After Moses #1
After Moses #1
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His gruff exterior hides a man who wants to do the right thing. But running from trouble won’t work when the planets need a hero.
Arizona Colony, Mars. Matthew Cole doesn’t want anyone else aboard his ship. But the notorious solo freelancer is persuaded against his better judgment to guard a dangerous prison transport along with an exo-suit-clad former rival. Outmaneuvered when the crook’s cronies spring the inmate with heavy firepower, the poncho-wearing captain vows to scour the solar system to restore his rep and claim his paycheck
Reluctantly banding together with his seven-foot partner in her powered armor, Matthew has his hands full leading an unwanted ragtag crew. But the headache of dealing with people again is nothing next to the prickling between his shoulders as he continues to run afoul of greedy politicians and criminal syndicates.
Is this space cowboy’s moral compass sending him to a fatal crash landing?
I’m probably going to take some heat for this, but I’ll say it anyway: After Moses is better than Firefly, better than Star Trek, and if you question if that’s even possible, this is for you.
Trevor Denning, Upstream Reviews
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Science fiction that feels right at home.
With After Moses, Michael F. Kane has crafted a futuristic, spacefaring adventure that calls us back to the stories of yesteryear. Structured more like a classic serial, it reminds one of the kind of television show that used to carry a family through a season, culminating in a truly special episode that will have everyone talking, and a two part finale that delivers on all expectations.
Here, we have a lone gunman who partners up with a rival. Here, we have the lost and lonely finding a place. Here we have secrets and hidden pasts that, upon revealing, forge a rag tag family ready for the next call of port.
Yes, these are tropes, and they stand for a reason. Kane knows this, which is why rather than trying to prove his cleverness by breaking them, he proves his trustworthiness by telling them clean and true.
And he knows what really anchors this story is something that never gets old. He lets the good guys be good. There’s no smug irony, no “everyone’s trapped in gray skies,” or “the heroes are really villains,” and no amateurish obsession with being cool and edgy. It’s old-fashioned storytelling without shame, packed with decent people pushing towards the light, ready for the next job.
As a sidenote, one bright example of this storytelling ethic comes through in Kane’s handling of the Church (in this case, Roman Catholic). Often low hanging fruit for cynical or disenchanted writers looking to take shots at religion, Kane instead delivers a respectful and honest look at where the institution might be in 300 years (given the book’s conceits). As it turns out, it is still a group of flawed but mostly earnest men and women trying to patch the holes and keep the ship of humanity afloat.
The writing is brisk, the characters are whole, and the plot is sound all the way through. The book is also professionally assembled and the evocative cover speaks for itself. As for the world, this is a future you can almost see coming, even if you’re not a tech or space person. Yet, for all its groundedness (if you’re looking for strange aliens and blaster bolts and lightsabers, you are in the wrong book), it remains full of wonder and excitement as the Sparrow and her crew frameshift their way to the next adventure.
So, jump aboard. Things are only getting started.
I am an avid reader of sci-fi and fantasy, but I will admit that I gravitate towards fantasy. It's not that I like it more, its just that sci-fi often tries to bog down into technicalities and is dry.
That's why its been such a joy to have discovered Michael Kane and his After Moses series. All the comparisons in the other reviews to Firefly, Cowboy Bebop, etc. are accurate. There is a gritty, face-paced, western in space feel to the story. But beyond that, there is definitely a uniqueness to this with the premise. After Moses deals with humanity being artificially launched into space by what appears to be a benevolent AI who took on the name Moses. After leading humanity out among the planets of our solar system, Moses disappears under strange circumstances leaving humanity with technology it hardly understands and cannot reproduce or improve upon out among the planets sustained by this advanced technology.
Kane does a great job showing two major things. One, that humanity can (though not inevitably so) be cruel, vicious, and even animalistic when its survival is threatened. Two, that even in such times, there are individuals who are lights shining in the darkness. Though each of the protagonists have their flaws, they are >>>good<<< people doing the right thing.
One other thing I liked about this first book is that it is refreshing to read a story with Christianity (using the term generically here) not framed as evil or the main antagonist. Its a rare thing to find these days. The Catholic church (I'm avoiding spoilers here) is front and center of the story here and they are framed as good people attempting to help in the dark times.
The fiction is clean, which is a definite plus, and has great character development, hooks, worldbuilding, and plot development. Michael has excellent talent as a writer/storyteller. I only can hope that the story is going where I want it to, but I shall have to read the other books in the series to find out. I cannot wait!
Well done, Michael, and thanks for sharing your story with us.
This book carries on the tradition of the Space Western in an intriguing world where an AI named Moses set up humanity to succeed and then one day vanished. Scrambling in the loss of a master plan, humanity tries to recapture the spark that conquered Earth before the ages of exploration and industry.
The story itself is told in episodic adventures that knit together in the end in a satisfying way. I had a blast getting to know Matthew Cole, the Shield Maiden of Mars, and the others on the Sparrow. Will be getting the others in this series soon.
