Neon Sands

A Dystopian Sci-Fi (The Neon Sands Trilogy, Book 1)

By: Adam J. Smith

Narrated by: Steven Miller

Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

The stars brought life to the planet, and the stars destroyed it.

It was ash on fingertips and vast. Stepping upon it gave the impression that it had come not from below, buffed by millions of years of wind slicing against rock, but rather from above; that, perhaps, it had drifted down and settled here.

This is the post-apocalyptic sandscape that Calix and Annora must navigate - when they're old enough to join the scavenger crews outside of the domes, that is.

They've spent their entire lives within Sanctum, the domed town that protects them from the dangerous sands that storm against the curved wall. But they are orphans, with questions about their heritage. With a childhood that prepares them to become scavengers. With a father figure in Kirillion who has an agenda all of his own - just what are they searching for when the scavenger crews depart?

All grown up, they join Walker's crew, scouring the sand in giant Crawlers, ready to dig. When an accident unlocks childhood memories and murder, questions arise within the crew about where their allegiances lie and what their true purpose is. And then, their search hits the big time.

A sci-fi dystopian adventure in an inhospitable landscape, Neon Sands is the opening book in an epic series that will explore man’s technological and innate potential and the search for hope when all looks bleak.

©2017 Adam J. Smith (P)2020 Adam J. Smith

1st book of trilogy : world building and intro

it's a hard world. everything is grinding to halt. with all that sand,food shortages the norm. meanwhile a mysterious death and folks don't understand how the facts and conclusion synch up. in a movie, this is where the mood light switches to "Alien". dark, claustrophobic.
a bit of abrupt end but you are ready for the 2nd book of the trilogy

An exciting sci-fi dystopian adventure!

Adam J. Smith writes an exciting sci-fi dystopian adventure. Detailed characters and a harsh world make for an engaging and dangerous story. Multiple POVS and multiple timelines make for an interesting read once you wrap your brain around it all. I look forward to book 2! Audio Version: Steven Miller continues to do a great job with each character and overall narration.

A dystopian tale with a twist.

I really enjoy dystopian fiction and when you through a lack of reason for the apocalypse it becomes so much better. I have to admit to being somewhat disoriented by the layout of the story as it shifted between the present to the past through the experiences of young Calix and Annora. Once a sufficient foundation had been built the story shifted to the present and took on a whole new tone as the scavenger crew found the destroyed dome and its secrets. Once this change occurred the story became a runaway train barreling toward a station that may not be what was expected. Steven Miller’s narration kept the story going through the slow spots and made it come alive as the action escalated.

A Dystopian Future of a Desert Earth

Highly recommended. The narrator does an excellent job of keeping the story moving. The audio is whisper-synced, a feature that I really enjoy. Neon Sands is a great start to a dystopian trilogy, I loved the mystery and the world building. I will definitely read all the books, and have bought the box set.

The blurb sets the scene. The remnants of human society live in domes in a sea of red sand. The domes are failing, mutations are developing in the restricted gene pool and it seems that humanity is lost. In this harsh landscape, the scavenger crews scour the desert and dig for relics and scrap. The cause of the apocalypse is never stated, great mystery. Obviously there was time and resources to build the domes.

Calix and Annora are orphans sent from other overcrowded domes to Sanctum. Raised by an apparently benevolent father figure, Kirillion, they form a strong bond. When old enough they join the scavenger crews of Walker's crawler. The book starts with a flash back by Calix (presumably in the accident in which he falls from a moving crawler when attempting repairs) of the funeral of one of the other orphans, Ziyad. The details of that day are then reported from Calix, Annora, Linwood and Ziyad's POV.

Then back to the NOW. This flipping back and forth can be a bit disorientating, so hope this helps. A ruined dome is discovered and there is then non-stop action. The ending closed the action at Sanctum but leads Calix further on a quest to rescue Annora.

Dystopian Story

This story started out slow as the dystopic world is described and the scene is set. The tale revolved around two people, Calix and Annora, who were left in Sanctum as orphans. Sanctum is the name of one of the few remaining places of civilization. In time, the story focused more on Calix's and Annora's lives as part of a scavenger crew and what happened to them when their crew stumbled into a big find. At that point, the story's action becomes more intense leading to an exciting cliffhanger. Although I found the tale entertaining, I was not a big fan of the layout of the story and was glad that in the early chapters the headings directed me as to which characters' viewpoint I should expect. Steven Miller's narration was fine and his voice is pleasant. He does not create unique voices for each of the characters so careful attention must be given to the story, in order to know which character is speaking. I was given a free copy of the audiobook and I have voluntarily left this review.

Interesting Dystopia

Earth is just a "sandbox" with a few groups barely surviving in underground sanctuaries. Our main protagonists, male & female, were adopted at an early age into one such sanctuary. They are raised by leaders who turn out to quite a bit different from the benevolent "parents" they seem to be. The book is "hard" SciFi with exacting descriptions of everything from the technology (both current and lost over time), the weather, farming techniques, etc. The storyline develops slowly with a feeling of menace just below the surface. Book 1 ends with somewhat of a cliffhanger but at least we find out who the bad guys are even if we don't yet know their motivation. The narrator, for those who choose the audio version, uses the same voice for every character so keep a sharp ear for which character is speaking at any given time.

could not get into it. viewpoint is childlike

nice voice but the narration comes off as if reading to an incredulous child. the language structure feels immature, but has mixed in complex concepts and words. it just wasn't cohesive and therefore not immersive.