Review: Semi-Terrestrial Beginnings

This book follows a rich sheltered boy named Donald Thurston Waldheim who suffers
from hemophilia. While out exploring, he finds an alien ship deep within a cavern. As he enters
the ship he finds a dead alien. Donald gets some of the alien’s goo on him which healed his
hemophilia. He returns to his house to find it being attacked by pirates. To his surprise, this alien
goo has provided him with new powers to heal, making him invincible. He is able to fight and kill
the pirates with this ability. Unfortunately, the rest of his family and servants are dead except
one. But, empowered by his new abilities Donald travels the world and from time to time
unleashes vigilante justice. While Donald is sleeping, he has constant dreams about flying the
spaceship. In other dreams, a giant space spider teaches him other alien techniques, as well as
other alien lore about other races.

Another character in this story is Karen Jefferies, a hit woman who finds a crystal shard
in a glass jar. Donald is also looking for this shard and through their travels they meet and fall in
love at first sight. But before they can live happily ever after, Donald has to help Karen kill a drug
kingpin. Donald using his alien powers helps Karen kill the drug kingpin and his goons and then
they live happily ever after, or until the next book.

The book feels like two stories mushed haphazardly together. One is about a boy getting
alien powers and the other is a thriller about a hit woman. They don’t seem to fit very well.
Also, Donald feels way too much like a Mary Sue. I never sensed that he was in much danger or
he really had to learn anything. For example, Donald didn’t know how to do something so the
alien spider touched his forehead and suddenly he could do the thing he needed to do. Why not
just touch his forehead and give him the cure for Alzheimer’s while he’s at it? When tensions
would rise, I wouldn’t worry too much about Donald’s safety because he could turn himself
invisible and he was already invincible. Also, the love story between Donald and Karen doesn’t
seem realistic. When they met, I thought they would be killing each other for the crystal shard
not falling head over heels for each other. I also don’t feel like Donald learned anything at all or
really grew. It felt like just things happen the end.

However, it’s hard to judge a sci-fi book like this just on the first book. The book Dune
was a long read before you get to the second part. This book doesn’t really pick up until Donald
and Karen meet. Maybe the 2nd book in the series, Vigilance will blow me away. Maybe it’s just I
had to eat my vegetables before I could eat my steak.

All five book of the Semi-Terrestrial series is currently being sold on Amazon.