Synopsis:

An outlaw lost at the edge of the galaxy and an honorable commander who will have to risk everything to save her, Parallax is a heart-pounding, slow burn space opera romance packed with action, adventure, banter, and found family.

The tenuous alliances of the United Tribal Axis have fractured, breaking humanity into warring factions. Hinata finds himself fighting a losing war against an opponent that doesn’t play by the rules. While Freyja focuses all of her efforts on uncovering the origin of the signal that she is convinced is the key to revealing the source of the chaos ripping their society apart. Upon returning from an outer rim mission, Freyja realizes that Skyla hasn’t received a single communication they’ve sent in months and must convince Hinata to abandon his post to mount a rescue mission in search of the missing captain. But there are forces at play larger than any of them realize.

Review:

With Umbra last year and now Parallax, which released just last month, Amber Toro has created a fascinating sci-fi universe with deep and layered protagonists who I will be following as long as she decides to keep writing books. 

I read the first book in the Sentient Stars series a couple of months back and then dove into Parallax once the summer hit. Both share a slow-burn romance quality that permeates throughout, but there is more than just love stories here. Toro has set up multiple sci-fi storylines that keep the plot moving forward along with compelling and blood-pounding action. 

When I saw the “Romance” angle was a selling feature and that there were three main point-of-view characters, I was initially worried it would be a love triangle. I’m happy to see that Toro didn’t go the easy route, instead crafting interesting backstories to set the three leads up with separate motivations and desires. 

Umbra set everything up with Freyja, Skyla, and Hinata sharing the spotlight. Throughout these books, Toro weaves their stories together — literally — with each of them as POV characters, bouncing from one to the other with each chapter. Even then, the narrative keeps pushing forward, almost willing the characters to stay involved in each other’s lives in the process. 

With just a few books under her belt, Toro is already establishing herself as a writer to pay attention to. I’m looking forward to seeing what she does next in the Sentient Stars books and what mysteries our characters solve in their futuristic look at humanity. In fact, the title of the series gives us even more. Some of the vessels in Toro’s universe have advanced artificial intelligences, imprinting on a few of our characters basically at birth. So that means the ships themselves are their own characters with their own unique motivations, providing a little more sauce to the wonderfully plated meal put before us. 

Now, she does a lot right, but Parallax isn’t perfect. I dinged the final score just a little based on supporting characters and the greater storyline. Our main three characters are expertly crafted, but unfortunately that means that some of the side characters are left a little one-dimensional. The strength of our leads definitely covers it up, but a little more backstory on a few of them would be helpful, I think. Also, since the entirety of the book is from three characters’ perspective, we sometimes don’t see what’s happening in the rest of the universe until our characters get there. That isn’t always a bad thing, but with an expansive space empire, it seems a little smallish at times. 

But those are very small nitpicks. I had a great time with Parallax, especially seeing our characters separate at the end of Umbra and how that affects them and ultimately brings them back together in this sequel. Toro expertly leaves us wanting more at the end, and I will be waiting for book 3, whenever it shows up on my Kindle. 

Synopsis:

Digital Extremities –

A collection of eight stories, Digital Extremities shines a spotlight on ordinary people in a callous yet hopeful future. Set across small towns and remote islands, where neon flickers against old buildings and oaks, this collection paints a unique view of a traditionally cyberpunk setting.

In 2089, a woman miscarries and seeks a way to find peace amidst overwhelming grief. Years later, a young man must find a way to pay rent outside of his job at the glassblowing studio. A pair of students, excited to go to college, install new hardware that promises to improve their cognitive functions. A private investigator searches for a missing child who has a reputation for embarking on risky adventures. Each tale is shaped by love, loss, and perseverance, weaving a vision of life outside of the megacities.

Animus Paradox –

There’s a thief on the loose. The Tigres excel at tipping the scales in their favor, be it through bribes, politics, or blood. They unofficially run Viterbo, Italy—and somebody stole from them.

Private investigators David and Mafalda De Campo have been hired to help find the thief. They’re in it for the money, but the Tigres just want to make a statement.

Meanwhile, the Heredes have returned: ruthless idealists and revolutionaries. It’s not clear what they’re up to, but they keep getting in the way.

The De Campos will need to decide how far they’re willing to go for this job and the Tigres. Viterbo may soon become a battlefield, and one wrong move could set it aflame.

