A novel of survival and political intrigue, largely set on the Moon in the near future. Climate change is gradually flooding many areas and underwater diver Nick Morrison is first encountered by the reader while volunteering to rescue and assist victims of hurricanes and other flooding. But there is much more to the story, and Nick, than we first see. After a career change becomes necessary, Nick becomes part of crew sent to construct a facility on the Moon. Life will never be the same for Nick and those around him.

My favorite aspects of the book were the survival issues and Nick's ability to creatively adapt to situations. In this way, the book brings to mind Andy Weir's The Martian. But the tone of the two books are vastly different. Where Weir's main character is an optimist with a sense of humor, NIck doesn't seem to have much optimism or humor. Now part of that could be the difference in their worlds, but readers need to know this.

The opening scenes about a post apocalyptic scenario seemed a very realistic one. I felt like something of this type would happen in case things go South. Human intentions were shown in a realistic manner, at least as much as possible. Though I would like a better cover for the book.

Thank you to Aethon Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The Eighth Continent.

As someone who majored in physics and LOVES space, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It definitely gives Andy Weir vibes which I appreciate as a hard core science lover, but know it is also accessible to those that didn't study the subject. Morally gray character like the MC make stories like these that much more interesting and realistic. This was my first Rhett Bruno book and I have to say that I will definitely be putting their name down in my TBR authors list. I just really hope that space exploration won't be quite this chaotic and messy in the future.

Thank you to Aethon Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. Eighth Continent is brilliant. It is thrilling from start to finish, packed with action, science, crime, romance and everything in-between. Every character is unique and they are all fleshed out and developed well - and I was really rooting for the main character by the end of the book. If you are a fan of Andy Weir, you won't be able to put this book down. I can't wait for the sequel. 5/5.

Nick Morrison takes a lowly job on the moon. He gets thrown in the middle of a conspiracy to take control of both the moon and earth. I enjoyed the book and look forward to the sequel.

The Eighth Continent is a good mix of modern sci-fi just far enough in the future that it’s relatable and not difficult to visualize. There are the money hungry, dishonest Silicon Valley bigwigs making shadowy deals while ignoring that laws that apply to them while looking to make as much profit as possible on the backs of hardworking people… and that’s most of the book. The science that they come up with is applied by questionable people who are left to have their insides sucked out into the vacuum. Expendable at best, criminals at their worst, they carry the story along as disasters take up the space between brief interactions. I didn’t realize that this was book 1 of a series of 3, but it did wrap in a good place at its end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Aethon Books for an ARC of this book.

Though I’ve never read anything by Felix R. Savage, (though more than a few friends have recommended his work to me over the years) I have read a ton of Rhett C. Bruno’s work. And I’ve loved it all. Seriously from his Children of Titan series to his absolutely brilliant The Roach, or my favorite of his The Buried Goddess Saga (if you even remotely like fantasy grab this series!) I’ve loved it all. So I went into The Eighth Continent with high expectations. And I was not disappointed. I thought the introduction to Nick Morrison was handled brilliantly. You really got a sense of the guy. Not totally clean but he still has a strong moral compass. And having us meet him doing diving and flood rescue work was a brilliant contrast for a story that is centered around space. Nick is just one of a quite a few excellent, well fleshed out characters. Intense story with a great cast, some thrilling action—love the double crosses—and honestly while I don’t know how real the science is it came off as quite believable to me. The blurb says “perfect for fans of The Martian, Artemis, and For all Mankind” and while I haven’t gotten around to reading Artemis yet, I fully agree on it being perfect for The Martian and For All Mankind fans, very much has the vibe of those two properties. I’d like to thank Aethon Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The Eighth Continent.

As other Rhett C. Bruno books that i have read, this book was also filled with many fun moments and character development. It's got action, intrigue, suspense, double-crosses, mad scientists, high action and adventure in space and more.

The ideas are great, the writing is great, and the characters are believable. I enjoyed the plethora of villains, one of which I quite liked, as the character was so well written that it made me quite sympathetic towards him. The hero was quite good, too, definitely somewhat of an antihero at times. But again, well written and seemed perfectly understandable and plausible.

The story follows Nick, who ends up working on the moon after a series of chance connections and the people he meets there as well as those working with and against him on earth. It had me on the edge of my seat, staying up past my bedtime, recommending it to strangers in the pub.

An interesting Sci-Fi read. The story is well told, and the plot is full of action and suspense. A quick read. I am looking forward to the next book.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was tremendous fun and I enjoyed every minute of it. It's got action, intrigue, suspense, double-crosses, mad scientists, high action and adventure in space and more - a sci-fi, thriller and space fans dream!

Also plenty of food for thought regarding the use of the Moon by us pesky humans. There's also interesting science here, too.

This is my first read of this authors work, but on the basis of this, I'll definitely be eploring more and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

Bruno has a developed a good rep for scifi, and this show some of his talent. It has good characters, interesting action, and an engaging plot. Bruno fans and others will like this.

Thanks very much for the free copy for review!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Aethon Books for an early review copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Nick Morrison is a diver who travels around to areas hit by climate change helping in rescue and salvage operations. He's basically a good guy with flaws. Nick gets involved with a company building a lunar launch system on the moon.

I liked Nick and really enjoyed all the writing about colonizing on the moon. Too many morally corrupt people in power, all keeping secrets that have deadly consequences.

Rating: 3.0

Review: This was really long in the tooth. If ever there was a novel that was self-evident as to the dualistic nature of writing, this is it. Pared way down, this woud have been a fantastic free-fall of action and terror riding the line of inventive science and imaginative characters. As it is, the constant back-and-forthing between Earth and the Moon tends to lessen the impact of the plot.

