Title: Tomorrow’s End
Author: G R Morris
Publisher: Independently published
Series: The path of a savior: Book 1
Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy
First Publication: 2022
Language: English
Book Summary: Tomorrow’s End by G R Morris
In a universe of aliens, demons, and omniscient computers, does free will exist?
Kevin Knight’s been training his whole life to fulfill a galaxy-saving prophecy. But when a grisly tragedy lands him in jail and demonic forces flood his consciousness, the fate of time and space seems doomed. Until a trench coat-wearing alien renegade shatters his understanding of reality.
Discovering Earth is merely an alien illusion to manipulate humankind, Kevin struggles to know whom to believe—his strange scaly new friend or the dark voices in his head. But with Hell itself planning to slaughter everyone, he must resist the darkness and master his powers to reprogram the future.
Can Kevin, a possessed Messiah, claim a destiny of his own before humanity goes extinct?
Which prophecy will Kevin fulfill… the one of darkness or the one of light?
Tomorrows End is the first book in the mind-bending sci-fi horror series, The Path of a Savior. If you like galactic-scale battles, chilling violence, and brain-rattling explorations of the nature of free will, then you’ll love G.R. Morris’s unforgettable epic.
Book Review: Tomorrow’s End by G R Morris
Science fiction is supposed to amaze and broaden the imaginations of its readers at the same time. Tomorrow’s End managed to do both while also introducing numerous aspects from other genres, all of which were virtually wholly effective in their integration. Tomorrow’s End was so good; a character-driven space-opera that combines sci-fi, noir, mystery, and a slice of horror into one.
Extraterrestrial forces are dictating humanity’s fate, and a darkness is descending to wipe out the last of humanity. Kevin Knight is a young man who has been prophesized to be the salvation of humanity, but he is completely clueless about this at the outset of the story. Kevin has not had an easy upbringing; he and his mother have endured physical and verbal abuse at the hands of his stepfather for as long as Kevin can recall. Kevin Knight has been preparing his whole life to fulfill a prophecy that would save the galaxy. After an unspeakable event puts him in prison and evil powers infiltrate his brain, the destiny of time and space seems to be sealed forever.
In another location, a young changeling girl named Daren lives in an orphanage, where she is abused by the people who are in charge of her care. Because of her transformative powers, Daren, the young goddess, has become the target of evil itself. She quickly gains control of her abilities and must come to terms with who she is and what she is meant to do as well. Daren, a changeling by birth, rises to maturity and power only to be met with rejection, bullying, and abuse, culminating in a gory struggle to the death, of everyone and everything.
After discovering that Earth is nothing more than an extraterrestrial illusion designed to deceive people, Kevin is at a loss as to whom to believe: his odd, scaly new friend or the dark whispers in his brain. Tomorrow’s End is the first novel in The Path of a Savior series, and it follows Kevin and Darren as they gain an understanding of the actual world and its true, horrific masters.
Tomorrow’s End is a pretty straightforward page-turner that mixes old-fashioned space opera and noir storytelling, with an appropriate amount of political intrigue thrown in there, and some violence for good measure. The prose is nice and clean; the pacing and the intricate plot are what make this book a very enjoyable ride, in the grand tradition of hard sci-fi. The world building is crucial for my enjoyment of space opera, and I was pleased that this world was well fleshed out and complex. Told from a third-person point of view, we’re given a broad and overarching look at the entire world and future that G.R. Morris has built. This novel is a behemoth of a story, and a lot of groundwork is laid down in the first half of this to build a world thoroughly for the reader.
The two main characters are fairly archetypical, but they are also developed enough to be interesting and weirdly endearing. Kevin’s naïve idealism is especially sweet considering how clueless he can be, but he is rapidly thrown into very deep waters, and simply refuses to sink. He is determined to survive. On the completely opposite end, Daren has no illusions left: as soon as she realises her powers, she immediately knows she has stumbled on something much bigger. I liked the dynamics between them when their paths finally crossed.
For being a novel so steeped in traditional science fiction tropes, Tomorrow’s End was incredibly accessible as a whole. A lot of delicate intricacy is at work in this novel, dealing not only with the overarching mystery but in more subtle ways as well. The technical demands and logistics of deep space exploration and colonisation were handled deftly and secured on a realistic and clearly researched basis. There is something for everyone here; a gripping story, detailed world building, mystery, spaceship combat, thrilling action scenes with gory details, horror, suspense, and best of all, a cast of great, fleshed-out characters, who drive this great story with an unpredictable ending.
Despite the large backdrops and settings, I liked how G R Morris prioritised the characters and their actions, more than anything else, to take the central stage. The action is constant and you’re pulled from one scene to the next with some great reveals and revelations. Tomorrow’s End is a great start to a big sci-fi series, which I’m hoping I’ll enjoy more and more as I progress through it.
