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Nine Planets
In the world of despair, Father Nick’s Day is the only hope…
Peter Blackwell wakes from a coma into a world he doesn’t recognize. Without memory or identity, all he has are nine random images. Nine planets. Eight he can see, although he does not understand them, but the impenetrable ninth is the secret that two opposing and hidden brotherhoods have been seeking for nearly two millennia. Pursued, betrayed, Peter has twelve days to unlock his Ninth Planet and prevent terminal worldwide suicide. And his only ally is a manic assassin sent to extract the secret and kill him.
Peter Blackwell wakes from a coma into a world he doesn’t recognize. Without memory or identity, all he has are nine random images. Nine planets. Eight he can see, although he does not understand them, but the impenetrable ninth is the secret that two opposing and hidden brotherhoods have been seeking for nearly two millennia. Pursued, betrayed, Peter has twelve days to unlock his Ninth Planet and prevent terminal worldwide suicide. And his only ally is a manic assassin sent to extract the secret and kill him.
330 pages, Paperback
First published November 30, 2014
2 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Greg Byrne
5 books6 followersGreg Byrne loved stories, words and languages as soon as he knew what crayons were for, and was writing with them soon after.
In between his other duties as a university tutor and lecturer, ESL teacher, grammar consultant and Masters student, he enjoys travelling, exploring ideas, history, languages and science, reading, dinner with friends, wandering purposefully into bookshops, watching his family grow, and living life’s great adventure.
His next projects are a YA thriller and a grammar teaching system for ESL students. He lives in Perth, Western Australia, the most isolated capital city on the face of the planet, with his beloved wife and family and an overweight British Blue, and wouldn’t live anywhere else.
In between his other duties as a university tutor and lecturer, ESL teacher, grammar consultant and Masters student, he enjoys travelling, exploring ideas, history, languages and science, reading, dinner with friends, wandering purposefully into bookshops, watching his family grow, and living life’s great adventure.
His next projects are a YA thriller and a grammar teaching system for ESL students. He lives in Perth, Western Australia, the most isolated capital city on the face of the planet, with his beloved wife and family and an overweight British Blue, and wouldn’t live anywhere else.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 30, 2014
“Nine Planets” was published in 2014 (November) and was written by Greg Byrne. This is Mr. Byrne’s first publication.
I obtained a galley of this novel for review through https://www.netgalley.com. This novel is a Fantasy and it is set in the near future United States. This is a slightly different timeline than we are on. Over 1700 years ago a malaise fell across the planet and people began to take their own lives in despair. The Brotherhood of Poor Men was clandestinely formed to provide gifts to all, to give them something to live for. Thus was born Father Nick’s Day.
The Brotherhood has constantly been at war with the dark forces that brought the malaise over the Earth. It all comes to a head in this story. Peter Blackwell wakes up with no memory. Those around him lead him to believe that he is a US Army enlisted man working in an intelligence gathering center. As the story develops, he finds that he is much more than that. As the Brotherhood is openly attacked in mass for the first time in history, Peter finds himself drawn into the conflict.
This was an odd thriller. I did enjoy the 6.5 hours I spent reading the story. I think that the alternative time line starting in the distant past was an interesting plot twist. I give this novel a 4 out of 5.
Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at http://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.
I obtained a galley of this novel for review through https://www.netgalley.com. This novel is a Fantasy and it is set in the near future United States. This is a slightly different timeline than we are on. Over 1700 years ago a malaise fell across the planet and people began to take their own lives in despair. The Brotherhood of Poor Men was clandestinely formed to provide gifts to all, to give them something to live for. Thus was born Father Nick’s Day.
The Brotherhood has constantly been at war with the dark forces that brought the malaise over the Earth. It all comes to a head in this story. Peter Blackwell wakes up with no memory. Those around him lead him to believe that he is a US Army enlisted man working in an intelligence gathering center. As the story develops, he finds that he is much more than that. As the Brotherhood is openly attacked in mass for the first time in history, Peter finds himself drawn into the conflict.
This was an odd thriller. I did enjoy the 6.5 hours I spent reading the story. I think that the alternative time line starting in the distant past was an interesting plot twist. I give this novel a 4 out of 5.
Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at http://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.
