| The Caverns of Mare Cetus -- Reviews |
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T. S.
February 28, 2008
Cincinnati, OH
Rating = 5 out of 5
Wild Thunderous Applause!
What a wild ride! The end of the book was most satisfying and very exciting! I loved the marriage
proposal...I was hoping for a mushy scene but it worked. :-)
There is so much to still find out...can't wait for the second book, there is going to be a second book,
right?
You are truly an inspired and gifted author. What makes this book so seductive is the real science and
working environment of the planet. The characters are made 10 times more believable because of the
amazing technology set up. I loved the crew from the first chapter and my heart was beating out of my
chest by the end.....BRAVO!
I hope you continue to write and be blessed.
R. Thompson
January 28, 2008
Chicago, Illinois
Rating = 5 out of 5
You Wrote a Very Good Sci-Fi.
I am sending this as a personal email because some of this isn’t review related, but feel free to use all
of it or part of it on your website if you think it’s appropriate. btw your site is very cool!
I just finished reading your book this weekend. I decided to check how your sales were doing on
Amazon and I was shocked. I could not believe your sales were – this is blunt – that bad. I don’t mean
to offend you by saying that, but with the quality and effort you put into your story I expected your sales to
be much better. It made me think. I’ve been a sci-fi reader for a long time. I have some authors I have
followed for just about forever. Your problem has to be nobody knows about you. But they should!
Sometimes I go for something different and try to find a newer author to read. That’s how I came
across your book. Honestly, though I like new authors, I am always hesitant due to you never know what
you’re going to get with a new author. Now I’m glad I took the chance, because your book is worth
every penny I paid for it! You have a five-star novel, no question about it.
I’m a big fan of Gibson but your story is way better than anything he has put out lately. Your styles are
different but I’m not talking about styles here. You add a freshness that Gibson seems to have lost, and
I wish he’d get it back. Your story is as complex a plot as I’ve ever read. Simply mind-boggling! The
plot of your story twists and turns as much as the caves the team is exploring. That is rare for most
things I have read, let me tell you. I could tell you were a geologist early on.
As for your story, the horror that happens on the previous mission sets the tension for the rest of your
book. As Larson’s team gets deeper and farther into the caverns, that tension keeps building. At
times it’s hard to say what is happening to your explorers – so much is going on around them that they
are not aware of. I definitely began to identify with Renata Stone after awhile and Devon, though she
drove me crazy with her behavior, you need to pay attention to that girl. Larson seems like a good
leader, but he’s confused about a lot of things that are happening. He wants to rely on others to help
him out, but they are already having their own difficulties. I liked Edison too. What a great guy to have
on the team. That guy can do it all. I hated Ramon but I gave him some time. It paid off in the end. Did
you plan that? You had to have thought a lot about your characters. It shows.
The continual equipment failures are a nice touch. You make some of those so subtle sometimes. It
just happens and you don’t make an issue of it because well, you know, those things happen. I know I
wouldn’t want to be in a cave and get hunted down by some crazed robot and have all my equipment
failing too. I really liked the aspect of the security guy bringing weapons into the cave. What a thing to
think about from early on. Why is he so insistent on having weapons in a lifeless cave? Your answer to
that is shocking in my opinion – and very clever. The ending of your novel, I really didn’t expect it to be
like that. It was really cool.
I like too that your plot is so structured. Every now and then I would have to go back and read
something again. I found out I needed to pay attention to what you wrote – yours is not a book that can
be taken lightly. That is a great change from books today that have too much fluff in them and not
enough that counts. Well, I hope you are successful with this book and I hope you write another one
soon. I assume there is going to be another one. I can’t wait. You need to figure out some way to get
more readers to pay attention to what you wrote. I don’t want to tell you your business and I don’t have
those answers for you, but it’s something you ought to think about.
Sherri Lewis
November 29, 2007
Cincinnati, Ohio
Rating = 5 out of 5
Mare Cetus is an Action Packed Thrill Ride.
The Caverns of Mare Cetus is a fast paced story that is as entertaining on the first page as it is on the
last.
The author has developed a story with strong characters, good dialog, and a plot full of twists and turns
that will keep you intrigued. As you read you just keep trying to figure out the next move, and just when
you think you know, the author throws in another twist that has everything shifting to show you a new
perspective.
As you venture through the possibilities of a future world, let yourself be pulled into the story through the
detailed descriptions that actually allow you to visualize The Caverns of Mare Cetus.
A wonderful book that would make a movie to keep you riveted on the edge of your seat.
Ronnie Kestin
October 30, 2007
Cincinnati, Ohio
Rating = 4.5 out of 5
A Great Story!
As you move through The Caverns of Mare Cetus, you realize that you are exploring a heck of a lot
more than just geological formations!
