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Jacen Aster
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The Chronicles of Henry Harper Kindle Edition

by Jacen Aster (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 31 ratings
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When Henry was coerced into writing his memoirs by a pretty face and a vicious pair of puppy dog eyes, he wasn't expecting anything to come of it. He certainly wasn't expecting to be thrust into galactic prominence. Nor was he expecting the fan mail, death threats, marriage proposals, or people doubting his sanity. Well…maybe he half-expected that last one.

He might be 'just' an engineer...but Henry has seen some nearly unbelievable things in his decades of service. From humanity's first faster-than-light experiments to plants that try to eat colonies and planets that rove from star system to star system with the help of alien technology. He might not believe he's seen it all, yet, but he's come far closer than most. Come, sit down and let him tell you about it...

------------------------------------------------------From the author:------------------------------------------------------
The Chronicles of Henry Harper was first imagined when I thought to myself the following: "Why are sci-fi novels always about ship captains and action heroes? Where are the riveting memoirs of Star Trek's Montgomery Scott or the fascinating adventures of James Bond's Q? I mulled the idea over for months, recognizing the inherent problems in telling a story from the perspective on an engineer, quickly realizing why it wasn't a thing really done. Not only did an author have to get around the issue of the engineer not being in command much of time, not being the guiding/driving force of his ship or equivalent, but engineering solutions had to be kept down to something the layman (and the poor author for that matter) could actually understand...while being interesting to boot!

Eventually, I wrote the short story that became the basis for the first chapter of this novel. It was so well received by everyone that read it, that I gained the courage to tackle a much larger work, featuring the engineer I'd created. I settled many of the issues quickly, by giving the book a rather unique structure...but it still took me the better part of 18 months to finish the massive undertaking! In the end, however, I've been gratified to see my efforts pay off with quite a few positive comments and reviews. Here's hoping that you enjoy my book just as much as they did!
-Jacen Aster
------------------------------------------------------


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  1. Print length
    259 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    December 16, 2016
  5. File size
    2398 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
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  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01M6YX29L
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (December 16, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 16, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2398 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 259 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1370329849
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 31 ratings

About the author

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Jacen Aster

Jacen Aster

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Jacen Aster is probably sane, and you really shouldn't listen to rumors that tell you otherwise. You know, just in case. There's an awful lot of people that claim being a writer requires a certain type of insanity, possibly multiple types of insanity. I assure you, however, that rumors of his sanity (or lack there of) have been greatly exaggerated.

Regardless of his state of sanity, Jacen Aster enjoys long walks in the park, piña coladas and being caught in the- Wait, no, that's not right at all. No, Jacen Aster has never had a piña colada, and only knows what they are because he got curious when he first watched Shrek. No, he's much more a whiskey man. Having lived in the St. Louis area of Missouri for most of his youth, he also doesn't particularly enjoy getting caught in the ran. Rain in that foul swamp of a region means thunderstorms, and while lightning is cool to watch, thunderstorms every night for months on end is something that gets old quickly.

Onto things he does like! Aside from writing and devouring sci-fi and fantasy works, he thoroughly enjoys travel. He has visited the majority of the United Sates, and against all rational expectations, his two trips out of country so far were not to Canada or Mexico, but to Egypt and the United Kingdom. The reason for this is really quite simple, he likes history far more than he likes people and those places are steeped in periods of history he particularly enjoys. He has a nasty case of wanderlust, which he really rather hopes is permanent, and hopes someday to actually have enough money to travel to all the places he wants to go.

Because of his love of travel, he currently keeps no pets, and while he resides once again in the St. Louis area currently, he is unlikely to stay there longer than necessary. He has a strong aversion to humidity, and St. Louis is one of the worst offenders, second only to the coast of Texas in summer. He hopes to wander over to the east coast for a while, though preferably not during hurricane season as he has a powerful fear of a shark decapitating him as it flies through his bedroom window. Irrational? Perhaps. But all the best fears are.

If you want to know more about this fascinating and not-crazy individual, check out his blog: The Discordant Dreams of Electric Sheep.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
31 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Rachael S Hasler
5.0 out of 5 stars I bought this book because Jacen is a good friend of my Son in Law Matthew
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2016
Verified Purchase
I bought this book because Jacen is a good friend of my Son in Law Matthew. I love to read and have certainly made the same decision more than once: with very mixed results.

I am VERY PLEASED to say that I am finding this novel to be one of the better decisions of this type that I've made. It is QUITE entertaining. I hope is working on another.

I have followed him on Amazon and look forward to reading more of his work in the future.

NICE WORK Jacen.
2 people found this helpful
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J C Steel
4.0 out of 5 stars Spaceships, aliens and fan mail
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2017
Henry Harper is first and foremost an engineer – as well an adventurer and an unintentional story-teller. From humanity’s first fast-then-light drive, he’s been aboard the ships and behind the scenes (and the floor panels) at any number of the most crucial moments of the history of space exploration. From first contacts with new species to rescued royalty, his life has spanned the galaxy, and his collection of friends in useful places is essentially unmatchable. When he was finally sweet-talked into sharing some of his stories, he wasn’t expecting the level of interest they attracted - or the fan mail.

