NOTE. This is an enlarged print edition based on APH guidelines (justified 16pt Times New Roman).
"there's a difference between being a loner and being alone" A 3.5 year mission from which they'll never return, a 2.5 million lightyear journey to another galaxy, a 1.5 member crew comprising a solitary captain and a half-baked AI...
Captain Sideris is a loner and knows LETO ships like nobody else, having risen to command the Lunar-Earth construction fleet, as they build ships to mine asteroids and colonize Mars. Suddenly he finds the colonization effort is for another planet, in another galaxy, and he's the sole human guinea pig being gated through a wormhole with an AI playing Noah to LETO SS Casindra's ark.
Everything goes well as he starts to survey four planets they plan to exploit, as he gets to know emergent AI 'Al', as he discovers he's building a special relationship with empathic cat 'Simba'. Problem is message drones gated home are not being returned per protocol, with little explanation, no supplies, and some cryptic and disturbing messages.
Part survival story, part mystery, Casindra Lost is a gripping sci-fi tale in the tradition of Clarke and Asimov, set within the multi-author Paradisi Chronicles universe. The first book in the Lost Mission Series, it answers the questions behind the lost missions that set the stage for Paradisi's epic colonization stories while somehow disappearing from history.
It's not the old man and the sea, but the old man and the galaxy.
It's not Alice down the rabbithole, but Sideris down the wormhole.Praise and Awards for the Lost Mission SeriesCasindra Lost won the Gold
Medal in Science Fiction in the 2021 Global Book Awards for Self-Publishing as a standalone SciFi Adventure. SS Moraturi is sent to join SS Casindra but nothing is heard of either of them again. Moraturi Lost won Silver
in Science Fiction/Adventure. Moraturi Ring won Silver
for Science Fiction Series in the 2021 Global Book Awards."A Deep Space Adventure with Thought-Provoking Themes" - GM Reads
"A wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn settings and characters." - Piaras
"This was like a glimpse into the future, we will someday be taking similar missions. I would call this a must read for sci-fi fans." - K Puck
"This is a thought-provoking book because of the moral conundrums raised by the encounters with artificial intelligence. It's engrossing and engaging for fans of survival fiction and space travel." - V.E.
"The book contains the right humour, the right action, quality use of language, suspense and its sure to keep you thinking as you read through." - Nikki Wolters
"If you enjoyed The Martian, and were looking for something better than Ad Astra, Casindra Lost is for you " - Guy Wheatley
'Ward combines a simple but captivating style with gripping language. The vivid and graphic descriptions of the setting, together with the development of the complex characters, make the story just unputdownable.' -Alfredo Romano on Amazon
'Not only is the premise executed brilliantly with an extraordinary setting and mind-boggling plot twists, but also the book is so fast-paced that I was completely immersed. Without a doubt, Ward created an extraordinary masterpiece.' -Liz on Amazon
'A top-notch sci-fi adventure with strong characterization. A RED RIBBON WINNER and highly recommended.' -The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
