Fifty years ago the Manisae claimed Earth’s red neighbor as their new home. Since then, Humanity has fostered a suspicious and fragile relationship with them. Now, Earth's first ambassador has just passed away, survived only by his three estranged children.
Their inheritance: his memories, divided between the three of them. Will they be able to follow the hints that their father has woven into his memories to uncover the truth of his work, the lie of their neighbors, and their mother’s death a decade before?
Both Humanity and the Manisae must come to terms to understand a legacy that is larger than either civilization.
interesting premise, but I expected more action / some higher stakes. the book ended a bit fast as well, and I feel like it would’ve sounded way better in the 1st person view rather than the 3rd person view.
Disclaimer: I read this as a judge for the SPSFC#3, as part of the Wayward Stars team. However, the following is my own personal review and does not reflect on the team's score.
This was another one from out batch that was extremely hard to judge. There were some areas that I felt were really strong, such as I thought the plot was superb, but there were others that were an issue. We were first drawn to it by that fantastic cover and stayed for the innovative ideas the author lead us through.
Starting with the plot, this one is cracking. Earth makes contact with an alien race, the Manisae, who then claim Mars as their own. This leads to a fragile peace between the two races but it has the potential to crack at the drop of a hat. One of the benefits is the memory crystals bestowed on humanity by Manisae. This allows memories to be recorded and played back at a later date. The first Human ambassador to the Manisae has died and as part of his legacy, he leaves several memory crystals to his three children. As ever, all is not what it seems and it is up to the siblings to unravel their father's clues. There are some really delightful ideas here, especially regarding the origins of the species. I really enjoyed seeing how this developed throughout the book. It is very political, with much wangling and shenanigans, but that is to be expected with this kind of plot (first stages after first contact). If politics between species is your thing, then you are going to love this.
The worldbuilding was also extremely interesting. The memory crystals obviously take a front row seat but there are some other very cool things mentioned here. The terraforming of Mars is always a personal favourite. I also liked the explanations of the Manisae society, which I thought were handled very well (no info dumps here), and how they came to the Solar System. It all added that little bit of colour to the main plotline.
I did struggle somewhat with the characters. We three estranged siblings that haven't really spoken for years. Their father, who they are also estranged from, dies and leaves them a strange inheritance. Now, they are all working together, plus some fortuitous strangers, for the good of both species. Although I thought we did get a good sense of Als and his siblings, I did find the writing style to be a bit dry when concerning them. Although there is character development, I want to call this plot driven rather than character driven (although I think there will be some that will want to argue against that. It is a close thing), probably due to that dryness. I was also surprised at how all three siblings seemed to be OK with being manipulated by their parents from beyond the grave. I mean, it was for the benefit of mankind but there was some heavy duty manipulation going on here (but for there own good!). I'm not sure I would have been so benevolent. There was also some very convenient timings with everybody being where they needed to be but I was prepared to let it go to keep that brilliant plot rolling.
Exolegacy is a very good book. It does have some issues but there are also some excellent points to keep you glued to the story. I could probably write an essay on this but this is getting long enough. One side note, it could maybe do with a heavy edit. I don't usually like to mention editing but I think this book could benefit from it a lot. However, it is not plot holes issues or anything major so I would not let that put you off. A brilliant post first contact, political thriller in space!
The author chooses an unusual match-up: an alien race and the human race as peers; the plot line driven by a set of siblings - no famous scientists or space rangers. The book develops the characters' personalities quite nicely as they confront issues together. The concept of the objects which draw them together, and the means by which they work, are ingenious! I loved reading an unconventional tale. I can hardly wait to read a sequel (or prequel).
It’s a captivating story, thought provoking and smooth to enter in, with vivid characters. The science is cleverly weaved into a possible future of our world.
This is one of the most unusual SciFi books I’ve read, and I’ve read many. It opens with the reading of a will. The three siblings are gifted with various holdings and to each a crystal holding memories their parents had recorded. The story becomes more complex and mysterious as they each explore their gifts and - well, I won’t spoil it for you. I’ll just say there are many facets to the gifts and I’m pretty sure this needs a sequel – soon! I loved this and now I want to know where else this will take us.
Andr Mos does a great job in building a world that is both fantastic and believable and draws the reader in with every word. He delivers easy flow with heavy themes and paves the way for more great stories from his world. I recommend Exolegacy to readers of any genre - I’m not usually a sci-fi reader- as he doesn’t lean solely on the science aspect and does a great job of developing characters that could stand up in any style of writing.
I love the genius of Andr Mos. He writes with such charm and Witt and he created a fascinating world - that pulls you in and you can’t wait to see what’s next! I highly recommend this book and I hope that Exolegacy will be made into a tv series one day.