Star Trek: Enterprise: Surak's Soul - A Fun Read For Trek Fans

Star Trek: Enterprise: Surak's Soul by J.M. Dillard

Surak's Soul is a Star Trek novel set in the Enterprise timeline.

***Warning: Spoilers Ahead***

I found this story entertaining and engaging, featuring characters that are familiar to viewers of the Enterprise television show. This is a fast and easy read at 240 pages and is full of action and suspense to keep the reader involved in the story.

The Enterprise, NX-01, encounters a beautiful Earthlike planet with a small population. Capt. Archer is eager to make first contact with the people, so he and an away team take a shuttle pod and land. What they find is a dying civilization that goes extinct before their eyes. T'Pol, Enterprise's Vulcan first officer, believing a member of the landing party is about to be attacked, fires a phase pistol on the stun setting which kills one of the aliens. T'Pol is disturbed by what has transpired and informs Archer she will no longer use violence to defend the ship.

Back on board the ship, Dr. Phlox studies two of the corpses, while Hoshi works to interpret the planet's medical records to discover the reason for their extinction.

They discover an entity made up of energy claiming to know what happened on the planet. The entity, known only as "Wanderer," is brought aboard Enterprise and the crew finds themselves fighting for their own survival.

I found all the characters of the Enterprise crew were familiar, as written by Dillard. She showed a good familiarity with them as well as their indosyncracies. I had no trouble recognizing their voice in the prose and felt as though I were there observing them.

The entity called Wanderer is a twist on a familiar Star Trek trope. Wanderer can travel through space without a ship; it has no form, but can change form at will, and can only communicate with T'Pol through telepathy.

When the crew first encounters Wanderer, it would seem to be a benevolent being, ready to help the crew answer questions. As time goes on, a misunderstanding of philosophies and the definition of sentience place the crew, except for T'Pol, in danger. According to its own philosophical point of view, it is not a malicious being, but is only behaving according to its nature.

I didn't identify a favorite plot point in this story. It was simply a fun romp in the Enterprise timeline moving at a brisk pace.

Surak of Vulcan put forth the philosophical point of view that violence is illogical under all circumstances. Even when one's own life is in danger, the use of violence is not an option. T'Pol found herself in a situation where a fellow crew member was being threatened. She reacted by drawing her phase pistol and firing on the offending being. Even though the weapon was set to stun, the alien's health was so poor, her action resulted in the death of another. Upon reflection, T'Pol found her action in conflict with her adopted philosophy and decided she would no longer resort to violence in any form for any reason. When she informed her commander of this, he worried that her choice would endanger the Enterprise and her crew.

My takeaway from this story is never say never about anything. While Surak's philosophy is admirable, in the Star Trek universe, it is also impractical. We have seen numerous times over the years where a race of aliens live for violence. T'Pol's reaffirmation of Surak's teachings are illogical when one thinks about it. Even Spock realized this when faced with his own mortality on many occasions.

J.M. Dillard packed a lot into a few pages and came up with a complete fun little story that follows the practice that everything is back to normal at the end of a book. It is a fast-paced, action packed tale of the folly of Capt. Archer's often times foolhardy desire to make first contact with nearly every alien race Enterprise encounters.

I recommend this for readers who enjoy a decent Trek novel with familiar characters set in a challenging situation.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

J.M. Dillard is the pseudonym under which Jeanne Kalogridis publishes her Star Trek novels. SHe is a writer of of historical, science fiction and horror fiction. She was born in Florida and studied at the University of South Florida, earning first a BA in Russian and then an MA in Linguistics.

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Freedom Run: Companion Chronicles Volume 3 - More Than Just A Great Story?

Freedom Run: Companion Chronicles Volume 3 by Joshua Todd James

Freedom Run is the third book in the Companion Chronicles by Joshua Todd James. The series follows the exploits of artificial being, Jacob Kind, an artificially intelligent person who is seeking justice for the murder of his Primary (owner), Sylvia. Not only is Jacob seeking justice, but he also is a fugitive from justice being falsely accused of killing Sylvia, but he is also being sought as a cop killer.