January 11, 2015
Nine Planets by Greg Byrne is the first book I’ve read that combines science fiction and the Santa Claus myth. Original idea!
We first meet our protagonist, Corporal Peter Blackwell, when he wakes up from a coma with a head injury at a medical facility of North American Space and Air Defence. They tell him that he’s a “dungeon watcher” for the NASAD and that he’s suffered an accident – one that has left him with amnesia.
Blackwell finds himself having weird memories of smells and sounds, in a world where suicide – the Black Despair – is a common occurrence, and also learns that bound up with his identity is a vital secret that must remain concealed because the future of millions of lives is at stake. The secret is linked to a comet that’s approaching earth, and there are those who will stop at nothing to extract his secret, then kill him.
Nine Planets is a very real, human story with multiple layers. It is a story about hope, a theme explored in a setting where suicide is completely acceptable. Peter Blackwell is a sympathetic protagonist. Brave, determined, and loyal, he’s surrounded by an interesting array of secondary characters.
Byrne is a talented storyteller who pays special attention to language and possesses a writing style at times simple and straightforward, at others lyrical. The technical and science aspects are very well done as well. Part mystery, part thriller,Nine Planets is a science fiction novel quite different from others on the market. If you love SF novels and thrillers, I recommend you give this one a try.
We first meet our protagonist, Corporal Peter Blackwell, when he wakes up from a coma with a head injury at a medical facility of North American Space and Air Defence. They tell him that he’s a “dungeon watcher” for the NASAD and that he’s suffered an accident – one that has left him with amnesia.
Blackwell finds himself having weird memories of smells and sounds, in a world where suicide – the Black Despair – is a common occurrence, and also learns that bound up with his identity is a vital secret that must remain concealed because the future of millions of lives is at stake. The secret is linked to a comet that’s approaching earth, and there are those who will stop at nothing to extract his secret, then kill him.
Nine Planets is a very real, human story with multiple layers. It is a story about hope, a theme explored in a setting where suicide is completely acceptable. Peter Blackwell is a sympathetic protagonist. Brave, determined, and loyal, he’s surrounded by an interesting array of secondary characters.
Byrne is a talented storyteller who pays special attention to language and possesses a writing style at times simple and straightforward, at others lyrical. The technical and science aspects are very well done as well. Part mystery, part thriller,Nine Planets is a science fiction novel quite different from others on the market. If you love SF novels and thrillers, I recommend you give this one a try.
Read
April 14, 2021Peter Blackwell wakes from a coma into a world he doesn’t recognise. Gripped by a curse, the salvation of humanity is a bizarre holiday. The presents delivered on Father Nick’s Day stave off the despair that drives ordinary men and women to suicide. Blackwell is told he has the knowledge that will break this curse. He is also told that sharing the secret could mean the end of the world. Not a great position to be in. To make things worse, the head injury that put him in a coma has left him without memory and with the compulsion to always tell the truth. It’s as if he’d been put into maze with no open paths.
Blackwell is not without tools, however. He has perfect recall and no trouble making new memories. He also has nine snippets of the past, nine constellations of smell, taste, texture and emotion. He calls these his nine planets. The ninth is armoured and it is therefore assumed that the ninth planet holds the secret to saving the world.
Blackwell has twelve days to unlock the ninth planet. As he unravels the information hidden in the first eight, he puts together a picture of the world. Two brotherhoods, the Cabal and the Poor Men, have been at odds for over seventeen hundred years. The curse is a tool of the Cabal and only the Poor Men stand between them and the end of humanity. Each side has allies and traitors. Not sure who he can trust, Blackwell must nonetheless rely on the assistance of others to reach his goal. The most unexpected of these is an assassin sent to extract his secret.
Then there is the comet, the one hurtling toward Earth. The one a four year-old boy started painting the day it was first detected.
A glance at the blurb should prepare the reader for the fact Nine Planets by Greg Byrne is a little different. Ideas represented as planets? A world inflicted by despair that only a quasi-religious holiday can alleviate? Then there is the whole idea of a suicidal apocalypse. I’m a fan of apocalyptic fiction, but I can honestly say worldwide suicide doesn’t appeal. Of course, these elements are what make ‘Nine Planets’ such a fascinating read.
