Showing results by author "John Thornton" in All Categories

Janae and Ken are part of the remnant of humanity which lives in Dome 17, surrounded by the radioactive, toxic wasteland of a dead Earth. The leadership of the dome has sent out adventurers to explore the other domes, but all they have found are failed domes, and deadly ruins. Some of those adventurers have self-terminated upon return from those grueling missions. Only Dome 17 survives, but now, Dome 17 is facing its own failure. Looking to history, they come up with a plan to try to find the seven lost generational colony ships which left Earth a century before.

On the vast Colony Ship Trailblazer, the adventurers Ken and Janae are seeking to find out what is happening. People, animals, and circumstances seem to be turning against them in frightening ways. Strange events are unfolding, and the various groups and habitats are still a mystery. Knowing they need to gain some understanding of the situation and try to restore their broken artificial intelligence system, Kimberly, they set off to get back to their equipment and find some measure of security.

Janae and Kenneth struggle to understand what is happening on the derelict colony ship. Along with the newly reanimated artificial intelligence Kimberly, they decide that making a journey to the command bridge of the old ship is worth the risks. They know there are many dangers between them and their proposed destination. Meanwhile, their ruthless enemies are also making plans and implementing them.

In book four of the Colony Ship Trailblazer series, Janae is struggling with all her traumas. The artificial intelligence system, Kimberly, is malfunctioning. After an unexpected encounter with some adventurers Janae remembers from the past, she decides to make a risky attempt to repair Kimberly. Will that restore to Janae a functional friend and helper? Or will more loss and grief haunt her life? And how do the strange people who live in the radioactive parts of the old colony ship fit into all the mysteries?

Something mysterious is happening. The giant colony Ship Eschaton is in the midst of its generations-long journey to another solar system. But in Habitat One: Coastal Plains, two strange bodies have been found. There are rumors of a lurking visitor. Is anyone safe? The artificial intelligence systems still are not functioning as expected. Now more then ever, the AIs are needed. The people born on the ship as well as the refugees from Dome 17 are struggling to survive, and to learn more about the huge colony ship and its various habitats. But what do these mysteries mean?

As the gargantuan multi-generational colony ship plows through space, many light years away from the dead home world, Ian believes that his partner, Mabel, is still alive. Despite the official reports of her death, Ian will seek to find her. Yet, the strange biomes are a challenge, and the only friends he has are a strong-willed, youthful cadet who has abandoned her post, and two artificial intelligence systems. Those AIs must work covertly, and that makes all of them fugitives.

In book two of the Colony Ship Trailblazer series, the adventurers from Dome 17 on the dying Earth are on the old colony ship, but things have not gone as planned. They receive an urgent summons from some unknown entity, proclaiming, “There is a major crisis! People in danger. I need your help to avert a tragedy! There is a major crisis! People in danger. I need your help to avert a tragedy!” Janae and Ken reluctantly answer that call, but what awaits as they venture into some of the unknown reaches of the Trailblazer? What is the nature of the crisis? What people are in danger? And who sent them the message and why? Just exactly what will be revealed as the Tragedy on the Trailblazer?

The Colony Ship Vanguard was one of seven colony ships launched from a damaged Earth in a desperate plan to carry human settlers to Earth equivalent worlds. The voyages would take generations, and the people on board, as well as the flora and fauna in huge biological habitats had to be stable. But something happened on the way. Now, over one hundred years later, Earth is all but dead. People survive only in Dome 17.

On an Earth which is toxic, radioactive, and nearly dead, Mabel and Ian are two adventurers who live in Dome 17. There have been missions sent out into the wastelands to try to reconnect to other domes, but none have succeeded, yet. When it is discovered that Dome 17 may suffer a similar fate to those other domes, a risky and last-ditch plan is attempted. Teams will be sent looking for any of the seven great intergenerational colony ships which were launched a century ago. Yet, all those ships have been lost for decades.

Michael and Jamie live in Dome 17. The last place safe for humans, or any life, on a dying Earth. They are adventurers who have explored other domes, but everywhere else is dead. Will Dome 17 meet the same fate? The committee has a risky plan to try out unproven technologies: a faster than light scout ship, and teleportation. Both technologies have severe limits. Only two people can be carried aboard those FTL scout ships for a one way journey.