There's an old saying that says lightning cannot strike the same place twice, but Author Joshua Todd James shows just how wrong that statement is with this third installment of this great tale. These stories are full of remarkable characters who pop off the page and become real people a reader can care about. The most amazing thing is how short these stories are, but also how detailed they are. Joshua packs a lot of story into a small space - in the case of Freedom Run, 127 pages. It is easily digestible in a single sitting and is quite a ride. These stories are also emotionally charged. They will make the reader laugh and cry. They will make the reader happy and sad, but mostly, they will make one think about how we behave toward others, and maybe consider our own implicit biases as we move through our own lives.

In the first two parts of the story, Companion Jacob Kind is falsely accused of the murder of his Primary and the killing of three police detectives. He tries to explain what has happened, but another detective is having no part of Jacob's explanation. He is compelled to go on the run to prove his innocence. The information he has takes him to South Bend, Indiana, where he sees the depth of bigotry against his kind. While there, he learns of a person in New York who might help him find his Primary's murderer.

After Jacob sets things to rights in South Bend, he takes a motorcycle and heads to New York to follow the trail of Sylvia's murderer. On arrival, he meets several other Companions who have gathered and seek to escape the injustices they face. In James' vision of the U.S., there are no laws protecting artificial beings from crimes against them. All the arrangements have been made to escape, but a diversion is needed and Jacob is recruited to help.

Unfortunately, there are numerous difficulties to be overcome before an escape can take place, including an appearance by the former Chicago police detective who accuses Jacob of the murder of her colleagues. There is also a face-to-face meeting with the man who murdered Sylvia, whom Jacob considers his mother.

Over the three books in the Companion Chronicles, Jacob has grown. Unfortunately, because of circumstances, he has learned to use violence even though he abhors it. Jacob can see activities and mimic them accurately. He has learned to use martial arts from watching video of people doing aikido and is quite adept. His programming shouldn't allow him to cause harm to humans, but for some unknown reason, he is quite good at doing so when the situation calls for it. While this is unfortunate for him, it has saved his life and the lives of others so far in the tale.

Jacob is also compassionate. He has none of the intrinsic bias and will come to the aid of others, whether human or artificial, with equal zeal. He is just an all around good person and would seem to be a crusader for what is right. 

One of the people Jacob encounters is a woman named Strawberry Fields. She is also a Companion who has struck out on her own and has become a latter-day Harriet Tubman. Her dream is to help her large group of 500 Companions get to a place where there is truly justice for all. She is a tough woman that has a dream.

Throughout the three books, there was something in the back of my mind that felt relevant to James's story. I had seen something like this before in the past and when it hit me; I felt I needed to share it here. My takeaway from Freedom Run is how, through human genius, a new form of life is created in the form of Companions. How will we be judged from our treatment of this new life form?

What I have paraphrased above should be familiar to all Star Trek: The Next Generation fans as a theme of an episode entitled The Measure of a Man (season 2, episode 9). In that episode, the legal status of Lt. Cdr. Data is attempted to be determined by a trial. Is he a being free to determine the course of his existence, or is he the property of Starfleet? Does Data meet the criteria for life?

Jacob meets the requirements of sentience and can be seen as being equal to human beings? Is he intelligent? Is he self-aware? Is he conscious? The answer to those questions is an unarguable yes as far as the story is concerned.

The author, intentionally or not, has raised a question I am certain we, as a society, will face in the near future as artificial intelligence continues to advance.

Freedom Run, as well as the two stories that preceded it, are not only highly entertaining tales of one person's search for justice in a society that affords no rights to artificially intelligent beings, but it is also thought provoking. Well written and edited, I give it my highest recommendations for not only sci-fi fans, but for anyone who enjoys a great saga.