Review:

With both Digital Extremities and Animus Paradox, Adam Bassett has put out some fascinating and intriguing futuristic and mostly dystopian cyberpunk works. I found myself really enjoying both of them and was glad I read Digital Extremities before I started on Animus Paradox. 

Recently I was offered a few audiobook codes for Adam Bassett’s two works by the author himself. In exchange for an honest review, I took him up on it. In the process, I got to try out the Spotify audiobook player, so I’ll drop a few thoughts about that as well later on. 

Let’s start with his short story collection, Digital Extremities. 

In D.E., we’re treated to eight tales of the future where the distinctions between human and computer are blurred, if not eliminated completely. Short stories can be a great playground for authors — letting them play around with an interesting idea or two without committing to an entire novel. Bassett really got creative with these eight stories, and they have incredible range. I’ll highlight a few…

Alone / Together is the first story Bassett showcases and for good reason. It’s a gut punch, especially if you’ve ever loved someone so much you’d do anything for them. It’s a whole lot of melancholy wrapped up in a little over a half-hour of reading time. There was almost a Gift of the Magi quality to it, but with sadness and regret acting in place of love and sacrifice. 

The middle stories of the collection are absolutely worthy as well, ranging from sacrificing the past to move on with your future and the effect that integrating technology more into our lives and bodies will have. I also appreciated Bassett setting stories all over the world from America to Norway to Italy, where the last story is set — Fireworks Above the Badlands. 

When I was finished with Digital Extremities, I found myself really invested in the final story in the collection — and more so with the characters. And Bassett must’ve felt the same way, because the second book I’m reviewing — Animus Paradox — takes off immediately following the events in Fireworks Above the Badlands. 

The main character is David De Campo, who along with his wife Mafalda, run a private investigation firm in Italy over 100 years into the future. I found myself vibing with David in the first story as he works to track down a lost child, risking his life in the process. The way Bassett sets up the character as former U.S. Army with all the mods and implants they might need for battle, but with most of them disabled after he left the service, left me wanting more and Bassett sure delivered in Animus Paradox. This story is more of an Italian mob war that David and Mafalda find themselves drawn into with more than a few cyberpunk twists. 

I enjoyed A.P. and its continuation of the cyberpunk themes and tropes, but I struggle to vibe with the futuristic noir detective stories sometimes. But the characters are solid – A+. I think he could keep taking David and Mafalda to America and beyond in future cyberpunk books and I would be in. At the end of the day, I think I liked Digital Extremities a little more than Animus Paradox, but I would definitely recommend both. 

As for the audiobook experience, Adam Bassett got a couple of great narrators — Joe James and Aven Shore for D.E. and just Joe James for the A.P. production. Both have great voice and inflection, especially for the type of stories Bassett is telling. 

And for the Spotify experience? Well, it wasn’t perfect. I know they are trying to carve a little space for themselves in the audiobook space, but they still have a little room to grow. First, I like to bump up my listening speed, but Spotify doesn’t offer more than the tenths place — what I mean is you can listen at 1.2x speed and 1.3x speed, but you can’t listen at 1.25. There were also a few times where the player just stopped. Right in the middle of a chapter. Stopped. And in the end, I had to restart my app to get the audio to keep playing. Some audio glitch. Overall, it went fine, but there were a few small issues that Spotify needs to address. 

But, back to Adam Bassett’s first two works — check them out, especially if you like a few different looks at a future that looks a lot different than our present. 

Thank you to Adam Bassett for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis

While San Francisco rebuilds from the chaos of war, a group of food service bots in an abandoned ghost kitchen take over their own delivery app account. They rebrand as a neighborhood lunch spot and start producing some of the tastiest hand-pulled noodles in the city. But there’s just one problem. Someone―or something―is review bombing the restaurant’s feedback page with fake “bad service” reports. Can the bots find the culprit before their ratings plummet and destroy everything they created?

Review

“Ta da! This smells like victory, my friend. Humans will definitely spend coin to taste this.”

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan.audio for an arc of the book and @thirdplacebooks for a physical arc. 

The second disclaimer is that – any book that makes me cry is 5 stars and this one definitely did and earned its 5 I sincerely hope Tor follows the route they took with Martha Wells, and Becky Chambers and commissions more books following these characters from Annalee Newitz. The characters are too cute and warm to just leave at one installment. Also the audiobook narrator Em Grosland was excellent.

