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Nathan Hystad

First Life (The River Saga Book One) Paperback – January 20, 2022

by Nathan Hystad (Author)

1,354 ratings

Book 1 of 4: The River Saga

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A dangerous expedition. Extraterrestrial alliances. Unpredictable enemies.

Colton Beck has six months to live. He works for the Angor near Los Angeles, aware that any day could be his last.

The Angor arrived twenty years ago, resolved to help mankind survive, but not everyone believes their motives are honorable.

When the Angor offer humanity a colony world, Colton is determined to see another planet before his final breath. He’s been diagnosed with Xeno, a rare disorder that surfaced with the Angor’s arrival, but he won’t let this stop him.

With the help of his old friend Indie Hart, now the single most powerful human on Earth, he joins the Expedition to Dicore.

They access the River, an alien technology that allows nearly instantaneous travel between worlds, and their universe is quickly expanded.

What they find on Dicore is far from idyllic, and Colton struggles to navigate their new existence while coping with his impending death.

First Life is a gripping science fiction adventure tale from the Best-Selling author of The Event, Lost Contact, and Final Days.

*******Peace by the Stars*******

Print length

445 pages
Language

English
Publication date

January 20, 2022
Dimensions

5 x 1.12 x 8 inches
ISBN-13

979-8405720036
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09QNZWQYW
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (January 20, 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 445 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8405720036
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.06 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 1.12 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #779,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,757 in Colonization Science Fiction
- #4,226 in Exploration Science Fiction
- #6,606 in First Contact Science Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
1,354 ratings

About the author

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Nathan Hystad

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Nathan Hystad is the best-selling author of The Event and Lost Contact. He writes about alien invasion, first contact, colonization, and everything else he devoured growing up. He's had hundreds of thousands of copies sold and read, and loves the fact he's been able to reach so many amazing readers with his stories.

Nathan's written over thirty novels, including The Survivors, Baldwin's Legacy, and The Resistance.

He's also done mystery/thrillers with Red Creek, Return to Red Creek, and Lights Over Cloud Lake.

All of Nathan's books are available in audio.

Get Constantine, a free story set in the Baldwin's Legacy universe by signing up for his newsletter at www.nathanhystad.com

The Bridge Sequence

Lost Contact

Lost Time

Lost Hope

Space Race

Space Battle

Space Strike

The Survivors

The Event

New Threat

New World

The Ancients

The Theos

Old Enemy

New Alliance

The Gatekeepers

The Academy

Old World

New Discovery

Old Secrets

The Deities

New Beginning

New Lies

The Colony

Baldwin's Legacy

Confrontation

Unification

Culmination

Hierarchy

Lineage

Legacy

The Resistance

Rift

Revenge

Return

Red Creek

Return to Red Creek

Lights Over Cloud Lake

The Manuscript

Customer reviews

5 star		63%
4 star		28%
3 star		7%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

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Rabid Reader

Earth is being helped, or is it?

Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2022

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Nathan Hystad outdoes himself with First Life (The River Saga Book One). Earth, in trouble after years of Climate change and Technological mismanagement, is saved in the nick of time by the Angor race of aliens.

Humans and Angors sign the Unity Accord and changes happen quickly all over the planet. Most new Angor cities are located on the coasts. The interior of the country is used to grow food.

Among other things that are changed is the air quality. But the Angor make a terrible error, for a small percentage of the population, they contract a fatal disease called Xeno.

Colton Beck from Fayetteville, Arkansas is one of the unfortunate people who contracts Xeno. His parents beg him to stay in Arkansas but he decides to seek what's left of his life in the Angor city in Los Angeles.

Hold on to your hat because the rest of this book is like being on a rollercoaster in the dark. When you think you've figured out what is going on, Slam! You're shoved blindly in another direction.

I threw my reader down, yelling, "No, you can't DO that!" at least 10 times including the end of this book. I am literally going right over to my book vendor and buying the next one. Incredible!

17 people found this helpful

Helpful

DaveInTucson

Can't wait for the next installment in this series

Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2022

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I think I've read all the books and series Nathan has written to date. I was waiting for a new series to begin when I heard about First Life. I got an advanced copy, it was so good I purchased a copy for my own library. Nathan is a story teller. His words pull you into the story and lets your mind create the picture as you see it.

It is hard to wait for the next two installments of this series. If you love good writing and science fiction you will love everything Nathan writes.

Don't hesitate to read this first book of the series. You will love the characters and the twists and turns along the way.

16 people found this helpful

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Mike Keller

Colton Beck is the key to the Angors' plans for Earth

Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2022

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Colton Beck was young when the Angor arrived on Earth and changed the world's future forever. Joining the Angor's Unity Accord brought vast improvements to life on Earth. Diseases are cured, famine and pestilence are relegated to the past. The only thing they couldn't fix was afflicting Colton. Xeno is a condition that afflicts a tiny percentage of humans, a side effect of changes the Angor made to Earth's atmosphere. Colton has been told that he would be dead in six months. His best friend from his childhood, Indie Hart, had moved to Florida when her family had been given important positions working for the Angor.

