Remanence (Confluence Book 2) By Jennifer Foehner Wells - Excellent An Thoughtful Sci-Fi

Remanence (Confluence Book 2) By Jennifer Foehner Wells

Not long ago, Jennifer Wells posted on Twitter that she noticed a marked uptick in the sales of her first book entitled Fluency released in 2014, and which I reviewed on this blog. I tweeted back that it was perhaps due in part to my review which is the second highest hit-getter on this blog. I was kidding of course (about my blog increasing sales, not about Jennifer's book being in 2nd place), and realize that Fluency needs no help from me because it is just that good. Almost immediately, Jennifer tweeted back that I needed to read the second book and subject of this review, Remenance. It had taken me completely unawares that there was another book in this series and don’t know how I missed any announcement of its release.

Remanence picks up nearly where Fluency left off with Jane Holloway commanding the Sectillian starship that was accidentally discovered to be hanging around in our solar system for some time. Jane Holloway, along with other crew and her commander were sent by NASA to learn what they could, assuming that the Speroancora was a derelict. What the crew of the Providence (NASA’s name for the capsule sent to investigate the alien craft with a crew of six) was a ship that was abandoned by sentient life with the exception of Ei’Brai, the ship’s Kubodoran Gubernaviti (a squid-like being that takes part in the administration of Sectillian ships including the navigation and other duties of the vessel while being bound by yoke to the ship’s commander), and some very nasty and hostile creatures called the Nepatrox.

After taking several jumps, the Speroancora arrives at Antelle, a habitable moon orbiting the planet Sectilia. Upon arrival, it is discovered that the system has been devastated by the Confluos Gigantus, a predatory insect that eats everything in it’s path and is adapted to space travel to move through the galaxy seeking ecosystems to devour. The people of Atelle have learned to survive, but the once thriving and highly technological species has been thrown back to roughly the stone ages. Then there is also the constant threat of the nepatrox that is trying to eradicate what is left of the population on Atelle as well as the visitors from Earth. When their shuttle is disabled on Atelle, the crew of the Speroancova is stranded and forced to dodge the nepatrox, learn new customs, avoid breaking taboos, and figure out how they are going to get back to their mission.

With all of that going on, there is a threat to Earth itself that has to be dealt with.

Once again, as she did in Fluency, Jennifer has produced a work of Sci-Fi literature that is to be enjoyed by any reader that enjoys well written, detailed, and emotionally charged stories that keep one guessing. At every page turn there is something new and fresh and exciting, but at the same time doesn’t feel rushed or glossed over. The main protagonist of the story, Jane Holloway, is a fantastic strong character in the tradition of Ellen Ripley of the Alien movies, while at the same time being fair and compassionate. Through her telepathic connection with the ships kubodoran navigator, Ei’Brai, Jane feels almost everything that he feels and she has made it her mission to return him to his home. At the same time though, Ei’Brai also has a little tendency to get in the way because he can see and feel everything that Jane sees and feels which strains her relationship with the engineer, Alan Bergan. Alan is brilliant but he also has a temper and is not afraid to let it show, especially when Ei’Brai gets into his thoughts, but even more so when he get into Jane’s thoughts during more intimate moments (which are tastefully written, however I would say that this story would be rated for older teens to adult).

Two scenes in the book stand out as fine examples of Jennifer’s skill as an author. Both the descent to and ascent from Atelle were classic Sci-Fi scenes that included edge-of-your-seat excitement and suspense. Routine operations became unsure for the crew and on one occasion a chapter-ending cliff hanger wouldn't allow me to close the book; I just had to read one more chapter, but this was the case for the entire book. It seemed that no matter how skilled the crew, there was always something that got in the way of an easy success and the members of the crew had to come up with some innovative ways to problem solve in the face of what felt like certain doom.

Looming over everything was the constant and very dangerous threat of the neaptrox that turned up no matter what was happening and at one point, it looked like we would lose at least a couple of characters before they could accomplish their task. The nepatrox are as relentless as the Borg on Star Trek and even more dangerous. I honestly found myself looking over my shoulder wondering when they would turn up again, figuratively speaking, of course.