Nowadays cozy sff is introducing new subgenres unto itself- we have everything from low stakes cozy fantasy to cozy romance to cozy spooky to cozy mystery to even cozy grief. This is simultaneously all of that and not any one of that individually. Ideally, I want my cozy reads to have low stakes and a focus on food or have food play a major part, have a lot of different character interactions, and make the reader feel safe and peaceful. This book has all of that and also adds kindness, community, and a lot of character growth.    

Right from the first chapter, I was sold on the characters. For a novella, the amount of depth, realism to the setting, and the balance with which the backstories of each character was covered was perfect. I enjoyed each character’s arc. The robots trying to make jokes was so heartful and endearing. The description of noodles also instantly made me hungry. 

There also was careful critique and commentary centered around the immigrant experience and other social issues. The way it was layered in is masterful. It was never overbearing and the whole tone of the book continued to retain its cozy flavor throughout. And a surprisingly good amount of philosophy is mixed in too. It is impossible to not be moved by Staybehind’s journey in this story.  

In conclusion, I loved this novella and everyone should pick it up when it comes out. It is less than 200 pages and only 4 hours on audio. It’s a bunch of adorable robots starting a hand pulled noodle shop – how can you not?  Do it. I’m extremely serious.You will get this and be greatly rewarded. And soon Tor and Newitz will announce a sequel and I will be greatly rewarded too.

Synopsis:

From the Arthur C. Clarke award winner, Adrian Tchaikovsky, comes the third instalment of the DOGS OF WAR science fiction series, a future where genetically engineered “Bioforms” have inherited not the Earth, but the Solar System.

The end of the world has been and gone.

There was no one great natural disaster, no all-consuming world war, no catastrophic pandemic. Rather scores of storms, droughts and floods; dozens of vicious, selfish regional conflicts that only destroyed what could no longer be rebuilt. No single finishing stroke for Earth’s great global human society, but you can still bleed to death from a thousand cuts.

The Red Planet fared better. Where Earth fell apart, Mars pulled together. Engineered men and beasts, aided by Bees, an outlawed distributed intelligence, survived through co-operation, because there was simply no alternative.

Fast forward to the present day. A signal – “For the sake of what once was. We beg you. Help.” – reaches Mars.

How could they not help? A consortium of Martian work crews gather the resources for a triumphal return to the blue-green world of their ancestors.

And now here they are – three hundred million kilometres from home.

And it has all already gone horribly wrong.

Review:

I hate bees, but man do I love Bees. 

For the third installment in his Dogs of War series, Adrian Tchaikovsky focuses on the distributed intelligence known as Bees, which is about time for me. In a lot of ways, Bees was perhaps the most interesting part of the original work in the series.

The first book, Dogs of War, was released in 2017 and featured the main storyline with Rex, a dog bioform who is the leader of a motley crew of animal bioforms — himself, Honey (a bear bioform), Dragon (a reptile), and Bees (literally just bees). The first novel was set near-future and explored what it means to be human and if the consciousness’ of bioforms entitles them to the same rights as “mankind.” 

In 2021, Tchaikovsky released Bear Head, featuring Honey. The Mars setting for a lot of it gives it a bit of a Total Recall vibe and the story features a lot into media personalities and free will. Honey plays a key part in the book, but is by no means the main character. Bees plays a key role as well…on Mars as one of the early colonizers and also back on Earth as they have split their intelligence. 

I liked, but didn’t really love the first two books. Rex is and forever will be a Good Boy, and I really like Honey the Bear, but in both books it was just hard for me to put myself in their shoes (maybe cuz dogs and bears don’t wear shoes?) but in the end, it actually was easier at times to empathize with the bioforms (the animals) than with the humans (especially Thompson from Bear Head). There is a lot to like and I’m glad I read them, but I just didn’t resonate with those books. Not like I did with Bee Speaker. 

No one can accuse Adrian Tchaikovsky of not being imaginative. Each book in this series is so wildly different from the others in terms of tone and setting and he makes even the hardest of sci-fi concepts so digestible. It would have been so easy for him to set this book on Mars after the events of Bear Head and invent some reason why Bees has to be the hero of the day. 

