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Lifeboat
Cass has lost everything; her husband, her son, and her will to live.
She walks in the dark when sleep eludes her. One sleepless summer night she spies a UFO and discovers a new obsession. It gives much-needed focus to her empty life.
When natural disasters destroy the Earth, Cass and other survivors are rescued and taken to a new world where the human race can begin anew. But something is wrong here. This may not be the paradise they’ve been promised. Survivors are vanishing without a trace.
Can Cass unravel the riddle in time to save herself?
She walks in the dark when sleep eludes her. One sleepless summer night she spies a UFO and discovers a new obsession. It gives much-needed focus to her empty life.
When natural disasters destroy the Earth, Cass and other survivors are rescued and taken to a new world where the human race can begin anew. But something is wrong here. This may not be the paradise they’ve been promised. Survivors are vanishing without a trace.
Can Cass unravel the riddle in time to save herself?
272 pages, Paperback
First published April 2, 2013
About the author
A.B. Shepherd
2 books46 followers"Never stop dreaming or reading." - A.B. Shepherd
A.B. Shepherd grew up in Lansing, Michigan, but moved to Australia once her children had grown and empty nest syndrome set in.
She now lives in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia, with her husband and their imaginary friends.
She loves living near the Southern Ocean and often finds it inspiring. She can usually be found seaside at Port MacDonnell, or lost in a fantasy world.
Lifeboat is her debut novel - a science-fiction/suspense tale. Her second book, The Beacon is a psychological thriller, novella.
If you’d like to learn more about A.B. Shepherd please visit her website at: http://abshepherd.net
A.B. loves to hear from readers. Feel free to email her at [email protected] with your thoughts about her book(s), and anything else that takes your fancy.
You can also connect with her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ABHPShepherd
And on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/AB-She...
A.B. Shepherd grew up in Lansing, Michigan, but moved to Australia once her children had grown and empty nest syndrome set in.
She now lives in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia, with her husband and their imaginary friends.
She loves living near the Southern Ocean and often finds it inspiring. She can usually be found seaside at Port MacDonnell, or lost in a fantasy world.
Lifeboat is her debut novel - a science-fiction/suspense tale. Her second book, The Beacon is a psychological thriller, novella.
If you’d like to learn more about A.B. Shepherd please visit her website at: http://abshepherd.net
A.B. loves to hear from readers. Feel free to email her at [email protected] with your thoughts about her book(s), and anything else that takes your fancy.
You can also connect with her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ABHPShepherd
And on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/AB-She...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
June 28, 2013
Cassiel Carmichael was dragging herself up through the depths of depression, sure she would never be happy again. Five years previously she had lost her husband Mike and their four year old son Michael in a dreadful car crash. They were on their way home from the Adelaide show where they had had a wonderful day, but the weather was terrible, heavy rain and storms, but with only a short distance to go, Mike was sure he was fine to keep driving. When she woke in hospital, in unimaginable pain, little did she know her life would never be the same again.
Cass spent most of her days working in Woolworths as a check-out chick, and most of her nights walking, trying to keep the nightmares at bay. So when she saw what she was positive was a UFO hovering above her, she was stunned, startled but excited. In the months that followed she tried to find out all she could about the phenomenon, and she met some like-minded people. Rhys and Graham were two and night after night they watched the sky, without success.
But the night the UFO descended on them, the pain and heat in their bodies was intense; suddenly Rhys woke in an odd sort of room, strangers as his companions. The aliens who attended their needs did not speak, but communicated through thought processes. What had happened to them? Where were Cass and Graham?
The aliens informed them that the people in the space ship had been rescued as massive disasters destroyed the earth. They would be taken to a new world where they could start again, rebuild their lives and regain their futures. But things don’t add up. What was happening? What was wrong?
This book was amazing! I don’t usually like the whole alien/UFO/extra-terrestrial type of story, but this was so different! A wonderful concept, with a twist at the end which was so shocking! I loved the story, and would highly recommend it to all.
Cass spent most of her days working in Woolworths as a check-out chick, and most of her nights walking, trying to keep the nightmares at bay. So when she saw what she was positive was a UFO hovering above her, she was stunned, startled but excited. In the months that followed she tried to find out all she could about the phenomenon, and she met some like-minded people. Rhys and Graham were two and night after night they watched the sky, without success.
But the night the UFO descended on them, the pain and heat in their bodies was intense; suddenly Rhys woke in an odd sort of room, strangers as his companions. The aliens who attended their needs did not speak, but communicated through thought processes. What had happened to them? Where were Cass and Graham?
The aliens informed them that the people in the space ship had been rescued as massive disasters destroyed the earth. They would be taken to a new world where they could start again, rebuild their lives and regain their futures. But things don’t add up. What was happening? What was wrong?