For most of the story the main antagonists are the environment the crew finds themselves in, but also their own lack of knowledge. A more tangible antagonist comes on the scene a little later that seems to be so angry and vengeful, it will stop at nothing to assure the destruction of all life in the galaxy.

The story simply flows, but one cannot think that there wasn’t a lot of homework done on the part of the author. Jennifer has indeed researched and taken what she learned and put it all together in a fantastic voyage of discovery, character development, emotional involvement, and just plain good storytelling. I recommend Remanence as an outstanding piece of Sci-Fi literature that very stands on its own, but would also recommend reading the first book in the Confluence series, Fluency. The author does include a synopsis of the first book in the series, but not reading Fluency would mean that a reader would miss the genius of this author. Remember, it isn’t always getting to the end of a journey that is important, but rather, how one gets there.

I instant messaged the author and asked if there were plans to another installment of the Confluence series and received the following response...

"Yes, the next book will be titled Valence and will be releasing next Summer!

Further, Jennifer offered...

"I will be releasing another book in October (2016) called The Druid Gene. It is in the same universe as Confluence but with new characters and different challenges."

Some things to look forward to!

Well, there it is...

Qaplah!

No Way Home Curated By Lucas Bale - Seven Stories Of People Who Are Stranded Away From Where They Want To Be

No Way Home: Stories From Which There Is No Escape Curated By Lucas Bale With A Foreword by Jennifer Foehner Welles

I am not sure how I stumbled on this book, all I can say is that it sat on my Kindle for quite a while before I was finally Able to get to reading it.

No Way Home is a collection of short stories that are well founded in hard science fiction all involving characters that find themselves in situations that leave them stranded far from their homes for one reason or another. The collection contains seven stories that are quite diverse in their settings. Here is a rundown of what the reader will encounter in this collection…

• To Sing of Chaos and Eternal Night by Lucas Bale: A nameless soldier has had his consciousness uploaded into a heavily armored and well armed machine fights in an endless war. He dies over and over again with no hope of ending a conflict that if lost would see the end of human civilization.
• XE, or People Are Crazy by S. Elliot Brandis: A volunteer astronaut is sent to a distant planet to explore and determine that it is suitable for human habitation and colonization. All he has to do is send a signal that is either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ back to Earth and then he will be free to live out the rest of his life in peace and quiet. However, there is nothing peaceful or quiet when he discovers that he is not alone.
• Grist by J.S. Collyer: After a series of war, a once green and living place becomes a place that the protagonist is eager to escape from.
• Revolver by Michael Patrick Hicks: A young woman who has nothing left to live for goes on a bizarre crowdfunding show to raise money for her family. The audience is out for blood in this dystopian story and the young woman delivers, in spades.
• The Happy Place by Harry Manners: A man and his family are relocated to Mars from his home in Nebraska. When the commander of his small colony goes off his rocker, their existence is threatened. In order to keep himself from going insane, he has to make regular visits to The Happy Place where he is grounded in reality.
• Renata by Nadine Matheson: In the year 2049, an assassin is given an assignment to kill someone who has been dead some twenty years. Thanks to a rediscovered time travel project, he is able to travel back to 2014, but if he fails, he will be stranded creating a paradox that might result in his death.
• Cold Witness by A.S. SInclair: A radio engineer working at an abandoned military base finds that as he explores more and more of the facility, be begins suffering from time shifts, and hallucinations to the point that he cannot tell reality from his dreams. What is his actual reality?

As I read this collection, I found that I was really enjoying the stories because of their complexity in such a short time to flesh out a complete story. The above listed authors are very skillful at cramming so much into so few words that if one blinks, one might miss some important thread of the story. When I was forced to put a story aside, I found that I had to re-read a great deal because of the detail contained within. These stories are not a casual read and will require the full attention of the reader.

I think my favorite of the stories was Revolver because of its utter absurdity to what things should be like but actually are like. The young woman is someone who has made many mistakes in her life and is expected to simply kill herself on live television. While this is happening, people are pledging money to egg her on and there are some very horrible people sending comments over the internet that include some very nasty name calling. The absurd thing is that the reader might be horrified at what is contained in this story, but on the other hand, being involved in social media myself, I can completely see the story being far closer to reality today than the fiction that is intended by the author. It is disturbing in that Hicks, seems to be holding up a mirror to our society and it has a filter that shows the ugliest parts of modern social interaction full of bigotry, hatred, and indifference.