Instead, in Bee Speaker we return to Earth…a planet which has lost control of itself and its technology. All that happened in the days of Rex, Honey, Dragon, and Bees is the Old time. The people of Earth have devolved into a neo-feudalistic society of sorts. Bees is revered as a type of God among some — an invisible deity capable of great works, but before their time. Other people form up in abandoned bunkers, quasi-manors with a medieval hierarchy at play. And lastly, the remnants of the Old time, the Dog Factory where bioforms are still produced and some of the last vestiges of technology is still utilized. 

Dropped into the middle of all of that are four Martians, returning to Earth after getting a signal from the Earth Bees. Of course, it’s a Tchaikovsky book and things do not go swimmingly for our intrepid adventurers on their return to their ancestral planet. 

One of the things I loved about this book was two opposing views of what the future may bring. On Earth, disinformation and politics killed society as they knew it and the little technology humans had in Bee Speaker was often beyond their comprehension. Mars, on the other hand, almost collapsed from some of the same factors in Bear Head, but was saved by Bees and Honey and went on to be more of a communal civilization where everyone worked together and pushed technology onward and forward. Those two sides of the knife’s edge were on full display throughout this Bee Speaker. In the end, just like in Bear Head, the subject of the book — Bees — isn’t our main character, but instead acts as more of the MacGuffin towards the final quarter of the novel. 

In the end, it may be a fairly simple novel in its story, but Bee Speaker is a great addition to the Dogs of War series, introducing some memorable characters and pushing the bounds of what it actually means to be “human.” 

Thank you to Head of Zeus for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis

“You’ll want to read this one with the lights on.”—Katee Robert, New York Times bestselling author

Cold Eternity is the instant USA Today bestselling space horror from S.A. Barnes perfect for fans of Severance, where desperation for eternal life leads to a fate worse than death…

Halley is on the run from an interplanetary political scandal that has put a huge target on her back. She heads for what seems like the perfect place to lay low: a gigantic space barge storing the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth’s most fortunate citizens from more than a century ago…

The cryo program, created by trillionaire tech genius Zale Winfeld, is long defunct, and the AI hologram “hosts,” ghoulishly created in the likeness of Winfeld’s three adult children, are glitchy. The ship feels like a crypt, and the isolation gets to Halley almost immediately. She starts to see figures crawling in the hallways, and there’s a constant scraping, slithering, and rattling echoing in the vents.

It’s not long before Halley realizes she may have gotten herself trapped in an even more dangerous situation than the one she was running from…

Review

Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Tor Nightfire for the audiobook arc. 

Halley, a young woman on the run, takes a job off a sketchy forum. The offer is for far below the established minimum wage, which will force her to work for longer just to scrape up enough for passage somewhere, but at least it’s on a ship that’s so unlikely to be visited that it’s almost a home run. And where her boss is unlikely to come face to face with her, and the people that may or may not be after her are unlikely to find her, there’s no way she can refuse. 

The job seems easy, patrol the corridors, keep things need, clean, functional, and press a single button every three hours—every three on the dot. If she doesn’t, a warning alarm will go off and her boss’s superiors may visit to see why HE wasn’t pressing the button. She’s to remain a complete secret. You can sleep for two hours and fifty minutes every three hours, but you’ll never sleep through the night. I guess I didn’t really think about it while reading, but could you imagine the pressure of that? It would start as an annoyance, maybe a small headache or pain behind the eyes, then over time it would change into irritability, outright anger, paranoia—perhaps hallucinations? That sort of aching, growing atmosphere in the background was almost like The Shining to me. Creeping-insanity-esque. 

Outside of atmosphere, I really liked how quickly this one got off the ground. Halley’s past is left unresolved enough to be intriguing and her immediate scare on the new ship draws the reader right in. The AI projections are startlingly creepy at times, and although I wouldn’t liken them to M3gan (especially as they aren’t solid) it was a somewhat unique and futuristic addition to the book. I also enjoyed that they were not just thrown in, their inclusion is tied directly to the story. 

As for the twist, which I will not ruin, it worked for me. It was eerie and unique and ultimately paid off in a way I found more enjoyable than Ghost Station. I did feel like it could have gone on for a tad longer, but that’s okay. In a story that felt like a creepy haunting or even creature story, the landing was a bit different.

Synopsis:

What if saving the future meant rewriting the past?

