Movies, Shows, & Books: BLOG TOUR: Children of the Fifth Sun by Gareth Worthington

Welcome to the Official Blog Tour for Gareth Worthington's Children of the Fifth Sun, the first title in the Children of the Fifth Sun series! Today, on our tour stop, we have a review to share! So, take a look at what I thought about this sci-fi mystery/adventure! Plus, there is an exclusive excerpt AND a cool tour-wide giveaway to enter, too! Check it out and grab your copy today! Follow the tour, HERE!

Genre:

Adult

Science Fiction/Mystery

Action/Adventure

Series:

Children of the Fifth Sun, #1

Publish Date:

July 25, 2017

Publisher:

Vesuvian Books

Synopsis:

Genre: “Science Faction” - science fiction, action and adventure with fact-based science, theories and mythology

IN ALMOST EVERY BELIEF SYSTEM ON EARTH, there exists a single unifying mythos: thousands of years ago a great flood devastated the Earth’s inhabitants. From the ruins of this cataclysm, a race of beings emerged from the sea bestowing knowledge and culture upon humanity, saving us from our selfish drive toward extinction. Some say this race were “ancient aliens” who came to assist our evolution.

But what if they weren’t alien at all? What if they evolved right here on Earth, alongside humans . . . and they are still here? And, what if the World’s governments already know?

***

Kelly Graham is a narcissistic self-assured freelance photographer specializing in underwater assignments. While on a project in the Amazon with his best friend, Chris D'Souza, a mysterious and beautiful government official, Freya Nilsson, enters Kelly’s life and turns it upside down. Her simple request to retrieve a strange object from deep underwater puts him in the middle of an international conspiracy. A conspiracy that threatens to change the course of human history.

*Excerpt*

Location: Truck wreckage, Nevada Desert, USA

Freya picked herself up from the ground. Every muscle in her body ached, and her head was ringing. The burning truck lay twenty feet from her, but the heat was still searing. She held her forearm to her head to shield her blackened face from the scorching flames. What had happened? Where was the rest of the team? Her clothes were torn and burnt but intact for the most part.

Her vision blurred through a mixture of concussion, smoke, and tears as she feebly scanned the horizon. Freya’s gaze fell on the broken frame of the General. Limping over to him, she dropped to her knees and grabbed him by his disheveled tunic. He groaned as she pulled him from a face-down position to face-up, his head lolling around like a newborn child’s. He didn’t look as strong or intimidating now. He looked old, tired—worn out.

“Benjamin …”

The General pried his eyes open. “Freya, K’in—what happened to K’in?”

Freya scanned the horizon again. “I don’t know. I can’t see him or the others.”

“Freya, you have to finish this.” He coughed. “We have to end the cycle.”

“And do what, Benjamin? What am I supposed to do?” She welled up, her voice cracking. “I’m not saving Americans from the Chinese anymore.”

“No, you are saving the human race from itself. The world will tear itself apart. Nations will fight amongst themselves. The virus will kill many. You have to hide K’in.” He wheezed painfully. “Take this.” The General reached inside a pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. “Take K’in to these coordinates. These are not on any file or computer system. Only the professor and I know the location. You must hide K’in there. You will be safe, too.”

“But I don’t even know where K’in is!”

“The Ch … Chinese have him.” The professor’s voice was weak.

Freya turned her head to see him lying flopped in Tremaine’s arms. The Shadow Man stood tall and strong against a backdrop of fire and molten metal, his face streaked with blood and ash. But his eyes were steeled and bright.

“I saw them take him and Kelly.”

“And the object?” the General asked, his voice weak.

“Gone. I had the object with me. It was smashed—destroyed. But that doesn’t mean …” The professor hacked and rasped.

“Kelly—”

Freya was interrupted by the deafening sound of a landing helicopter. The rotors tore through the smoke-laden air, causing swirls of gray cinders to dance around the burning truck. The Chinook landed with an unceremonious thud. Tremaine squinted to protect his eyes from the flying grit. Freya’s hair blew wildly about her face.