The next step of the Accord was a colony on another world. Ten thousand were chosen to travel the River to their new planet, Dicore. The River is a passage between the stars connecting the Angor with their allied races. The humans would help the Angors build the connection of Dicore to the River. Indie Hart was to be the leader of the ten thousand on Dicore. Colton managed to become part of the colonists even though no one with Xeno was allowed on the journey. He knew he would be dead shortly after arriving on Dicore, but knew it was worth it to see the new world with his own eyes.

The truth of the Unity Accord becomes known to Colton and Indie. Much more is involved with the agreement than they'd been told or even imagined. Much more is the role of the Dicore colony than is expected. The Xeno condition's role in the Unity is a secret that will change everything.

Outstanding characters and a building storyline brings amazing twists and turns. What you think you know changes every few pages! Now I can't wait to read the next installment of this series. Outstanding!

10 people found this helpful

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MKrugel

I didn't expect this at all

Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2022

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**Personal Restrictions (14+) vith violence, and adult situations**
I bought this on a whim, but I'm certainly glad I did, while it starts as any other sci-fi, as you read you realize its so much more, as you progress you descover more about the world you're reading. You learn more as the characters do and the more you read the more intriguing it becomes! I'll definitely be waiting for book 2..

11 people found this helpful

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Haunted Reader

Why Did Aliens Choose Earth? What is Their Hidden Agenda?

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2022

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First in the new Series THE RIVER, FIRST LIFE is an exciting "near future" Science Fiction novel set in 2059 [so, only 37 years into the future; really, no time at all]. The Aliens came, and the Aliens took over.
Sure, they repaired the Climate, provided employment and housing, concentrated on Coastal regions letting the Interior fall into disrepair. Sure, they seem Benevolent.
But: what do they really want? Whence did they travel? Why choose a planet admittedly in deterioration and a top-level race (humanity) so close to self-extinction?

Why?? Why Earth? Why now? What next?

7 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Steve

quite interesting, but interesting enough?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 28, 2022

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Once you understand that nothing you are told means anything in the long term, you start to read the story plot details and just dump that "knowledge" and plod on. There are plenty of twists and turns but very little you can't see coming a mile off.
The overall plot is basically sound, but after a while I found myself disengaging from it mainly because I got fed up with keeping track of what fact we knew and what we thought we knew. It's not that I don't like mysteries or thrillers, but I didn't like this one.
By a coincidence and sheer bad luck, this is the third book on the trot I've read which pits humans against huge killer scorpion type creatures that attack in swarms. I'm done with this trend for alien creatures.
Strange things happen that seem to defy logic. For example, the remains of a fortified alien colony buildings, that the settlers move to; they know nothing of the race that built it but no one queries the fact that the dimensions of doorways, passages, room sizes, type of light supplied, etc is a perfect match for what they want. No one says "these aliens must be very similar to us".
There are many questions left unanswered at the end of book 1 - to lure you buying book2. As book 2 isn't released yet (at the time of writing this) I am given sufficient pause to consider whether or not I want to buy book 2. On balance - especially with the high price tag attached to it - I think not.

One person found this helpful

Louise

Great twist, in a super galaxy crossing story.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 25, 2022

Verified Purchase

So Mr Hystad does it again!
I'm yet to pick up a book of his I've been disappointed by, so I'm afraid you are getting a biased review here because I love his stories, they are just so easy to fall into and get caught up in his characters and the intrigues surrounding them.
I was fortunate enough to get an early reading of First Life and throughly enjoyed it. Alien invasion, alien virus, but the aliens are doing all they can to help the humans in life and technology, including support in the virus they have brought....
The resistance are not convinced nor are others and our protagonist who has the virus also questions their motives; but dying and beyond caring, does all he can to get on one of the ships bound for the new world promised to humanity by the aliens.
Once on the ship the humans realise their destination may not be as hopeful as promised and once on the planet the action ramps up.
Fun characters, good plot with many twists and turns and yet more to come, as the humans discover they are caught up in a huge galactic web of intrigue and war where they will be fighting for their very existence.
Can't wait for the next 2 books!!

Big John

LOOK TO THE STARS

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 31, 2022

Verified Purchase

I found this book was quite slow to start but it eventually got going although it still has many twists and turns with I am sure even more to follow.
Colton's friend Indie is turning out to be an enemy of the humans, hopefully all will eventually be released in the following books.
Well worth the effort and I recommend this book, looking forward to the next two books.

Penelope

First Life

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 1, 2022

Verified Purchase

Couldn’t put the book down. Got right into the characters . I also appreciated your command of the written language ( no profanities). Looking forward to the next book in “The River Saga”.
.

Bram Stanway

Disappointed

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 26, 2022

Verified Purchase

Poorly written, very poor

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