The Earthborn

An award-winning Australian writer, Paul Collins makes his North American debut with "The Earthborn". Though Collins is best known for his action sequences, his creation of unique and believable societies along with the character development of the protagonist Welkin Quinn make "The Earthborn" a work that will be enjoyed on a number of levels. Born aboard the terra-forming skyworld `Colony', Welkin Quinn is raised in the militaristic culture of the Skyborn. As this society prepares for its return to earth, its leaders--an order of elders--brainwash the people of `Colony', using misinformation to ingrain a hatred of the Earthborn and a fear of the Skyborn's homeworld, Earth. Using these emotions, the elders plan to commit genocide. When Welkin is falsely labeled as a seditionist, he is tortured and threatened. He is told that his only opportunity for redemption is to prove his loyalty by serving as a member of the Skyborn expeditionary force--an assignment where fewer than half of the Skyborn expect to survive. When his group is attacked by a viscous pack of Earthborn predators--the Jabbers--Welkin is rescued by an Earthborn woman named Sarah. Sarah leads a band of noble Earthborn, a makeshift family of sorts. Her family struggles for survival in post-apocalyptic Melbourn, a landscape populated by rival gangs who engage in turf-wars for precious commodities of food and medicine. Placed in an unfamiliar and hostile environment, Welkin Quinn is forced to think for himself--forced to confront the worldview with which he has been indoctrinated since birth. His revelation leads him down the path where friend and foe, right and wrong seem terribly reversed. To survive, Welkin must confront the society that created him and discover his place in a new world. The story of Welkin and his newfound family continues in Collins' recently released novel "The Skyborn" (2005), and the soon-to-be-released conclusion to the trilogy: "The Hiveborn" (Fall 2006).

"Move over Ebola -- the cesspool of life has a new Supervirus" -- Glyn Parry"Far-future adventure and excitment, science fiction as it ought to be" -- Sean McMullen" ... worthy of sitting on the same shelf with early Heinlein and Norton" -- Don D'Ammassa, SF Chronicle 2003

Three hundred years ago, the Colony starship was launched to colonize the world of Tau Celi but when they arrived, there was no habitable world to colonize. Some of the passengers felt they should continue but those who wanted to return home took command of the ship. They land on what used to be Melbourne and plan to commit genocide on the genetically inferior humans that survived.Welkin Quinn is one of the first groups of Skyborn sent out to reconnoiter the area and he falls in with a clan of Earthborn who want to unite the people into a cohesive group so they can do more than survive. Welkin learns that the Skyborn have fed him misinformation and throws in his lot with Sarah and her group. Enemies surround them from the Skyborn to the barely human ferals to the roaming gangs of jabbers who work with the Skyborn to destroy the Earthborn.This is Paul Collin's first book published in the United States and it is easy to see why this Australian author is a hit back home. The story line is fast paced but does not skimp on character development. The hero learns that his ship's elders had an agenda to stay in power when they got to earth. He inserts himself into a group of Earthborn survivors that have a chance of uniting the various disease free factions on Earth if they can figure out a way of appropiating technology only available on the Colony. This is the first installment in what looks to be a great new seriesHarriet Klausner