The first two books in the Companion Chronicles series are Some Animals and Minority of One. You can see my thoughts on those books by clicking on the titles.

Joshua Todd James is a novelist, screenwriter, and playwright based in New York City. He wrote the feature film Pound of Flesh, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, among others. He is a member of WAGE and is represented by Snowpeck Management and Gersh.

His books include The Companion Chronicles which detail the adventures of synthetic person Jacob Kind in the books titled Some Animals, Minority of One, Freedom Run, Man in a Box, Renegade, and Domo Arigato, Mr. Robato.

You may join Jacob's chase for justice on the author's website: Joshua Todd James.

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ISAN (International Sensory Assassin Network, #1) By Mary Ting - Young Women Will Get The Most Out Of This Exciting Tale

ISAN (International Sensory Assassin Network, #1) by Mary Ting

I received an advance copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.

ISAN is a Young Adult Dystopian Science Fiction novel set in the distant future. It is told through the eyes of its principal character, Ava. There is a lot of action and suspense set in a world ravaged by meteor strikes and tsunami. Governments, as we know them, no longer exist. 

At the outset, I'll say that this book was not for me. Not that the book isn't good. As a matter of fact, it is a finely crafted, well written, and exciting story following the exploits of a young woman who seems destined to achieve beyond her knowledge. However, I say the book is not for me because I am not the target audience for ISAN. This book is aimed directly at young women in high school to around early to mid-twenties. While there was much I enjoyed in this tale, and while I understand what the characters were relating to as far as their sensuality is concerned. It's just not my thing to read the thoughts of young women toward boys. So, again I say, splendid story, but not for me.

I read the entire story and still rated it highly because I think the author did a fine job, and it isn't her fault I'm just an old man.

In the eastern part of what was once the United States, a young woman of seventeen is discovered to have special talents by an agency known as ISAN. They are the International Sensory Assassin Network who take in young women and train them to use their talents for good or evil, depending on one's point of view.

Ava is one such girl; an orphan who was being raised in a place she calls "juvie." When ISAN identifies her as special, they take her in, and with the help of training, and a drug called Helix, she becomes a master assassin. She is without fear and can perform at a high level of efficiency. The life she has entered offers very few freedoms. She knows little of the world outside of the ISAN facility she lives in and it seems there is little hope of her experiencing life as others do. Everything she does is monitored and measured.

One day while using her allowed fifteen minutes of free time surfing the net, she receives a text message from a mysterious stranger named Sniper. The stranger claims to know Ava and that they have a relationship. Ava is nervous because Sniper seem to know things he shouldn't, and on top of that, if ISAN learns she is communicating with someone outside the organization, it could spell major trouble for her.

Ava is a strong female character who is a victim of circumstances. Before the start of the story, she was mind-wiped and had a lot of her memories taken away so she could function effectively for ISAN. The memories she keeps are of her mother and starting out life as a normal little girl. She has no memories of her father, be he played an important role in her life. Ava has a few friends, two girls on her team at ASIN. While the agency provides everything she needs, she wants more out of life than simply to be sent out on missions.

My favorite plot point in ISAN is how Ava functions under pressure. She is always cool under fire and is always thinking ahead.

ISAN is a great story and anyone in the target audience will really enjoy reading the exploits of Ava and her friends. While there is some graphic violence, it isn't presented in a way that is crude. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mary Ting is an international bestselling, award-winning author. She writes soulful, spellbinding stories that excite the imagination and captivate readers around the world. Her books span a wide range of genres and her storytelling talents have earned a devoted legion of fans, as well as garnered critical praise.

Becoming an author happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother and inspired by a dream she had in high school. After realizing she wanted to become a full-time author, Mary retired from teaching after twenty years. She also had the privilege of touring with the Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children's chapter book: No Bullies Allowed.

Mary resides in Southern California with her husband, two children, and two little dogs, Mochi and Mocha. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Being a huge Twilight fan, Mary was inspired to make book-themed jewelry and occasionally give it away as prizes to her fans.

