Belinea - Season One

The Mission

Fiction - Science Fiction
596 Pages
Reviewed on 10/19/2020
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Andrew Mack was born and raised in Miami, Florida. He has spent the last twenty-five years residing in Atlanta, Georgia, where he has enjoyed a hospitality career that has included bartending, managing, and owning his own restaurant. A career epiphany has led him to write the screenplays that have been in his head since he was a teenager. Each with a touch of ingenious characters similar to the variety of people he has met in his professional experience.

    Book Review

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

Belinea - Season One: The Mission is a work of fiction in the science fiction, suspense, and political thriller sub-genres, and was penned by author Andrew Mack. Written for adult reading audiences, the work does contain scenes of a sexual nature as well as the presence of graphic violence and explicit language usage throughout. This visceral and immersive work takes us to a decimated Earth trying to pick itself up after a devastating pandemic, at a time when another race, the enlightened Belineans, arrives to save the day. But being part of this new empire does not spell total salvation for Earth, and it falls to one plucky young ambassador to fight for the planet’s independence.

Author Andrew Mack has created an immersive and almost compulsive read with this quick and stylish form of a science fiction novel. I enjoyed the unique episodic feel to the novel, which takes us through separate but connected events as we discover more about living under Belinean rule, and the true nature of the proposed saviors of Earth. Fans of dialogue-heavy reads will enjoy the structure and find it fast-paced, delivering a great array of characters with uniquely-developed voices and lines that move the plot along into deeper intrigues. As an opening season of events, the conclusions are satisfying within themselves, but also leave plenty of space for future growth. Overall, I would highly recommend Belinea - Season One: The Mission as a fantastic start to a high concept and high octane science fiction thriller series that will surely have much more to offer in the future.

Ruffina Oserio

Belinea — Season One: The Mission by Andrew Mack is spellbinding science fiction that tells a story that contemporary readers can easily resonate with. It is set after a pandemic has killed humanity in billions. Thanks to the Belineans who came to the rescue with a cure for the virus that caused the pandemic. Without them, everyone on Earth would have died, instead of the five billion that did. Now the Belineans have a lot of power over Earth. They have an advanced military, respected across the galaxy, and they hold an enviable place in the Galactic Council. Thomas Bird is the newest Earth Ambassador to the Galactic Council, and his mission is to get more independence for his planet. As he enters the political scene, he quickly understands that alliances are being formed. It is hard to trust anyone, and he must identify those that won’t hesitate to kill him before it is too late.

Belinea is a beautifully narrated story with characters that I loved. As the narrative opens, the reader is introduced to Alexis Devanoe, the Senior Advisor to the Earth Ambassador, Thomas Bird. Her conversation with young Savannah is intriguing and it provides background information on the pandemic and how the Belineans came to be on Earth, and in a way that is lively and engaging. I just loved the little girl. The narrative is filled with drama, action, and intriguing moments. The writing is cinematic and I felt like I was watching a movie — and this book contains wonderful material for a movie. The plot is cleverly written and the prose is flawless. This is an enthralling story for fans of science fiction, written with realistic themes and Andrew Mack does an exceptional job with the handling of the political conflict. A book you only describe with superlative adjectives — explosive and sensational.

Jose Cornelio

Andrew Mack’s Belinea — Season One: The Mission is a gorgeous offering for fans of science fiction. A virus has caused the loss of five billion people on Earth. The entire Earth’s population could have been wiped out had the Belineans not intervened with a cure. Now, they have a lot of power over Earth. At the Galactic council, Ambassador Thomas Bird fights to get more independence for Earth. But as groups are formed and species team up, he has to figure out who his true friends are. It is a game that is filled with intrigue and danger, and can he find the right allies or be killed?

This is a novel that is well-plotted and that has characters that are unforgettable and multidimensional. I loved the way that characters like Alexis Devanoe, Malovex, and even the young girl called Savannah are developed. The narrative is filled with action and following characters as they navigate an intergalactic world is breathtaking. It has wonderful worldbuilding. The story is highly imaginative and Andrew Mack knows how to create images that become vivid in the minds of readers. The writing is exceptionally good and filled with strong dialogues and descriptions. I loved how the author uses dialogue to explore the conflict, build the characters, and introduce background information into the story. Belinea — Season One: The Mission is a wonderful opening for a series that has the potential to attract many fans. From the high quality of writing, the deft handling of the plot to the fascinating characters, the story scores great points in its entertainment.

Gobi Jane

Belinea — Season One: The Mission by Andrew Mack is stunning science fiction with a strong plot and remarkable characters. More than five billion of the Earth’s population have lost their lives to a pandemic. Those who survived the pandemic did so because of the cure brought by the Belineans. Hence, Earth became their newest member and they exercise a lot of power over it. At the Galactic council, Earth’s ambassador fights for more independence for his people. But there is so much at stake as he quickly discovers, with members siding with other species. Who will stand with or against him? He has to tread carefully through a slippery path where his own life remains in grave danger.

What makes Belinea — Season One: The Mission a unique story for me is how Andrew Mack handles the conflict and the plot. It starts with a strong premise: Earth is no longer what it used to be, and as the young girl Savannah seeks to understand her history, elements of the conflict begin to fall into place. Earth is portrayed as being at its most vulnerable, a plot element that reflects contemporary reality with the Covid-19 pandemic. The setting is interplanetary and the use of advanced technology and a powerful military augments the beauty of the setting. The characters are believable and my favorite was Ambassador Thomas Bird. Alexis Devanoe, the young Senior Advisor to the ambassador, is also an elaborately developed and interesting character. This author’s ability to build worlds and create convincing characters is astounding. The lively writing has a spell of its own and it is one of the strong aspects of the book that will pull many readers in.

Romuald Dzemo

Andrew Mack’s Belinea — Season One: The Mission is extreme science fiction that follows the story of an unusual human in the struggle to gain more freedom for his people. It is set in a dire moment in Earth’s history, after the pandemic that wiped out five billion of its population, a pandemic that was only stopped by the cure from the Belineans. The Belineans have every reason to dominate Earth’s politics and way of life because — it is argued, and reasonably so — they saved its remnants from the deadly virus. At the Galactic council, Earth’s Ambassador fights for his people, but in a world where conflicting interests abound, can he succeed?

Belinea is fierce and uncompromising, exploring the nuances of the power struggle with unusual clarity and skill. Andrew Mack is a great storyteller who builds interesting worlds for the reader to navigate and characters — like Savannah, Alexis Devanoe, Ambassador Bird, Malovex, Chairman Hassara, and his cousin, Defense Minister Tempest Hassara — that are compelling and multi-dimensional. The plot is cleverly written, with surprises and intriguing moments that start from the very first page. It is filled with action, and at any moment, the reader expects something explosive to happen. The writing is superb and the author combines wonderful descriptions with intriguing and interesting dialogues to enhance the story, build character, and expand on the elements of the conflict. This is science fiction that contains a lot of material that readers look for: fast action, emotionally intense scenes, strong character motivation, and delectable prose. It is a page-turner.