The book begins with an outtake of mythology. The origin of Father Nick’s Day. Then we meet Peter Blackwell and the tech is futuristic. As each player in the war is introduced, the story and the world complicates further until it’s a colourful tapestry. I admire authors who can juggle several plot threads and have them all eventually entwine.
The use of synesthesia as an interpretive tool is inventive and clever. Instead of a running commentary on how events make Blackwell feel, the reader is invited to experience everything for him or herself through flavour, colour and texture. Truth smells like limes, by the way. I really liked these details; they enriched the story without overwhelming it. Similarly, Byrne’s prose conveyed the plot without distracting the reader. His style is economical and sometimes downright poetic.
As the countdown toward Father Nick’s Day accelerates, so does the action. I found the book difficult to put aside after I passed the half-way point. Shortly after then, alliances shifted and truths were revealed and I lost the rest of my day in the race toward the end.
Nine Planets appears to be author Greg Byrne’s first novel. I’m hoping he’ll write another. I’d love to see where his imagination takes me next.
Written for SFCrowsnest.
Blackwell is not without tools, however. He has perfect recall and no trouble making new memories. He also has nine snippets of the past, nine constellations of smell, taste, texture and emotion. He calls these his nine planets. The ninth is armoured and it is therefore assumed that the ninth planet holds the secret to saving the world.
Blackwell has twelve days to unlock the ninth planet. As he unravels the information hidden in the first eight, he puts together a picture of the world. Two brotherhoods, the Cabal and the Poor Men, have been at odds for over seventeen hundred years. The curse is a tool of the Cabal and only the Poor Men stand between them and the end of humanity. Each side has allies and traitors. Not sure who he can trust, Blackwell must nonetheless rely on the assistance of others to reach his goal. The most unexpected of these is an assassin sent to extract his secret.
Then there is the comet, the one hurtling toward Earth. The one a four year-old boy started painting the day it was first detected.
A glance at the blurb should prepare the reader for the fact Nine Planets by Greg Byrne is a little different. Ideas represented as planets? A world inflicted by despair that only a quasi-religious holiday can alleviate? Then there is the whole idea of a suicidal apocalypse. I’m a fan of apocalyptic fiction, but I can honestly say worldwide suicide doesn’t appeal. Of course, these elements are what make ‘Nine Planets’ such a fascinating read.
The book begins with an outtake of mythology. The origin of Father Nick’s Day. Then we meet Peter Blackwell and the tech is futuristic. As each player in the war is introduced, the story and the world complicates further until it’s a colourful tapestry. I admire authors who can juggle several plot threads and have them all eventually entwine.
The use of synesthesia as an interpretive tool is inventive and clever. Instead of a running commentary on how events make Blackwell feel, the reader is invited to experience everything for him or herself through flavour, colour and texture. Truth smells like limes, by the way. I really liked these details; they enriched the story without overwhelming it. Similarly, Byrne’s prose conveyed the plot without distracting the reader. His style is economical and sometimes downright poetic.
As the countdown toward Father Nick’s Day accelerates, so does the action. I found the book difficult to put aside after I passed the half-way point. Shortly after then, alliances shifted and truths were revealed and I lost the rest of my day in the race toward the end.
Nine Planets appears to be author Greg Byrne’s first novel. I’m hoping he’ll write another. I’d love to see where his imagination takes me next.
Written for SFCrowsnest.
Read
November 18, 2021This is an interesting and well-crafted book in many ways.
It's a magic-realistic thriller that will appeal to fans of writers like Jonathan Carroll and Graham Joyce. It also has religious elements, which if you do not like those, you will not like the book.
The author writes beautifully on the sentence level and does an excellent job with sensory description. His primary villain, appearing in a cloud of pollution, is particularly appropriate for a world set in an alternative, hopeless modern day.
I thought that, although the book is not particularly short, the plot elements and the character transitions happen too rapidly. The timing feels rushed. Because of this, the details of the plot, as well as the character arcs, tend to get lost. I also found it noticeable that (although there's rather little physical description of characters and so I may have missed something) this is set in alternative-modern Australia and America and yet all the characters seem to be white people of European descent. Again, I may have missed something there.
The conceit (and I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to say it has to do with Santa Claus) actually works much better for me than I would have expected. At the end, things get a bit too ... not too symbolic as such, but the nature of the curse-breaker needed to be foreshadowed more strongly earlier in the text, for me.