This book was amazing! I don’t usually like the whole alien/UFO/extra-terrestrial type of story, but this was so different! A wonderful concept, with a twist at the end which was so shocking! I loved the story, and would highly recommend it to all.
April 28, 2013
Wow.
When I opened the advance review copy, I had this idea in my mind of Sci-Fi that we all tend to have. You feel like you know what will happen, how it all ends. We all know what people will write if it's about aliens and spaceships.
Not so with Lifeboat.
This was another "read in one go" book for me. I began and didn't want to stop. Cass is so easy to relate to, even if you aren't of the "aliens visit us" mindset. She is a normal woman, with a tragic past, who just happens to have seen a UFO. She reacts in the way anyone would, wanting to know if what she saw was real and wondering if some of the "UFO nuts" out there aren't so crazy.
Ok, so some of them are.
The progression through the book, Cass's history and abduction are all interwoven nicely making it an easy read. Twists and turns pull you forward, leading to the sort of situation in which it's 4am and you should have gone to sleep hours ago.
Turning that last page, bug-eyed and wide-awake again, it definitely worth it.
When I opened the advance review copy, I had this idea in my mind of Sci-Fi that we all tend to have. You feel like you know what will happen, how it all ends. We all know what people will write if it's about aliens and spaceships.
Not so with Lifeboat.
This was another "read in one go" book for me. I began and didn't want to stop. Cass is so easy to relate to, even if you aren't of the "aliens visit us" mindset. She is a normal woman, with a tragic past, who just happens to have seen a UFO. She reacts in the way anyone would, wanting to know if what she saw was real and wondering if some of the "UFO nuts" out there aren't so crazy.
Ok, so some of them are.
The progression through the book, Cass's history and abduction are all interwoven nicely making it an easy read. Twists and turns pull you forward, leading to the sort of situation in which it's 4am and you should have gone to sleep hours ago.
Turning that last page, bug-eyed and wide-awake again, it definitely worth it.
July 30, 2013
If you aren't into science fiction or aliens don't let the cover on A. B. Shepherd's debut novel, Lifeboat, put you off. While the story does have UFOs and aliens it centers on Cass, a woman who must learn how to survive the loss of everything she has ever loved.
I admit that I was extremely tired when I started reading Lifeboat so the changes in time and character at the beginning threw me a bit even though they are clearly labelled. I finally got drawn into the story when it started flowing in a linear timeline which was around a quarter of the way through the book.
Many events in this book played out in unexpected ways. The ending was a complete shock and left me wondering if I had missed things in other parts of the story. Little hints that I thought I had figured out ended up being part of the finale but nothing close to the whole truth.
Read my entire review at Library Girl Reads & Reviews
I admit that I was extremely tired when I started reading Lifeboat so the changes in time and character at the beginning threw me a bit even though they are clearly labelled. I finally got drawn into the story when it started flowing in a linear timeline which was around a quarter of the way through the book.
Many events in this book played out in unexpected ways. The ending was a complete shock and left me wondering if I had missed things in other parts of the story. Little hints that I thought I had figured out ended up being part of the finale but nothing close to the whole truth.
Read my entire review at Library Girl Reads & Reviews
September 22, 2013
Well this book started a little slow. But in the end it kinda explains why. It was a very interesting read though. There was a lot going on and it got a little confusing at times. But that also got explained. I really don’t know how to review this book without giving anything away, but if you are a ufo geek you will love this book. I also liked that it was situated in Australia, I like to travel when I read :)
For the rest I can say that it keeps you interested and it is kind of different. The only thing that wasn’t explained was the very first scene in the beginning. I kept wondering is that true or not? I think you might find it very interesting. It’s not written like the books I usually read, so it took a little getting used to, but it’s not boring or anything.
For the rest I can say that it keeps you interested and it is kind of different. The only thing that wasn’t explained was the very first scene in the beginning. I kept wondering is that true or not? I think you might find it very interesting. It’s not written like the books I usually read, so it took a little getting used to, but it’s not boring or anything.
Read
April 24, 2013Of course I love it! I wrote it!
That was meant to be silly, but in reality I really do love this story. It pretty much told itself - it stepped far outside the outline I had prepared very early on in the process and it took it's own path.
I couldn't wait to get up in the morning to write just so I could find out what would happen next.
Oddly, I still had to be the one to do the hard work of putting it all down for all of us, and editing it over and over again to make sure it was as perfect as I could make it. Go figure!
I hope, in the end, all my hard work was worth it and you love it as much as I do.
That was meant to be silly, but in reality I really do love this story. It pretty much told itself - it stepped far outside the outline I had prepared very early on in the process and it took it's own path.
