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Nexus Nine: A Tri-Galactic Trek Novel
Deep space, nine lives… Or maybe nine-hundred?
When a calico cat with a computer chip in her head—full of lifetimes worth of memories—sets out to uncover the mysteries of her distant past, she finds herself on a space station in a recently war-torn star system. Will her best friend from one of her previous lives as a dog still accept her? Can she make new friends with the local bird-like aliens, and how does her own past entangle with the history of a strange shape-changing insect seeking answers of zir own? As Mazel Rheun studies the local deep space anomaly, it becomes increasingly clear…
The answers lie on the other side of… NEXUS NINE.
When a calico cat with a computer chip in her head—full of lifetimes worth of memories—sets out to uncover the mysteries of her distant past, she finds herself on a space station in a recently war-torn star system. Will her best friend from one of her previous lives as a dog still accept her? Can she make new friends with the local bird-like aliens, and how does her own past entangle with the history of a strange shape-changing insect seeking answers of zir own? As Mazel Rheun studies the local deep space anomaly, it becomes increasingly clear…
The answers lie on the other side of… NEXUS NINE.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 5, 2019
About the author
Mary E. Lowd
175 books60 followersMary E. Lowd is a prolific science-fiction and furry writer in Oregon. She's had more than 180 short stories and a half dozen novels published, always with more on the way. Her work has won numerous awards, and she's been nominated for the Ursa Major Awards more than any other individual. She is also the founder and editor of Zooscape. She lives in a crashed spaceship, disguised as a house and hidden behind a rose garden, with a large collection of animals, both real and imaginary, who collectively serve as her muse.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 18, 2024
I really enjoyed this novella about a calico cat (Mazel) with an ancient computer chip in her head that gives her the experiences and memories of countless lives before her. She ends up on a war-torn space station that has been recently freed from the evil Reptassans. The station is located near the ninth nexus (i.e. wormhole) that has been discovered so far in their galaxy but has not yet been studied. Without revealing the rest of the story, Mazel's task as a scientist is to study the wormhole and see what might lie on the other side. But with her new chip, she has other reasons she wants to study the wormhole.
The author is obviously a lover of the Star Trek universe, but I love that she is also obviously an animal lover as the main characters are "uplifted" cats, dogs, frogs, bears, birds, and insectoids. I love the interspecies relationships (both romantic and nonromantic, as well as work-related), as well as the creativity the author uses to imagine what an uplifted insect might be like.
This was a fun adventure and one that I think that teen readers would enjoy, especially animal lovers as well as fans of light sci-fi. I would recommend this story as well as the author.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from BookSirens. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The author is obviously a lover of the Star Trek universe, but I love that she is also obviously an animal lover as the main characters are "uplifted" cats, dogs, frogs, bears, birds, and insectoids. I love the interspecies relationships (both romantic and nonromantic, as well as work-related), as well as the creativity the author uses to imagine what an uplifted insect might be like.
This was a fun adventure and one that I think that teen readers would enjoy, especially animal lovers as well as fans of light sci-fi. I would recommend this story as well as the author.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from BookSirens. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
April 13, 2020
This novel suffers from a lack of editing (trimming was needed) and one crucial bad choice: staying within the main character's point of view. If the intent was to make it first person, make it first person, don't stop halfway. Lowd constantly struggles with wanting to show other character's inner thoughts yet staying with Mazel, and she has to settle with stupidity like "they looked like they were thinking..." or "they were probably thinking..." which shows you clearly need to step back from Mazel's head. For example,
or
For starters, being so close to Mazel all the time creates an asphyxiating, neurotic narration where every line of dialogue is over-analysed and processed, with conversations taking ages because Mazel has to think of her reaction to every single word - this is where the trimming would come in. A more neutral, detached narration would have served to create intrigue: imagine Mazel's first meeting with her captain, where she acts so strange, without having the secret spelled out for us from the start. This would also have made Mazel's confession to Neera really fascinating, instead of just a repetition of what we'd been reading.
Despite these problems with the prose, it lacks any grammar or punctuation problems, which is more than you can say for other furry novels, but it is more often than not unambitious, plain and without poetry. Standard Young Adult fare, which is less than the fandom deserves. Richard Adams should have been our stepping stone, not our apex.