A promising first published novel. I look forward to seeing what the author does next.
It's a magic-realistic thriller that will appeal to fans of writers like Jonathan Carroll and Graham Joyce. It also has religious elements, which if you do not like those, you will not like the book.
The author writes beautifully on the sentence level and does an excellent job with sensory description. His primary villain, appearing in a cloud of pollution, is particularly appropriate for a world set in an alternative, hopeless modern day.
I thought that, although the book is not particularly short, the plot elements and the character transitions happen too rapidly. The timing feels rushed. Because of this, the details of the plot, as well as the character arcs, tend to get lost. I also found it noticeable that (although there's rather little physical description of characters and so I may have missed something) this is set in alternative-modern Australia and America and yet all the characters seem to be white people of European descent. Again, I may have missed something there.
The conceit (and I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to say it has to do with Santa Claus) actually works much better for me than I would have expected. At the end, things get a bit too ... not too symbolic as such, but the nature of the curse-breaker needed to be foreshadowed more strongly earlier in the text, for me.
A promising first published novel. I look forward to seeing what the author does next.
December 26, 2024
The eternal struggle between good and evil, and the gracious tradition of the gifts of San Nicolaus seen as an ancient heritage to save humanity from the most gigantic course ever seen.
A strange story, which seems odd to tell, but intriguing and fun, with complex and well described characters, immersed in a reality that, despite being the one of a fictional fantasy novel, is so well structured to allow the reader to immerse themselves in it .
Some slowness make it impossible to assign to the book the highest mark.
L'eterna lotta tra il bene e il male, e la graziosa tradizione dei regali di San Nicola vista come un antico retaggio per salvare l'umanità dal più gigantesco malocchio mai visto.
Una storia strana, che pare bislacca a raccontarla, ma intrigante e divertente, con personaggi complessi e ben descritti e immersa in una realtà che, pur essendo quella immaginaria propria del romanzo fantastico, è così ben strutturata da permettere al lettore di immergersi completamente in essa.
Qualche lungaggine di troppo impedisce di assegnare al libro la votazione più alta.
A strange story, which seems odd to tell, but intriguing and fun, with complex and well described characters, immersed in a reality that, despite being the one of a fictional fantasy novel, is so well structured to allow the reader to immerse themselves in it .
Some slowness make it impossible to assign to the book the highest mark.
L'eterna lotta tra il bene e il male, e la graziosa tradizione dei regali di San Nicola vista come un antico retaggio per salvare l'umanità dal più gigantesco malocchio mai visto.
Una storia strana, che pare bislacca a raccontarla, ma intrigante e divertente, con personaggi complessi e ben descritti e immersa in una realtà che, pur essendo quella immaginaria propria del romanzo fantastico, è così ben strutturata da permettere al lettore di immergersi completamente in essa.
Qualche lungaggine di troppo impedisce di assegnare al libro la votazione più alta.
December 11, 2014
Nine Planets is probably the best book I've read in a long time. It's a dystopian/science fiction/action story which takes the Santa Clause myth to a whole new level. For a 300+ page book, it's chock full of heart pounding excitement, that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very last page! This is going to be one of those books that sticks with me for a while, and I've already recommended it to a few friends.
April 13, 2022
Peter Blackwell wakes up from a coma into a very strange Earth. A pair of opposing groups have been fighting a secret war for the past seventeen centuries.
The Cabal has been fighting against The Brotherhood, and The Cabal (the bad guys) is winning. They have placed a curse of depression over the whole world. Suicide is common; there are public agencies that will help a person do it. Their opponent is The Brotherhood. They are nearly wiped out by The Cabal; their one weapon is Father Nick's Day. On the same day, everyone in the world receives a package; it is something that they really need. The deliveries are accomplished through time dilation. The idea behind Father Nick's Day is to convince people that suicide is not the answer, that someone really cares about them.
Peter has no memory of his previous life, but he does remember eight random images. There is a ninth image locked in his brain. Both sides want that image very much; it will end the war, one way or the other. He has only a few days to stop worldwide suicide.
This story is better than excellent. The characters, the action and, especially, the society-building, are all very well done. Philip K. Dick fans will love this book. It is very much worth reading.
