Mauna Kea Rising - M.W. Kelly

Lost in the multiverse, Hellen Callahan is a single mother trying to steer her son into adulthood. Then a solar flare throws their world into chaos.

“A thoughtful, intelligent tale of loss and resilience. The characters are well developed and relatable. The writing style kept me intrigued and made the book hard to put down.”–Marci, Goodreads Review.

In a parallel world, the British Hawaiian Islands sit between rival superpowers, Japan and the UK. Hellen takes her son on a sailing voyage to Hawaii, hoping to recapture the bond they once shared. Isolated at sea, the boat’s crew is unaware of a catastrophic solar storm. Throughout the Pacific, power grids fail. Cities plunge into darkness.

Seamlessly merging mind-bending questions with page-turning drama, Mauna Kea Rising is the first book in a new science fiction series. Science, Buddhism and romance converge in this intense adventure in the multiverse.

Reviews:

“An exciting blend of multiverse and apocalypse played on a tropical stage.” – Nathan Lowell, award-winning creator of the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper.

“I love the way Kelly weaves tech details—from sailing and power generation, to aviation and astronomy—into the action. SciFi fans will be very pleased with this read.” – D.J. Ward, author of Seven Wonders of Space Phenomena

“M. W. Kelly has crafted a science fiction novel that offers mystery, intrigue, subtle turnings, narrative twists and inner reflections that challenge the status quo. Mauna Kea Rising envisions new possibilities, strained relationships, fears, confusion, courage and curiosity. The story is multidimensional, alive, intriguing and not over. Read, reflect, engage and enjoy the ride…” – F. W. Rick Meyers, author of Mystic Travelers: Awakening

From Poseidon’s Scribe:
Kelly does a marvelous job getting into the minds of his characters and portraying appropriate thoughts and actions based on their personalities and motivations. The novel is mainly about the collapse of civilization and its effect on a small portion of the Hawaiian islands. It’s rough on these characters, with no internet and sporadic power. They must learn to work together and cooperate, while learning new skills and finding out where they can fit in best. Not all the characters play nicely in this new reality, though, and the bad ones present another struggle for the protagonist and her friends and family. The protagonist, Hellen, is a fascinating main character. She’s good looking, and an expert in electrical distribution systems–a useful skill for an island population trying to get its power grid back. However, she’s made questionable decisions in her past, decisions involving her children, choices that keep coming back to haunt her. The style of writing makes the book an easy read, but the author peppers the prose with clever turns of phrase and well-chosen metaphors and similes.

From Midgard’s Writers:
Mauna Kea Rising takes you on a journey! All the characters are interesting, but I loved Hellen because she was strong and was haunted by a secret she’d kept to herself for years. I was also hooked by the concept of this book: what if a solar storm destroyed the electricity networks, plunging our society into chaos? Moreover, all the hints about the multiverse were quite fascinating, and I’m looking forward to learning more about it in subsequent books.

From Readers’ Favorite book reviews:
Mauna Kea Rising: Lost in the Multiverse by M. W. Kelly is one of those books you just can’t put down but must read page after page. And from each one of them, you can tell the depth of research necessary to write with such impressive details about military operations, sailing, Hawaii and its culture, and a great deal of science. The story is compelling and the complex, deep characters will make it an enjoyable read for most readers. But what I appreciated the most was to read about a lead female character with strengths and weaknesses. She’s a clever scientist and a good hunter (meaning that she knows how to handle a rifle), but she lost her job, her relationship with her son is a mess and she has a secret that may cause more mayhem not only to her but to those she loves. It’s hard to find male authors capable of writing such real female characters. This is a wonderful story.