The Eschaton had been designed to hold numerous and diverse immense biological habitats: flora, fauna, and everything needed to terraform a new world. It also carried thousands of people in suspended animation. The ship was designed to be tended by crews who would live out their lives in the journey between worlds. That journey would only be completed after several generations had lived and died while in transit. That was the plan. But something happened. The people from Dome 17 have reached The Eschaton, but what will they find in those habitats? What systems are still functioning?

The Colony ship Marathon left a dying Earth on a generation's long voyage to another planet. Inside its giant biomes were people who would spend their entire lives during that flight. They knew that their descendants would be the people who would arrive at the destination world. During the long journey, something went wrong. Something else was on the Marathon. This adventure chronicles the life of one habitat dweller named Kalju, as he becomes aware of his role in what is taking place.

In book 7 of the Colony Ship Trailblazer series, Janae faces some of the worst situations she has encountered on the ship. Is the entity Pooljumalad is lurking about? Are the people she knew who she thinks they are? What dangers await? Which forces will take over? Who is the real tyrant on the Trailblazer?

The giant Colony Ship Eschaton has numerous habitats with animals, plants, and people, all of which should be in balance as it makes its generations long journey to another solar system. One of those people is Tamar, a young woman who was born on board and is growing up in the town of Media. Tamar is gifted with machines, but that is not a blessing in the town where she lives. She has a frightful encounter in the night and is forced to flee everything she knows. She hunts for her freedom, and she hunts for answers to who she is.

In this third book in the Colony Ship Eschaton series, Jamie and Michael continue to discover how vast and unknown the old ship is. Why do some of the artificial intelligence systems seem to work, but others do not? Who is the unknown that sent a dismembered body through the transport system? How will the refugees from Dome 17 interact with the people who were born inside the habitats of the Eschaton? What threats to the very survival of the people exist in the unknown reaches of the Colony Ship Eschaton? And personally, can Jamie and Michael survive these unknown threats?

In book 6 of the Colony Ship Trailblazer series, Janae and her friends on the wrecked colony ship are trying to unravel the mysterious machine called the Gadget. Just what can it do? Is time travel actually possible? Are alternate realities truly a possible destination? How will one identify a subtly different reality from the original one? And if someone does alter the past, what ripples will appear in the present? Additionally, enemies on the Trailblazer are seeking conquest and a vendetta against Janae and her allies. The tactics the enemy is using are brutal and effective.

In book 7 of the Colony Ship Vanguard series, Paul, Gretchen, Brinley, and Larissa are seeking to find ways to counter the threats to the colony ship Vanguard. The alien forces are brutally seeking to take over. Humans are struggling and unsure how to respond. What will happen as the humans work at defending the Vanguard?

In book five of the Colony Ship Conestoga series, Jerome and Cammarry are trying to investigate the various parts of the wrecked ship. Along the way they encounter new people, some dangerous and some who might be potential allies. However, danger and threats lurk in every corner. The crash-landed habitats are on the planet's surface while the remains of the needle ship are in orbit. Few facts are well understood, and strange things are happening. What will the adventurers uncover as they do a reconnoiter of the Conestoga?

In the fourth book of the Colony Ship Conestoga series, the adventurer Jerome seeks to find out what happened to his fellow adventurer Cammarry. She is lost somewhere in the vast Habitat Beta. Jerome has only a few of his Dome 17 high tech gadgets, and has also lost contact with the artificial intelligence system, Sandie. He feels alone. What dangers await? What other things are lurking in the unknown recesses of the derelict and crashed colony ship? Will Jerome be alone for the rest of his days?

In this volume, book six of the Colony Ship Conestoga series, conflict erupts in a myriad of places and ways. Jerome and Cammarry, the adventurers from Earth, are still trying to piece together what all has happened to the Colony Ship Conestoga. The slave revolt in Habitat Alpha is continuing. The various systems of the ship are broken, half-working, or just frustratingly difficult to get operational. The enigmatic inhabitants of the alien world, Zalia, are potential threats, and more mysteries than ever are surrounding all attempts to make things work.