Ken Barrett

posted an updateover 4 years ago

over 4 years ago

In editing mode of the LAST book of my Extinction series - 'Destination'. Everything is coming together nicely.

posted an updateabout 5 years ago

about 5 years ago

A review of my dystopian scifi novel, Damnation: -- Ken Barrett's "Damnation" made me reevaluate my tendency to avoid reading science fiction. As a woman of a certain age and as an English major of the most traditional kind, I haven't strayed far from fiction set in either the past or the present. I've allowed only a few futuristic exceptions in my personal library: some Ray Bradbury and a little Ursula Le Guin. I would not have chosen "Damnation" had I not been provided with a preview copy. Generally, I've assumed I'd be unable to accept the premises of most works of science fiction, but I found myself entirely willing to suspend disbelief in the case of "Damnation." Once I accepted that the charred setting in Colorado after a giant sun explosion might be plausible, the back story that complex underground cities had been built in anticipation of a climactic disaster seemed perfectly logical. Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto have built underground complexes for survival in extreme cold, and we have already figured out how to live in the heat of places like Las Vegas and Palm Springs, so why wouldn't going underground to sustain life in even more extreme heat also make sense? The possibility of building subterranean cities does not seem at all improbable when we witness the extreme destruction of the recent fires in California and Australia and the rising temperatures everywhere around us. The author's descriptions of the various levels of the city's structure were vivid. I "saw" every room, every passageway as if I were watching a film. Likewise, the two sentient android protagonists, Liam Collins and his sister Rose, quickly established themselves as sympathetic by their successful efforts to save the damaged underground dwelling they shared with a population dominated by science skeptics. The techno-phobic citizens enjoyed the advantage of the androids' powers but hated them for those same powers nonetheless. The characterizations of people whose hateful attitudes rise from fear definitely reflected our own times. Prejudice against two admirable protagonists also rang true with me, as did the major complication of the plot, the arrival of an army of cultists from another underground city who are motivated by a corrupt and self-serving leader to conquer and convert "the other." The book was packed with issues analogous to our own times, and so I was hooked. The pacing of the book kept me turning pages. I finished the final 75 pages in one late-night reading, unable to close the book until the conclusion. The more dysfunctional our own world becomes, the more sense and insight I see in a book like this one. Not only will I eagerly await the publication of a sequel to this book, but I will doubtless look for other futuristic fiction.

posted an updateabout 5 years ago

about 5 years ago

Blurb / Product Description of my next book, Extinction - 4, Deviation: For classic SciFi fans of Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhoods End and Phillip K. Dick’s Blade Runner aka. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? -- After escaping slavery Oscar thought his troubles were over, but the universe had other plans. The descendants of a destroyed Earth live aboard decaying starships lost in space. Their society has fallen into anarchy with street gangs running lucrative slave markets. Oscar leads a band of freedmen fighting to hold a safe haven for those that have escaped bondage. As the battle lines between rival gangs are drawn, their ship is abruptly plunged into total darkness. A transmission from deep space has taken control of their ships and will force the crews onto a dangerous path of war and reunification. To survive, he must forge an alliance with old enemies to battle a forgotten sector of humanity. As war rages, Oscar realizes that the real danger is the Signal that had set everything in motion. Who sent it, and why? Will adhering to its mandate be the end of humanity, or will it lead to a new beginning?

posted an updateabout 5 years ago

about 5 years ago

My books on Amazon. Currently closing in on finishing the 1st draft of Extinction - 4, Deviation. https://www.amazon.com/Ken-Barrett/e/B06X1GK52W

started following about 5 years ago

about 5 years ago

posted an updateover 5 years ago

over 5 years ago

Currently working on my sixth book, which will be the fourth in my SciFi Extinction Series about the fate of humanity.

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About me

Ken Barrett worked as an engineer in Silicon Valley and is a lifelong biker and an accomplished martial artist. These days he is retired and living in Colorado, where he spends summers riding, and survives snowy winters sequestered in his office writing stories like this one.