Speaking of Apex, the novel carries itself forward thanks to intriguing plot questions, rather than by its writing. It's sufficiently high concept: who created a chip that brings immortality? What lies beyond this doorway to another universe? Where did this unknown species come from? Is the captain really a messiah?
But most answers to this are either overly simple or rushed, quite literally squeezed together in the final paragraphs. The exploration of the new galaxy should have been the focus of a much tighter work, but instead it only happens after a meandering first half and is resolved with much anticlimax after a single conflict. A concept so big we can hardly wrap our heads around it--a new galaxy--gets simplified to boredom: oh, 99% of it is conquered by this single species. These villains have no depth, no interesting applications of contact with a xenoculture or diplomacy; they're simply cartoon conquerors.
On the character side of things, as well, things don't quite shine. Characters usually have two or three distinguishing features which makes them quickly memorable, but none of them develop in any way, content with being pulp creatures. Mazel's final resolution doesn't feel rewarding at all, since she doesn't have a single personality trait. She was defined by her conflict regarding her chip, and by past relationships people had with her, never by being Mazel. The novel points it out when she becomes Mazel by the first time when she has a date with a bear, but the scene is glossed over and we don't get to learn who Mazel is. Across the novel she questioned why she was chosen to inherit the chip: when the answer is finally given, it was because she was, well, perfect, although that was never demonstrated. In the end, her decision to keep the chip is frustating, rather than satisfying. The reader wishes we could have gotten to know the real Mazel. Her feeling fulfilled by having a thousand memories in her is also strange, and I can't think of any way a reader might resonate with this concept. Sadly, the novel doesn't appear to have any themes or message; no depth other than being the sum of its parts. Designed to be escapism, content with it.
"The bird eyed the cat. Mazel imagined Neera was trying to figure out if she’d been drawing a parallel between dogs and their irrational beliefs and Neera’s own statements about the Sky Nest. The bird must have decided it didn’t matter, because she said, “What happened to these humans?""
or
"The terrier looked around the plain quarters, perhaps gauging whether there would be enough power sources or whether he’d have to do rewiring."
For starters, being so close to Mazel all the time creates an asphyxiating, neurotic narration where every line of dialogue is over-analysed and processed, with conversations taking ages because Mazel has to think of her reaction to every single word - this is where the trimming would come in. A more neutral, detached narration would have served to create intrigue: imagine Mazel's first meeting with her captain, where she acts so strange, without having the secret spelled out for us from the start. This would also have made Mazel's confession to Neera really fascinating, instead of just a repetition of what we'd been reading.
Despite these problems with the prose, it lacks any grammar or punctuation problems, which is more than you can say for other furry novels, but it is more often than not unambitious, plain and without poetry. Standard Young Adult fare, which is less than the fandom deserves. Richard Adams should have been our stepping stone, not our apex.
Speaking of Apex, the novel carries itself forward thanks to intriguing plot questions, rather than by its writing. It's sufficiently high concept: who created a chip that brings immortality? What lies beyond this doorway to another universe? Where did this unknown species come from? Is the captain really a messiah?
But most answers to this are either overly simple or rushed, quite literally squeezed together in the final paragraphs. The exploration of the new galaxy should have been the focus of a much tighter work, but instead it only happens after a meandering first half and is resolved with much anticlimax after a single conflict. A concept so big we can hardly wrap our heads around it--a new galaxy--gets simplified to boredom: oh, 99% of it is conquered by this single species. These villains have no depth, no interesting applications of contact with a xenoculture or diplomacy; they're simply cartoon conquerors.
On the character side of things, as well, things don't quite shine. Characters usually have two or three distinguishing features which makes them quickly memorable, but none of them develop in any way, content with being pulp creatures. Mazel's final resolution doesn't feel rewarding at all, since she doesn't have a single personality trait. She was defined by her conflict regarding her chip, and by past relationships people had with her, never by being Mazel. The novel points it out when she becomes Mazel by the first time when she has a date with a bear, but the scene is glossed over and we don't get to learn who Mazel is. Across the novel she questioned why she was chosen to inherit the chip: when the answer is finally given, it was because she was, well, perfect, although that was never demonstrated. In the end, her decision to keep the chip is frustating, rather than satisfying. The reader wishes we could have gotten to know the real Mazel. Her feeling fulfilled by having a thousand memories in her is also strange, and I can't think of any way a reader might resonate with this concept. Sadly, the novel doesn't appear to have any themes or message; no depth other than being the sum of its parts. Designed to be escapism, content with it.
