The Blue Race

The Gelvan Saga #1

by Senan Mahon

An abandoned alien planet hides an ancient secret with the power to destroy the human race. In a race against time, XRD agent Heber Adogan is tasked with capturing the prize and preventing the Engus empire from using it to enslave humanity.

Heber and his sister Durvel are orphans from a near-extinct race of outcasts. They never asked to be made pawns in this galactic game of chess. The unique telepathic ability that makes them so valuable, turned their people into pariahs and led to a genocide at the hands of the Engus. Heber never expected to get the chance to avenge his people, but his mission to the mythical planet Meanus might finally allow humanity to get the upper hand in their 200-year-old struggle against the aggressive aliens.

But there’s a problem. Meanus is located in unexplored space that’s been embargoed by reclusive aliens. No outsider has ever succeeded in breaching it. Worryingly, the Engus seem to have found a high-stakes way to breach the alien barrier.

Can Heber’s team slip through also, and make up lost ground against the enemy agents who have gone ahead of them?

Some quotes from UK reviewers of The Blue

427 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 14, 2023

About the author

Senan Mahon is an Irish science fiction author, based in Munster. He writes the Gelvan Saga, and posts on Bluesky at bsky.app/profile/senanmahon.bsky.social

Reviews

[Alberto Fausto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review in English (Spanish below):

The Blue Race is a science fiction book (I would say classic SF) written by Irish author Senan Mahon. I have enjoyed it enormously, especially the parts that mix survival with the description of advanced technologies that we could only dream of. It reminded me of novels like Portico by Frederik Pohl, which build an initial situation from where the plot grows bigger and bigger. In the case of The Blue Race, as its title indicates, everything revolves around a "race" between the members of the Con-Chain (A planetary alliance governed by an AI) and the invading alien race of the Engus.

From this initial scenario, the novel starts in a fast-paced manner and will make us travel through different places where the characters will have to deal with threats of all kinds, always accompanied by very rich descriptions that do not skimp on details. Most of the time it is as if we were there, on that inhospitable planet or in front of that complex machinery that the protagonists use. Also reminds me of authors like Andy Weir, who like to describe technology and emphasize the scientific part so that everything makes sense.

I think that, above all, it is an adventure novel full of characters, in which we will also resonate with fictional events that, however, are very similar to historical war conflicts perpetrated by human beings. What I have enjoyed the most is the parts of solo survival/adventure. I think that at these points the author achieves a perfect balance between narrative tension and descriptions of the environment. The book is also full of group action scenes, and Heber (the protagonist) will meet and interact with characters of all kinds throughout the story (all of them with a lot of personality).

In short: The Blue Race is a must if you like traditional science fiction. Highly recommended!

-----
Crítica en español:
The Blue Race es un libro de ciencia ficción (diría que CF clásica) escrito por el autor irlandés Senan Mahon. Lo he disfrutado enormemente, en especial las partes en las que se mezcla la supervivencia con la descripción de tecnologías avanzadas con las que solo podríamos soñar. Me ha recordado a novelas como Pórtico de Frederik Pohl, que construyen una situación inicial y a partir de ahí van haciendo más y más grande la trama a su alrededor. En el caso de The Blue Race, como su título bien indica, todo gira en torno a una "carrera" entre los miembros de la Con-Chain (Una alianza planetaria gobernada por una IA) y la invasora raza alienígena de los Engus.

A partir de este escenario inicial, la novela arranca de forma trepidante y nos hará viajar por diferentes lugares en los que los personajes tendrán que lidiar con amenazas de toda índole, siempre acompañados de unas descripciones muy ricas que no escatiman en detalles. La mayoría de las veces es como si estuviésemos allí, en ese planeta inhóspito o ante esa compleja maquinaria de la que los protagonistas hacen uso. Recuerda también en este sentido a autores como Andy Weir, a los que les gusta describir la tecnología y hacer énfasis en la parte científica para que todo tenga sentido.

