The Ascent — Mark Whiteway

The newest addition from the author that brought you the 'Lodestone Series', The Arc of the Universe is sure to delight old fans, and convert new ones alike.The Agantzane-masters of a vast interstellar alliance known as the Consensus. Who are they? Where do they come from? With the Damise's AI threatening to absorb both the Consensus and the worlds of Earth-controlled space, Quinn must seek out the ancient and powerful Elinare race with the help of his reanimated son and a ragtag band of allies. Loyalties shift and conspiracies abound in this fast moving third instalment!The story is a complex web that asks for careful reading by the reader, but the exciting and fast-paced story is well worth it. I loved how much time author Mark Whiteway has put into building his world. Each species, planet, or group that Quinn meets is given in-depth societies, morals, politics, and characteristics. Not only does this completely pull me into the world, bringing the story to life before my eyes, but it also creates the vastness of the galaxy that Whiteway is creating. The variety makes each situation that Quinn and his companions face feel that much more real and keeps the stakes feeling high. Emerson Craig - Literary BloggerMark Whiteway's newest entry in the Arc of the Universe series rarely slows down. From the first page, the reader is plunged into (or rather, rises up through) a fascinating world, multi-layered both literally and figuratively. The central character, the human Quinn, launches from crisis to crisis, dealing with countless external threats while continuously discovering more about the situation he, his son Conor, and the entire human race are in. Quinn is both assisted and encumbered with numerous friends and co-adventurers: Zothan, his closest friend and ally; the powerful, ancient dolin, a weaponized relic of an ancient race, whose bond with Conor both aids and hinders Quinn; and the strange Vil-Gar, the last remnant of a vanished and possibly murdered species.This is a boundlessly creative work, with individual elements that could themselves form the basis of distinct series. The dark technology of the sub-universe, the tesseract-bubble which allows everything from cloaking to time-dilation, is a particularly wonderful device. It forms the basis for many of the problems and solutions Quinn faces, but is complex enough to feel, if anything, under-used.Readers looking for vivid, ingenious characters and a fast-paced plot will find the Arc of the Universe Book 3 a wonderful and engaging story. - Aaron Walker Ph.D.With well-designed characters, and enough quantum physics to make anyone's head spin, Mark Whiteway spins a tight novel across two universes that will keep you wanting more - all the way to the end. Whiteway's ability to craft new alien species, cultures and sub-cultures, customs and history, stands out, and I don't say that lightly. This is how science fiction is supposed to be written. - Randall Floyd, Developmental Editor=====From the mind of indie sci-fi author Mark Whiteway - who brought you the critically acclaimed, 'Lodestone Series' over 6 thrilling books, comes his latest addition to the sci-fi world.Fans of his earlier work won't be disappointed, with many remarkably claiming this new series even better than his first.With hundreds of verified reviews on Amazon heaping praise upon indie author Whiteway's literary style, this is one sci fi book you don't want to miss out on.Experience all this new world has to offer for yourself, in the latest addition by critically acclaimed science fiction author Mark Whiteway!