Mendel's Ladder

A Grimdark Post-Apocalyptic Epic

By: E. S. Fein

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Outlast. Outgrow. Outlive. In the ashes of Earth, evolution is the ultimate weapon.

The Earth will never be the same. Ravaged by climate destruction, nuclear devastation, and other cataclysmic events, the planet and its people continue to undergo radical changes to survive. A portion of humanity now lives aboard the city-size utopian space station Astrea—the lucky few. Most who fend for themselves on the Earth's surface have become Nomads: plant/fungus hybrids connected to the growing planetary mind of Earth. The few remaining human societies on Earth survive through incredible cunning, calculation, and courage.

Shira and Myriam, cybernetically enhanced warriors hailing from the now destroyed Matriarchy of Wintersvilla, travel across the world in search of a way to protect two human-like girls with seemingly impossible powers. As the women clash with giant mutated beasts and a diverse array of deadly flora, they are intercepted by a Huntress and Hunter—catastrophically lethal creations of the old world thought to have gone extinct over a decade earlier. While these characters' paths intersect in surprising and explosive ways, ancient powers lurk in the shadows, wielding god-like influence over their lives. Will Shira and Myriam overcome their nightmarish adversaries, or will they succumb to the endless perils of the neoevolved Earth?

Dive into Mendel's Ladder, book one of this epic series, and prepare for an adrenaline-fueled journey set on a post-apocalyptic future Earth, brimming with high-stakes action, adventure, and mystery.
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"Mendel's Ladder is perhaps one of the most creative if not the absolute most creative work of fiction I have ever read. Fein's prose is solid. His characters are compelling. However, where Fein really shines is in wild, wild, WILD worldbuilding, lore, philosophy, and redefining genres. A part of me started reading book 2 just to see if Fein would ever let us down. Spoiler: he doesn't. He is a master of his craft and I can't wait to see where this series goes and what new bizarre and tantalizing ideas Fein will serve us next!" - NetGalley Review

"This novel is a *lot* in all the best of ways. It's rare to read something that feels simultaneously so ambitious and so well-realized. Nearly every aspect of Mendel's Ladder is a triumph: the pacing is lightning-quick and binge-readable; the writing itself is sophisticated, haunting, and utterly compelling; the characters are interesting; there's philosophical meat on these half-fungal bones. The world Fein has created has all the harrowing emptiness that made me fall in love with the 'Dark Souls' franchise; the pages practically ooze with implied lore, storied history, and audacious, fascinating detail." - Amazon Review

"Given the lethality, speed, and unimaginable destruction wrought by some of the characters in Mendel’s Ladder, it was initially difficult imagining how an actual fight would play out. However, the battle scenes were incredibly detailed, and Fein truly gives you a perspective of the high-speed and primal carnage." - Steven Chisholm, Author of Bleeding Iris

"From the nightmarish terrestrial expanse to the seemingly serene domain of Astrea, every detail feels meticulously crafted with a fevered imagination and methodical construction." - Bookbub Review

"From the outset, Mendel's Ladder stands out for the sheer uniqueness of its world-building. The dystopian Earth of the future is unlike anything I have ever encountered." - Goodreads Review

"Seriously. This is awesome. Go for it!" - Daniel Georgiev, Author of Mathsmagica

"Strange and beautiful." - Marie Montine, Author of Arising Son

More is not always more

The narration is horrible and frustrating. It sounds bearable in the sample but it really distracts from the overdone story.
The story has potential and I get it's fantasy and sci-fi but some of the fight sequences, actions, and modifications are too much...to out there. It's over the top and I feel like a lot of the details need more developing, I guess they will leave it for the sequel but I don't even want to read the sequel if there is one.
Waste of time.

Visceral and violent however

The virtual voice totally ruined it for me. inflections were off. sometimes the words words clear. it ruined the pacing for me entirely. sentences would end in upward inflection which made me think there was more.

as for the story. it happens fast. there isn't much time to actually care about a character. the hunder and the winter sisters were easily the deepest but even then it wad a puddle.

the action was great. the story itself was intriguing with cool ideas though. I think can do something great with this if he builds it out more. the end was slamming us with stuff them all of a sudden introduces a new character then ends. either that or I completely forgot that character existed before that scene.

very imaginative story

This one is pretty weird. Beginning is hard to follow but after a few chapters you can get a grip on what's going on. This story is wild and full of war situations that are unreal. The creatures and atmosphere with mutants are interesting but also can be confusing. Overall not a bad beginning to something that might be good

This is Very High science fiction

This book does not explain a lot in the beginning but is not bad. Very sci-fi in ideas and different world than we live in.