Fun blend of mystery, science, and time travel on an alien world

 

Vortex on Vertu Prime (The Portal Adventures book 3) by Andrew J. Harvey delivers thrilling sequel to Crisis at Calista Station with a well-calculated balance of humor, action, and suspense ideal for middle school readers. The story opens with a museum field trip where a restless Tania is bored and wanders off on her own. She discovers an abandoned teddy bear that turns out to be powered by artificial intelligence as a bodyguard for Li-otho, a young, alien princess. When Tania discovers him, he has just broke free from the stasis bubble he was stuck in for centuries. Tania names him Edward and isn’t keen on carrying him around since she is too old for a Teddy Bear and stuffs him in her backpack. In short order, she regrets rescuing the bossy AI Teddy with a fuzzy memory. 

Tania arrives home to learn they are going to spend the holidays at Veral Station where she is supposed to meet up with her friends Mark and Windracer. Upon arrival, they find the station in need of major repairs. They don’t even have running water! So plans are made for the children to stay in a 5-star hotel on Veral Prime for a week. The hotel is situated in a small section of the planet's only remaining arcology city contained within an immense pyramid structure. It is all that is left of a civilization that destroyed itself in war centuries ago. 

On their arrival at the hotel, Edward realizes that Vertu Prime is his home planet and that the war was due to his failure to protect Li-otho. When archaeologists at the hotel inadvertently activate a temporal warp generator the kids and Edward travel back in time. Edward’s power reserves run perilously low, and it depends on the children to find the generator and turn it off before it destroys the planet.

 Book review: Vortex on Vertu Prime 

Vortex on Vertu Prime is a quick read, fast paced, time-travel Sci-fi adventure. I ran it by my 10-year-old assistant reader. He opened the book and devoured the first 80 pages before it was time for him to go home. He is an avid reader and gives it two thumbs up. And an even bigger compliment, he said he is interested in checking out Crisis at Calista Station (The Portal Adventures Book 2). I recommend Vortex on Vertu to kids who enjoy Sci-fi, time-travel, and life on another planet. It’s a fun blend of mystery, science, and time travel creating a ticking clock to save the world and I’m happy to give four stars. 

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As BookHookup, I am a long-time book reviewer and received a free review copy of this book in collaboration with Blackberry Book Tours. I have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

 

About Author: Andrew J. Harvey

Andrew spent his high-school years in the school’s library lost in the worlds of Andre Norten, Robert Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov. His first commercially accepted series of novels (the Garden Adventures) was originally completed to read to his two sons at night. Now his children have left home he lives in Perth with his wife, one dog, and sixty-four gold fish. Andrew can be contacted at www.andrewjharvey.com.

In addition to writing, Andrew is also the Principal of Hague Publishing. Established in 2011 as an independent publisher of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Hague Publishing is registered in Western Australia, and publishes original work by Australian and New Zealand authors.

Previously Principal for the Davies Literary Agency, Andrew was also editor and publisher of The Western Australian Year Book for a number of years, in addition to being the editor and a writer for ‘Afterlife - the on-line magazine for Atmosphere users’.

Andrew's first published short story (A Messenger to the Dragon) appeared in Aurealis - Australian Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1992. 

A passionate reader of Alternate History Andrew is presently working on completing further books set in the Cross-Temporal Empire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highly imaginative coming-of-age fantasy

When I first saw the title, Re-Birth (My Own Mythology) by Cristoph A. T., I thought it curious. I wondered about the meaning. It was enough to open the book and take a peek. From page one, Re-birth unfolds through the first-person point of view of the protagonist, Anessa. Introduced at her birth, it is instantly evident she is not an ordinary baby. Born with a history of a previous life and a grownup outlook rooted in Earth’s culture, she’s mentally she is a little confused, wondering what is going on. Anessa is no longer an Earth Dweller. Instead, she is the younger of a set of twins born (I should say, reborn) on the planet Anfang, and she can speak from day one. I was hooked and turned the page to keep reading.

 

 

Complex worldbuilding and unique sci-fi elements create the perfect backdrop for this original fantasy with a social structure comprised of mortals and immortals and those in-betweens growing and evolving. Starting at the age of three standard years and every three years after that until age 12, children visit the church of Nu Wa and experience an Awakening ceremony. If it aligns with the will of the gods and goddesses, the child may resonate with one of them. As Anessa attends her awakening, her innocence and growth as a character provide the perfect vehicle to learn the magic of Anfang as she walks away a changed person. 

 

It’s difficult to nail down the wide range of cultural and political themes embedded in this story without spoilers, but I will say Anessa’s parents are powerful–each in their own way. It takes her by surprise to learn her parents have other spouses, but it isn't cheating because Anfang is a Polyamorous society. Not only that, but marriage rituals and social norms result in her inadvertently collecting a few spouses of her own as a child, though for her, they are childhood companions with the title of husband or wife. With her earth-dweller background, it takes some mental adjusting.

 

Book review for Re-birth (My Own Mythology)

 

This book is a fresh read. Anessa’s journey of discovery is fun on many levels with this tiny girl with a grownup outlook and developing supernatural powers. A clever girl who grows more powerful each year but doesn’t let it go to her head. She’s compassionate but often mouthy and sometimes disobedient, but the more she learns, the heavier life becomes as she discovers how to navigate family dynamics, politics, betrayal, and loyalty. Who should she trust? Or, better yet, who can she trust?

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy books like A Thousand Li: the First Step: Book 1 Of A Xianxia Cultivation Series. Rebirth is a highly imaginative coming-of-age fantasy perfect for mythology enthusiasts who enjoy the portrayal of incredible events, danger, intrigue, characters with unusual powers, and a protagonist’s metamorphosis. This is the making of a new legend. 

 

As book one in the My Own Mythology series, Re-Birth ties things up nicely but leaves plenty of room for the characters to blossom and discover more about who they are and their roles in Anfang in book two. As a word of caution, some readers may struggle with the child marriage concept. I was wary when the book went in that direction, but in this case, think of it more as an arranged marriage with other children who get to know one another outside of a sexual context. I give this book a strong 4 stars.

 

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As Book Hookup, I am a longtime book reviewer, and I received this book as a free review copy and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

About Author Christoph A. T.

Cristoph A. T. is the first author for Fantasy.Productions L.L.C.

He is also the author of the My Own Mythology series. Focused on bringing the world of cultivation, and all that it entails, to the west.

Find him on Twitter @cristoph_a_t