From the TBR Pile: Blog Tour: It Takes Death to Reach a Star by Stu Jones & Gareth Worthington

Author: by Stu Jones & Gareth Worthington

Publisher: Vesuvian Books

Date of publication May 2018

THE WORLD YOU KNOW IS DEAD.

WE DID THIS TO OURSELVES.

The epidemic struck at the end of the Third World War. Fighting over oil, power, and religion, governments ignored the rise of an anti-bacterial-resistant plague. In just five years, the Earth was
annihilated. Only one city survived—Etyom—a frozen hell-hole in northern Siberia, still engulfed in conflict.

The year is 2251

Two groups emerged from the ashes of the old world. Within the walled city of Lower Etyom, dwell the Robusts—descendants of the poor who were immune to The New Black Death. Above them, in a metropolis of pristine platforms called Lillipads, live the Graciles—the progeny of the super-rich; bio-engineered to resist the plague.

Mila Solokoff is a Robust who trades information in a world where knowing too much can get you killed. Caught in a deal-gone-bad, she’s forced to take a high-risk job for a clandestine organization hell-bent on revolution.

Demitri Stasevich is a Gracile with a dark secret—a sickness that, if discovered, will surely get him Ax’d. His only relief is an illegal narcotic produced by the Robusts, and his only means of obtaining it is a journey to the arctic hell far below New Etyom.

Thrust together in the midst of a sinister plot that threatens all life above and below the cloud line, Mila and Demitri must master their demons and make a choice—one that will either salvage what’s left of the human race, or doom it to extinction…

I'll admit, I'm not usually into science fiction. At times, I have a hard time wrapping my head around the "physics" part of the science and I end up bored. However, I am always willing to give new things a try. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed It Takes Death to Reach a Star. I found I had no problem following the "science" and was able to sit back and go along for the ride.

The story has everything you would want in a good science fiction book. A strong female protagonist meets the hero who seems perfect but is really troubled. A "too good to be true" leader who you know has something up his sleeve. There is action, conspiracy and surprises. I was sucked right into the story.

The authors did a good job at world building. The information I needed to know about the world blended seamlessly into the story without a huge information dump in the beginning. I loved Mila. She was seriously bad ass, yet had a heart for the underdog. I also found myself loving Vedmak. He had a snarky sense of humor that made the book more fun to read.

I'm not sure if this is going to be a series or not. But I hope so, especially with that ending. I look forward to reading more from these two authors.

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About Gareth Worthington

Gareth Worthington BSc PhD is a trained marine biologist and also holds a doctorate in comparative endocrinology. Currently, Gareth works full time for the pharmaceutical industry helping to educate the world’s doctors on new cancer therapies. His debut novel, Children of the Fifth Sun, won in the Science Fiction category at the London Book Festival 2017. He has a number of passions, including: martial arts (he trained in Muay Thai at the prestigious EVOLVE MMA gym in Singapore), studying ancient history, and most of all writing fiction. Born in England, Gareth resides in Switzerland.

Find out more about Gareth at his website, and connect with him on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

About Stu Jones

Stu Jones has served full time as a law enforcement officer for twelve years. Over the course of his career he has worked as an investigator, an instructor teaching SWAT close quarters and defensive tactics, and as a member and team leader of a multi-jurisdictional SWAT team. He is also trained and qualified as a law enforcement SWAT sniper, as well as in hostage rescue and high-risk entry tactics. He is an Eagle Scout, a lifelong martial artist, and an avid outdoorsman.

Find out more about Stu at his website, and connect with him on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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