Creo que, por encima de todo, se trata de una novela de aventuras repleta de personajes, en la que además nos sentiremos identificados con hechos ficticios que, no obstante, se parecen mucho a conflictos bélicos históricos perpetrados por el ser humano. De lo que más he disfrutado es de las partes en las que se narran eventos de supervivencia/aventuras con alguno de los personajes en solitario. Creo que en estos puntos el autor logra un equilibrio perfecto entre la tensión narrativa y las descripciones del entorno. El libro también está repleto de escenas de acción grupales, y es que Heber (el protagonista) irá conociendo y relacionándose con personajes de todo tipo a lo largo del libro (todos ellos con mucha personalidad).

En definitiva: un "must" si te gusta la ciencia ficción de toda la vida y no te importa leer en inglés. ¡Muy recomendable!

[Pranav Bhatnagar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Blue Race pulled me straight into a huge science fiction world where humans, the Engus and other species are all trying to survive while bigger forces keep pushing them toward conflict. What I enjoyed most was that the story never made the galaxy feel empty. There are people everywhere with their own loyalties, fears, friendships and reasons for doing what they do. Heber was one of the characters I connected with most. His telepathic ability makes him important, but he never felt like someone who could simply solve every problem because of it. I also enjoyed Durvel and the connection between the siblings. Their conversations brought some humor into situations that could otherwise feel very heavy. The Left Bank crew gave the story another layer because I started caring about what happened to them as a group. Ruesen was particularly interesting because his position puts him in a difficult place, and I found myself paying attention whenever his perspective appeared. The world building is detailed, especially when it comes to the ships, habitats, technology and different species. Usually I can get lost when a book spends too much time explaining how futuristic systems work, but here I found many of those details helped me picture the setting. There is also a darker side to the story with war, exploitation, violence and the treatment of entire civilizations as pieces on a much larger board. That made the danger feel bigger than just one mission. What I appreciated most was the way the book kept reminding me that even in a galaxy this enormous, individual choices still matter. I finished it feeling curious about this universe and wanting to see where these characters go next.

[Michael Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Resistance may be futile. For a first novel, Senan Mahon has created a breathtaking universe filled with a myriad of extreme landscapes, futuristic technologies, complex political systems and colourful locals. Senan draws us into a consistent and believable (and epic) cosmos where survival is the prize, conflict is the game and technology is the strategy. In Heber Adogan, we watch a protagonist try to negotiate complex relationships with the two main combatants in this cosmological crusade, the Engus and ConChain. The plot is as epic in scope as the universe in which it is set and yet the pace and inventive chronology of the action make it all too hard to switch off the nightlight before starting another chapter. We are kept guessing until the very end. From the opening pages, the characters, settings, witty dialogue and political intrigue make this an absorbing futuristic fairytale that is hard, and possibly futile, to resist. More please.

[Maria Beltrami · Rating 4 out of 5]

An 'old-fashioned' science-fiction novel, based on the colonisation of various galaxies, travel at ultra-light speed and in hyperspace, good aliens, bad aliens, artificial intelligence, a telepathic race, betrayals and whatnot. In short, as I was saying, a science fiction novel like they used to write, full of characters and twists and turns, really extremely enjoyable... right up to the last chapter. Now I wonder what drives an author, who has already filled over 400 pages of excellent adventure and speculative fiction, to close so hastily. Why? Why not devote some time to writing a conclusion that doesn't feel like something haphazardly put there? Too bad, because I would have been seriously interested in discussing the rights to this novel, and I still might if the author put some effort into it.

[Samarium Gibson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This read was a difficult one. It was extremely overly descriptive! I feel it slowed down the pace of the story. It also seemed like the author was more focused on describing the setting or objects rather than developing the story. The ending was not satisfying at all. I give props to the author for the ability to spend so much time describing a ship or piece of land.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy via Netgalley.

I did enjoy this, but ended up jumping pages due to them being over descriptive and boring.

The characters were well developed and the story had some twists in it, but was left with a cliff hanger at the end which I just do not like.

[Alison Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, just finished reading! Lots of interesting twists in the story, and you feel a great affinity of the main characters throughout. A great read. 10/10

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read. Came across this book on BookFunnel in the search of some new Sci Fi, and was not disappointed. Would definitely read more of this author!

[Gemma Wyley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read! Looking forward to a sequel or another intriguing book by this talented author.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Main characters and storyline were interesting enough to keep me engaged. Could use some more fleshing out of secondary characters and overall universe though.