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Retirement. Publishers, thank you for the many years of reading pleasure you gave me, but all good things must come to an end. Due to failing eyesight I am forced to retire. I can no longer review your books, and any that you send will be donated to the local library, unread. Do not send any more. I can only read for a couple hours every day, and this does not allow me to finish a book in reasonable time. I will be devoting time to my own books from now on, and reading on a personal level. Books that interest me. I prefer paperbacks and hardbacks, not eBooks. My eyesight has been failing the last few years, and I cannot handle hundreds of review books any more. My books are still available for review. Anyone interested in reviewing any of them, they are found in the Link to Tom’s Books On Amazon. Contact me for pdf copies at fadingshadows40@gmail.com

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Pangaea: Eden's Planet Now Available


Pangaea: Eden’s Planet

My novel, Pangaea: Eden’s Planet ISBN #978- 1497340749 has been picked up by First Realm Publishing, and scheduled for release June 18th for eBook, and July for paperback edition. More details will be forthcoming. Visit First Realm Publishing http://www.firstrealmpublishing.com/tom-johnson

The Gem Theater Blog http://thegemtheater.blogspot.com

Seven astronauts en route to Mars encounter a time warp in space that disables their ship. Crash landing on Earth, they discover an alien planet sixty million years before the dinosaurs. Pangaea, the super continent, is filled with danger and terror, as they must survive against fierce reptiles that ruled the Earth 250 million years in the past!

Pangaea: Eden’s Planet Reviews:

Jaime J for Platinum Book Reviews 4-Stars

“Original, Well Written, And Thoroughly Researched.”

This book absolutely surprised me. I was thinking it was going to be your run of the mill, done a million times, sci-fi space exploration...but boy was I wrong. This book was very original, well written, and thoroughly researched. The characters were a perfect blend of different personalities, all having "quirks" to make them relate-able to the reader. Each individual was picked for their different skills to help on this mission, and they were all perfect in the role they played. I was eagerly turning the pages to learn what "new" findings greeted the group each day of exploration. The detail the author put into these prehistoric findings was exceptional and articulate. The interactions between the characters, had me laughing out loud at times, and certain situations left me broken hearted. By time I made it to the end of the book, I was hoping that it was going to lead into another to be released in the future. Tom didn't actually say it wasn't, but I was very pleased that he gave me closure and insight as to what happened in the following years for the characters.

Lototy Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance Rating 4-Stars

“An Adventure Like No Other.”

Colonel Evelyn Peterson is ready for the commission of a lifetime. Her career is a testament to years of hard work and dedication, and the trip to Mars is just one more feather in her cap. She will be among the first to build a living community on an alien planet.

Major Adam Cooper is second in command to the Colonel. His respect and admiration for her is absolute, and if he drives her a little nuts, it just keeps her on her toes. He would give his life for his crew mates, and there is no question in his mind that the Colonel would do the same.

Colonel Peterson and her crew set off on an adventure like no other. They are to set up a bio-dome on Mars, and start a terra forming project. However the mission quickly becomes one of survival on a planet so alien that it barely resembles Earth. The ship and its crew are swept back in time to the Permian Period of the Paleozoic Era; which is approximately 250 million years in the past. Colonel Peterson and Major Cooper along with their five crew mates fight for their lives against a primordial planet and its inhabitants. Humans may be the highest on the evolutionary ladder, but nature has a way of evening out the playing field. Does the crew have any hope of survival? Or will they become just another species to fall victim to the great extinction?

This story has such a fascinating concept, I was enthralled from the very beginning. If you are at all interested in prehistoric Earth, this is a fantastic fictional read. Mr. Johnson gives life to prehistoric Earth with amazing detail. His descriptions of plant and animal life, as well as the geographical layout makes the story come to life for the reader. From the scorching desert to the steaming swamps each page is loaded with an eye for detail. The characters are also fully developed, and have a great diversity of personality. I fully enjoyed this story, and hope that Mr. Johnson has many more to come.


Terry Roberts TRobertsReview@aol.com Rating 5-Stars

“A Fascinating Tale of Survival.”

After a devastating nuclear war, NASA selects seven special astronauts for a mission to Mars; America hopes to begin a terra-farming project on the red planet to bring life back to our neighboring world. Earth is slowly dying from the radioactive effects of the war, and we will need to eventually leave for a fresh start elsewhere.

Colonel Evelyn Peterson and Major Adam Cooper pilot the Galileo Two, with their five teammates, each a scientist in their own field. But things go drastically wrong from the start, as they encounter a space anomaly that damages their ship and sends them falling back to Earth. To their dismay, they discover it is a world alien to the one they just left. Somehow they’ve traveled back in time 250 million years, and the planet they once called home is now teaming with ferocious reptiles and volcanic danger that might yet destroy them.

This was a fascinating tale of survival that gives us a glimpse of our world’s past. The Permian Period was 60-million years before the dinosaurs, yet had reptile predators just as menacing and deadly as T-Rex. It’s also a love story, as two people slowly realize they’ve been fighting against their own feelings from the beginning, only to discover their love in the end.


Rhoda E’Torre Author of Goin' Postal & The Creek 4-Stars:

“An Entertaining Read.”

This is a well written sci-fi with a romantic twist.  Pangaea: Eden's Planet can greatly appeal to those who may not normally read sci-fi.  A NASA crew in our near future heads for a trip to Mars but soon finds themselves diverted to a strange world--a world 250 million years in the past. The story line is well written, the characters interact with distinct personalities, and although a sci-fi, it is not bogged down with technical terms that could distract or confuse some readers.  The flow is good, there are no grammar mistakes or typos, and there are no obvious repetitive words or statements.  With great lines such as, "his face a mask of excruciating pain", the reader is able to imagine the scene without endless pages of description.  This is certainly an entertaining read that I read in one day due to my enjoyment of it. 

Colleen Drippe Author of GELLEN Rating 5-Stars

“A Blast From The Past.”

Tom's non-stop adventure story - no it never lets up - is a "blast from the past" in more ways than one.  Written in perfect early fifties style though retaining at least a veneer of modern science, this is a story of Earth's own past all the way back in the Permian. No dinosaurs, I'm afraid, but there are plenty of monsters and some lovely Dimetrodons as well as some sort of reptilian apemen.

The characters are very clearly drawn, though most of them get killed off at a pretty fast clip.  The whole crew might have stepped out of any vintage pulpzine, though the ladies get to be officers and scientists just like the men.  Even so, the whole book could have been serialized about 1952 with very few changes.  The author has the details down, along with a real feel for that golden age spirit – it is easy to visualize the action in grainy black and white with a mockup spaceship and some of early Hollywood's best monsters.

Don't want to spoil the ending but I will say it's not what I expected.  A pretty good ride as long as you can get into the spirit of things.

Tagon Maas Author of Machines of The Little People Rating 4-Stars


Do you remember going to the movies on Saturday to see your favorite hero?  Excited beyond words, getting your popcorn, finding just the right seat anxious to see what happens next.  I do.  Tom Johnson balances evolution against creationism... tit for tat with his tale filled with the wonders of technology, time, space travel and the images of a world in its violent beginning. This story has all action and adventure that those Saturday morning trips to the movies promised but without the popcorn and sticky floors.  I KNEW where this story was going right up until the hero I identified with was devoured like a stray cat by a wild dog.  It's very clear Mr. Johnson is a student of paleontology and uses this information to create a wild and believable world that asks "Could you survive?"... I used to think so... now I'm not so sure.

2 comments:

  1. A whole new world to me - in Kansas I think we missed part of the Fifties!

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  2. Hi Karya. I loved the Fifties. Music, movies, and the coming of age times. I love writing about those times. You might visit my Gem Theater Blog for some fun http://thegemtheater.blogspot.com

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