Eden

Imagine living in an enclosed space with your boyfriend. Imagine living in an enclosed space with your exboyfriend.

Jennifer Daykin, scientist and astronaut with human frailties, escapes a life of failed relationships and joins a small crew in deep space. Matt Green is part of the crew and he makes it plain he hasn’t forgiven her for her dumping of him.

Eden is re-awakening from a long icy winter, but Jenny falls in love with the untouched world. Exploring, the three discover a crashed UFO.

‘You don’t think alien beings could still be in the ship?’

‘But we’re not talking anybody, are we?’

A story of survival, romance and horror as three people become stranded far from the safety of Earth with an unfriendly alien for company.

Eden – a romance.

Eden – a sci-fi.

Make of it what you will.

Snippet of Eden:

Jenny plodded along, stupefied. The fingers circling her nape were biting and painful, but she barely noticed. The echo of the wolves’ howling was still too strongly embedded in her mind. Part of her knew Fly was leading her to her rape, and that same part was going to allow it to happen because the other side was lying dormant through fear and exhaustion.

The corridor was laden with dirt and grime. Animal excrement, electronic debris lay in her path, but she continued to walk where he urged. His cabin door was open, and he nudged her towards the bed.

While she sat on the edge, he heated a metal canteen over a crudely assembled grill, wired haphazardly to a small accumulator. She watched as he stirred in the same beverage that she had yesterday morning. When it was steaming, he filled a cup and gave it to her.

He sat on a chair opposite, and observed her with his usual disconcerting stare.

She stared back, confused, until her fingers began to burn from holding the cracked cup. She pressed it against her lips, and it was only then that she realised her teeth were chattering.

‘You are not going to survive,’ he said finally using one of the small computers he had taken from the shelf.

She gulped a mouthful of the liquid, and tried to disguise the unwelcome tears that pooled in her eyes. Already he thought her a weak, pathetic female and, for some strange reason, she didn’t want to give him further evidence to think any worse of her.

‘How do you stand it,’ she asked quietly, ‘the endless howling, night after night?’

‘There is a worse sound, and that is no sound at all.’

Don't take my word for it, read the reviews:

`Eden' is a love story of sorts. It's also science fiction of the old fashioned, planet-hopping, bug-eyed monster variety but written with a woman's sensibilities.


On mankind's first journey to another star system, things go seriously wrong. Jenny and her two fellow astronauts land on a living planet called Eden and stumble across the remains of a crashed alien spacecraft that made a crash landing. A computer malfunction causes the Earth ship to take off without Jenny, leaving her stranded with few provisions.

As well as the hostile carnivores of the inaccurately named Eden, Jenny has to worry about the sole survivor of the crashed ship. He is a fierce warrior who, despite his obviously alien features, resembles (in Jenny's mind at least) a Native American.

At first, the alien is antagonistic towards Jenny. But it soon dawns on him that he has been lonely all these many years and she could provide the companionship he yearns for.

Jenny, in her turn, realises the alien (who she names Fly) is her only hope of survival. What follows is reminiscent of Robinson Crusoe meeting Man Friday, only Crusoe and Friday were never attracted to each other...


At heart, `Eden' is a romance with echoes of `Blue Lagoon' and any number of bodice rippers - which should please the ladies. Its science fiction elements mean there's something there for the lads as well. (And, of course, plenty of girls like sci-fi too and I suspect there's not a few blokes who can stand a bit of romance.)

It's a well-written story that maintains a good pace, has two strong central characters and keeps the reader entertained. What more can you ask for from a novel?

* * *

In her book Eden, Louise Wise recreates the legendary place on a different world. To some, it's a place of beautiful wildlife and golden waters. To others, it's savage and dark with death around every corner.

Jenny, an astronaut commander who is left behind on Eden, is constantly torn between these two characteristics in Eden as well as the sole humanoid who inhabits the planet with her, Fly.


The most interesting thing is how Eden portrays both of these characteristics as being not mutually exclusive but as two sides of the same coin. In Fly, Jenny finds a protector that, at times, she is frightened of. Other times, she is both aroused and repulsed by him, both at the same time.


Although initially I thought that the book was dragging at times, I soon figured out that those times were necessary in order to properly set up the tension, which is particularly well manifested in the relationship that develops between Jenny and Fly.

Even at times where the tension hits its peak, Eden never seems to lose its humor and is quick to evoke a smile. The relationship between Jenny and the alien Fly is probably the most rewarding and feels just as human as any relationship that I have ever had.

* * *

The year is 2236 and Jenny has just watched her spacecraft take off without her. On the surface, this is a story of Jenny's struggle to survive when she is stranded on a planet inhabited by wild animals and one savage alien. Beneath that is a story of fear and prejudice; redemption and tolerance. These lessons are subtly woven into an action-packed plot. And, at the heart of it all, is a love story.

Louise Wise does a wonderful job of getting at the heart of human emotions. Love, fear, and hatred mingle throughout this story. Jenny's strength and openness shine and, hopefully, gives us all something to think about.

* * *

The book Eden is about a young space traveler named Jenny who ends up marooned on a strange planet called Eden, accidentally left behind by her two male shipmates. She's not alone on the planet, and along with strange and feral creatures, there's also someone else who's been marooned. He's not human, but he is dangerous. Jenny realizes her best hope for survival will be to make contact with this "alien." At first, trying to trade him some coffee for some food (she's already found and drank all his "whiskey") she forms a tentative friendship with him. Cautiously, the two try and understand each other. And little by little, while waiting for rescue by her two shipmates, Jenny finds herself falling in love with this strange alien.

The book is well written, and truly British. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it gives the story a unique charm of its own. Just as the relationship blossoms between Jenny and "Fly" her two male, human shipmates end up crashing on the planet and are also marooned. Injured and frightened, the two men have a much harder time accepting the alien. After exploring the alien's crashed ship, it's discovered that "Fly" may have a hidden past, one that might threaten all three humans. Just when things start to seem like they will turn out well, the author takes you in a different direction. Well written, and a worthy read for both science buffs, and romance lovers alike! A very good start for a new author!

* * *

Earth has been studying a strange new planet named Eden. The space crew of the Taurus has been sent to be the first humans to set foot on this alien world. Sadly, the mission runs into troubles and Jenny, one of the crew is left behind after an emergency takeoff.


Stranded on an unfamiliar planet, Jenny is forced to rely on a seemingly savage Itor man for survival. Through their interactions respect blossoms and soon turns into love. Now, if only she could make her rescuers see this, things would be just fine.


I enjoyed this story immensely. The author took her time to really delve deep into the relationships of each of her characters. The blossoming love between Jenny and Fly was very well done and believable. The secondary characters felt unique and their animosity towards Jenny and Fly added a nice level of tension throughout the story.


All in all a wonderful read and a great cross-genre story.