November 23, 2020
A sizeable portion of the world-building/lore is a direct furrification of Star Trek: Deep Space 9. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the author could've included a note like "Shep = Sisko, Neera = Kira... skip the first 5 chapters if you're familiar with DS9 already" and I would've saved a lot of reading time.
Not everything is a direct copy, and I enjoyed the deeper exploration of Mazel's (and later Omoleura's) inner thoughts on living with and without the Rheun chip, something the show didn't explore as deeply as I would've liked with Dax.
As other reviewers have mentioned, there's only one conflict and many threads are left hanging by the end, so I can't help but feel like the author expected I've already watched DS9 to tie them off myself. But if so, why did they spend so much time rehashing DS9 lore?
Overall not too impressed, I'm afraid. Plays with some interesting new ideas that DS9 didn't explore re: the Hiviiarchy/Dominion and Rheun chip/Dax symbiont, but doesn't tie things up cleanly and relies too much on the reader already knowing DS9 lore (while still, for some reason, rehashing it all in the early chapters as if the changes to the base universe were substantial enough to warrant doing so). Maybe I would've found it more engaging if I hadn't watched DS9 recently.
Not everything is a direct copy, and I enjoyed the deeper exploration of Mazel's (and later Omoleura's) inner thoughts on living with and without the Rheun chip, something the show didn't explore as deeply as I would've liked with Dax.
As other reviewers have mentioned, there's only one conflict and many threads are left hanging by the end, so I can't help but feel like the author expected I've already watched DS9 to tie them off myself. But if so, why did they spend so much time rehashing DS9 lore?
Overall not too impressed, I'm afraid. Plays with some interesting new ideas that DS9 didn't explore re: the Hiviiarchy/Dominion and Rheun chip/Dax symbiont, but doesn't tie things up cleanly and relies too much on the reader already knowing DS9 lore (while still, for some reason, rehashing it all in the early chapters as if the changes to the base universe were substantial enough to warrant doing so). Maybe I would've found it more engaging if I hadn't watched DS9 recently.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2024
Zootopia Space 9
It really was a bit like reading a blended universe of DS9 and Zootopia, although I did wish that the book characters weren’t such close copies of the trek characters.
An interesting concept for sure.
I can’t tell you why I think this way, but if you like this book, I recommend Too Many Curses by A. Lee Martinez. They’re completely different but feel very similar
It really was a bit like reading a blended universe of DS9 and Zootopia, although I did wish that the book characters weren’t such close copies of the trek characters.
An interesting concept for sure.
I can’t tell you why I think this way, but if you like this book, I recommend Too Many Curses by A. Lee Martinez. They’re completely different but feel very similar
January 1, 2026
Filed-off fan fiction tends not to be very good; but Mary E. Lowd's Nexus Nine: a Tri-Galactic Trek Novel is a delightful exception. The author doesn’t even try to hide that this is an “affectionate fan fiction” of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but there are enough differences that I'm not sure the book still qualifies as fan fiction. The background universe contains original elements, the main character is definitely not an exact copy of the original, and the plot? The plot is nearly 100% original.
I found many of the other characterizations, aside of Mazel Rheun herself, to be pretty thin; and the plot was fairly straightforward — it doesn’t have the complexity of a full-length novel even if it technically qualifies based on its word count. That said, I never got the impression that this was what the author had set out to do, and the lack of depth made it a much easier and faster read.
I got through Nexus Nine in about two hours, which was exactly the right amount of time to devote to something intended as light, entertaining reading. I enjoyed it. And I hope that, someday, I’ll get to see Mazel Rheun again in another story.
I found many of the other characterizations, aside of Mazel Rheun herself, to be pretty thin; and the plot was fairly straightforward — it doesn’t have the complexity of a full-length novel even if it technically qualifies based on its word count. That said, I never got the impression that this was what the author had set out to do, and the lack of depth made it a much easier and faster read.
