Official Review: 30th Century: Escape

Lennycat · Post by **Lennycat** » 01 Mar 2018, 10:29

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "30th Century: Escape" by Mark Kingston Levin, PhD.]

3 out of 4 stars

Share This Review

30th Century: Escape by Mark Kingston Levin, PhD is a story of love, loyalty, and human social exploration. Published in June 2015, this Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Erotic Novel is the first book in the 30th Century Trilogy.

Captain Jennifer Hero is on a mission to save humankind from the Syndos, a race of genetically modified beings who lack a sense of morals. Their goal is to wipe out the inferior humans (the Naturals) and take over planet Earth. Zexton Ho, who is Jennifer's partner, creates a trans-time machine in order to go back in time and re-write the development of the Syndos and make them more peaceful, but he is assassinated before he can see the plan come to fruition. Captain Jennifer Hero carries on and leads a team back in time to the 27th Century.

But Jennifer has secret plans of her own. Weary from the loss of her true love, Zexton Ho, she decides to abandon her team and go back in time to the 21st Century and start a new life. She ends up on an abandoned island in Polynesia. After several months of living alone on the island, Jennifer is rescued by Dr. Marty Zitonick and his research team.

Jennifer struggles over hiding her identity and leaving her team behind as she navigates through this new life. She makes several missteps in her social interactions and in pursuing her educational goals in archeology and dark matter. She is puzzled after a series of coincidences leave her wondering why everything keeps falling into place so smoothly. Will Jennifer Hero adjust to her new life and can she find love again after the heartbreaking loss of her brilliant partner, Zexton Ho? Can she come to terms of her inner struggle with leaving her team behind?

I enjoyed the beginning of the book and the development of Jennifer's character. Her time alone on the island was especially interesting, as her interactions with the animals on the island gave her some emotional depth. I also loved the author's descriptions of Polynesia and the culture of the people that have lived there for thousands of years.

I also enjoyed Jennifer Hero's pursuit of her PhD work in dark matter. The theories were interesting and well-researched while not being too science heavy. It was apparent that the author is very knowledgeable in science and archaeology and it translated well to the reader in a way that was thought provoking.

I would have enjoyed reading much more about Jennifer's experiences with her trans-time team. These scenes at the beginning of the book propelled the storyline forward with excitement and action, and it felt like the book was moving toward the goal of defeating the Syndos. At times, the book lost its overlying story structure and floundered, leaving little action or flow forward, and left me wondering where the story was really going. However, the story wrapped up neatly in the end and left a satisfying conclusion without the dreaded cliffhanger.

In addition, although the erotic scenes were well-written, I found the sexual content to be a bit over the top and gratuitous. For me, it would have been more intriguing to have had Jennifer Hero explore some of her relationships on a less intimate level.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. The premise of the story was very interesting and there were several plot twists that kept it flowing forward. However, the book loses it sense of self in the middle and seemed to struggle with where the conclusion would go. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy science fiction with a lot of scientific content and those who enjoy erotic fiction.

******
30th Century: Escape
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like Lennycat's review? Post a comment saying so!

Ida123 · Post by **Ida123** » 03 Mar 2018, 12:06

I like erotic fiction and maybe this book is a good one for exploring in this direction, but this book seems erotic mixed with science and action, and this make me think if all these genres are mixed in the proper way in an only book... well I'll have to find it out.

Post by **kandscreeley** » 03 Mar 2018, 15:24

I wanted to read this story as the premise is so intriguing. However, the sexual content is just too over the top for me. Thanks anyway.

prettysmart · Post by **prettysmart** » 03 Mar 2018, 15:30

I don't mind aphrodisiac and steamy novels especially one mixed with science fiction since I have always liked science...Fantastic review!

NL Hartje · Post by **NL Hartje** » 03 Mar 2018, 19:37

I think I would enjoy reading a setting in Polynesia. We are huge travelers and that is one place we have yet to venture.

DathanReeves · Post by **DathanReeves** » 03 Mar 2018, 20:43

Would you say this is hard scifi? In other words, did the author his PhD to make the science sound authentic?

Lennycat · Post by **Lennycat** » 04 Mar 2018, 07:34

I would say yes, there are parts of hard sci-fi about theories on how dark matter works and it’s relation to time travel. I found it very interesting.

OrlaCarty · Post by **OrlaCarty** » 04 Mar 2018, 12:35

Wow, this does not sound like anything I've read, or heard of, before. It seems a bit strange to toss out such an interesting premise for a more mundane story-line, but I'm sure that the rest of the series must pick it up as it continues. I'll have to read for myself to find out. Thank you for the review

literarycat · Post by **literarycat** » 07 Mar 2018, 09:49

Thanks for sharing the review, this sounds like a really interesting book. I think sometimes authors try to add in elements they think readers will like and a lot of the time it's a sexual aspect when it is not needed. There have been plenty of books I've read that like this one seem to have added those scenes more for the sake of fan service. I think I will still check this out and see how it fairs

thank you again for the review.

Jkhorner · Post by **Jkhorner** » 07 Mar 2018, 11:06

I agree with the other commenters -- this sounds like a great premise, but it's a shame that it loses itself in the middle. The sexual content would not be my cup of tea, so thank you for the warning! I appreciate your thorough review!

Poppy Drear · Post by **Poppy Drear** » 13 Mar 2018, 10:38

Finally, a sci-fi author that's done their research! I can hardly stand the number of books in this genre I've read that simply don't employ modern science in their writing, and I'm quite pleased to see this one has bucked that trend.

qsusan · Post by **qsusan** » 15 Mar 2018, 20:06

I wonder if writing the book required a lot of research particularly for the scientific data needed for the setting? Or was this information already in the writer's head just waiting to be transformed into a story? Which of these two options will create the better novel? And which method was used in writing 30th Century: Escape?

LoisCHenderson · Post by **LoisCHenderson** » 27 Mar 2018, 09:58

I couldn't agree more about humans being an inferior race

. Don't be put off by the author having a Ph.D. - it reads like anything but an academic treatise. Extremely fast-paced and thought-provoking, this looks like a real winner!

Farmgurl1 · Post by **Farmgurl1** » 27 Mar 2018, 10:00

Based on the review, I don't think this book is for me. The erotic sci-fi is not my genre but the reviewer does a good job of making the plot seem fascinating with the main character's educational journey and isolation on the island. Sounds like the science fiction lovers would really like this one.

jaliper · Post by **jaliper** » 27 Mar 2018, 10:02

Ohhh. Steamy. Few months back, I will not hesitate to read this. But I am not sure about erotic novels anymore. I would love to give this a chance though since it's science fiction. Thank you for the review and the recommendation