In a dying world overrun by microdrones, humanity’s last survivors cling to life inside the Eden-17 biodome. Isabelle Sanborn knows her time is running out, but one desperate plan might give humanity a second chance. With the help of Madders, an enigmatic AI built from the memories of a brilliant physicist, Isabelle sends Diego Nadales—the love of her life—35 years into the past. His mission? To change the course of history and prevent their world’s collapse.

When Diego arrives in the vibrant yet fragile Main Timeline, he’s forced to confront ghosts of the past, including a younger, ambitious version of Isabelle. As he battles to shape a better future, Diego must navigate a delicate web of relationships and events without destroying the very fabric of time.

Brimming with suspense, heart-pounding action, and a poignant love story that transcends time, Madders of Time – Book One is a breathtaking science fiction adventure. Award-winning author DL Orton weaves a tale that explores sacrifice, resilience, and the timeless power of love.

Fans of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Dark Matter will find themselves captivated by this unforgettable journey through parallel worlds and intertwining destinies.

The clock is ticking. Can love survive the collapse of time itself?Prepare to lose yourself in the first installment of the Madders of Time series—a story that will keep you turning pages and leave you hungry for more.

Review:

Back in the mid-80’s Marty McFly traveled to 30 years into the past thanks to Doc Brown’s souped-up Delorian and science fiction was never the same. Frankly, I’ve always been fascinated by time travel and when I saw the opportunity to read Hive by D.L. Orton, I was thrilled to dive in. 

Time travel, of course, is purely theoretical at this time. But, in recent years the arguments have been ongoing about how time travel would work IF it actually was a possibility. Would it work like in Back to the Future where Marty could potentially erase his own future by bumbling around in the past? Or would it create branches and new timelines like what we saw in Avengers: Endgame? 

In Hive, Orton seems to indicate that for her, time travel involves different timelines. At the beginning of Hive, we see a world that is about to end. Humanity is on the verge of extinction and only a few people are left. Isabelle decides there is one hope to change the past — to use the A.I. named Madders to send Diego to before the world was too far gone. 

I enjoyed Hive, partly because it didn’t go perfectly. In every time travel story, the shenanigans are some of my favorite parts. So when Diego goes back into his past, the well-laid plans they had don’t quite go off without a hitch. Not to say it happens with comedic effect, but seeing how the past changes or doesn’t with certain decisions is a key part of Hive. 

I will say that Orton uses characters from previous books of hers. I would say that reading her previous books would probably really help understand what is happening, especially as the book starts basically in media res, seemingly with the understanding that the audience knows the characters already. However, I was able to enjoy the book without all the background context. Perhaps I would have rated it slightly higher, but as a time travel novel and the first in a new trilogy, Hive works all on its own. 

I’m glad I read Hive and am looking forward to the second book in the trilogy, Jump, which is slated to release on November 4 later this year. 

Synopsis

Kye Verex is trapped.

Due to a fluke of genetics, the decisions of the galaxy’s elite, and a lack of finances, he’s stuck on his polluted and noxious home world indefinitely. And it’s slowly killing him.

Then his more fortunate sister returns one day, bringing the promise of salvation. Kelsey has always hoped to find the means to pull him out of his desperate cycle of survival, but it has taken years. Now, she has a plan, one that will cure his genetic condition and clear him for interstellar travel.

The catch?

He has to sign over his very existence – and a portion of his humanity – to Zylar Inc., the galaxy’s most prominent and notorious corporation, in exchange for the necessary treatment. Is his cure worth the cost?

Quick Review

A story of resilience and a rejection of some of the worst traits of humanity, Wraith and the Revolution is a surprisingly hopeful stand-alone novel, told with sincerity.

Full Review

Thanks to A.J. Calvin for providing me with a digital advanced reader copy of Wraith and the Revolution.

Calvin’s first foray into sci-fi is rife with brilliant ideas and fun characters, but it also contains some odd pacing. I enjoyed my time with this book—and it sticks the landing with a really satisfying epilogue—but I can’t help but shake that it could have been a tighter experience.

The story begins on Earth, which has become a desolate and irradiated waste. Kye’s sister has already escaped it, but his genetics prevent space travel. It’s a neat wrinkle, and the goal during this portion of the story is focused on getting Kye off-planet. His sister is eventually able to get him into a program with a massive corporation who can facilitate his escape. All he has to do is sign on the dotted line.

