Aug 30, 2013: Upon starting to read New Earth 6, I was quickly pulled into the story and rapidly read all currently available 21 chapters, and now am waiting anxiously until the next one is posted. One of the reasons I really enjoyed this is the author’s focus on strong characters from a number of different races, humans one among them. The tale is currently following three different storylines. At first, I was too immersed in the first, the story of Macbeth Pembrook, a woman previously in charge of running her extended family’s farm who was captured by slavers and sold to a household on a strange planet with a race of people she’d been previously unfamiliar with, and I resented changing to another story. However, the author has managed to build interest and suspense in all three storylines, and I’m now anticipating finding out what happens next in all three.

The world of the story that the author presents is detailed and multifaceted. She’s obviously spent a lot of time thinking out the different planets and cultures presented in the story, and it shows in her writing. It’s been a while since I’ve read something that has made me feel so immersed in an alien world, and my hat is off to the author’s skills in that regard.

The one thing I’d suggest to improve the story is for the author to watch her typos. I’ve noticed several in most chapters, a few of which had me going back to re-read the sentence to figure out what was meant.

At any rate, I’d definitely recommend this story to sci-fi fans; it’s a better constructed and more deeply nuanced story than many I’ve read, including those in paper-based books. I’ll be waiting with interest to read remaining chapters.

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Sep 14, 2013: I know I’m enjoying a multi-POV work when at the end of a chapter I get annoyed to be leaving one character hanging. It’s even better when I get the same feeling all over again going back to the original!

It means I’m getting more invested with the characters with each update. And they are well written. Importantly, they develop. Even in ‘Part 1’ there are striking changes – it’s satisfying.

The world . . . interests me. At first, being honest, it put me off. It struck me as very star treky. Lots of humanoid ‘races’ in political turmoil. The technology was similarly tricordery and seemingly fuzzy. I like my sci-fi hard (no euphemism intended).

But it really did grow on me. The author has put a lot of effort into constructing a detailed and well explained universe. She also ties it in with our mythical history in a way I haven’t seen before (though it may have been done). But mainly, once I’d gotten past the treky feel, it really did come alive. Things didn’t seem like they were pulled out of the ‘sci-fi’ hat and mushed together – it’s coherent. The cultures are developed and unique and, importantly, work. Nothing feels out of place.

The site could do with some work and strikes me as a little dated. But I’m a stickler for nice design . . . I’d recommend the author simplifies it. The mobile version was pleasant with simple white text on black. The full version has the text on a backdrop of stars which I find distracting. It’s certainly readable though.

I didn’t spot many typos – but then I’m really bad at picking up on things like that. I suspect that the author has done an editing session since Palladian review.

It’s well worth a read.

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