Like the geology and topography of Mare Cetus, a lot of what goes on along the dark, winding,
precipices appears familiar, yet we must defer to an ever-building sense that things may not be as they
appear. This goes for the team, the technology and the terrain… The question is, are we armed with
the tools to interpret what is going on in a very distant place in the very distant future? Are our five
senses enough? Is it possible that too much technological advancement can become irresponsible, so
much so that it takes on a life of its own, far out of the creators’ control?
I think Jim Erjavec is provoking us to see both humans and technology as vastly more amazing,
powerful, enigmatic… and sometimes more frightening…than we view them now. But we can’t just sit
back and have the visions handed to us. We need to uncover the mysteries along with his highly trained
team, by honing our own exploratory skills. We have to think along with the characters, and try to
foresee the powers and perils that might lie ahead for a human race that is seduced by the power of its
own technologies, believing it can outsmart the very elements in which it exists, yet never shedding the
primitive human emotions such as love, jealousy, greed and lust.
This novel is full of surprises and puzzles, with a pace that picks up speed as you read each chapter.
More and more conundrums get thrown along your path, and your curious, leisurely read turns into a
jog, then an out and out run to find out what’s really going on in this keen, complex journey. I enjoyed the
book!
And I might add, I want to know more about velandrite!!!
Michael Metzger
August 21, 2007
New Orleans, Louisiana
Rating = 5 out of 5
Mare Cetus rocks!
Jim Erjavec has produced a winner: an intriguingly complex, visually dazzling, multilayered sci-fi
adventure of the first order. The Caverns of Mare Cetus moves relentlessly, intelligently forward, as
everything extraneous gets chucked over the side – the book thrums with an unbelievable amount of
energy. A deliciously dark affair, brimming with impressively gritty characters but still managing to
balance hard-science wonder with breathless excitement. The author gives audiences a contact high
from his visual flair alone and proves that he's one of the more interesting and entertaining writers
working today, no matter what the genre.
This is hugely enjoyable science fiction that delivers likable characters, a decent plot, plenty of
wisecracks and more breathtaking action than you'll know what to do with. It pins you into a
claustrophobic chamber of terror for a surprisingly stomach-turning thrill ride. But it is still an
intellectual, character-driven book, one that gets under your skin not through your stomach, but through
your nightmares. If you haven’t yet read Mare Cetus, you’re in for a treat!
February 28, 2008
Cincinnati, OH
Rating = 5 out of 5
Wild Thunderous Applause!
What a wild ride! The end of the book was most satisfying and very exciting! I loved the marriage
proposal...I was hoping for a mushy scene but it worked. :-)
There is so much to still find out...can't wait for the second book, there is going to be a second book,
right?
You are truly an inspired and gifted author. What makes this book so seductive is the real science and
working environment of the planet. The characters are made 10 times more believable because of the
amazing technology set up. I loved the crew from the first chapter and my heart was beating out of my
chest by the end.....BRAVO!
I hope you continue to write and be blessed.
R. Thompson
January 28, 2008
Chicago, Illinois
Rating = 5 out of 5
You Wrote a Very Good Sci-Fi.
I am sending this as a personal email because some of this isn’t review related, but feel free to use all
of it or part of it on your website if you think it’s appropriate. btw your site is very cool!
I just finished reading your book this weekend. I decided to check how your sales were doing on
Amazon and I was shocked. I could not believe your sales were – this is blunt – that bad. I don’t mean
to offend you by saying that, but with the quality and effort you put into your story I expected your sales to
be much better. It made me think. I’ve been a sci-fi reader for a long time. I have some authors I have
followed for just about forever. Your problem has to be nobody knows about you. But they should!
Sometimes I go for something different and try to find a newer author to read. That’s how I came
across your book. Honestly, though I like new authors, I am always hesitant due to you never know what
you’re going to get with a new author. Now I’m glad I took the chance, because your book is worth
every penny I paid for it! You have a five-star novel, no question about it.
I’m a big fan of Gibson but your story is way better than anything he has put out lately. Your styles are
different but I’m not talking about styles here. You add a freshness that Gibson seems to have lost, and
I wish he’d get it back. Your story is as complex a plot as I’ve ever read. Simply mind-boggling! The
plot of your story twists and turns as much as the caves the team is exploring. That is rare for most
things I have read, let me tell you. I could tell you were a geologist early on.
