Accretion

by Eric Miltner

Amid the incomprehensible void between the stars, humanity discovered the key to the intangible preponderance of the cosmos.

Runa has lived her life aboard her family’s small ship, on a shallow sea, upon an insignificant planet, wholly ignorant of life beyond her flotilla. Her only hint of a grander scope lay among the pages of the books and the legends of her people. She was destined to live an unremarkable life maintaining the flotilla’s vessels, until the day something inside her awakened. Whether this awakening was a blessing or a curse, and where it will lead has yet to be seen.

273 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2023

Reviews

[Jill Rey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Praxiats possess gifts. Often awakening early in life, individuals who possess such talents are brought up in groups of ‘foundling houses’ where they practice and hone their skills before proving themselves capable and passing a test tailored specifically to the individual. Success or failure determines their future.

Runa has spent her life in the flotilla, working as a shipmaiden. However, as she inspects the damage to, and departs, the Takma she experiences sensations upon skin-to-skin contact with the shipfather’s daughter. This sensation is so strong it forces her to break apart contact, violently retching and turning her world dark. This awakening, albeit late in life, forces her to make a decision, hide her gift or leave the only place she’s called home with this stranger, Adanon.

Author Eric Miltner paints in such vivid detail as Runa departs the flotilla, cast away as she embarks on her new fate. Soon after their arrival she is thrust into her new reality, unlocking her abilities and proving herself worthy. Having loved books such as “The Hunger Games,” “Divergent,” and “Matched” I quickly found myself enjoying Miltner’s debut “Accretion.” Quickly enamoring readers to Runa, this series kick off sets the tone for action, intrigue, and villains we love to hate.

With our strong female lead and themes of race, ability, and socio-economic status, “Accretion” layers in realistic character and plot development throughout its science fiction and fantastical realms. Miltner excels in captivating readers as Runa’s future collides with the council and fate of The Federation. Ending in epic fashion, “Accretion” leaves us yearning for more.

[Natalie Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amid the incomprehensible void between the stars… this book immediately captured me with its poetic opening and sense of vast wonder. What unfolds is not just a science fiction story but a lyrical exploration of destiny, awakening, and the pull between the ordinary and the infinite.

Runa is a beautifully drawn protagonist rooted in the quiet routines of her family’s flotilla, yet pulled toward something greater that she doesn’t fully understand. The contrast between her humble life and the immense mysteries of the cosmos makes her journey feel both intimate and epic. I especially loved how the story weaves legend, mythology, and discovery into the framework of science fiction, giving it a timeless, almost mythic quality.

This is a book for readers who enjoy thoughtful, character-driven sci-fi something in the spirit of Ursula K. Le Guin or Becky Chambers. It asks big questions while keeping the heart of the story personal and emotionally resonant.

[Owen Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accretion is a thoughtful exploration of personal awakening, wrapped in a cosmic mystery. The strength of the novel lies in its thematic layering. Runa’s confined upbringing isn’t just a setting choice, it’s a lens through which the book examines tradition, knowledge, and the fear of stepping beyond what’s familiar.
The pacing is gentle at first, giving room for the emotional stakes to develop, and once Runa begins to sense the larger forces at play, the narrative shifts into something far more compelling.

[Talia Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accretion pulled me in from page one not because it’s loud or flashy, but because it quietly expands inside your mind like a growing star. Eric Miltner has crafted a world that feels both ancient and futuristic, mythic and scientific. Runa’s awakening is written with such gentle inevitability that I felt like I was awakening with her. This is the kind of story that leaves you staring at the ceiling afterward, wondering how small your own flotilla has been. Beautiful, lyrical, and surprisingly emotional.

[Dylan Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the kind of book that sneaks up on you. I thought I was getting a chill, atmospheric sci-fi story, and suddenly I’m 200 pages in, gripping the book like it’s oxygen. The setting feels so original ships sailing a shallow sea on a planet barely holding itself together and then Miltner zooms out and reveals an entire universe of mysteries. Runa’s discovery of her abilities is paced perfectly, and the shift from small-scale life to galaxy-spanning implications is so satisfying. It’s not loud or flashy, but it’s absorbing as hell.