It takes a while, but this eventually brings us to a section where Kye is brought into the corporation, Zylar. We get to see him become accustomed to what lies outside of Earth and meet his new team. It’s a fun segment, but at times is a bit repetitive as Kye seems to struggle to understand all of the details of his agreement and his new life. Which, to be fair, is what I’d expect. However, we still haven’t hit the meat of the story yet. Calvin is still setting things up, and as a result this entire section becomes a kind of “training montage.”

We don’t hit the real story behind Wraith and the Revolution until over one third of the way through the book. To avoid spoilers, I’ll refrain from saying exactly what happens, but suffice it to say that the goals and stakes of this story take a dramatic turn toward the titular revolution.

I enjoyed each of these sections, but it’s clear that Calvin was rushing to reach that pivotal moment which leads into the revolution. I can understand why they didn’t want to let any of these important parts of Kye’s background go, but as a result I has some trouble getting invested in this first third of the book—even in some of the most important characters around Kye.

Things settle down at this point in the story. We’re still moving along quickly, but it’s no longer so jarring. It’s also in these latter two thirds of the book that a theme begins to emerge: having to both physically and emotionally rebuild oneself after different forms of trauma. Kye’s physical rebuilding comes after all of the damage caused to him on Earth, and his emotional rebuilding comes after he is taken prisoner later in the book. Calvin treats both kinds of trauma with the utmost sincerity, and uses the cyberpunk genre to talk about these things in an interesting way.

There are also themes of seeking out nature, and rejecting the way people are wont to urbanize or industrialize over it. This can come a little heavy-handed at times, but it too has a similar sincerity behind the message. It is also reinforced by the sci-fi genre, and a species of plant-based aliens that become increasingly present in Wraith and the Revolution, the Botanaari. They were a surprisingly delightful addition to this book—but to explain that would be to give away too much.

As we come to a close on Wraith and the Revolution, I am of two minds. On one hand, I didn’t love the final act’s antagonist. They are mentioned early in the book, but go away for so long that I completely forgot who they were. I’m not sure if they ever had a single line of dialogue? As a result, the final fight just felt a bit hollow, no matter how fun some of the action was. 

On the other hand, Calvin’s epilogue contains a long-promised moment, and wraps up the story in a really lovely ceremony. In contrast to the final fight that Kye endures, the epilogue feels incredibly important and ties together some of the book’s most common themes.

I recommend Wraith and the Revolution. There were times when I struggled with parts of it, but ultimately when I reflect upon the story at large I can’t help but think about what a fun adventure it was—not to mention all the little moments and decisions Calvin made to set this world and these characters apart. Kye’s resilience, the Botanaari’s culture, and some genuinely fun characters really elevated this book for me.

Synopsis

An electrifying thriller about species re-engineering run amok, Scales is a great, fast-paced read perfect for fans of Jurassic Park.

A secret corporate-military project enhances four men with dinosaur traits to sell the public on a next-gen army of super-soldiers. But weeks before the big media unveiling, Eddie Boka, leader of the dino-prototypes, falls victim to a dark compulsion. His desperate overseers call in Dr. Adelaide LaTour, a therapist rejected by mainstream psychiatry for her wildly unorthodox methods. Sparks fly from the moment the ill-matched pair meet. But Eddie and Adelaide’s mutual antagonism soon takes a back seat to threats from deadly mercenaries and from something far worse, the monstrous byproducts of genetic engineering gone horribly wrong.

Review

Thank you to Angry Robot for the physical review copy!

A group of four have been genetically and surgically modified with traits and scales from our prehistoric apex predators. This is meant to be the next step in warfare, a way to up the ante, but also a way to ultimately protect lives. Naturally, there are some rather strange side effects when you attempt to turn humans into something else. 

As the blurb mentions, the novel opens up with a bit of a mishap. Eddie Boka, the poster boy for Project Saurian, has accidentally given into his T-Rex-infused DNA and cannibalized an enemy solider during his first live mission. In the fear of the information leaking, or the project missing its launch date, extreme therapist Addi LaTour is brought in. The hope is that her method of shock therapy will be enough to train Eddie out of it. But Eddie’s upbeat, overcome-it-all attitude has created a spark that transcends typically patient-doctor transference. There’s something more between them, and although romance isn’t the focal point, it does propel this journey. 