I couldn't wait to get up in the morning to write just so I could find out what would happen next.
Oddly, I still had to be the one to do the hard work of putting it all down for all of us, and editing it over and over again to make sure it was as perfect as I could make it. Go figure!
I hope, in the end, all my hard work was worth it and you love it as much as I do.
June 20, 2021
“ The low star score is only because I'm pissed that this is apparently the first book in a series but not even the next book is available. And it has a somewhat cliffhanger ending.
I'm SO pissed about that. “
I'm SO pissed about that. “
September 1, 2014
Lifeboat is a book that I look back on with a smile. I won this book in a giveaway and having read the authors second book a short story called The Beacon which was whoa! I was eager to get to the authors first book and full length novel.
Having read it, its one I’ll think of fondly as I recall sitting on the train absorbed in the story only to have a guy a few seats over snoring like a bear in hibernation. Hard to focus on the book but I did, and from time to time sat there with a smile on my face because of this guy and his afternoon snooze.
The story is about a woman who you has had a hard time, to overcome or at least cope with her grief she starts wandering a field nearby and spots a UFO. This moment in her life changes the rest of it as she now has a focus, a direction, a passion. She meets fellow UFO spotters and this leads to a journey of little green men and sucks the reader in like you would not believe.
The characters are well written and while the alternating points of view and time line was slightly confusing I just went with it instead of sitting worrying about it. Cass our protagonist was one who you’ve gotten behind and I went wherever she took me. I liked that I was so absorbed by the story that I just let the story flow and the tight grip it had on me there was no way out till the end, which while I felt was a bit abrupt was so damn shocking you just sit there going oh no no no no wtf no she didn’t the author didn’t omg no why no what huh omg omg omg omg wtf wow wow geez really wow < surprise ending you don’t see coming
I won’t say its not the ending I expected as I didn’t plan it out or try and work it out ahead of time like one is will do with some books. Like I said I let the author and Cass just take me, so just running with the story and yet still being gobsmacked should say a lot about how amazing a job the author does. There is a point where I felt and its hard to get in to without giving a lot away that I felt the characters should have asked a ton of questions and had a confrontation which didn’t take place. After the endless questions earlier in the book which isn’t surprising considering the circumstances this later was to me a bit off.
Gripping, enthralling and highly entertaining. This book rocked. I highly recommend it.
Having read it, its one I’ll think of fondly as I recall sitting on the train absorbed in the story only to have a guy a few seats over snoring like a bear in hibernation. Hard to focus on the book but I did, and from time to time sat there with a smile on my face because of this guy and his afternoon snooze.
The story is about a woman who you has had a hard time, to overcome or at least cope with her grief she starts wandering a field nearby and spots a UFO. This moment in her life changes the rest of it as she now has a focus, a direction, a passion. She meets fellow UFO spotters and this leads to a journey of little green men and sucks the reader in like you would not believe.
The characters are well written and while the alternating points of view and time line was slightly confusing I just went with it instead of sitting worrying about it. Cass our protagonist was one who you’ve gotten behind and I went wherever she took me. I liked that I was so absorbed by the story that I just let the story flow and the tight grip it had on me there was no way out till the end, which while I felt was a bit abrupt was so damn shocking you just sit there going oh no no no no wtf no she didn’t the author didn’t omg no why no what huh omg omg omg omg wtf wow wow geez really wow < surprise ending you don’t see coming
I won’t say its not the ending I expected as I didn’t plan it out or try and work it out ahead of time like one is will do with some books. Like I said I let the author and Cass just take me, so just running with the story and yet still being gobsmacked should say a lot about how amazing a job the author does. There is a point where I felt and its hard to get in to without giving a lot away that I felt the characters should have asked a ton of questions and had a confrontation which didn’t take place. After the endless questions earlier in the book which isn’t surprising considering the circumstances this later was to me a bit off.
Gripping, enthralling and highly entertaining. This book rocked. I highly recommend it.
July 18, 2013
I began reading at the same time as everyone else, but I picked up one of my mother's Harlequin's when I was about 9 and became hooked. I soaked up every story I could read, I didn't care how many chapters it was or who wrote it, what the cover looked like, or what the synopsis said. I had one goal with every book I picked up, I just wanted it to take me to another world. Because I read so much I have always been able to pretty much figure out what is most likely going to happen at the end of each book. Well let me tell you what happened when I read this book.
My review:
In the beginning I was excited by what happened and wanted to know what happened next. This is what happens when you get sucked inside. Then I felt sympathy, confusion and then some awe. When I got closer to the end of the book it went something like this:
Really?? OMG! *clicking page* (so excited) *dances in wheel chair*
No Way! *clicking page* Holy crap it did happen! (even more excited)
*gulp* Omg! She did not just do that!