[Jacob King · Rating 5 out of 5]

It always makes my day to find a self-contained, beautifully crafted sci-fi story from an indie author, and Accretion absolutely hits that sweet spot. The writing is patient but never dull, the world feels genuinely unique, and there’s an emotional honesty that’s rare in the genre. Miltner builds a setting with texture rituals, stories, beliefs all without info-dumping. The mythology within the flotilla is especially compelling. This is the kind of book you finish and immediately want to recommend to people who appreciate sci-fi with heart and depth.

[Evelyn Neriah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went in skeptical. Books about “ordinary girl discovers she’s special” usually rely on clichés. Surprisingly, Accretion rises above them. Runa’s life feels grounded and lived-in, and her awakening is written with enough restraint that it never becomes melodramatic.
The worldbuilding is excellent. The flotilla culture is practical, believable, and vivid. I appreciated the focus on maintenance work and communal labor it gives the book texture and weight.

[Delphine Hoover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books roar. Accretion whispers. It moves with the cadence of tidewater soft, deliberate, yet powerful. Miltner writes with an attention to atmosphere that I found mesmerizing. Every setting feels like a painting washed gently in moonlight.
Runa’s awakening is less a plot twist and more a blossoming. It’s written with a quiet sense of inevitability, like a seed cracking open after years underground.

[Elite · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book unexpectedly punched me right in the feelings. Runa’s uncertainty, her fear of change, her loyalty to her family everything about her emotional world felt so real. I found myself tearing up more than once, especially during moments when she realizes her life can’t stay small anymore.
What I loved most is how the author never dismisses her roots. The flotilla matters. Her relationships matter.

[Moure · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly didn’t expect much when I picked up Accretion. I thought it would be another typical space novel. NOPE. This book surprised the absolute life out of me. The writing is vivid, the worldbuilding feels unlike anything I’ve read recently, and Runa’s discovery of life beyond her tiny world is… wow. It’s the kind of story you fall into and don’t come back from the same. I’m still thinking about it.

[Mariel Soren · Rating 5 out of 5]

What shook me most about this book wasn’t the cosmic mystery it was Runa herself. She starts off so sheltered, almost fragile, and then something sparks inside her and changes everything. Her journey feels personal, intimate, and painfully relatable. I loved watching her internal world grow bigger than her physical one. If you love character centered sci fi with real heart, you’re going to devour this.

[Natalie Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read sci-fi for over forty years, and Accretion brings back the sense of wonder I felt reading the classics. It’s a slow, measured story, but that’s exactly what gives it power. Miltner builds suspense through atmosphere and character rather than spectacle, and the result is genuinely gripping. Runa’s transformation mirrors the expanding scale of the book, and both are handled with impressive restraint. This is the kind of story that stays with you.

[Chuck Schrader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accretion surprised me in the best way. I went in expecting a standard space faring adventure, but Eric Miltner gives us something more intimate and mythic. Runa’s small life aboard her family’s humble ship contrasts beautifully with the vast, unknowable cosmos just out of reach. The moment her inner world begins to shift almost like a gravitational pull toward destiny, I was hooked.

[Eric Worre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, this was fun. Not “laser battles everywhere” fun, but the kind of sci-fi that sneaks up on you and says: hey, what if your life suddenly meant more than you ever expected?
Runa is a great protagonist not overpowered, not angsty, just a regular girl trying to figure out why the universe suddenly cares about her. The worldbuilding has a cool, almost folklore-meets-astronomy vibe.

[Grant Holloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compact but powerful sci-fi tale. I loved the blend of cosmic phenomena and small-scale human life. Runa is instantly sympathetic, and the slow burn of her transformation is incredibly satisfying. Great atmosphere, great sense of wonder, and a refreshing break from typical space opera tropes. Would recommend to anyone who likes their sci-fi thoughtful and character-driven.

[Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accretion is one of those rare sci-fi novels that feel almost meditative. Miltner’s writing has a rhythmic, oceanic quality that mirrors the setting beautifully. The gentle rise and fall of the prose makes Runa’s small, quiet world feel intimate and tactile, the creak of the vessels, the whisper of the shallow sea, the soft hum of daily labor aboard the flotilla.

[The Reading Room · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book. DEVOUR. It takes all my favorite sci-fi elements hidden cosmic truths, mysterious awakenings, small communities surviving in weird ecosystems and blends them into something genuinely fresh. The flotilla setting alone is worth reading for. It’s like Waterworld meets space opera, but quieter, deeper.
Runa is an incredibly relatable protagonist.

