“This is an example of a deep sleeper in the self-publishing world.

When I found this book several months ago, it had been languishing on Amazon for 3 years. I would never have found it if Fairbairn hadn’t released it on Smashwords in January.

I regularly look at the recent releases on Smashwords. They make it easy and there aren’t so many new books that they sink into the abyss, like on Amazon.

I liked the cover so I tried it. I loved it.

The setting is a future where humanity has been exploring space for decades and have found nothing. Nothing, until a space liner jumps through a wormhole and comes across a religious, militaristic society that will seem familiar.

As the plot unfolds, the reader begins to realize that there are multiple time lines that pile up on one another (instead of the more usual alternate timelines) creating depth. These timeline hints give character insights that will leave the reader wanting more of this series.”

Adam Christiansen Book Chats

https://upjourney.com/best-self-published-books?fbclid=IwAR37g_ay6WruVTljuaSP7KyGuLeRGX-kW7eOPUvz5AC5WvsTaDB-nYawn2A

Sherry – Amazon.Com

The book had a good pace to it. It started out with action, and I was mostly engaged throughout the book. When reading the book, I appreciated all types of energy since the book had an interesting take on it.

I didn’t connect with some of characters, but when they were changed, I felt bad for them since their communication was impaired and they were trying. I felt that John’s flashbacks about Carol Anne were too many. I was more interested in Jackie especially after she said a particular comment before John left.

The ending had a weird factor I liked. I would have liked to know more about the responsible party of the phenomenon, but I guess that could be in next series if there is one.

Overall, the book was interesting and kept me engaged most of the time. I would have like more character development so I could connect with all the characters.

Robin – GoodReads

Blacker, by Richard Fairbairn, is a nightmarish novel about seeing the degradation of loved ones, all the while trying to survive an unknown threat humanity has no idea how to fight against.

John MacGregor is a blinded veteran who had previously survived hell, and is now living his life quietly. A friend of his comes parading back into his life, with a proposal to do an experiment for blind people, one that provides generously for its participants. Initially, MacGregor is skeptical about the entire affair, seeing as how Fraser had trouble keeping past promises before. Then, one night, he is kidnapped by a military personnel in order to investigate an energy dampening in Scotland, to which he goes along with, humorously enough. However, little did he know, both he and his newfound comrades were being dropped into a horrific world filled with corpses and darkness. It’s a race against time as MacGregor tries to exterminate this threat before more people lose their lives.

What I enjoyed most about this book was MacGregor and Hunter’s budding relationship. From past lovers to humorous banter, the two acted like best friends and lovers throughout the book, despite not knowing each other very well. Coupled with the somewhat entertaining soldiers surrounding them, it shows just how much of the outside world MacGregor left behind. To have people, even complete strangers, remind yourself of who you are, as well as the struggles you’ve been through, was engrossing to say the least.

Which, of course, was why it was so hard for me to let them go. In every end-of-the-world scenario, you can’t get overly sentimental, otherwise you could end up dying the next day. So it impressed me with how efficient MacGregor continued on. Perhaps it was because of his own experiences, or maybe it’s because they kidnapped him in the middle of the night, but either way it’s impressive.

Still, the book isn’t without its flaws. I was confused at the pronouns to address either MacGregor or Hunter. I also would like to see more detail, since an apocalyptic setting would be wonderful to read about.

Overall, I would give this book a rating of a 3.8 out of 5 stars. The characters’ interactions were well-developed and showed a more human side to the protagonist. Saying goodbye to his kidnappers was even harder, truth be told. Although the pronouns were a bit confusing, nevertheless it was an enjoyable read. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy World War Z, and the Angel Fall series.

Adam Christiansen – Amazon.Com

Starport Adventure opens with a mystery. Captain Chris Aldridge, who is part of the lunar expedition to the dark side of the Moon, comes across an alien spaceship with the word “Bullet” written across it in English, and Flight Control wants him to blow it up without even exploring it. The mystery engages the reader right away. We have questions that we want answered too. Richard Fairbairn, however, doesn’t give the reader immediate answers. Instead, he slowly expand the mystery as he brings us along on the Starport Adventure. The title comes from a conversation in the book between the young Matthew Archer and his father as they imagine what it would be like to leave Earth and travel the stars together.

Along the way, we meet some compelling characters like the time traveling Celeste Foster and her Triumph TR7 automobile/spaceship (it really works), or sympathetic Cass Linn, a robot who tenderly cares for her father, Jann Linn, the Relathon scientist who develops weapons for the people, the Enrileans, who destroyed his home. Fairbairn does a good job with his characters. They very quickly become real as Fairbairn reveals them scene by scene to us.

My favorite part of the book is the central mystery and how Fairbairn plays with your expectations as you make your way through the story and the changing mysteries. Fairbairn does a very seamless job of updating the classic space opera with elements of a modern thriller. The book is told sequentially in time as indicated by the year at the beginning of each section. This works better in the earlier part of the book when the year is changing regularly, but as we enter into the final year of the book I wish that we had more dating information like the day, the month, even the time to the second. I also think that this would increase the tension as the plot unfolds.

I enjoyed the book and would recommend it. It would be good for reading at the beach or during the winter doldrums. It could easily be read on a commute because the sections are very manageable.

I look forward to reading more of Richard Fairbairn in the near future.