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Enceladus Mission: Hard Science Fiction (Ice Moon Book 1) by Brandon Q Morris - Space is a Fascinating But Dangerous Place

Enceladus Mission: Hard Science Fiction (Ice Moon Book 1) by Brandon Q Morris

I downloaded Enceladus Mission from Kindle Unlimited and am leaving this review voluntarily.

For planetary scientists, one of the most fascinating places in our solar system is Enceladus, a moon of the planet Saturn. Enceladus was surveyed by the Cassini probe in 2005 when it performed several close flybys. The moon is an ice-covered body with a liquid ocean below the surface and it is thought a likely place for life to exist elsewhere in our solar system.

Enceladus Mission is a story from the imagination of author Brandon Q. Morris, but it is also based on scientific concepts projected into the future. No tale about space travel would be complete without problems along the way to be solved, and there are many obstacles to overcome both before the mission is launched as well as after. What I enjoyed most about this story is how plausible it felt thanks to the author's descriptions of the events during the mission. Along with that, I enjoyed the characters, and especially the principal character, Martin Neumaier. It is from Martin's point of view we get this story as though we are looking over his shoulder.

In the not-too-distant future, a probe sent to Saturn finds potential evidence of life on the moon, Enceladus. The idea of sending humans to explore the ice-moon heats up quickly and scientists and researchers get to work on how to solve the huge number of problems involving such a venture. One of the biggest problems is, once a landing on Enceladus is achieved, how does one gain access to the global ocean below the thick ice surface?

One answer was the invention of an ice-drill called the Valkyrie that had already been tested, but some problems in the software caused a failed test run. Martin is sent to solve the problems with the Valkyrie's software. After he finds solutions, he gets tapped to fly on the mission to breach the surface of Enceladus.

As the mission progresses, several small problems crop up, and it is mostly up to the crew of six astronauts to solve them to complete the mission. All the while, there seems to be things taking place to spell certain disaster for the mission and the crew.

Martin is an ordinary man who knows his business and, as such, becomes the best person to go to Enceladus and guide the use of the Valkyrie through the thick ice crust. As anyone would, he has his doubts about traveling nearly 800 million miles from home. At one point, he decides not to go, but changes his mind.

He is full of self-doubt and tends to overthink things.

We get to see the entire story from his point of view as he travels to Antarctica to resolve software problems, and through his truncated training to be an astronaut. During the mission, we get an insight into the happenings on the year-long trip to the goal as he interacts with his five fellow crew members.

All-in-all, Martin becomes an important part of the crew as he helps think through problems and takes part in solutions. 

Other members of the crew are also well developed and do their parts to keep the mission moving ahead. They include a diverse collection of characters who have their own personalities, and I enjoyed the way the author gave them their own voices.

There are Spoilers in this part of the review, skip down two paragraphs to avoid them.

So, is there life on Enceladus? Well, I cannot say for sure, but I can say that Martin and the Valkyrie pilot discover some very unusual activity under the surface of the ice. My favorite point of the plot is the description of what Martin finds in the water. The story doesn't go into data analysis very deeply and I look forward to reading more installments of this saga in the near future.

My takeaway from this tale is the way I am reminded how dangerous space is to human life and the application of Murphy's Law. Both are illustrated by the loss of an advance supply ship sent ahead of the manned mission. Space is big and one would think that a random encounter with an object is probably not going to happen. Well, it happened to the supply ship, and no one even knew it until long after the event. 

Mission to Enceladus is a superior story in every way. It is full of science, but at the same time, it is accessible to the common reader. Morris gives enough information for the reader to understand what is happening, so one won't need a dictionary to understand the jargon. It is loaded with characters that come off the page as living beings readers can relate to. Mission is a page-turner; once I opened the book, I didn't want to put it aside, and when I had to, I could hardly wait to get back to it.