[Loveth · Rating 5 out of 5]

What impressed me about Accretion is not just its story but the questions it raises. Miltner invites readers to consider the nature of awakening what it means to suddenly perceive the world differently, to sense a structure beneath reality that was once invisible. The cosmic mystery is enthralling, but the internal one is even more compelling.

[Jole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Runa’s family and community are the heart of this book. I loved how Miltner writes relationships not overly sentimental, but full of small gestures, shared work, and quiet understanding. Before the big cosmic stuff even kicks in, I was already attached to her world.
Her awakening doesn’t separate her from her loved ones; instead, it complicates and deepens those connections.

[Sylvie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sci-fi novels are my main diet, and I can confidently say Accretion stands out. The storytelling is disciplined, the worldbuilding robust without being dense, and Runa’s arc is organically crafted. I never felt lost, bored, or overwhelmed just steadily more invested.
The pacing is especially good. Miltner doesn’t dump information; he layers it.

[I Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up expecting a fun sci-fi escape, but it ended up being much richer than I anticipated. The setting is immersive, and I loved the way the story stayed focused on Runa’s daily life before expanding into something much bigger. The mystery surrounding her awakening kept me hooked, but honestly, I would’ve been happy just following her around the flotilla.

[ReadsDaily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, Accretion leans soft in its cosmology, but the worldbuilding is shockingly grounded. The ecological design of the shallow sea, the engineering details of the vessels, and the flotilla’s social systems all feel meticulously constructed.
What really impressed me was how the scientific plausibility blends with myth.

[RANI VALE · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are books that entertain you, and then there are books that expand you. Accretion belongs to the second category. The cosmic sense of wonder, the mystery of the awakening, the subtle horrors and beauties of an unknown universe everything in this book made me feel small in the best way. This story is the reason I love science fiction. Absolutely unforgettable.

[NIRA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this is sci fi, at its core Accretion is a coming of age tale and a beautiful one. Runa is thrust into a larger destiny she never asked for, and watching her grapple with it felt incredibly human. Eric Miltner captures that moment when a young person realizes the world is far bigger and far more dangerous than they were led to believe. I adored this.

[Sandra Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

The atmosphere in this book is unreal quiet, eerie, dreamlike. You can almost smell the salt of the shallow sea and feel the creaking of the flotilla beneath your feet. Miltner writes with a painter’s eye, giving every scene a texture. The cosmic mystery isn’t rushed it swells slowly, like a tide. If you enjoy immersive, atmospheric sci fi, don’t skip this.

[Lydia Collin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE when sci fi feels like folklore, and Accretion nails that feeling perfectly. The legends Runa grew up with, the way knowledge is passed in her people’s stories, the whisper of something ancient waiting beyond the stars it all feels like reading the birth of a myth. It’s both cosmic and intimate. This book feels like it was written around a fire thousands of years in the future.

[Liora Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

From a worldbuilding standpoint, Accretion is excellent. The concept of a flotilla society on a shallow sea world is original and immersive. The physics spirituality blend of the cosmic awakening intrigued me to no end. What stood out is the thematic exploration of ignorance vs. discovery, isolation vs. expansion. This is hard scifi wrapped in myth, and it works extremely well.

[Michael Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accretion is the kind of science fiction that slowly draws you in until you suddenly realize you’re completely absorbed. Runa’s world on the flotilla is so vividly drawn that I could picture every creaking board and shifting wave. What impressed me most was how naturally the story expands from a small, almost claustrophobic setting into something cosmic and mysterious.

[Emma Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Runa is the reason this book works so beautifully. Her sheltered life, her curiosity, her quiet determination, it all makes her awakening hit with incredible emotional force. The story never rushes her development; instead, it lets her grow in a believable and human way as she discovers truths far beyond her upbringing.

[Sophia Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s a haunting, almost dreamlike quality to Accretion. Miltner writes the sea, the stars, and Runa’s inner turmoil with a slow-burning elegance that feels almost mythical. The book blends legend and science in a way that feels seamless. Runa’s awakening isn’t just a plot point, it’s a spiritual shift, a calling, a quiet cosmic thunder. This is the kind of sci-fi that’s not just read but felt.