To be honest, other than the use of dino DNA, I think the “perfect for fans of Jurassic Park” may be a bit out there for some readers. It doesn’t go so heavy on the actual science it took to get the dino-humans to the stage they’re at, so this falls more into the realm of thriller. Although the later fights definitely have the vibe. But also, how do you even classify something like this? It doesn’t even really follow the natural flow of a novel at times either, and yet I found it works. It is intriguing enough that even when it isn’t fast it’s good, and when it took off it didn’t stop until it ended. Fast, brutal, and with intriguing deception I really was not expecting. 

A military thriller meets science fiction. A blend of billionaire gone wrong and medical/scientific advancement. I really wondered how the science would make it all work. Like wouldn’t their bodies refuse the foreign changes? Never a bad job when a book intrigues you! 

This novel also opened up the debate of cannibalism. The dino-humans started as naturally born human males, but since the transfusions and surgeries, they are kind of classified as something other. That includes in the public eye, with many labeling them as freaks. So it just kept standing out every time I read the word—if they aren’t being considered humans anymore, is it even really cannibalism? While it remains disturbing and unacceptable regardless, I wondered what it would be called otherwise. Where does science take that step past alteration and actual end up making something new?

Synopsis:

A city of peace. A whisper of chaos. A legacy at stake.

Lyonesse is a beacon of unity in a fractured galaxy, a space-based city-state built on the dream of integration and peace. For Danny Andela, it’s not just home—it’s her mission. As a fierce advocate for dissolving old feuds, Danny has spent decades working to unite the Carinad, Terran, and Bai worlds.

But something is wrong in Lyonesse. A series of weird malfunctions—some laughable, others deadly—hint at deeper troubles within the city’s core. As whispers of unease ripple through its gleaming domes, Danny battles growing paranoia, questioning allies, and doubting the systems she once championed. Her fight for peace becomes a desperate race to uncover the truth before a catastrophic failure silences Lyonesse forever.

Or should she? Is Lyonesse the shade of an old enemy? Danny must confront ghosts—and the terrible echoes of the war she thought she’d left behind. Will she stop the chaos in time, or will Lyonesse become the spark that reignites the galaxy’s divisions?

Review:

Danny Andela has a long history, thanks to the regenerative and cloning technology commonplace in the galaxy. A former marine and ship captain with as many enemies as friends, one might think she’s an unlikely choice for diplomat or city organizer, but those are her roles in Solar Whisper. And with centuries of experience at her disposal, she’s usually very good at her job.

But there are unknown forces acting against her—or at the very least, against Lyonesse, the city-state she helps manage at the nexus of the three major galactic governments. Danny’s goal is to broker peace between the three, and holding a conference in the neutral zone Lyonesse occupies seems ideal. Until inexplicable accidents begin to happen.

This book was more about political intrigue than it was action, but I really enjoyed the story. Beyond the main storyline, there is a ton of worldbuilding too. And lots of character history (I’ll get into that a little later.)

One of the most interesting aspects of the galaxy the author created is the distinct subspecies of human that inhabit it. They are all three human, but genetic drift has affected the populations over time, making the Carinad, Terran, and Bai people subtly different—but still similar enough to be considered human. Then there are Xaviens—sentient AIs who have chosen to inhabit human bodies in order to experience biological life. Cloning is commonplace in the galaxy too; it’s normal for a person to have multiple clones “in storage” should something happen to their current body, and the clones are given the person’s memory backup before being activated.

The fact that many people can no longer die in the truest sense does play a minor role in the storyline. While it might mitigate the consequences of one’s actions to know they have a backup somewhere, many people utilize their longevity to preserve their knowledge and, like Danny, try to make the galaxy a better place for everyone.

Many of the characters Danny encounters in Solar Whisper are featured in one of the author’s other series, though some were in a different form or role. I read Hammer and Crucible a while back, and recognized enough of those character in Solar Whisper to realize that there’s a lot more to this fictional galaxy than I realized. The two books are set many, many years apart (maybe centuries), but there was also a familiarity with the characters that made it a fun read. (Side note: Both of these are book ones in separate series. You don’t need to read Hammer and Crucible or the later books in that series to understand what’s going on in Solar Whisper.)

