Out Of Time

Launch Point

By: Kenneth Bandoly

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

OUT OF TIME – LAUNCH POINT (Book 1)
A colony ship launches toward humanity’s hope… and arrives four centuries too late.

In 2258 the Aurora leaves Saturn’s shipyards carrying hundreds of scientists, colonists, and the frozen genetic archive of an entire civilization. Their destination: Kepler-452 b, an Earth-class world 1 400 light-years away. Thanks to antimatter drives and a bleeding-edge Alcubierre warp bubble, the one-way trip will take the crew just twelve subjective months… while millennia race by back home.

Captain Aveline Morrow leads a hand-picked team:

• John Ferris – security chief haunted by wars he can’t forget.
• Elena Park – genius engineer whose warp tech is still half-theory.
• Jason Alvarez – navigator threading a cosmic needle at 0.99 c.
• Clara Song – xenobiologist tasked with ensuring human biology can mesh—safely and sustainably—with any alien ecosystem they find.
• Marcus Ito – linguist and comms ace listening for the unknown.

Twelve months later—according to their clocks—the Aurora drops out of "warp"… and finds orbit crowded with derelict satellites and a shattered station of unmistakably human design. No signals. No answers. Only the mute relics of a timeline that wouldn’t even begin until centuries after they departed—history their own clocks have yet to reach.

Now the mission has changed. Before waking thousands of sleeping colonists, the crew must unravel who—or what—got here first, why the system is littered with silent graves, and whether the green world below is sanctuary or trap. One mis-step could doom humanity’s last lifeboat.

Out of Time blends cutting-edge astrophysics with the nail-biting dread of Alien—a collision of hard-science propulsion, found-family camaraderie, and mystery-box intrigue that spans centuries.

Perfect for readers who love:

• Generation-ship epics and big-idea space opera
• Near-future tech grounded in real physics
• Character-driven sci-fi with heart, humor, and high stakes

Book 1 launches the Out Of Time saga. Discover the secret history of Kepler-452, meet an empire long fallen, and watch a crew decide whether to forge a new beginning—or become the system’s next ghosts.

First to leave, last to arrive.

kinda depressing and audio voice sucks

The story plot was pretty unique. Although I still don't understand why they didn't suspect....

It's actually really good

Even though this is a free book with a virtual voice it's actually a really good book. The virtual voice, while not great, is better than usual. I'm sort of surprised this wasn't picked up by a major publisher.

Still not enjoying virtual voice

Overall an interesting read, a bit redundant at times and the end isn’t an end. Spoiler alert I guess . Just do not like listening to a virtual reader, the book loses so much of its personality. IMHO

What a thrilling adventure I never dreamed

This book is genius. It’s story is gripping. I was caught up in the details and great character development, making you feel like you were part of the Aurora. The twists and surprises will keep you wanting more. Can’t wait to read the next book. The narrator is pleasant to listen to.

FTL paradox-somebody forgot about the passing lane

The author captivates right out of the box with the reader wondering what's next? The principal FTL paradox that traps the crew in its series of adventures, and personalities, does not stop at mere concepts of relativistic time dilation, The tale winds through many well researched and complex scientific concepts that make the book hard to put down and mind-boggling to wonder if Einstein and Heisenberg are on board the ship (quantum theory, ZPE, etc.). Can't wait for more in the series -- the author has left PLENTY of hints!