While that one may be my favorite of the collection, the rest are equally compelling. I would recommend that this book is worth a look for serious Sci-Fi readers that are looking for a real roller coaster of a read.

Well, there it is…

Qaplah’!

Fluency - A Fresh Story by Jennifer Foehner Wells - Excellent Story From A New Author

Fluency by Jennifer Foehner Wells.

A few months ago, I cannot remember how, I learned about a new author, Jennifer Wells, was working on a new novel that was based on space travel.  I followed her on Twitter and friended her on Facebook in hopes of getting some idea on what the book was going to be about, and when it might be released.  A few weeks ago, I learned that the book had been released and immediately put it on my Amazon wishlist with the intention of reading it yet this summer.  A few days ago, Jennifer mentioned that her book was available for the Kindle at a very reasonable price so I snagged it since I was getting to the end of another book I was reading.

So I purchased Fluency on Monday and finished it this morning, Wednesday.  It isn’t because the book is short, it is about an average length, but when it comes to quality, in my opinion, it is well above average, especially for a new author.

A NASA craft called Providence is on a mission to Mars with a crew of five.  At least that is the story for the public.  Actually, the crew is on a mission to a huge spacecraft that was discovered in 1964.  It seems that most of the U.S. space program has been geared toward studying this mysterious ship that is just hanging, apparently not functional, in the asteroid belt near Mars.

The story revolves around one astronaut on this mission in particular; a linguist named Jane Holloway.  Jane is at the top of her field and was at the top of a very short list of linguists that NASA considered for the mission.  Being someone who can quickly understand languages, spoken or written, it is her job to act as an ambassador to whomever may be residing on the “Target” as the ship is called.

After a year of travel from Earth, the crew of the Providence reaches the Target.  Suddenly the heretofore thought to be a possible derelict ship comes to life.  Jane is inundated with images of her past as a child and soon hears a voice in her head from the navigator of the ship, Ei’Brai the last sentient inhabitant of the craft.  The remainder of her the Jane’s crew worry that she is being manipulated by the voice of the ship.  Some want to leave immediately while others want to stay and learn as much as they can.

As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that Jane is being groomed by Ei’Brai for an adventure that no human has ever experienced before.

Jennifer has written one of the strongest female characters in science fiction, since Ellen Ripley of Alien fame.  Jane’s character is compassionate and maintains her humanity while establishing herself as a hero.  Jane doesn’t use violence as her tool for being heroic, but rather uses her intellect and wits to analyze and resolve the obstacles that are thrown her way.

Another prominent member of the crew, Alan Bergen is an engineer/astronaut that tries to aid Jane along the way.  Bergen believes in jane and somewhat reluctantly follows her lead to keep the rest of the crew on track.

Ei’Brai, the ship’s navigator was one of the most interesting characters written because as I read, I felt that at some points he was benevolent, while at others he was the real enemy to be feared and beaten.  It isn’t until the end that we find out which.  This was one of the most fun parts of reading Fluency

If there is a weakness to this story, it might be that the author, while doing an awesome job of developing her main characters, but I personally would have liked to known a bit more about the other members of the crew, particularly the motivations behind Walsh, the mission’s commander.

This story is a tapestry of action right from the opening lines. It never lets up with exception of some interludes and images of flashbacks caused by the ship’s navigator in the minds of some of the crew  The situation on board becomes desperate and seemingly hopeless a few times, but thanks to Jane, Ei’Brai, and Bergen’s level-headedness many of the situations are solved in some very interesting ways.

This story is very open-ended and would seem to be begging loudly for a sequel, which would be fun, but I personally think this story stands very well alone.  I wonder if Jennifer didn’t intend for the reader to use their imagination to continue the story.

Fluency is a real page-turner; I really hated to stop reading and found that even though I had other things I should have been doing, I kept drifting back to see what happens next.

I recommend this story for sci-fi fans that enjoy a good book that deals with humanity and how we might behave during an encounter with an unknown.  Jennifer has a good grasp on how a situation such as what is in the story might shake out.  I am very much looking forward to her future work

Well, there it is…

Q’aplaH’!