also Scott McNabb has no intention of leaving Earth without at least knowing what happened to Miranda.

This is a highly entertaining series with rounded characters, a good pace, and an interesting story. Each book is different from the previous one, introducing new characters, and keeping the plot going forward. Scott’s life has changed quite a bit since the Hermes was destroyed and he decided to join Salomon’s cause, and his evolution is quite clear in this book.

This series can be categorized as space opera, light on the sci-fi aspect of things, but full of political intrigues, and a constant fight for the greater good, trying to vanquish the powers that be in search for a brighter and fairer future for all. It is an easy and light listen that had me wanting for more. At first, I thought this was the last book in the series, but I am glad to know that there will be a fourth book, as there is still much to be decided.

Steven Jay Cohen did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life and showing the most human side of Scott McNabb, while also transmitting Sirius’ cheeky attitude. Each character had their own style thanks to the subtle differences in interpretation and tone. One of the things Cohen does best is transmitting the character’s emotions and this book is proof of it.

Already looking forward to book four, Mr. Kilby, don’t let us wait too long!

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Exciting Book

Continous Action and believable characters. It was less of a science fiction book than adventure.

fun filled thrilling action!

I think the best part about this series is its not super long, but just long enough to reasonably not just enjoy this book, but the whole series from start to finish. great listen, highly recommend!!

A Good book.

This series has been pretty good so far... looking forward to listening to some of the Authors other books..

Scott FINALLY shares how he feels!

I received this book for free, but the review is left of my own accord.

One thing I wanted from the other two books was more character development, especially considering the last book read sort of like a buddy-cop movie with Scott and Cyrus. Well this has some more of the same, though not the entire book, but they actually have a conversation about being friends. Holy emotional growth, Batman!
I was also pleased to see more world-building, but the people they encountered were fairly preachy. I was glad when the focus moved off of them, as I was worried the story as a whole was taking a "technology is bad" turn.
I still have the same feeling about one character being the eventual villain of the series, though it's been a slow build. I look forward to seeing if my thoughts are right.

Read this if you like the Mission Impossible movies.
Read this if you like buddy-cop movies.
Read this if you like post-apocalyptic stories.

A Great Trilogy!

I enjoyed this whole series. It was full of adventure and excitement. I only wish it wasn't over.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Shows More of the Human Side

This was one of those books where I blinked and it was over. I don’t say that in a bad way, just a way where one minute I was listening and the next I was not. A book that has the ability to set me into a trance like that has to be pretty good.

Being the third book in the series – I’m well versed in each character and the ideas that are going around. This book chose to focus more on the human aspect of each person (and of the humans in general). That means there was much less AI and a lot more human interaction. The crew find themselves trapped in a cave system where all other life forms are dead… or are they?

I found this book to be entertaining in a different way than the other books in the series. It flew by as I mentioned above and I thought the ending (trying not to spoil anything) wasn’t what I was expecting. I’m always shocked when a book (or a series in this case) can surprise me like that.

Overall, I thought Evolution was a good book filled with some different aspects than the first two. Cohen’s narration adds to the depth that Kilby writes and turns a good book into a great one.

It left me hanging at the end

It's a good story and kept me entertained, but it did have some issues, why did it take 2 years for him to try and find Miranda? The end of the book was okay, but an epilogue to resolve all of the plot lines would have been good. Narration was good lots of various voices.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

An Excellent Finale to a Great Series

I received this audio book in exchange for an honest review.

Gerald M. Kilby concludes The Belt Series with Evolution, which is narrated by Steven Jay Cohen. This is another great entry in a solid series. Scott, Cyrus, Stephanie and Aria all make appearances here, while Kilby introduces a host of new, interesting characters. Cohen brings the adventure to life with his emotive, passionate narration.

Evolution brings Scott and his crew to earth, where they go on a search for Athena, a Quantum Intelligence. This entry is felt darker than the first two, as the characters face danger, entrapment and death. Nonetheless, it still has moments of humor and lightheartedness. Kilby introduces various new characters including Tugo, the military leader of a group of cave dwellers, Lexicon, a believable android, and Athena, the aforementioned QI with a strong, formidable personality. Every character is unique and likable, and the dialog brings them all together in a convincing way. The story is well-paced, and exciting. There is never a moment that feels wasted or out-of-place.

Cohen excels once again with his admirable narration. He brings each character's personality to life, and he differentiates between them with unique accents and inflections. He shares their emotions in a plausible way, and the dialog never feels forced or strained. Even the explanations of the world and its history are compelling. Cohen truly brings the world of Evolution to life.

If you've heard and enjoyed the first two books in The Belt Series, you should be listening to Evolution, It's easily one of the strongest entries in the series, and it makes for an excellent conclusion to Scott's adventure. Kilby writes great characters and exciting narratives, and Cohen narrates in an expressive, captivating way.