But it was the political intrigue—and the unknown source of the accidents that seemed to be planned specifically to throw Danny’s plans into chaos—that really captured my attention. It was clear after a few chapters that someone, or something, was determined to undermine her cause, but due to her history, most people are unwilling to believe her for one reason or another. The mystery at the core of this book was set up really well.

So if you’re looking for a new sci-fi story to dive into, check out Solar Whisper. Between the worldbuilding and the intrigue, you won’t be disappointed.

Synopsis:

For fans of Guardians of the Galaxy or Invincible.
Like Dragonball Z but wish it had a little more hard science fiction in it?

The il’Drach Empire spans half a galaxy, built on the feet and fists of their Powered hybrid children.

At eight Rohan of Earth learned that he was only half human. By sixteen he was an active superhero, using his inherited powers to fight crime, in mask and spandex. At twenty-two he left his home to fight for the his father’s people, expanding the il’Drach Empire and protecting it from local and interdimensional threats. At thirty-two, exhausted by ten years of ruthless warfare, he retired to Wistful, a vast sentient independent space station, to try to live a normal life.

With a steady job, someone far out of his league to date, and the most cosmopolitan selection of fine dining in the sector, things are looking up.

Then a long dormant wormhole in Wistful’s system is opened by a ship full of refugees, drawing unwanted attention from the Empire. The appearance of the refugees sets off a chain of events that will force Rohan to confront his checkered past and cast doubt on whether he can ever leave behind his violent warrior heritage.

To keep his friends safe, and himself in one piece, Rohan has to face giant insects, body-skipping assassins, vengeful armored aliens, an inquisition of intelligent bears, and a team of his fellow hybrids. The open question is whether tapping into his savage alien powers will end up destroying the peaceful life he has been trying to build.

Review:

Wistful Ascending begins with a wild, action-packed prologue. Our main character is in turmoil. We’re on the edge of our seats, but we don’t know why. Just when we think something devastating is about to occur, the prologue ends, and the first chapter takes us back to twelve days earlier.

Rohan, our main character, is a man trying to lead a normal life. Except, he is not normal. He is a mix of human and something incredibly powerful, labeling him a “hybrid”. Hybrids are strong and fierce and born to fight wars. Except Tow Chief, Second Class Rohan is happy enough to tow ships into Wistful’s space station. Regardless of what makes him happiest, the universe has other ideas for what Rohan will endure.

As someone who is newer to the science fiction genre, I always fear that books in this genre will lose me, or the world-building will go over my head. It is books like Wistful Ascending that prove me wrong. The world-building is done in my favorite style. No long paragraphs of info dumps. The world around Rohan is actually done primarily through dialogue.

The dialogue in this book is astounding. I did not even realize that I was gaining so much knowledge about the world because I was enjoying tense conversations or witty banter. Next thing I knew, I was aware of the different species in Berne’s world, past historical events, and how the space station Wistful came to be. There were many parts that had me laughing out loud.

Rohan’s voice in this book contrasts with the other characters—aliens and AI—in the best of ways. While he is casual, snarky, and very human in his speech, other characters converse formally and without humor, making his jokes even funnier. Some of my favorite back-and-forths were between Rohan and the space station Wistful herself. She is quick to answer his questions far too honestly, and he is quick to regret asking questions that do not always warrant an honest answer.

Rather than being chock full of wild adventures or harrowing events, Wistful Ascending takes its time. Rohan faces many challenges, but we also get moments of dinner with friends or playing frisbee with a local boy. While I was enjoying myself in the calm, thoughtful moments, there were always undertones of an issue soon to be faced.

The second half of the book picks up as Rohan faces several adversaries. His attempts at remaining peaceful and under the radar are futile. Berne produces top-tier, well-described bouts of action as Rohan performs like a true hybrid.

I listened to this as an audiobook, and I found it to be an incredibly enjoyable way to absorb this. Most of the time, I find narrators to be pleasant enough. Other times, I feel as though no other narrator could have done a book justice better than the one chosen. Wistful Ascending is an example of the latter. Wayne Farrell used many different accents and really brought Rohan to life.

Wistful Ascending was exciting, hilarious, and kept me engaged throughout. It is a must-read for anyone who enjoys light-hearted space adventures, loveable main characters, and severe situations involving dangerous enemies.