The far future finds Earth at peace and Mars successfully colonized. A seemingly benign businessman and inventor helped usher in an era of peace and tranquility through omnipresent technology. The sudden discovery of a planet and impending doom kick off an adventure that spans the galaxy.
The year is 2349 and humanity has finally achieved peace. That peace was hard won on both Earth and the newly colonized Mars. John Crenshaw is the CEO of Winter Incorporated. Crenshaw appears like a kindly parent bestowing gifts upon the willing populace. Among those gifts are smartphone-like devices embedded in the skin, an omnipotent AI named Athena, and divided social classes. Before anyone wises up to Crenshaw, a series of events lead to the rapid development of wormhole travel. Behind the scenes, Crenshaw manipulates things so hapless teenagers Jude and Adira, among others, are whisked away to a secret military base. At the base, the truth is revealed in an epic cliffhanger ending.
2349: PART ONE – THE GLOBAL UNION is a quick read. It functions as an introduction to the world of 2349. The setting is intriguing and rife with unique forms of technology. The prevalent technology in Miller’s story is fascinating, but needs further polishing. Mars’s colonial history is intriguing with various clans fighting for power, hopefully expanded upon in future installments of 2349. Despite a fertile setting and plot, the story is rather lackluster. Frequent plot conveniences, recurring redundant speech and writing, and flat characters hobble an otherwise enthralling story. Dialogue is forced and unrealistic, hampering the flow of the story. Events happen rapidly and often occur without relevance to the overall story. Editing issues such as typos, broken sentences, and missing words further bring the reader out of the story. What could have been an interested look at humanity in the face of looming disaster falls flat in execution.
2349: PART ONE – THE GLOBAL UNION finds humanity stuck between a rock and a hard place in a seemingly Utopian future. A power hungry inventor, a teenager, and an inquisitive AI collide as an asteroid threatens Earth and a new planet beckons eagerly. All this combines for a catalyst in a hopeful new sci-fi series.
~IndieReader.