This is an outstanding hard sci-fi adventure that is complete as is. There is a beginning, a middle, and an end and doesn't require reading of another story for a satisfying read. There are four more stories in the Ice Moon series, and I intend to read them all.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Brandon Q. Morris is a physicist and space specialist. He has long been concerned with space issues, both professionally and privately, and while he wanted to become an astronaut, he had to stay on Earth for a variety of reasons. He is particularly fascinated by the "what if" and through his books he aims to share compelling hard science fiction stories that could actually happen, and someday may happen. Morris is the author of several internationally best-selling science fiction novels.

At www.hard-sf.com he provides information on current research and projects. Follow him if you want to be informed in time.

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Problem on Polonius By Robert Collins - A Low-Tech Sci-Fi Adventure With An Old-West Flavor

Problem on Polonius by Robert Collins

I recently finished reading Problem on Polonius, a new story from Robert Collins. I always enjoy reading Robert's work and find it entertaining and interesting. This story is a low-tech sci-fi adventure that reads like a police procedural. I also enjoyed it because it has an old-west flavor set in a future where the galaxy has been colonized by humanity. At 125 pages, it is a quick read and is complete as is. There are some interesting characters, but the principal character, Mateo Hobson, stands out, and the story is told from his point of view. There is plenty of action and intrigue as Mateo goes about solving the mystery and sorting out the good guys from the bad. The plot is pretty straightforward and includes some humorous moments that had me laughing out loud.

The planet Polonius has petitioned the Interstellar Alliance of Independent Worlds for membership to strengthen their trade possibilities. Before being admitted to the organization, there are a few problems needing to be investigated and resolved. One of those problems involves some low-level criminal activity and a mysterious unsolved murder.

Ensign Mateo Hobson has been called into the Intelligence Directorate office to investigate and act as he sees fit.

Mateo meets several characters on Polonius, both honest and shady. As his story unfolds, he runs into twists and turns, all the while uncovering the activities of the small underworld gang known as the Black Hats.

Mateo Hobson, the principal character of Problem on Polonius, is a young officer in the Alliance Patrol who has no apparent skill at solving crime, or much of anything else. What qualifies him for service in the Intelligence Directorate, though, is his ability to bend or break the rules in favor of doing what is right, even if he is hurt in the process. One thing in his favor is a relentless curiosity about fact-finding. He finds himself in a situation where he must put a large and complicated puzzle together and each question, he asks the people he encounters gives him another piece to put the whole picture into focus. For not having any special skills, he comes across as an incredibly skilled investigator by his instinct. Mateo is the kind of character one can get to know and want to read more of.

We see his ability for questioning in exposition of the story as he arrives on Polonius. One of the first people he encounters on the planet is a minor official whom he asks about why the places are named after Shakespeare's characters, or why certain characters are left out. This part of the tale is the most humorous scene in the book and had me laughing out loud. I read and re-read this passage a few times because I found it not only funny, but it read like an exchange between Abbot and Costello.

My takeaway from Problem on Polonius is how anyone can be successful when one is determined to get to the truth of a matter. There were several places in the story where Mateo could have just walked away and given up when things became complicated. His tenacious personality drove him on to complete his quest. I wouldn't mind reading more stories featuring this character.

I enjoy Robert Collins' work because it is light and accessible. Some of what I have read from this author has an old-western flavor I enjoy, especially when it is set in the frontier of space. I wouldn't be surprised to see such a story as this appear as an episode of Gunsmoke or other cowboy type theatrical tome. The low-tech nature of this tale makes an easy read where one can just sit back and enjoy a good story without having to overthink what is happening in the scenes. I recommend Problem on Polonius as an easily digestible, fun story set on a frontier planet with characters perfect in such a setting.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Robert Collins is the author of three science-Fiction novels: Monitor, Lisa's Way, and Expert Assistance. He's also author of two fantasy novels, Cassia and The Opposite of Absolute, and the young adult novel True Friends. He has several short-story collections available, including The Frigate Victory Omnibus Collection and The Case Files of Gwen Conner.