A pilot jumped down from the cockpit and ran toward the group. “I’m Captain Wiezorek,” he shouted over the din. “We couldn’t get here sooner.”

Freya looked at the General for approval of this newcomer. He nodded weakly.

“An unidentified chopper just screamed outta here, probably quite a few miles away by now, but can’t have gone far. It was only a short range chopper.”

“Thank you, Captain. Freya, go—finish it.” The General raised a charred arm and pointed at the attack helicopter.

buttocks.

Praise for CHILDREN OF THE FIFTH SUN

"An action-packed, globe-hopping science fiction thriller... pedal-to-the-metal pacing and relentless action make it easy to turn pages..." ―Kirkus Reviews

"Insane! What Gareth did here was incredible! This author took a global look at America, China, and Russia, and added a species from another era into the mix, to create a well-researched novel of suspense, intrigue, with dashing individuals. The characters travel the world on a unique mission while trying to stay out of the line of fire as rogue government agencies from several different countries try to stop them. It's a wild ride from California to Peru, from Egypt to Siberia. The amount of research put into this novel is on par with a Michael Crichton novel. The main character, Kelly Graham, reminded me of Dirk Pitt from Clive Cussler's novels. Overall, an incredible read and a book I'm recommending." ―Jonas Saul, Best-selling author of the Sarah Roberts Series, April 2017

Suspend disbelief and let yourself travel on a downriver, undersea, and overland adventure in this well-constructed novel. The author takes you on a fast paced journey full of intrigue, government secrets, unusual creatures and just a tad of romance. Superlatives abound and the literary illumination paints an image so clear you feel you are there with the characters. For those who know the author, there are bit of his personality revealed which makes reading the novel even more enjoyable. A bit Tom Clancy, a hint of Dan Brown -- authentically Gareth in his debut work. ―Charity Scripture

"Scientist Worthington's understanding of the complexities and possibilities of marine biology and endocrinology are evident." ―Publishers Weekly, May 2017

***WINNER, SCI FI CATEGORY, 2017 LONDON BOOK FESTIVAL***

***2018 SILVER FALCHION AWARD FINALIST***

***2018 CYGNUS AWARD SHORTLIST (WINNER TBD)***

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Don't miss the sequel...

(cover links to Goodreads)

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**About the Author**

Gareth Worthington 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. In his spare time Gareth has a number of passions, including: martial arts - he trained in Muay Thai at the prestigious EVOLVE MMA gym in Singapore and currently trains in MMA at Phoenix Sportkampf, Switzerland; playing acoustic guitar; studying ancient history; drawing; and most of all writing fiction.

An award winning author, he hopes to one day hang up the pharma hat and write full time.

You can visit Gareth on social media.

Stay connected with Gareth Worthington

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*My Thoughts*

Note: This spoiler contains NO spoilers

I was already intrigued from the "get go" after reading the synopsis. Although I do not read much sci-fi, when I do, my expectation from reading this genre is that I am transported to this "world," be it here on earth, out in space, or on another planet. Being new to Gareth Worthington's writing, this novel did just that... It transported me into an in-depth and thought-provoking "world" filled with action and adventure that took readers all over the globe.

Taking aspects of archaeology and anthropology, intertwined with science fiction, Children of the Fifth Sun was a compelling and fascinating read that kept me turning the pages, curious the entire time. Yes, the story is filled with mystery as these characters fight to survive and search for the "truth." It's not all action and adventure for these characters either, this novel also tells of the emotional journey that these characters take while on this expedition of discovery of these race of highly-intelligent beings.

Children of the Fifth Sun is a smart, fast-paced action/adventure that delves deeply into the sciences and sci-fi that kept me glued to the book and wanting more... Good thing there is a sequel... haha!

My rating: