Books Worth Reading: The Ares Weapon (Mars Ascendant Book 1)

Armageddon is Up for Auction

The Ares Weapon
Book 1 of the Mars Ascendant Series
by D. M. Pruden

Dr. Melanie Destin's life is a mess. In a desperate attempt to start over, she accepts an interplanetary salvage job that will pay her enough to rebuild a new life on Mars. When she learns the real purpose of the mission is to recover an apocalyptic virus, everything begins to unravel...

I really, really enjoyed this story. I read it every chance I had to find out what happened next. I was as in the dark as the main character as to the true nature of the mission. It slowly unraveled in a very delicious way.

The characters are sketchy, the mission and weapon are unique... everything about this story was interesting. I didn't know who to trust. Neither did the main character. She makes some heroic choices and some really bad choices, which made her more real. But I like characters with baggage and who have layers.

The Ares Weapon was part thriller, part mystery, part discovery and exploration. Very fun and entertaining.

I plan on reading more in this series. Available on Amazon. Oh, and it's free.

Perspectives

How often does a sentence or a single paragraph in a book tilt your world when you read it? Shift your perspective with an emotional punch? Leave you with a lingering sense of awe?

That’s the power of words. The power of story.

Sometimes I even get the gut punch from a character that I wrote—which I find humorous, as well as astounding, as if my words don’t have the same meaning in life until my character speaks them out loud for me to ponder. I suppose that’s the power of my subconscious trying to communicate with me.

Whatever. I eventually get the message.

My life has been through many upheavals lately but something I wrote a few years ago has recently struck that perfect emotional chord. I’ll leave you with this quote from Zoey, one of Cerise Laudine’s (my other penname) characters in the Well of Souls series:

“When I woke up this morning I realized I wanted to live before I died, not die a little each day while waiting for the end.”

It’s a reminder to me not to just mark time, drifting through each day, but to experience each moment as it comes. Maybe it will help you too.

Happy reading!