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Annie Bellet
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The Light of the Earth As Seen From Tartarus Kindle Edition

by Annie Bellet (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 26 ratings
See all formats and editions
Ian and Jack Talley and the Prometheus Space Program set a record for the fastest manned flight to Jupiter. But the journey ended in disaster, crippling Jack and killing the rest of the team.

Ten years later, an eccentric multi-billionaire offers them all his money, and a second chance, if they'll fly him to Pluto. The Talley brothers reunite their team, ready to rekindle the dream of manned space flight. But self-doubts and technological issues both old and new appear, leaving the question open: are they making history? Or repeating it? And finding the answers could cost them far more than the Prometheus program.

This is a near-future, hard science fiction novella.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    43 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    February 7, 2011
  5. File size
    1989 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Annie Bellet is a full-time speculative fiction writer. She holds a BA in English and a BA in Medieval Studies and thus can speak a smattering of useful languages such as Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Welsh.   She has sold fiction toAlienSkin, Digital Science Fiction and Daily Science Fiction. Her short work is available in multiple collections and anthologies from major e-book retailers and her first fantasy novel,A Heart in Sun & Shadow, is available now as both an e-book and in trade paperback. 

Her interests besides writing include rock climbing, reading, horse-back riding, video games, comic books, table-top RPGs and many other nerdy pursuits.  She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and a very demanding Bengal cat.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004MPRAKC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Doomed Muse Press (February 7, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 7, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1989 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 43 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 26 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Annie Bellet

Annie Bellet

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Science Fiction and Fantasy for gamers and nerds!

USA Today bestselling and Alfie Award winning author Annie Bellet holds a BA in English and a BA in Medieval Studies and thus can speak a smattering of useful languages such as Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Welsh. Her other interests include rock climbing, reading, horse-back riding, video games, comic books, table-top RPGs and many other nerdy pursuits. She lives in the Netherlands with her husband.

Series with suggested reading order:

The Twenty-sided Sorceress- (a complete series!)

Justice Calling

Murder of Crows

Pack of Lies

Hunting Season

Heartache

Thicker Than Blood

Magic to the Bone

Dungeon Crawl

River of No Return

Balancing the Scales

----------------------------------

The Gryphonpike Chronicles- (A complete series!)

Witch Hunt (Free!)

Twice Drowned Dragon

A Stone's Throw

Dead of Knight

Brood Mother

Into the North

---------------------------------

Pyrrh Considerable Crimes Division-

Avarice

Wrath (coming 2020)

Find out more about her and her books by going to her website at http://www.anniebellet.com

Want to be notified about new releases? Sign up for the new release mailing list and get occasional free books, bonus stories, and other goodies!

http://tinyurl.com/anniebellet

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
26 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Michael Gallagher
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Novella That Could Be a Full-Length Novel
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2011
Verified Purchase
Wow, this was a good one!

The author does a great job with character dialogue, setting the stage for the main story, and making you feel like you were a cast member of the story vs. some gray-haired guy reading away on the Kindle. This was a very good short story / novella that I could realistically see as a full-length novel in order to develop more of the story on the space adventure. About the only thing I wish that could be improved upon is a little more discussion of the technology, as I wanted to try and understand the concept of the propulsion system better.

As I type this review, this book is free in the Amazon Kindle store - I enjoyed it so much I would have paid for it, and will look for more from this author. If you are looking for some believable - and enjoyable - science fiction, I highly recommend this one!
3 people found this helpful
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Athene Five
4.0 out of 5 stars Well-written novella
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2011
Verified Purchase
Reviewing the Free Kindle edition.

This is a well-knit story by Annie Bellet with the potential to be expanded into novel-length. The author set a tone for the story from the very beginning, and although the ending has an unexpected twist, there is an inevitability about it. The characters are well-drawn, if a little bit stereotypical, and there is a lot of action packed into the story. The relationships among the characters are well-defined and understandable but not tediously drawn. While the main character is introspective and shares his thoughts with the reader, in the case of the other characters, actions often speak louder than words, so to speak.

Although I liked this story very much, there are two reasons why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.

- There are some proof-reading errors. I mark hard on technical errors because I believe that if an author wishes to build up a following by releasing a work free to Amazon Kindle users, they should strive to make a good first impression by proof-reading the work before it is published. This is novella-length, therefore there is little reason for there to be mistakes. The author could have caught the few errors herself.

- Although this is science fiction, it is light on science. The author hints at a unique discovery that allows for very fast travel among the planets, but doesn't expand on this marvel. The architecture of the interplanetary ship is nicely explained, though.

There is room to develop this into a full-length novel, expand on the science and further develop those interesting characters. If the author ever does so, I'll be happy to read it. Meanwhile, I recommend the novella as a good read.
2 people found this helpful
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Steven Drennon
5.0 out of 5 stars Maximum Interest, Minimal Words
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2011
Verified Purchase
I have to say that I was not at all disappointed with what I found when I read this novella. While it doesn't go into great detail describing the relationship between the brothers, it does give you just enough to help you understand the angst that they are both dealing with.

The billionaire provided a wonderfully interesting twist near the end that made the story very special for me. I really appreciated the way the author brought his backstory into the story on board the spaceship, and it really added an unexpected emotional jolt that left me wanting to know more.

Personally, I feel that the author has a great story, and I would have loved seeing this as a complete novel. I believe that there are enough interesting elements here to craft a great novel. However, considering the constraints of a novella, I thought she did an exceptional job of maximizing the interest while minimizing the words.
7 people found this helpful
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G Lewis
4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2011
Verified Purchase
I had to look up on Wikipedia that "Tartarus" is the underworld and not the constellation. Now that I know that, the title makes more sense.

A story that shows what people can do when inovation and creativity are needed, as well as grace and humility. I really enjoyed this for its background setup, characters' dialogues and interactions, and that it made me think. I believe that I'll enjoy reading it again.
One person found this helpful
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Robert S.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Writer
Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2015
Verified Purchase
She's rapidly becoming one of my favorites. I've been reading sci-fi and fantasy for fifty-six years. She can hold her own with some real heavy-weights, with a style that's uniquely her own and seeems to be evolving.
One person found this helpful
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Timothy E. Winsley
1.0 out of 5 stars dum book
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2013
Verified Purchase
I don't know why I got this. That's all I have to say. I am done writing about this. all done.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining reading
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2020
A very well written Sci-Fi novel with interesting characters. I would recommend this novel. Enjoy reading 2020 😎🎉🚀
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Top reviews from other countries

Runningdark
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on October 27, 2015
Verified Purchase
Very enjoyable
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