Then I read the last chapter and it goes something like this:
WTF???? * clicks back several pages* ( did I miss something??)
WTF???? and I just continued to say this for several hours after I read it.
I have never been fooled by a book. Not ever, until now!
The book itself was amazing, I hung onto every word and was so immersed in the story that I forgot to go to sleep. It was the first time I ever felt the need to immediately re-read a book to check if I missed some clues somewhere. So I read the book three times before finally passing out from exhaustion.
I have rated this 5 out of 5 for very obvious reasons and if I could rate it higher I would!
My review:
In the beginning I was excited by what happened and wanted to know what happened next. This is what happens when you get sucked inside. Then I felt sympathy, confusion and then some awe. When I got closer to the end of the book it went something like this:
Really?? OMG! *clicking page* (so excited) *dances in wheel chair*
No Way! *clicking page* Holy crap it did happen! (even more excited)
*gulp* Omg! She did not just do that!
Then I read the last chapter and it goes something like this:
WTF???? * clicks back several pages* ( did I miss something??)
WTF???? and I just continued to say this for several hours after I read it.
I have never been fooled by a book. Not ever, until now!
The book itself was amazing, I hung onto every word and was so immersed in the story that I forgot to go to sleep. It was the first time I ever felt the need to immediately re-read a book to check if I missed some clues somewhere. So I read the book three times before finally passing out from exhaustion.
I have rated this 5 out of 5 for very obvious reasons and if I could rate it higher I would!
November 11, 2013
3.5 Stars. I round up because Goodreads does not accommodate the half star.
In the past, I have not read a lot of UFO fiction, so when I received this, I wasn't sure exactly what to expect. The story starts off with three people watching for a UFO. One arrives, two of the people are abducted, and the man left behind is swept away by a tidal wave (or tsunami--it's described as a wall of water in the book). Then the story starts, alternating between the period prior to the abduction, and the period following the abduction, where the abductees are told the earth was destroyed and they were rescued on this space "lifeboat."
Cass's story prior to the lifeboat is the most interesting and well done part of the book. It is the most human part of the story, pulling on emotional heartstrings and really endearing us to the character. The lifeboat itself is somewhat interesting and propels the story forward as we wonder what will happen to these surviving earthlings. However, what transpires after Cass is deposited at her new home is incredibly strange and doesn't pay off in the end. The question of what is going on is certainly enough to keep the pages turning, but the answer feels like a complete let down.
Due to the story starting with the abduction scene, the time alternating is very confusing initially. The time prior to the abduction is referred to as the "present," even though it's stuff that happened prior to the point in time where the novel began. However, once you get beyond that, the story reads well and sails through, until it fizzles with the explanation at the end.
In the past, I have not read a lot of UFO fiction, so when I received this, I wasn't sure exactly what to expect. The story starts off with three people watching for a UFO. One arrives, two of the people are abducted, and the man left behind is swept away by a tidal wave (or tsunami--it's described as a wall of water in the book). Then the story starts, alternating between the period prior to the abduction, and the period following the abduction, where the abductees are told the earth was destroyed and they were rescued on this space "lifeboat."
Cass's story prior to the lifeboat is the most interesting and well done part of the book. It is the most human part of the story, pulling on emotional heartstrings and really endearing us to the character. The lifeboat itself is somewhat interesting and propels the story forward as we wonder what will happen to these surviving earthlings. However, what transpires after Cass is deposited at her new home is incredibly strange and doesn't pay off in the end. The question of what is going on is certainly enough to keep the pages turning, but the answer feels like a complete let down.
Due to the story starting with the abduction scene, the time alternating is very confusing initially. The time prior to the abduction is referred to as the "present," even though it's stuff that happened prior to the point in time where the novel began. However, once you get beyond that, the story reads well and sails through, until it fizzles with the explanation at the end.
October 1, 2013
Although A.B. Shepherd’s Lifeboat begins with Graham watching helplessly as his friends Cass and Rhys are abducted by an alien ship, Graham is quickly reduced to a minor character in a story with more twists and turns than a Coney Island roller coaster. The main character, readers soon discover, is Cass, a woman who, along with her family, has lost everything, and who is seeking some meaning in her life.
Shepherd uses multiple points of view and shifting timelines to fairly good effect in building tension and suspense in this tale of alien abduction – with a dramatic twist at midpoint that I won’t spoil for potential readers by revealing.
While it was a bit disconcerting at first, the way Shepherd takes us directly to the alien vessel with Rhys, while weaving back and forth in time with Cass from Australia to the ‘lifeboat,’ the longer you read, the more it makes sense, and it certainly helps build the tension.
A good first novel, it does, however, suffer a bit from a few formatting glitches in the e-Book version which was provided to me for review. Chapters run on to each other, which could be fixed rather easily with a few well-placed page breaks in the document file. The opening chapter, written from Graham’s point of view, sets the reader up to expect Graham to appear prominently in later chapters, but alas, he never really does. This might be better told as a third person prologue – but, that’s just my personal bias.
Shepherd has, as I noted earlier, written a good first novel, and one wonders if there might be a sequel in the offing. Lifeboat is scheduled for a December 2013 release, and is recommended reading for ‘future earth’ sci-fi fans.
Shepherd uses multiple points of view and shifting timelines to fairly good effect in building tension and suspense in this tale of alien abduction – with a dramatic twist at midpoint that I won’t spoil for potential readers by revealing.
While it was a bit disconcerting at first, the way Shepherd takes us directly to the alien vessel with Rhys, while weaving back and forth in time with Cass from Australia to the ‘lifeboat,’ the longer you read, the more it makes sense, and it certainly helps build the tension.
A good first novel, it does, however, suffer a bit from a few formatting glitches in the e-Book version which was provided to me for review. Chapters run on to each other, which could be fixed rather easily with a few well-placed page breaks in the document file. The opening chapter, written from Graham’s point of view, sets the reader up to expect Graham to appear prominently in later chapters, but alas, he never really does. This might be better told as a third person prologue – but, that’s just my personal bias.
Shepherd has, as I noted earlier, written a good first novel, and one wonders if there might be a sequel in the offing. Lifeboat is scheduled for a December 2013 release, and is recommended reading for ‘future earth’ sci-fi fans.
June 23, 2013
I was given a copy of this book, in return for an honest review.
HOLY TOLEDO BATMAN!
Lifeboat is a book where a 1000 people were rescued, by aliens, because Earth has been destroyed by the ultimate natural disasters, and I mean in the epic proportions too. Cass, a lonley woman who had lost what meant most to her in her life, had become obsessed with UFO's after seeing one, a few years after the death of her husband and son. She had eventually came to meet up with two UFOlogists by the names of Rhys and Graham. One night while out waiting to see if they would encounter a UFO, Cass & Rhys were taken by aliens, and put on a ship called "Lifeboat". Here they were prepared with the 998 other people who were "saved" to live life on new earth, (earth 500 years later).
Things are just too fabulous when they all first arrive, until Cass and Seamus another survivor set out to make trades at other villages that were set up on the land. Things are awry and Cass and the others try to figure out what's going on, but as they continue to search for answers more and more people mysteriously disappear.
This book is not what I expected at all. At first it was slightly confusing with all the flip flopping around, then it really gets into the whole of the story, and wow it's amazing. With an ending you'd never expected. I must say I was just a little hesitant on reading this, since it's not my usual read, but I'm glad I was contacted, and I'm glad I read it.
HOLY TOLEDO BATMAN!
Lifeboat is a book where a 1000 people were rescued, by aliens, because Earth has been destroyed by the ultimate natural disasters, and I mean in the epic proportions too. Cass, a lonley woman who had lost what meant most to her in her life, had become obsessed with UFO's after seeing one, a few years after the death of her husband and son. She had eventually came to meet up with two UFOlogists by the names of Rhys and Graham. One night while out waiting to see if they would encounter a UFO, Cass & Rhys were taken by aliens, and put on a ship called "Lifeboat". Here they were prepared with the 998 other people who were "saved" to live life on new earth, (earth 500 years later).
Things are just too fabulous when they all first arrive, until Cass and Seamus another survivor set out to make trades at other villages that were set up on the land. Things are awry and Cass and the others try to figure out what's going on, but as they continue to search for answers more and more people mysteriously disappear.
This book is not what I expected at all. At first it was slightly confusing with all the flip flopping around, then it really gets into the whole of the story, and wow it's amazing. With an ending you'd never expected. I must say I was just a little hesitant on reading this, since it's not my usual read, but I'm glad I was contacted, and I'm glad I read it.
Read
September 4, 2013
It was raining thick sheets of water. The sound was deafening as it hit the tiled roofs and slid heavily through the gutters to the ground. As I made my third cup of coffee for the morning, I was longing for a good book I could dig into, curl up in my favourite chair and lose myself in another world. It took me only a few minutes to find and download Lifeboat on the Kindle and I was set...
Like the biblical story of the "Flood", Earth is about to be destroyed by a natural disaster. Cass and Rhys are two of the one thousand humans taken on board the "lifeboat", an alien version of the ark--with the object of repopulating the earth when it's safe to return. I was blown away by this book. I honestly had not expected it to be quite as plausible as it is. I'm a UFO sceptic and I was pulled in from the first page. The plot with its surprising twists and turns kept me hooked. I read it in one sitting-- I had to find outwhat happened. I was gobsmacked by the ending.
But it isn't just the ingenious plot that delighted me. Lifeboat has some stunning writing, beautiful prose and natural authentic dialogue. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a profound reading experience. Left me wondering.
August 19, 2013
I'm not a fan of science fiction... Not even a little bit. But when the buzz about A.B. Shepherd's debut novel, Lifeboat, started getting around, I have to admit, my interest was more than a little peaked. The more I heard about this book, the more I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Well now I know. Yes, Lifeboat has UFOs and aliens, but it has so much more! It is a fabulously written character driven story about a young woman who has lost everything that is important to her and is looking to hold on to that one thing... anything to pull her back into a life worth living. Even the unknown.
A.B. Shepherd does a great job developing her characters through cleverly written chapters that often scan through different periods of time and change character points of view - not an easy skill for an author to master, yet Ms. Shepherd's scenes flow perfectly. Within this story are moments of raw emotion, intrigue, mystery, and even humor (a particularly funny laugh out loud moment for me was the naming of the "four greys" John, Paul, George, and Ringo ... at the same time - there were definite tissue grabbing moments as well.) The story kept me engaged from beginning to end ... & what an ending it was! Great debut. I'm looking forward to reading more works from this author.
A copy of this book was provided to me for an honest review.
A.B. Shepherd does a great job developing her characters through cleverly written chapters that often scan through different periods of time and change character points of view - not an easy skill for an author to master, yet Ms. Shepherd's scenes flow perfectly. Within this story are moments of raw emotion, intrigue, mystery, and even humor (a particularly funny laugh out loud moment for me was the naming of the "four greys" John, Paul, George, and Ringo ... at the same time - there were definite tissue grabbing moments as well.) The story kept me engaged from beginning to end ... & what an ending it was! Great debut. I'm looking forward to reading more works from this author.
A copy of this book was provided to me for an honest review.
July 3, 2013
Wow! Interesting book...and so not what I expected, I have to say! I don't want to say too much about it, because really, this is a mystery, if wrapped in a science fiction/UFO packaging. I will say it's not exactly an easy story to read in some ways, although it's an extremely fast read, meaning, a definite page-turner for me. Once I got sucked in, I couldn't stop reading until I knew what had happened, and what was really going on, in terms of the unfolding mysterious events. I really doubt much of anyone will be able to guess the ending. The basic premise is that Cass, who lost her husband and young son in a car crash only a few years earlier, becomes obsessed with UFOs, and joins a local chapter of folks who claim to have had similar experiences, or who just happen to have an interest in UFOs. Through them, Cass gets involved with a group of UFO-ologists, and things only get weirder fromm there. Cass is an easy heroine to sympathize with. She's got a lot of emotional stuff to deal with, and you can't help but sympathize with her and her plight, which really carries you through the rest of the story, even as it also makes it harder to watch her try to cope with some of the bizarre occurrences. Very well done...I will definitely check out more of this author's work!
August 7, 2013
I was given a copy of this in return for an honest review. I have to say that I really enjoyed this book, it was a bit slow and confusing(how it kept changing around) at the very start but then I got into the story and I couldn't put it down and flew through it!! The Characters where really interesting and I loved that there was an Irish person(of course I would being Irish myself hahaha). The book is about a woman, Cass, who has lost her family , but finds an interest in UFO's. Then a natural disaster happens destroying the planet, but 1000 people are saved and put on a lifeboat and brought to a new life, but it isn't what it seems as something is up, people start to disappear.
This was a really enjoyable read. Don't get turned off by the confusing start, it get really good and I have to say, I never expected the ending to this book, one of the best I have had in a long while!!!, you will really like it!!!! I would really recommend this and I will to my friends. So get out there and buy it!!
This was a really enjoyable read. Don't get turned off by the confusing start, it get really good and I have to say, I never expected the ending to this book, one of the best I have had in a long while!!!, you will really like it!!!! I would really recommend this and I will to my friends. So get out there and buy it!!
August 13, 2016
I think the author must have had a lot of fun writing this book. At first you think it is going to be a standard story of Alien abduction but then it turns out to be much weirder than that.
Cass is a young woman in a small South Australian town struggling to get her life back on track after the death of her husband and son a few years ago. She has moved to a depressing flat in town and has a boring job at a supermarket. She has trouble sleeping and spends her nights walking the local paddocks on the look-out for UFOs. Once, many years ago she believes she saw a UFO and hopes one day it will return. In search of information and others who have shared her experience she starts attending a local UFO society where she meets two ufologists who are researching sightings for a book they are writing. Together they stake out a few likely places where UFOs have been sighted and that is when the fun begins.
Cass is a young woman in a small South Australian town struggling to get her life back on track after the death of her husband and son a few years ago. She has moved to a depressing flat in town and has a boring job at a supermarket. She has trouble sleeping and spends her nights walking the local paddocks on the look-out for UFOs. Once, many years ago she believes she saw a UFO and hopes one day it will return. In search of information and others who have shared her experience she starts attending a local UFO society where she meets two ufologists who are researching sightings for a book they are writing. Together they stake out a few likely places where UFOs have been sighted and that is when the fun begins.
August 19, 2013
I pick up Lifeboat thinking I would just read a few pages to get an idea if I would want to read this book. I was hooked a few pages turned into more and more pages. Soon I was halfway finished with the book. Lifeboat grabs on to you and will not let you go. It is about Cass her inner demons and what happens to her when she is taken aboard an alien ship called a Lifeboat. What happened on Earth and what will happen to Cass? You will have to read Lifeboat to find out. Taken the journey on the Lifeboat with Cass. If you are like me you will enjoy the journey.
I was given Lifeboat to review and happy I was given the chance.
I was given Lifeboat to review and happy I was given the chance.
July 17, 2013
I was given a copy of “Lifeboat” by the author, A.B. Shepherd, in exchange for an honest review. I liked the story. It is told in the first person, through the eyes of mainly two people. The story kept my interest, wanting to see what happened next. The whole flavor reminded me of the old “Twilight Zone” series that I loved as a kid, they always left me thinking “what??” Overall a good read. I give the book 3 stars.
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August 13, 2016This is not only an original storyline, which I don't see much because I read so many books, but a very well-written story. I don't read a lot of suspense because my heart just can't take it. LOL Lifeboat definitely kept me guessing and I was enthralled, wanting to know what would happen to Cass and the others. I was a little confused at the beginning because I couldn't figure out the timing, but once I got on track, I couldn't put it down.
May 13, 2013
What a great story for a first time author. Science fiction is not my chosen genre to read and I found myself absorbed in the story to the end. There are a number of typing errors still evident and a few errors with colloquial speech but these do not detract from the story. The suspense is held right up to the end of the book which keeps the reader engaged.
June 1, 2013
If you like reading Books but not quite into SciFI. This is a book that will get u interested in it.
It's a page turner and the Characters are engaging and makes you want to keep reading until the end.
I loved the book and cannot wait to read more from this Author.
A great book all around. Perfect for reading on a short traveling trip.
Buy the book and you will not be disappointed.
It's a page turner and the Characters are engaging and makes you want to keep reading until the end.
I loved the book and cannot wait to read more from this Author.
A great book all around. Perfect for reading on a short traveling trip.
Buy the book and you will not be disappointed.
July 17, 2013
At about the 25 - 30% mark I was totally sucked into the story and had to know what was going on. Never saw the ending coming. Read my full review at Girl Who Reads
July 9, 2013
This is a great book. Yes it is about UFO's but nothing like you have ever read before. Once you start reading you will not want to stop & the story keeps you guessing. New author & this is her first book & it is a doozy. Can't wait to read what she thinks up next!!!
May 15, 2014
I loved this book. It's a Sy-Fy thriller that you wouldn't except the ending. The main characters blend well together. I can't wait till the next book from this author comes out. The ending left me speechless. Can't say enough good things about A.B. Shepherd
May 29, 2013
Great read, could not put it down. This was not the type of books I normally read, but I really enjoyed it. Surprise ending was wonderful!
June 9, 2013
Very interesting story line and easy style that kept me glued page after page. I can't wait to read more from this author.
March 26, 2014
interesting reading.
A pleasant read. After I was midway thru the book I didn't stop until I finished. The writing was very descriptive, interesting, and a good read.
A pleasant read. After I was midway thru the book I didn't stop until I finished. The writing was very descriptive, interesting, and a good read.
August 29, 2023
Not my cup of tea.
September 6, 2015
SPOILERS!!
First off, the writing isn't bad, I can see promise here. I do have trouble with the Aussie vernacular. It's written poorly, overdone, it reminds me of a sitcom with an American trying to play an Aussie and just not quite getting it right. I'll assume the writer is not a native Australian, or not based in Australia, as they miss out on that point.
Here are the spoilers -
I'm sorry to post spoilers, but the problems I have with this book can only be discussed with spoilers. The opening sequence gives the ending away in the first few lines, so no surprises there. The next problem is describing the tsunami as seen by someone left behind. This does nothing for the story as we find out there was no tsunami at all. Why was it written into the book?
The chapters about the trip on the space ship develop characters and show their confusion and suffering aboard the 'lifeboat'. We have detailed descriptions of Rhys' life aboard the ship and interacting with these characters. If they were only holograms why do we have this extensive description of these characters and the time aboard the ship with them? They didn't exist and Cassie never sees or interacts with them on the ship so it seems rediculous to write about these moments.
And what about the tsunami and description of the moment they are taken?
To me it seems like the writer set up a plot she had no idea how to get out of so she just wrote an ending that was out of the blue and totally unplanned, then she forgot to go back and correct the errors in the plot that make her ending implausible and ill fitting with the story.
If rescued by aliens as it was so important for earthlings to survive, why did NONE of the aliens show any concern when the people started to go missing, and why didn't the humans turn to the advanced aliens for help? It makes no sense at all.
I'm sorry, but this isn't a good book, and the hubris of the author to leave questions for book discussion is laughable. Even the questions serve to show the glaring plot holes and errors.
I give two stars as there are no major editing issues and the writing isn't bad ... It just isn't good, either.
First off, the writing isn't bad, I can see promise here. I do have trouble with the Aussie vernacular. It's written poorly, overdone, it reminds me of a sitcom with an American trying to play an Aussie and just not quite getting it right. I'll assume the writer is not a native Australian, or not based in Australia, as they miss out on that point.
Here are the spoilers -
I'm sorry to post spoilers, but the problems I have with this book can only be discussed with spoilers. The opening sequence gives the ending away in the first few lines, so no surprises there. The next problem is describing the tsunami as seen by someone left behind. This does nothing for the story as we find out there was no tsunami at all. Why was it written into the book?
The chapters about the trip on the space ship develop characters and show their confusion and suffering aboard the 'lifeboat'. We have detailed descriptions of Rhys' life aboard the ship and interacting with these characters. If they were only holograms why do we have this extensive description of these characters and the time aboard the ship with them? They didn't exist and Cassie never sees or interacts with them on the ship so it seems rediculous to write about these moments.
And what about the tsunami and description of the moment they are taken?
To me it seems like the writer set up a plot she had no idea how to get out of so she just wrote an ending that was out of the blue and totally unplanned, then she forgot to go back and correct the errors in the plot that make her ending implausible and ill fitting with the story.
If rescued by aliens as it was so important for earthlings to survive, why did NONE of the aliens show any concern when the people started to go missing, and why didn't the humans turn to the advanced aliens for help? It makes no sense at all.
I'm sorry, but this isn't a good book, and the hubris of the author to leave questions for book discussion is laughable. Even the questions serve to show the glaring plot holes and errors.
I give two stars as there are no major editing issues and the writing isn't bad ... It just isn't good, either.
October 12, 2014
I acquired this e-book through the Early Reviewer's giveaway at LibraryThing in APRIL LAST YEAR, and had read the first 30 or 40 pages, but only got to finish it when I was admitted to hospital this week, so I must apologise first to LibraryThing and A.B. Shepherd for how long it has taken me to write a review.
I found the first 30 or 40 pages hard going, hard to get into because of the way the characters were introduced, or perhaps just because of my increasingly tenuous physical and mental state. Once I took the book up again this week though, I found it increasingly absorbing and well written (apart from a few irksome spelling and grammatical errors which some additional proofreading should have picked up - although as I am a trained proofreader perhaps the average reader wouldn't notice).
When the seemingly idyllic lifestyle of the survivors of the end of the Earth starts to unravel, and they start vanishing slowly, the build-up in tension from the time Cass and Seamus discover the next village over is deserted right up to the surprise ending is very well developed. (I did sort of guess the ending, but didn't take my guess far enough so was pleasantly surprised that I had not guessed the whole truth.)
As the first book by a (now only) newish author, an amazing achievement. A solid 4 1/2 stars out of 5.
Highly recommended.
I found the first 30 or 40 pages hard going, hard to get into because of the way the characters were introduced, or perhaps just because of my increasingly tenuous physical and mental state. Once I took the book up again this week though, I found it increasingly absorbing and well written (apart from a few irksome spelling and grammatical errors which some additional proofreading should have picked up - although as I am a trained proofreader perhaps the average reader wouldn't notice).
When the seemingly idyllic lifestyle of the survivors of the end of the Earth starts to unravel, and they start vanishing slowly, the build-up in tension from the time Cass and Seamus discover the next village over is deserted right up to the surprise ending is very well developed. (I did sort of guess the ending, but didn't take my guess far enough so was pleasantly surprised that I had not guessed the whole truth.)
As the first book by a (now only) newish author, an amazing achievement. A solid 4 1/2 stars out of 5.
Highly recommended.
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