Homesteaders

by Wes Hubert

For the first time in history, humans are heading to an exoplanet to establish a colony. Rasht and his companions thought the challenges would begin when they arrived, but the universe had other plans.A sequel to Toward Renaissance, Homesteaders brings you along for the trials and tiumphs of starting life over on an alien world.

280 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 2, 2023

About the author

Wes Hubert is an extensive traveler and a lover of life. Fueled by his ADD, he has written historical fiction, science fiction, a memoire, and a children's book. He now lives and writes in Northern Ontario, Canada.

Reviews

[Laura Lukasavage · Rating 4 out of 5]

A scary thought

Our adventure begins with our travelers waking from their sleep of 134 years in individual stasis pods. Their hasty departure from Earth made things a little rocky but the ship’s leaders organize and plan a government for the colony and the new life that awaits. It soon becomes evident that all is not as expected; there is corruption in the ship’s leadership, a separation in power develops, and a battle of logic and strategy begins.

The story is full of scary, thought provoking moments to make us wonder where our planet is heading with global warming and wonder if this is what's in store.

The author does a great job of keeping you interested as the pages flow and doing go on and on with description and the dialog is interesting enough to keep the story moving. I enjoyed getting to know the group and seeing the way they moved through this very different but real new reality for them all. Trial and jury and the law verse what the people wants and think is right an fair. Being thrown into a new crazy reality that was both scary and fun to dive into.

[Ellie Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. Just brilliant. And vastly exceeded my expectations. It's a sci-fi/speculative fiction about what would happen if a potential extinction event struck earth (in this book its the poles reversing) and how humanity would attempt to start again on another planet. Now I haven't read anything by this author before so why did I have expectations of any sort in the first place? Firstly the cover looks a bit amateur, especially the font of the title etc, and secondly, I read a short bio on the author which showed he writes in a range of genres and that combined with the low number of reviews had me fearing the quality would be not so great. But I was wrong and very glad to be wrong. This was an excellent book and it deserves more people to read and review it. It was very well thought-through - both the plot and the world-building (that word takes on new meaning with this book) - and it was very well written: easy to read, good pacing, good descriptions, good dialogue. I think I would maybe knock off half a star for some of the characterisation (so let's say it's five stars rounded up from 4.5). For example, I felt like the two main couples needed a bit more differentiation in their characters and for that to come through more in the variation of their thought-processes and dialogue and humour - those four were just a little too similar for my liking. Also more could be made of the Rasht, Ines, Lastella thing (I didn't quite understand it at the first mention and then later in the book when I understood more I thought: why did that not impact Ines more and certainly her relationship with Lastella?) BUT there were side characters who were more obviously varied and well-drawn. And I am just being nit-picky there because I just loved the whole book. It was quite zeitgeisty in the way it tapped into the current anxiety about AI and what it's capable of. The AI idea in the book created an undercurrent of suspense that endured the whole book, peaking and subsiding and constantly keeping me guessing. The science elements were all interesting and believable without being confusing or info-dumping. I believe the well-travelled will particularly enjoy Homesteaders as I think the political and religious commentary will be more engaging and humourous for them. In short, I highly recommend this book and I look forward to reading more by this author (and I hope he will consider getting a new professional cover because I think this book merits it.) And one last thing - the tagline 'the saga continues' was highly misleading as it makes it sound like it's a sequel, whereas it's a standalone (or at least it seemed to be, and it can certainly be marketed as one).

[Hieu Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Homesteaders" picks up where "Toward Renaissance" left off, launching humanity into an ambitious and incredibly challenging new chapter: colonizing an exoplanet. Rasht and his fellow pioneers quickly discover that the true trials of establishing a new home begin long before they even set foot on alien soil. The author masterfully conveys the immense scale of this endeavor, from the technical complexities of interstellar travel to the unexpected, often terrifying, hurdles thrown at them by the vastness of space itself.

This isn't a glossy, idealized vision of space colonization. Instead, "Homesteaders" presents a raw and honest portrayal of what it would truly take to start life over on an alien world. You feel the grit, the determination, and the sheer human will required to overcome each obstacle. The book excels at detailing the "trials and triumphs," making you genuinely invested in the survival and success of Rasht and his companions. The sense of adventure is palpable, but it's grounded in the very real struggles of adaptation, resourcefulness, and the constant threat of the unknown. For anyone who loves hard science fiction blended with compelling human drama and the ultimate quest for a new beginning, "Homesteaders" is a captivating and thought-provoking read that truly brings the pioneering spirit to the stars.

[William Turmel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in classic science fiction style, we have a story of a group of brave individuals who have set out from Earth to colonize a planet in a faraway solar system. They are the first, and possibly the only, humans to do so.

The story is told in a nice, easy-to-read fashion. The actors are well-developed with understandable characteristics and reliable actions. The telling focuses more on dialogue than description, and Hubert creatively peppers his text with interesting euphemisms, obsolete spellings, and even foreign language to disguise some necessary vocabulary in this tale. And, while there are many important individuals, the story is about the group as a whole.

The adventure begins as our travelers are waking from 134 years in individual stasis pods. Because of a hasty departure from Earth, the ship’s leaders must now organize and plan a government for the colony. It soon becomes evident that all is not as expected; there is corruption in the ship’s leadership, a separation in power develops, and a battle of logic and strategy begins.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read more than one book from this author, and I think he has a very pleasant way of writing. This book, Homesteaders, is an engaging and accessible sci-fi story about a group of colonists awakening after many years in stasis to begin a new life far from Earth. What starts as an organized mission quickly turns complicated as power struggles, hidden agendas, and unexpected dangers surface within the ship’s leadership. The book does a great job showing how fragile a new society can be, and how quickly hope can shift into conflict. The author keeps the pacing smooth and easy to follow, which is not always easy in storylines like this. Great job. The characters feel relatable, and it’s interesting to watch how each person adapts to the pressure of building a new world while dealing with fear, uncertainty, and clashing ideas of what is “right,” which might not be so far off how society is even when established.

[A.L. MacDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the premise of this book, with a colony travelling to a new planet. There is a lot of neat detail on the ship and its systems. There are some great descriptive passages in the book too. The story took a long while to get going and I was struggling to keep with it as the group of leaders debated things like what form of government the new colony should have. Some readers would be really into that though. After the halfway point things really picked up and I enjoyed the consistent buildup. The establishment of the new colony was pretty interesting to read as well, and the final epic conflict was a real page-turner. The characters were distinctive and consistent. There was one character that really seemed to be building to a big development but it never happened and they just sort of walked away. I wasn't sure of the message there. Other than that, a satisfying ending and story.

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the authors best

I have read several of the authors books and must say this one was very easy to read, follow and stay interested in. Lots of thoughtful conundrums as we think about what a future event like this could look like. Enjoyed the book.