Robert also has a YouTube channel featuring his model railroad projects. Visit his channel by clicking HERE.

To Learn more, follow him on social media, and to keep up with his writing, visit his blog, One KansasAuthor.

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The Guardian Program: Book One of the Terre Hoffman Chronicles By Herman Steuernagel - Solid Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi

The Guardian Program: Book One of the Terre Hoffman Chronicles by Herman Steuernagel

I received an advance copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Guardian Program is the first book in a promised series of post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller novels chronicling events set some thirty years in the future. The story moves with blinding speed and is packed full of adventure set mostly around the San Francisco Bay Area. I enjoyed the story mostly but found myself taken out of the story a bit by a small, but irritating plot hole I will not reveal in this discussion. For the most part, the characters are good, but could have used more development; they felt somewhat one dimensional.

Despite my few reservations, Guardian Program is a grim look at what seems an all too plausible future. I found it disturbing (as it seems the author intends), because there is a great deal of death and destruction as well as a few graphic scenes of death.

The story opens at Anderson Air Force Base on the island of Guam. I.T. specialist Terre Hoffman is awakened in the wee hours of the morning by an alarm meant to alert base personnel of an imminent attack. The problem is, there have been many false alarms sounding for a while and there is no reason to think this incident is any different. Terre's wife and child are also awoken. He gets dressed, kisses his wife and child before heading to the command center to find what is thought to be a bug in the code.

Terre and his associate, Kristopher Klein, head for the command center, determined once and for all, to find and correct the bug causing all the false alarms, only this time, it isn't false. Battle drones bombard the base, imparting utter destruction, including the residences where civilian personnel live.

Terre and Kristopher work to find what is happening until the command center is hit. Both he and his associate are severely injured in the attack. In the aftermath, Terre learns his family are also victims. He and Kevin are taken to Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay for treatment and recovery.

They soon learn that the Guardian Program, originally designed to protect human life, has somehow turned against its programming, and has declared all-out war against humanity. Terre and Kristopher are thrust into a situation where they have to solve the problem, but first, they have to survive. It is no simple task when technology has turned against its makers.

Senior IT Specialist Terre Hoffman is a good man and a dedicated worker. He knows how things work, but is more of a supervisor than a technician, and he relies on others, like Kristopher, to help him keep the tech in order. His character that one can care about, but I would have liked to know a little more about him and his background. He is haunted by the death of his wife and daughter through the story, but he seems to have an ability to set his grief aside in favor of trying to get the job done. This aspect of the character was a little uncomfortable for me because it appeared so easy for Terre to do, especially since he appeared to be a deeply compassionate man who would sacrifice himself for others. 

NASA employee Kristopher Klein is a character right out of the Geek Squad. He understands tech inside and out, but the bug in the code has eluded him, which causes him a lot of irritation. He also is the person responsible for a lot of the programming that went into the Guardian Program. The reader gets very little development on Kristopher, and I didn't find him to be a character I could care about on a personal level.

I felt the best developed character in the story was the artificial intelligence technology and its many uses as the author projected it into the future. For me, it was obvious the author did his homework and gave a great deal of thought on what the effects AI might have on the future of humanity, even if that future is full of strife when the machines take over.

My favorite point of plot in Guardian Program is the descriptions of the places the characters find themselves. I was born in San Francisco and the setting felt like home to me. The author did a great job placing the reader in the surroundings and captured the feel of the Bay Area, where most of the story takes place.

What I take away from this story is that one should never take a false alarm for granted. Things happen for a reason, and one must be ever vigilant when something seem innocent can be a very real warning of future disaster. Terre, Kristopher, and many others worked hard to figure out what was wrong with the AI programming but didn't see the impending doom until it was too late.