The Cabal has been fighting against The Brotherhood, and The Cabal (the bad guys) is winning. They have placed a curse of depression over the whole world. Suicide is common; there are public agencies that will help a person do it. Their opponent is The Brotherhood. They are nearly wiped out by The Cabal; their one weapon is Father Nick's Day. On the same day, everyone in the world receives a package; it is something that they really need. The deliveries are accomplished through time dilation. The idea behind Father Nick's Day is to convince people that suicide is not the answer, that someone really cares about them.
Peter has no memory of his previous life, but he does remember eight random images. There is a ninth image locked in his brain. Both sides want that image very much; it will end the war, one way or the other. He has only a few days to stop worldwide suicide.
This story is better than excellent. The characters, the action and, especially, the society-building, are all very well done. Philip K. Dick fans will love this book. It is very much worth reading.
January 16, 2023
Nine Planets is a complex, dystopian science fiction story about redemption and hope. There were many interesting characters, especially Blackwell. A couple of things that I particularly liked was how it started many centuries before the main events and how, as a reader, I was thrown into Blackwell's confusing life (there's a very good reason for his confusion) and learned what was happening along with him.
I'm privileged to know Greg personally and look forward to chatting to him about his novel. Recommended, especially if you like this genre.
I'm privileged to know Greg personally and look forward to chatting to him about his novel. Recommended, especially if you like this genre.
December 16, 2014
Nine Planets starts with an intriguing plot idea shrouded in mystery. However, there are three fallacies that impede the development of the book into a cohesive story:
1. Ineffective structure. There is a formatting problem that a shrewd Editor would do well to help solve. The chapters are lengthy for the content, with odd breaks that impede the narrative flow as opposed to aid its progress. There are some moments that could be re-ordered for increased effect; for example, Harker should be introduced earlier in the story and his progress should run parallel to Blackwell's in a more direct and balanced approach.
2. Characterization. At first the main character is a pleasant mystery, due to his dealings with memory loss in a time of crisis. There are some segments of good narration where Byrne does a nice job using sensory detail to enhance Blackwell's confusion and attempt to control his setting. As the novel progresses, however, the prose becomes less thoughtful. Rushed dialogue takes over, which doesn't give the reader a chance to process the technical details of the setting nor the character's various plights.
3. Scientific Plausibility. Good Science Fiction writing takes the time to describe the functionality behind the fantastical elements of the narrative. This book had ample opportunity to do that, such as when the machines traversing the timeslip are introduced, people traverse the timeslip, or when characters become affronted with evil from another plane of existence. It is almost as if the author shied away from fully committing to the narrative formation of this version of Earth, which is a shame, because the idea is good. Less dialogue and more description of the setting and technical details would allow the reader to experience the sensation of living and interacting with this realm.
With these three items are addressed, the reader will find a more enjoyable book that one could get pleasantly "lost" in.
1. Ineffective structure. There is a formatting problem that a shrewd Editor would do well to help solve. The chapters are lengthy for the content, with odd breaks that impede the narrative flow as opposed to aid its progress. There are some moments that could be re-ordered for increased effect; for example, Harker should be introduced earlier in the story and his progress should run parallel to Blackwell's in a more direct and balanced approach.
2. Characterization. At first the main character is a pleasant mystery, due to his dealings with memory loss in a time of crisis. There are some segments of good narration where Byrne does a nice job using sensory detail to enhance Blackwell's confusion and attempt to control his setting. As the novel progresses, however, the prose becomes less thoughtful. Rushed dialogue takes over, which doesn't give the reader a chance to process the technical details of the setting nor the character's various plights.
3. Scientific Plausibility. Good Science Fiction writing takes the time to describe the functionality behind the fantastical elements of the narrative. This book had ample opportunity to do that, such as when the machines traversing the timeslip are introduced, people traverse the timeslip, or when characters become affronted with evil from another plane of existence. It is almost as if the author shied away from fully committing to the narrative formation of this version of Earth, which is a shame, because the idea is good. Less dialogue and more description of the setting and technical details would allow the reader to experience the sensation of living and interacting with this realm.
With these three items are addressed, the reader will find a more enjoyable book that one could get pleasantly "lost" in.
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