Return to Zarmina

[johnsimion]

My third and last fictional trip to the **real** world of Zarmina is now available on Amazon (Kindle or print) and Smashwords. "Return to Zarmina" is the story of Major Alexander Frazier of the USFS Patton, the flagship of Earth's fleet sent to Zarmina ostensibly to set a navigation beacon in place but, as Frazier discovers, its actual mission is to defend Earth against hostile aliens mentioned in the last cryptic message received from the colonies of Zarmina. Or is it? After an initial battle with the aliens leaves the fleet in disarray, Frazier leads a team on a reconnaissance mission to Zarmina and discovers a web of lies and betrayal. New threats arise, including one from the planet itself and an external threat that could destroy the entire planet -- unless Frazier can get back to space in time to stop it. Unlike some sci-fi, "Return to Zarmina" is grounded in real science and explores all sorts of sci-fi themes in a unique way, from space combat to alien abduction to ground warfare to space flight.

https://www.amazon.com/Return-Zarmi...swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1590689828&sr=8-1
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1024780

My first two books ("Zarmina" and "Battle for Zarmina" are also available on both Amazon (Kindle or print) and Smashwords. All three books are "stand-alone," meaning each is a complete story in and of itself. Each book is based on the previous versions, and you'll enjoy reading them in order, but you don't have to do so in order to enjoy the stories. And don't be afraid to try "indie" sci-fi. Rest assured that each book is the product of extensive research (ever heard of the "Hohmann Transfer"?), numerous rewrites and professional editing.

Questions or comments? I'd love to hear from you. And now, I think it's time to go ride the Spyder and think of the plot for my next book, tentatively titled "Re-Life" and NOT set on Zarmina.

 

[Lew L]

adapt and overcome

Hi John,
Thoroughly enjoyed your first book and just ordered the next two. I've always liked " survivalist sci-fiction". Shows how mankind ( , womankind ) can "improvise,adapt and overcome."

Lew L

 

[Joe T.]

Hi John,
Thoroughly enjoyed your first book and just ordered the next two. I've always liked " survivalist sci-fiction". Shows how mankind ( , womankind ) can can "improvise,adapt and overcome."

Lew L

Humm, I really enjoyed 'The Road.'

I will read the first and go from there.

Regards,
Joe T.

 

[Joe T.]

ZARMINA:

Gritty story of space colonization on a real planet. Written with a strong emphasis on science, Zarmina interweaves a fascinating story of intrigue, murder and warfare with science-based speculation about life on a real, tidally-locked planet. Less
Zarmina … a tidally-locked world discovered in 2010 and thought to lie within the circumstellar habitability zone of Gliese 581, a red dwarf star in the Libra constellation. A real world. Perhaps man's best hope for a new home. But what might life be like on such a world? Could man even survive there?

For decades no one knew. The discovery of the Branson-Musk star drive in 2068, though, finally gave scientists a chance to find out. As Earth continues to spiral into conflict and bloodshed, one hundred volunteers board the starship Turing, gambling that they can explore Zarmina and colonize it together in peace and freedom. They'll find that Zarmina is a hard place to survive, with a forbidding climate, dangerous flares, sickness, near starvation and dangerous local wildlife. They'll learn the hard way that one mistake could kill them all and that their starship – built on a budget -- doesn't necessarily have what they need. They know that no white knight will come to their rescue, but they're smart. They know they can handle it. As personalities clash, battle lines are drawn and the body count rises, though, the explorers will discover an unexpected and even greater threat to their survival.

I just told my wife this morning that Elon Musk will go down in history as the most influential person of the 21st century. Branson and Turing (20th century), nahh - - - -

Joe T.

 

[wyliec]

Right now, I'm working thru my 5th James Rollins book. Once done with that, I'll hit your first book.

 

[johnsimion]

To all, thank you for the support and I hope you enjoy the books. These books have a long incubation period. The first two seemed to come out very quickly, but that was mostly because I held back the first for a long time to ensure that it wouldn't conflict with the story I was telling in the second. The third book took much longer. Partly this was because I wanted to include a theme of space combat in a way that hadn't been done a million times before and also because by now there were so many threads to continue and wrap up consistently with the first two. That's why the main character is now Major Frazier rather than John Travis again, although Travis has a major role in the book, too. You might also be surprised by some of the new characters and their relationships, but I can't say more without giving away the story.

For now, I'm reading Arthur C. Clarke's "The Light of Other Days" to be followed up by Michael Crichton's "Timeline" and possibly similar titles - so I can get the latest and best theories about the multiverse to go in the next book, "Re-Life." Think about the TV series "Fringe" but focused on a family coping with their problems who seek refuge in the multiverse, only to find that each world has its own problems.

 

[Lew L]

Hello John,
I'm into "Return to Zarmina and lovin' it. Funny how you knew that the "enemy" would be the chicomms. Great read.

 

[johnsimion]

Lew - Shhhhhhh ....

 

[johnsimion]

I finally published a Facebook author page, which contains links to the three books, a link to information about Zarmina itself, a Question-and-Answer section about the books, and a number of photos. Would appreciate anybody who could "like" that page: https://www.facebook.com/John-Simio...d=1591896754282602&notif_t=page_invite_accept

 

[johnsimion]

Even though I sold the Spyder a couple of years ago, I'm still writing sci-fi novels. Here's a quick write-up about my fourth novel, "Re-Life" and an Amazon link for it. Anybody who would like an e-copy for free in exchange for an honest review can contact me at [email protected]:

In 2014, the dead body of a university physics professor is found. In 2053, however, the same professor is alive, well and working for DARPA … then vanishes into thin air! Meanwhile, in 2024, the Powell family's perfect world has disintegrated in just a few short months. Desperate for a way out, they turn to a mysterious company, Re-Life, that offers to send them to an alternate universe where they can correct their mistakes and "re-live" their lives. But where did Re-Life come from, anyway? How can it send people to alternate universes? Why does each alternate universe seem to be worse for the Powells than the last? And what's the connection to the missing professor? "Re-Life" is about the multiverse, and it's as real as it gets -- with layer upon layer of mystery to decipher. Read "Re-Life" and find out what's really going on!
https://www.amazon.com/Re-Life-John...348307&sprefix=re-life+simion,aps,114&sr=8-11