I got through Nexus Nine in about two hours, which was exactly the right amount of time to devote to something intended as light, entertaining reading. I enjoyed it. And I hope that, someday, I’ll get to see Mazel Rheun again in another story.
August 6, 2024
4.5 stars! I enjoyed the story very much and the imagination involved in having a number of different uplifted (i.e., sentient) species in this post-human world. This is a good sci-fi story, suitable for YA and up I guess, focussing not only on Mazel looking for her origins but also on interactions among her crew. The blurb gives a good plot summary, so I will just say that the story had a number of exciting parts and pulled me right along to an unexpected but satisfying ending. I'm definitely reading more books set in this universe! - I received an advance copy and freely leave this honest review.
August 30, 2024
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Mary is an entertaining writer and she delivers in this book. Her nods to star trek's deep space nine converted into her own universe is a treat for trekkies but more importantly makes an enjoyable yarn for people who have never ventured into the series.
Mazel, the protagonists search for the existence of the memories embedded in her chip takes her into the lives of the previous users of the chip and the path to enjoy lifetimes .
I loved the concept of the novel and the central character. The uplifted insects are a difference experience altogether.
Great adventure.
Mary is an entertaining writer and she delivers in this book. Her nods to star trek's deep space nine converted into her own universe is a treat for trekkies but more importantly makes an enjoyable yarn for people who have never ventured into the series.
Mazel, the protagonists search for the existence of the memories embedded in her chip takes her into the lives of the previous users of the chip and the path to enjoy lifetimes .
I loved the concept of the novel and the central character. The uplifted insects are a difference experience altogether.
Great adventure.
May 13, 2020
This is a story about searching for identity and belonging. Mazel has a computer chip in her brain full of memories from its previous owners. She's both herself and dozens of others, some cat, some something very different altogether.
It's a comfy book where you can go and disappear for awhile. The story walks you through a beautiful, creative world, perfect for anyone who loves both Deep Space Nine and talking cats.
It's a comfy book where you can go and disappear for awhile. The story walks you through a beautiful, creative world, perfect for anyone who loves both Deep Space Nine and talking cats.
August 10, 2024
Nexus Nine is a Tri-Galactic Trek Novel by Mary E Lowd. I have read all of the books with these characters; and, Nexus Nine is my favorite. I find the characters and story are so very good that I don't think about the fact that the characters are animals. Join this crew and explore the Nexus Nine. I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.
October 20, 2024
Loved it! Fun mix up of animals as main characters & done very well. The writer has a good grasp of what it would be like if our creatures were swapped out for humans in a future space story. Made me laugh how perfectly they were replaced.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 21, 2022
Little cat once was BIG DOG
fun and serious story, friendship, duty, dealing in ones past, looking at ones future. Story transcends the characters, whether they have fur, scale or skin.
fun and serious story, friendship, duty, dealing in ones past, looking at ones future. Story transcends the characters, whether they have fur, scale or skin.
October 14, 2024
AI drivel of the highest order. Nothing of substance, no plot of consequence. A wretched, half-limping excuse of a novel. Lowd demonstrates exactly zero qualities of a good writer in this or any of her projects. Read literally anything else, don't let AI taint the field of writing.
October 6, 2020
I've often thought what life would be like with a constant knowledgeable companion in your head(Thanks Cave of Time CYOA). This is an interesting take on it with many fun twists.
May 12, 2024
A Star Trek type adventure with furrys: space faring cats and dogs (plus a few others, including a bear).
A young cat has been selected to host a brain implant that gives her the memories of all its previous hosts--immortality of a sort. In this episode she leads an exploratory crew for a brief sojourn in another galaxy, whose hive mind insectoids are reminiscent of the Borg and who are intent on conquering or assimilating everyone.
A fun read, as expected from Mary Lowd. Plenty of action as well as introspection for an overall great adventure.
A young cat has been selected to host a brain implant that gives her the memories of all its previous hosts--immortality of a sort. In this episode she leads an exploratory crew for a brief sojourn in another galaxy, whose hive mind insectoids are reminiscent of the Borg and who are intent on conquering or assimilating everyone.
A fun read, as expected from Mary Lowd. Plenty of action as well as introspection for an overall great adventure.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews