It wasn’t her mission, but it became her duty.
Iris Jondarc lost everything—her family, home, friends, and future. All that remains is the mission she was not selected for. But she’s the only one left; she sacrifices who she is to become the last Augur.
Then the mission fails… she fails.
Iris, a messenger intending to warn and save mankind, didn’t make it in time. Arriving in 1977, injured and found by a cruel, depraved man, she’s locked away in a secret room where she remains unconscious amid a swirl of vague, painful memories of a life she barely remembers. Awakened to blood and violence to find that instead of the decades of preparation she was to deliver humanity… it’s unaware it faces the same fate that befell her people.
Can she still fulfill her mission and save mankind? And, can she reclaim what she gave up so long ago?
The Last Augur – ARRIVAL is a gripping tale of survival and purpose, where one woman’s struggle to save a world that isn’t hers becomes a fight to rediscover her humanity.
From Advance Readers of the story (working title ALL I AM, delivered in serial installments), which has expanded into a longer version titled The Last Augur | ARRIVAL (coming for Halloween 2024):
“Well, I read it… and all I have to say is “DAMMIT!” too short… you had me all sucked in with it. 😀 Really it was like a movie in the pace it’s to be read at. A lot going on. Excellent short story Dennis Lowery. I really enjoyed it, and there is definitely room to make it into a longer story. Not to stroke your ego, but you do a wonderful job of immediately pulling someone into a story. I had been reading a long novel by Gore Vidal called Creation. It’s an excellent book, but it takes a bit to get into it… To compare the two (which really isn’t fair to either of you) it’s like taking a pleasant drive in a mild convertible (the Gore Vidal book I was reading), then suddenly, you round the corner and you’re in a 1000hp beast pushing the corners hanging on tight to the steering wheel. 😀 That was what it felt like when I mentally shifted gears and got pulled into your story. Well done, well done.” –Dan Syes, about All I AM [expanded into The Last Augur | ARRIVAL]
“Quite how you portray such things through mere words never fails to amaze me.” –Nyan N.
“Just finished reading it, and you certainly have to keep building on this story. The world wants more of this. I really liked it and it especially hit its stride once you toned down the Sci-Fi techno terms from the first chapter. The humanness in it, the small touches and grounded everyday people, their little things, doings, and feelings is what sold me. The swift action itself was made the stronger because of the moshy stuff, and vice versa, a very well-balanced story – a little Game of Thrones’esque in that regard. Well, different times and writing of course, but part-brutal action has its well-deserved place in a good character-driven fictional story and I think you did that balancing act very well here. So now you just have to write a full-fledged book, or why not an entire universe since I am sure there is room for many books hidden in this short story.” –Michael Koontz
“Another great story! Lowery is truly a Jack of all pens; is there any genre the man can’t write?” –E. W. Johnson
“Wow! That’s really impressive! Very nice (in a creepy kind of way).” –Damian Trasler
“Wow! Awesome, thank you.” –Conrad Ross
“Amazing.” –Atai Sumaya
“Interesting and suspenseful. I really enjoyed reading this episode. It kept my attention, I can’t wait for the next one!”– Cindy Chaney
PART 1 – “Ok. I’m hooked! Can’t wait for tomorrow’s installment but I guess I’ll have to. That sucks.” –P. Tane, about the serialization of All That I Am and they continued the next day with: PART 2- “Well, that was interesting. Still can’t wait to read more.” and the following day: PART 3 – “Ok. So what happened to the girl? The old lady apparently died in the rocking chair, but the girl was supposedly in some kind of a coma. You are killing me! Gahhhhhh!” And about PART 4 – “I’d rather wait for the installments. The story is proving interesting as I figured it might. I’m really enjoying your writing. I can’t wait for another exciting sci-fi [part].” PART 5 – “Oh, dude! You got me on the edge of my seat! What the hell! These are just small bit pieces you’re giving us. I need more! Pleeeeease!” –P. Tane
“All I Am will leave you wanting more with its perfect balance of suspense and horror.” –J. Payamps