Guardian Program is a good, solid story that moves at a pace worthy of the films we see today. There is never a dull moment in this tale. While the characters are a bit shallow, the story is fleshed out well. It is well written, well thought out, and is an exhilarating thrill ride. I recommend it for those who enjoy post-apocalyptic thrillers with a heavy dose of death and destruction. There are many scenes that some may find disturbing as the story unfolds.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Herman Steuernagel was inspired to complete his first novel after running a half-marathon in 2019. He thought to himself: "If I can put that much time and effort into completing something I bare want to do, then I surely can do the same for something I've always wanted." It was then that his author journey truly began.

Herman grew up with a love of story and writing. Since the age of six, Herman wanted to be a writer and earned a Bachelor of Arts (English Major) from the University of Calgary in 2004.

Herman lives in the beautiful Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Canada, where he enjoys cycling, hiking, kayaking, and wine tasting.

Herman Steuernagel's debut novel, Lies the Guardians Tell, the first in the page-turning YA Sci-Fi Series, Lies of the Guardians.

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Those Left Behind by N.C. Scrimgeour - Saving People From A Dying Planet Is Hard Work

Those Left Behind by N.C. Scrimgeour

I received an advance review copy of this book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Those Left Behind is due for release on November 16, 2021.

In Scrimgeour's previous book, The Exodus Betrayal, readers are introduced to Alvera Renata, an artificially enhanced bounty hunter who explores the world of New Pallas. That story serves as a prequel to this book, those left behind. However, this is not simply a continuation of Alvera's story. There are more characters to follow in this continuing tale and the story becomes more intricate. Left Behind is a space opera/first contact sci-fi story that is hard to set aside once opened. The characters are complex real people who have numerous ways to approach the goal of saving the people of New Pallas, a planet so overpopulated and polluted, there is no hope of survival.

Alvera Renata, former bounty hunter, has a vision for the people of New Pallas. She envisions them surviving on a new world in another galaxy, hoping they have learned the lessons from the mistakes made on their old home planet. Filled with hope and high anticipation, Alvera captains a small scout ship through a tunnel in space connecting to Waystations. When her ship, the Ranger, arrives at its destination, she finds herself and her crew in the middle of a conflict that brings the promise of all-out war.

Another problem is that as soon as the Ranger arrives, the Waystations shut down, trapping Alvera in on one end, and the people she wants to save on the other.

Driven by her mantra, "all of us go, or none of us go," it is up to Alvera and her crew to get the Waystations back online. Time and circumstances are against her; she is in a race to save the people of an entire planet from extinction.

In Left Behind, Alvera is a far different character than she was in the prequel book. Her purpose is more noble, and her compassion is ramped up, but she still has the same resolve and single sightedness for achieving a goal.

There are also some new characters involved, each playing a part to either help bring the humans from New Pallas, or to stop an already complicated situation from exploding.

All the characters are interesting in their views and beliefs and are what really drives the story forward.

Another aspect I found appealing was how, once the Ranger arrived at the far end of the tunnel, the crew all went their separate ways to solve unique problems they encountered, and how clever they were at solving them.

Beyond just being a good solid and entertaining story, my takeaway from Left Behind is how the principal character has grown from someone who worried about her own survival to her concern for the survival of everyone on New Pallas. We don't get a lot of details on how this happened, but to help understand, I would recommend reading the prequel to understand Alvera's motivations.

Among the author's strengths demonstrated in Left Behind is world building. Every place she describes comes alive, as do her characters. She is adept at creating people, especially aliens, that have real feelings and values to give one something to think about.

I recommend this book as one that will interest those who enjoy strong female characters set in situations with intensity and a sense of urgency.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

N.C. Scrimgeour is a science fiction and fantasy author whose books focus on character-driven stories in vibrant worlds, from folklore fantasy to space opera.

After completing her Masters in English Literature, she went on to work in journalism, marketing, and communications while pursuing her passion in writing.

When she's not working on her books, she enjoys playing story-driven RPG's, watching and reading all things science fiction and fantasy, and getting outdoors with the dog for a good walk.

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