As for your story, the horror that happens on the previous mission sets the tension for the rest of your
book. As Larson’s team gets deeper and farther into the caverns, that tension keeps building. At
times it’s hard to say what is happening to your explorers – so much is going on around them that they
are not aware of. I definitely began to identify with Renata Stone after awhile and Devon, though she
drove me crazy with her behavior, you need to pay attention to that girl. Larson seems like a good
leader, but he’s confused about a lot of things that are happening. He wants to rely on others to help
him out, but they are already having their own difficulties. I liked Edison too. What a great guy to have
on the team. That guy can do it all. I hated Ramon but I gave him some time. It paid off in the end. Did
you plan that? You had to have thought a lot about your characters. It shows.
The continual equipment failures are a nice touch. You make some of those so subtle sometimes. It
just happens and you don’t make an issue of it because well, you know, those things happen. I know I
wouldn’t want to be in a cave and get hunted down by some crazed robot and have all my equipment
failing too. I really liked the aspect of the security guy bringing weapons into the cave. What a thing to
think about from early on. Why is he so insistent on having weapons in a lifeless cave? Your answer to
that is shocking in my opinion – and very clever. The ending of your novel, I really didn’t expect it to be
like that. It was really cool.
I like too that your plot is so structured. Every now and then I would have to go back and read
something again. I found out I needed to pay attention to what you wrote – yours is not a book that can
be taken lightly. That is a great change from books today that have too much fluff in them and not
enough that counts. Well, I hope you are successful with this book and I hope you write another one
soon. I assume there is going to be another one. I can’t wait. You need to figure out some way to get
more readers to pay attention to what you wrote. I don’t want to tell you your business and I don’t have
those answers for you, but it’s something you ought to think about.
Sherri Lewis
November 29, 2007
Cincinnati, Ohio
Rating = 5 out of 5
Mare Cetus is an Action Packed Thrill Ride.
The Caverns of Mare Cetus is a fast paced story that is as entertaining on the first page as it is on the
last.
The author has developed a story with strong characters, good dialog, and a plot full of twists and turns
that will keep you intrigued. As you read you just keep trying to figure out the next move, and just when
you think you know, the author throws in another twist that has everything shifting to show you a new
perspective.
As you venture through the possibilities of a future world, let yourself be pulled into the story through the
detailed descriptions that actually allow you to visualize The Caverns of Mare Cetus.
A wonderful book that would make a movie to keep you riveted on the edge of your seat.
Ronnie Kestin
October 30, 2007
Cincinnati, Ohio
Rating = 4.5 out of 5
A Great Story!
As you move through The Caverns of Mare Cetus, you realize that you are exploring a heck of a lot
more than just geological formations!
Like the geology and topography of Mare Cetus, a lot of what goes on along the dark, winding,
precipices appears familiar, yet we must defer to an ever-building sense that things may not be as they
appear. This goes for the team, the technology and the terrain… The question is, are we armed with
the tools to interpret what is going on in a very distant place in the very distant future? Are our five
senses enough? Is it possible that too much technological advancement can become irresponsible, so
much so that it takes on a life of its own, far out of the creators’ control?
I think Jim Erjavec is provoking us to see both humans and technology as vastly more amazing,
powerful, enigmatic… and sometimes more frightening…than we view them now. But we can’t just sit
back and have the visions handed to us. We need to uncover the mysteries along with his highly trained
team, by honing our own exploratory skills. We have to think along with the characters, and try to
foresee the powers and perils that might lie ahead for a human race that is seduced by the power of its
own technologies, believing it can outsmart the very elements in which it exists, yet never shedding the
primitive human emotions such as love, jealousy, greed and lust.
This novel is full of surprises and puzzles, with a pace that picks up speed as you read each chapter.
More and more conundrums get thrown along your path, and your curious, leisurely read turns into a
jog, then an out and out run to find out what’s really going on in this keen, complex journey. I enjoyed the
book!
And I might add, I want to know more about velandrite!!!
Michael Metzger
August 21, 2007
New Orleans, Louisiana
Rating = 5 out of 5
Mare Cetus rocks!
Jim Erjavec has produced a winner: an intriguingly complex, visually dazzling, multilayered sci-fi
adventure of the first order. The Caverns of Mare Cetus moves relentlessly, intelligently forward, as
everything extraneous gets chucked over the side – the book thrums with an unbelievable amount of
energy. A deliciously dark affair, brimming with impressively gritty characters but still managing to
balance hard-science wonder with breathless excitement. The author gives audiences a contact high
from his visual flair alone and proves that he's one of the more interesting and entertaining writers
working today, no matter what the genre.
This is hugely enjoyable science fiction that delivers likable characters, a decent plot, plenty of
wisecracks and more breathtaking action than you'll know what to do with. It pins you into a
claustrophobic chamber of terror for a surprisingly stomach-turning thrill ride. But it is still an
intellectual, character-driven book, one that gets under your skin not through your stomach, but through
your nightmares. If you haven’t yet read Mare Cetus, you’re in for a treat!