Drew Avera

Set on a future Mars, Serus Blackwell is a Policeman working for the Agency in the city of Archea. The Policemen are often assigned by the Syndicate, a ruling class of business owners, to assassinate people who break the rules or pose obstacles to the Syndicate’s goals.

Thom, a ruddy-cheeked redhead, is still in training. Serus has taken him under his wing and plans to give him a good chance at becoming a Policeman. Their current assignment is a businesswoman, Mira Taggert, who has been show more embezzling funds in order to secure her won wealth. The Syndicate doesn’t take kindly to this.

This short story has some cool tech but not as much as I expected. The Policemen have their fancy gauntlets that are wired into their nerves and fire a devastating laser. That was pretty cool. However, the city itself comes off as a bit rundown and shabby. Perhaps this was intended.

Serus himself is an interesting character. He has some inner conflicts going on. His deep need to still be human on some level conflicts with the Policeman training and brainwashing. That constant internal fight has left him a little gaunt, a little ragged. He comes off as a tortured fellow that you just want to make a cup of tea and ask him to have sit down.

In this little tale, we learn that the Policemen can indeed be hurt. I found this bit of human frailty both exciting and amusing. After all, the Policemen are kind of sanctioned bullies. So it’s good to see that sometimes the targets can get in some good hits. If you’re thinking about checking out the series, this is a good intro. The ebook version contains a lengthy excerpt from Book 1, Exodus. show less

The Syndicate rules the planet Archea and for those that try to defy the Syndicate, there are the elite Policemen, trained by the Agency as assassins. The training is a grueling mix of physical workouts, combat training, and brainwashing. The Syndicate has such a loyal force because they have stripped everything else away, leaving the person the Syndicate and the Syndicate only.

Prospect Gentry has just joined the Agency and the stripping of his personality begins right away with removal of show more all personal items, including a photo of his family. Hi sister is pregnant and he had hoped to be around for the birth. I wasn’t sure if he was forced into the Agency or if he was drafted. Still, he seems a little remorseful to be there but not terribly upset. Initially, I felt this might be a step up for him. Pretty quickly, it’s made clear how severe the training is. There are no wash outs of this program, only the lifeless bodies of those that didn’t keep up. Gentry learns early on to always keep up, if not excel.

Then there is the brainwashing which is a mix of psychological reformatting with the help of chemical stimulants. This programming pumps in pain to the subject whenever they experience positive emotions about something personal, like Gentry’s brotherly love for his sister Ambry. Pain and hate start to replace those positive emotions when it comes to personal connections. Only the joy of accomplishing this bit of training or that particular task remains. It was clear throughout the story that Gentry was in constant mental anguish, no matter how he tried to squelch even that feeling.

There’s some cool tech introduced in this short tale, like the Policeman gauntlets. We mostly see them being used by the trainers. Then there’s the bits of surveillance throughout the city which I expect is monitored either by the Agency or directly by the Syndicate. I’m hoping for more scifi tech in the next installments of the series. My one little quibble is that there is only 1 female character (Gentry’s sister Ambry). No female Policemen?

The ending was poignant. Gentry has his graduation test in order to go from a mere Prospect to a full Policeman. There’s repercussions. However, I have hope that Gentry hasn’t lost all his humanity. Definitely left me ready to jump into the next in the series.



Narration: Jamie B. Cline was a good choice for this book. He had a young but not naive voice for Gentry. Cline did a really good job of expressing Gentry’s inner agony in many little ways without being over dramatic about it. show less

Dead Planet Book 1 Exodus by Drew Avera

Set way into the future people are living on Mars and are ruled by "The Syndicate". But when the people are becoming burdensome, the Syndicate comes up with a plan, one that will leave the people of Mars to just die.

Serus Blackwell is a police officer working for the Agency. He has no life other than his devotion to his job. When he finds out his sister Kara is on the "hit list" and is going to be killed he decides to protect his sister and worry later show more about the consequences. Not only is he concerned about Kara, he has the problem of the Syndictae and their plan for the citizens of Mars.

A well written story that kept me on the edge of my seat. I liked Serus, and could understand how he felt. The plot was original and intense at times, I also liked that very much. I highly recommend Dead Planet Book 1 Exodus to those who love edge of your seat Sci-fi. show less

The Prospect (Dead Planet Series Prequel) by Drew Avera

In this prequel to The Dead Planet Series we see how gentry became a "Programmer",a special Police Officer who works for The Syndicate. The Syndicate trains people to become assassins for those they feel need to be eliminated from society. Now that Gentry is part of the task force he must face a "test" that may not be so easy for him to follow through.

A great back story and introduction to Gentry. I really enjoyed this prequel. I highly show more recommend The Prospect and The Policeman (a short story) The Dead Planet Series both prequels or good as a stand alone. And a must read the full story, Dead Planet Book 1 Exodus show less