Kindle Edition Download to your Nook (eBook) Download from Apple iTunes (eBook) Download from Smashwords (eBook) Amazon Barnes & Noble.com Simon Rose Category:  Science Fiction Publisher: Simon Rose ISBN-10:  0995940320 Type: Fiction Pages: 169 Copyright: August, 2017 ISBN-13: 9780995940321 Price: $2.99 (eBook) The Shadowzone Series of science fiction and fantasy novels involves the discovery of a grim dystopian version of Earth ruled by a totalitarian dictatorship, the threat of a deadly virus, and a race against time to save the lives of millions. Book One of the Shadowzone series While watching intense flashes of lightning during a violent storm, Ben experiences mysterious and disturbing visions of another world, one very different from his own. In the chain of events that follow, Ben encounters Charlie, a girl from a dark version of Earth, a planet doomed by the effects of environmental catastrophe, where the leaders will stop at nothing to complete their deadly mission.  Excerpt Chapter One In the Shadows A burst of bright light briefly illuminated the gloom of the musty storage area. A dark-haired young woman wearing a plain black uniform stepped out of the shimmering light before it faded into nothingness. She stood between the crowded bookshelves and quickly scanned her surroundings. The room had no windows and the only door was firmly closed. She ran her gloved fingers along the nearest shelf, disturbing a layer of dust. As she suspected, the room was rarely used. It would be an ideal hiding place. She shuddered when she recalled the day that she’d learned of the Ministry’s plans. Despite the risk to her friends and family, the woman felt that she had no choice but to safeguard as many copies of the cure as she could. She’d considered hiding them in her own house, but several weeks earlier she’d arrived home and immediately noticed that a handful of items were slightly out of place. Nothing had been taken and there was no damage, but she was experienced enough to know that her home had been expertly searched. The air shimmered slightly at the far end of the room. The woman reached into her jacket pocket displaying the triple-w symbol and took out her phone. Her time was almost up. She stepped back from the shelves and smiled. The vials would be safe here. The air shimmered again and the woman disappeared in another burst of bright light. She emerged into the control chamber and the intragate closed behind her. The pulsing blue light in the large circular structure’s outer ring was replaced by cold steel. The chamber was shrouded in semi-darkness, the terminals, consoles, and control stations silent. She often worked late but tonight had stayed well after everyone else had left for the evening. She couldn’t run the risk of discovery. She coughed slightly as she quickly went over to the main panel to deactivate the intragate. Even inside the building the air was tainted these days. She glanced at her reflection in the glass on the terminal’s screen, quickly sweeping a loose strand of hair into place. Her dark hair was pulled back from her face and twisted into a tight bun when she was working at the Ministry. She quickly keyed in the code to switch off the intragate followed by another code to delete her recent activity. She’d learnt how to cover her tracks after her unauthorized trips through the intragate but thankfully this had been the last one. She opened the door into the dimly lit hallway, where the lights were operating on low power to save energy. She hurried along the deserted hallways, swiping her ID card and placing her forearm’s small tattoo under the scanner’s pale blue light in order to pass through the three security checkpoints. She was then startled by a familiar voice as she reached the top of the ornate stone staircase that led down to building’s main entrance. “Working late, Charlotte?” She turned to see her colleague, Major Sebastian Grayson, emerge from a darkened doorway. He was tall and slim, with closely cropped blond hair. Like Charlotte, his rank was indicated on the collars and upper sleeves of his black uniform, which also bore the triple-w symbol. “Yes,” she replied. “Just a few small issues with the intragate’s alignment earlier today.” “Nothing too problematic, I hope?” he said, with a thin smile, his pale blue eyes studying her face. “No,” said Charlotte, retaining her composure. “It just took a while for me to resolve after everyone had gone home, that’s all. Everything’s fine.” “Good,” said Sebastian. “Anyway, I should let you go.” Charlotte gave him a brief smile as he turned to leave then went down the staircase to the entrance. At the main doors, she put on her facemask before she left the building. Her eyes stinging, Charlotte hurried down the steps to the sidewalk then quickly walked through the empty, smog-filled parking lot to her car. Sebastian watched from the upper window until Charlotte’s car was out of sight, before turning away.

Ashley Howland
“Charlie and Ben live in different worlds. Charlie’s is condemned to doomsday after an asteroid destroyed the environment. Ben’s is their target. During a storm they see flashes of each other’s world and fall into a dangerous adventure. They discover that Ben is the key to a takeover plot, where the leaders of Charlie’s worlds will destroy everyone on Ben’s then move over.

Shadowzone is the first book in a series and I guarantee you will be racing towards the second. The characters are intriguing, but even more interesting is the plot. The idea of an environmental catastrophe being the turning point in the existence of two parallel worlds draws in the reader. As Charlie and Ben sink deeper into the plot, the reader will delve deeper into their world.

An excellent read!”

Scribbles, Quibbles, and Scrawlings
“Shadowzone follows the story of Charlie, a young girl who lives in an alternate reality of Earth—one where the Earth’s environment has been almost completely destroyed and left Earth to be barely habitable for human life. Charlie’s mum works for the reining government organization that, luckily, has access to a portal that could give their people access to another reality of Earth—one that hasn’t been environmentally destroyed. Though the question remains: How will the government use the portal? There are many ways they could, from generous or amicable to selfish or sinister. The Shadowzone world teaches us what could potentially happen in two drastic scenarios: if Earth’s environment is completely destroyed, and if a world-leading government had access to portal technology. Both of those sound terrifying to me—especially in current times. This is book one of three in the Shadowzone series, and it ends with a cliffhanger—we’ll have to read books two and three to see how the story concludes. This intriguing story paired with compelling dialogue and strong female characters makes a great read for young girls, and a quick, engaging read for adults. Books two and three are already out, and they’re definitely on my to-read list.”

Professor Owl's Book Corner
“This is the first book of a series by one of my favorite authors. Although at first, I found the book a little slow to get into, once the first couple of chapters were read, I found the usual exciting story that I could not put down until it was finished. The ending left me ready to read the next book titled “Into the Web.”