Besides my griping, I thought the writing was technically excellent. Maybe there should be one writer for this series and the other an editor. Or trade-off roles novel to novel. I am still intrigued enough to get the next.

Nick's a bit of a ne'er do well, a diver who volunteers to help after catastrophes, while secretly stealing what he can find from the flooded homes. His partner's even worse, a criminal masquerading as a good Samaritan. Nick is invited to join Five Stones Aerospace and fly up to their nascent lunar facility to help build a game-changing transportation device: Divers have lots of useful astronautical skills. In this near future novel, there are various corporations already on the moon, however, and they're not thrilled with the introduction of this new tech.

Chaos follows the Five Stones groups, both on the moon and back on Earth, and when you're on the moon and having your hab and equipment sabotaged, there's nowhere to run. Another lunar mining group show up and soon enough, its scientists versus construction workers with inflated egos and questionable morals mixed in.

Overall, I found "Eighth Continent" a fun and engaging sci-fi thriller that keeps you guessing to the very last few pages.

A brilliant book! If you like 'proper sci-fi', as I do, you will absolutely love this book. And there are original ideas, which is wonderful!
The ideas are great, the writing is great, and the characters are believable. I enjoyed the plethora of villains, one of which I quite liked, as the character was so well written that it made me quite sympathetic towards him. The hero was quite good, too, definitely somewhat of an antihero at times. But again, well written and seemed perfectly understandable and plausible.
The settings were great - not too much description that your attention might waver, but sufficient to understand what is going on, and to picture it in your mind.
I did like that the female characters were characters in their own right, rather than add-ons to the male ones. Always great to see that!
This is the first book in this new and exciting series, so I am looking forward greatly to the following books. I am extremely glad to report, however, that there is no dreaded cliffhanger. Until I re-checked the cover, I had thought it was a stand-alone book, so you can read this quite happily knowing that you will get a complete story. I think that once you have done that, like me, you will be looking forward to the sequels!

4 stars, Friends and Enemies

Eighth Continent
The Eighth Continent Book 1
by Rhett C. Bruno & Felix R. Savage

Nick Morrison had always dreamed of being an astronaut. One day he is offered a chance to go to the moon as a construction worker. He is anxious to go since his friends have turned to enemies and he doesn't see anything holding him back.

He quickly finds out that it isn't any fun on the moon, other teams on the moon are thwarting his team's every move. He begins to wonder if his team will ever get to return to Earth.

I received a complimentary copy of #EighthContinent from #NetGalley #AethonBooks I was under no obligation to post a review.

#diversefiction #diversereads #sciencefiction #dystopian

The story follows Nick, who ends up working on the moon after a series of chance connections and the people he meets there as well as those working with and against him on earth. It had me on the edge of my seat, staying up past my bedtime, recommending it to strangers in the pub. This book had me on the edge of my seat, balancing the human, technological and political drama with flair and pathos. This is as good as it gets for this kind of book. I recommend it for fans of Andy Weir, Clive Cussler and Scott Mariani.

The Eighth Continent is a science fiction survival thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. The story follows Nick Morrison, a construction worker who is recruited to build a lunar launch system at the Moon's south pole. Nick's team is soon cut off from Earth when the company they work for goes bankrupt. With no way to get home, Nick and his team must figure out how to survive on the Moon.

To make matters worse, there is another base at the lunar south pole, run by a ruthless contractor who has big plans for the Moon... and for Earth. Nick's team just so happen to be in the way.

The Eighth Continent is a fast-paced, action-packed story that explores the themes of survival, hope, and the future of humanity. The book has been praised for its suspenseful plot, well-developed characters, and realistic depiction of space travel.

Here are some of the things that make The Eighth Continent a great read:

The suspenseful plot is full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end.
The characters are well-developed and relatable. You'll root for Nick and his team as they struggle to survive on the Moon.
The realistic depiction of space travel is impressive. The author clearly did his research, and it shows in the book.

The themes of survival, hope, and the future of humanity are thought-provoking and relevant.
If you're looking for a suspenseful, thought-provoking, and entertaining read, then I highly recommend The Eighth Continent. It's a book that you won't be able to put down.

Here are some additional reasons why you should read The Eighth Continent:

The book is written in a clear and concise style that is easy to follow.
The book is full of technical details about space travel, but it's not too overwhelming.
The book is full of humor, even in the midst of the suspense and danger.
The book is a page-turner that you won't be able to put down.
I highly recommend The Eighth Continent to fans of science fiction, survival thrillers, and space exploration. It's a book that you won't want to miss.

If you like sci-fi this book would be perfect for you. The plot is well-thought out and the characters are interesting. The story is interesting and well plotted.

This was my first time reading anything from either of these authors and I enjoyed myself! I was a little surprised it look nearly a quarter of the book for the main character to finally end up in space. From the description, I thought it would come a little quicker. There’s quite a bit of setup, which is important, but I’m wondering if all of that had to come at the beginning of the story and not interspersed throughout. Once they are finally in space, the story picks up quickly, and the crew have to deal with problem after problem, and I liked the science and the human drama of it all.

It definitely had The Martian vibes, but with a darker and more cynical bent on how humanity deals with space exploration. I also liked that it wasn’t a completely male cast, although it was a bit heteronormative. I think all of the recurring adult female characters had at minimum a romantic interest or past with another male character. It was also a little disappointing that the first to die of the six-person crew, it was one of the two women.

Overall, it was still enjoyable to read and I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of sci-fi survival. I’ll also be keeping an eye out for the sequel, as I am definitely interested in following up.