Can I be real with you for a second? I want to get something off my chest.

You see authors on social media, and you think that everything is rosy. The carefully curated timelines are an endless parade of successes. And in reality, that’s just not the case. I know this from personal experience.

By now, I’ve had three books published – four, if you include Adrift. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from the launch of each one, it’s that the actual launch day itself is an anti-climax. There’s a little bit of support. A few reviews. A couple of congratulatory tweets. Unless you’re a big-name author, this is the experience you’ll have. And then the book drops into a deep, dark hole.

It’s definitely the experience I’ve had the most. Don’t get me wrong: the Outer Earth series sold OK – more than enough to get me a second deal with Orbit Books. But people didn’t love it. They enjoyed it. They had fun with it. But it didn’t blow their heads off, much as I would have loved it to. I still adore it, but it didn’t blow up like I expected.

So in the lead up to Adrift, I was girding my loins for more of the same. I was expecting a little bit of praise, and then a big, dark, empty, soulless vacuum. It’s cynical and bitter, but I was ready for it.

What I was not ready for was the complete opposite of everything I’d experienced previously.

I was NOT READY FOR IT.

Every day last week brought a new storm of reviews raving about the book. People are loving this shit. Overwhelmingly positive reviews, from just about everywhere. Big names, small indie blogs, you name it. This book is getting huge praise. People are seriously and truly into this shit.

None of this is expected. I didn’t know what was going to happen with this book. I am half relieved, and half ecstatic. And believe me when I say, really and truly, that nobody is more surprised than me.

Just check out some of these review quotes!!!

‘WILL HAVE THE READER REALIZING THEY’VE BEEN HOLDING THEIR BREATH FOR PAGES ON END” Space.com

“ALTHOUGH HIS PASSENGERS ARE AMATEURS UP AGAINST A SUPERIOR ADVERSARY, HE GIVES THEM AN APPEALING SCRAPPINESS THAT MAKES THEIR SURVIVAL SEEM LESS UNLIKELY THAN IT SHOULD. THIS ACTION-PACKED ADVENTURE IS MADE FOR SUMMER VACATION READING.” Publishers Weekly

“INTRIGUE, ACTION, AND A FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL: READERS WILL GET ALL OF THAT IN BOFFARD’S LATEST.” Booklist

“TO [SAY] THAT THE RESULT IS EXCITING, PROPULSIVE, AND DRIVEN BY NESTED CLIFFHANGERS AS WELL AS MOMENTS OF SURPRISING CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, IS TO UNDERSTATE JUST HOW FUN, JUST HOW EXCITING, ROB BOFFARD HAS MADE THIS THING. IT’S A GRAND SPACE OPERA, A TERRIFICALLY CINEMATIC ROLLER-COASTER, A BOOK MANY OF YOU WILL BE READING WELL PAST YOUR SENSIBLE BEDTIME.” SciFi Magazine

“THIS IS A STORY ABOUT PEOPLE, ABOUT HOW THEY INTERACT – HOW THEY BOUNCE OFF EACH OTHER, HOW OTHER PEOPLE’S ACTIONS SHAPE US, AND HOW OUR ACTIONS SHAPE THE WORLD. IT’S ABOUT SURVIVING IN HIGH PRESSURE SITUATIONS, HOW THAT CHANGES YOU, AND HOW YOU REMAIN THE SAME. IT’S A STORY ABOUT PEOPLE, AND THOSE PEOPLE ARE LIVING, BREATHING, LOVINGLY CRAFTED AND AWFULLY FLAWED – WHICH MAKES THEM A PLEASURE TO READ ABOUT.”  Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reviews

“THE PLOT IS CLEVER – FIRST ONE THING, THEN ANOTHER, WITH RUGS BEING PULLED OUT LEFT RIGHT AND CENTRE BEFORE THE DRAMATIC AND ENTIRELY SATISFYING FINALE.”  Espresso Coco

“STORYTELLING OF THE BEST KIND. FAST AND FURIOUS WITH A LITERARY TWIST AND MORE EXCITEMENT THAN YOU CAN SHAKE A STICK AT.” Liz Loves Books

“ADRIFT IS A CLAUSTROPHOBIC, ATMOSPHERIC AND FULL OF TENSION. IT IS READING TIME WELL SPENT AND I FUCKING LOVED IT.” The Tattooed Book Geek

“LOVED IT! THE SUSPENSE WAS GREAT AND THERE WAS NON-STOP ACTION THE ENTIRE RIDE! I LITERALLY HELD MY BREATH THROUGH QUITE A BIT OF THE BOOK.”  Hooked on Books

“ADRIFT PROVIDES A DISTURBINGLY CLAUSTROPHOBIC ENVIRONMENT WHILE SOMEHOW MANAGING TO EMPHASIZE THE VASTNESS OF SPACE AT THE SAME TIME.” RT Book Reviews

“THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT OVER THE COURSE OF THIS NOVEL AND THE FEELINGS THIS CAUSES THE READER TO DEVELOP IS—EXCUSE THE PUN—OUT OF THIS WORLD!” – The Nerd Daily

“ROB BOFFARD IS KNOWN FOR HIS OUTER EARTH TRILOGY BUT I HAVE TO SAY THAT IN MY OPINION ADRIFT IS MUCH BETTER, WITH THE RIGHT MIX OF DRAMA, CHARACTERISATION AND ACTION. I DIDN’T WANT TO PUT IT DOWN AT ALL. THIS IS THE KIND OF BOOK THAT MAKES YOU MISS BUS STOPS! I CAN SPEAK NO HIGHER PRAISE THAN THAT.” – For Winter Nights

“THIS IS SUCH A WELL BALANCED BOOK, THE WRITING WAS INTERESTING AND ENGAGING, CHAPTERS WERE PERFECT SNAPPY BEATS WITH A FEW LONGER ONES SLOTTED IN WHEN NECESSARY AND THE LANGUAGE NOT ONLY HELPED MOVE EVENTS ALONG, CREATE TENSION AND EVOKE EMOTION WHEN NEEDED BUT ALSO HELPED WORLD BUILDING ELEMENTS TO FEEL NATURAL AND ORGANIC.” –  Fantastic Books and Where To Find Them

“THOROUGHLY DESERVING OF A BIG-SCREEN ADAPTATION, ADRIFT IS ONE OF THE MOST INTENSE AND EXCITING SCI-FI NOVELS IN RECENT YEARS. GET AHEAD OF THE CURVE, READ IT NOW BEFORE EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT IT!” – Pop Culture Bandit

A big, huge, planet-sized thank you to these fine folks. I really, really appreciate it.

Get the book and read an extract here!