The Chronicles of Henry Harper offers an unusual structural twist, in that the book is presented as a series of short memoirs presented by Henry Harper, each prefaced with an in-character except. Given that I’m not particularly keen on short stories, and have virtually no sense of humour, I admit that I approached this book with a certain amount of wariness. I’m happy to say that my apprehension was completely misplaced on both counts. The structure was extremely well-handled, and the stories were, in places, laugh-out-loud funny.

Henry makes a great protagonist, and both the crises he faces and the solutions he comes up with are original and imaginative, making the pacing excellent throughout. The wide range of species and cultures the book includes made for a series of great backdrops, although many of the aliens’ reactions were essentially human, which was one of the very few things I found to be a weakness in the book. I felt that given so many species, more use could have been made of the differences between them. This was a fun, funny read, light-hearted and well-written – certainly worth recommending to all the sci-fi fans out there.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
One person found this helpful
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Lawman
5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and well worth reading
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2017
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I bought a copy of The Chronicles of Henry Harper on the recommendation of a friend. I was not disappointed. The way the story was told was very interesting, the characters were fascinating, and the story told throughout the various chronicles was a pleasure to see unfold. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys sci-if, or just a well told tale.
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sls4ak
2.0 out of 5 stars Semi-organized ramble.
Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2017
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The list of grievances against this work is longer than the accolades. Most sentences are coherent, some characters are well sketched, and some of those are indeed endearing. A strong editor is needed. The e-book lacks many small words, verb tenses are occasionally mixed, and the point of view is inconsistent. This is more of a loosely connected short stories than a novel. The worldbuilding is sketchy at best. I have no desire to read more from this author. If memory serves I liked 'electric sheep' no better than I enjoyed Henry Harper.

Undoubtedly some will find these stories to be a fun romp through space. Buyer beware, this is not for all tastes. No profanity, gratuitous sex, or extreme violence. Suitable for all ages. It is just not as polished as I wish it were.
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bookwatcher
5.0 out of 5 stars so cool
Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2018
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ive reread this book a couple times. so many things happen in each story and all the characters are just fun and fit together. its a nice relaxing book with a variety that keeps me reading.
2 people found this helpful
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Logan
5.0 out of 5 stars The most fun I have had reading in awhile.
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2017
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Fantastic! This book has been sitting in my library for awhile. I don't even remember buying it, but I am glad I did! I had a blast reading it, I definitely didn't get teary eyed at the end...
2 people found this helpful
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Gordon A. Long
4.0 out of 5 stars Sci-Fi Fun in Space
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2016
This book is not quite a novel, but it’s close enough to be treated as one. It is a series of short stories closely knit together by the main character and many of the supporting cast. It is a standard Space Opera: slightly melodramatic, often humorous, not overly realistic. For example, alien species are mammalian enough to suggest interspecies cooperation of an intimate nature. Pure Star Trek. However there is serious enough empathy with the characters and a realistic enough plot line to create a serious thematic vein as well. People we really like actually die.
The main character, Henry Harper, is a mechanical genius who works at the cutting edge of earth’s expansion into space at a time when the ability to engineer by the seat of his pants allows him to save the day in a series of incidents throughout his adventurous life. For most of these tales he is an older fellow, allowing him to play the avuncular mentor to a series of young and desirable space cowgirls, rounding out the expected female balance in the story.
One standout point in the writing that will impress the more scientific-minded reader is that the author gives us, simply and in one paragraph, a perfectly logical explanation of how Einstein’s Theory of Relativity can be adapted to faster-than-light travel. Not bad.
Regular Sci-Fi readers will find this book a light, fun read with a tenuous connection to reality, either in futuristic science or realistic characterization. Space Opera fans will find this book exactly what they want in all departments. I enjoyed it as much on the second read-through as I did on the first.
Recommended for all Science Fiction readers, and especially Space Opera fans.
4 people found this helpful
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W. A. Birdsong
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2018
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Very good read, enjoyed it, immensely. Thanks for the stories and look forward to more. Have a good one! Bill b
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Top reviews from other countries

A. Butler
5.0 out of 5 stars Original, humerous and well written
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 12, 2020
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What a great set of stories. All involve the central character, Henry Harper. Sideways thinking engineer who gets the job done somehow.

Lots of subtle humour with nicely believeable characterisations. One of the best books I've read in a long time.
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Dr Gary Young
5.0 out of 5 stars A jolly good read .
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 5, 2019
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A real change in Sci-fi , this was written from the perspective of an engineer , resulting in a great read . It consists of a number of short stories but with a connection running through . Highly recommended .
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