Opening Wonders

by Rajnar Vajra

Countless un-parallel universes intersect in a place where science and magic function perfectly. A Crossroads World. A world that holds a fantastic and deadly secret. An ultra-advanced species, the Common, govern this world and invite other advanced species to set up enclaves where the planet's extraordinary properties draw an assortment of gods and demons like supernatural moths to a flame. The first human allowed there, Professor David Goldberg, is secretly tasked by Earth’s governments to observe the Common.But Goldberg’s mission might not be as secret as he thinks. Someone or something with unknown motivations sends truly terrifying monsters bent on taking him down. Opening Wonders . Fantasy, science fiction, mythology, adventure, mystery, rich history—and more.

489 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 2, 2023

About the author

David Rajnar Vajra-Loeb (1947-2023) was an American science-fiction writer.

He began publishing SF in 1997, and was frequently published in Analog, winning their Readers Poll twice, with “Jake, Me, and the Zipper” (2001) and “Layna’s Mirror” (2004); 15 of his stories were finalists. He was also a Hugo Award nominee for “The Triple Sun: A Golden Age Tale” (2014). Some of his short stories were collected in Doctor Alien (2022). His novels include Shootout at the Nokai Corral (serialized in Analog in 2003) and Opening Wonders (2023).

Reviews

[Lee Schlesinger]

I've enjoyed the author's stories in Analog. This novel starts out promising, with intriguing mysteries to be solved. But then we keep getting more mysteries without any solutions until so much is up in the air that we lose the thread. Things are resolved only with long passages of exposition. I was disappointed.

[Dov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good story I wish there was some more descriptions and easier to imagine language at times but the plot is amazing the worldbuilding vast and the characters feel real! Even with them learning different languages and translations. Hope there’s more from this series coming!