Crisis at Proxima

by Travis S. Taylor, Les Johnson

Time is running out for the inhabitants of Proxima Centauri. Unsettling discoveries there and at Luyten’s star now threaten both Proxima and Earth, in a new hard science fiction thriller from Travis S. Taylor and Les Johnson.

First contact with the seemingly impossible human civilization at Proxima Centauri is not going well. The Earth ships sent to render aid have not been able to reverse the contagion ravaging their population and, worse, many Proximans are now wondering if the humans from Earth are there for other, not so charitable, reasons. Can the extinction-level disaster faced at Proxima be reversed by the combined ingenuity of scientists from both worlds working together?

Unsettling discoveries in the Proxima Centauri planetary system beg the What if the evil gods depicted in Proxima’s ancient mythologies were real and far more powerful than even the humans from Earth with their late 21st century technologies? Worse, what if their ancient oppressors never truly left?

At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).


Praise for Travis S.

“. . . explodes with inventive action.” —Publishers Weekly on Travis S. Taylor’s The Quantum Connection

“[Warp Speed] reads like Doc Smith writing Robert Ludlum . . . You won’t want to put it down.” —John Ringo

Praise for People of the Stars, coedited by Les

“. . . a thought-provoking look at a selection of real-world challenges and speculative fiction solutions. . . . Readers will enjoy this collection that is as educational as it is entertaining.” —Booklist

“This was an enjoyable collection of science fiction dealing with colonizing the stars. In the collection were several gems and the overall quality was high.” —Tangent

Praise for Mission to Methone by Les

“The spirit of Arthur C. Clarke and his contemporaries is alive and well in Johnson’s old-fashioned first-contact novel, set in 2068. . . . includes plenty of realistic detail and puts fun new spins on familiar alien concepts. . . . There’s a great deal here for fans of early hard SF.” —Publishers Weekly

“With equal parts science fiction and international intrigue. . . . an exciting, fast-paced read that you will not want to put down.” —Booklist

Praise for Rescue Mode by Ben Bova and Les

“. . . a suspenseful and compelling narrative of the first human spaceflight to Mars.” —Booklist


Dr. Travis S. Taylor heads up the cast of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch and can be seen on The Machines that Built America on the History Channel. He has worked on various programs for the Department of Defense and NASA for the past twenty years. His expertise includes advanced propulsion concepts, very large space telescopes, space-based beamed-energy systems, future combat technologies, and next-generation space launch concepts. Taylor is also the author of pulse-pounding, cutting-edge science fiction novels, including the highly popular One Day on Mars, Tau Ceti Agenda, and the groundbreaking Warp Speed series.

Genres: Science Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

Published November 5, 2024

About the author

Travis Shane Taylor is a born and bred southerner and resides just outside Huntsville, Alabama. He has a Doctorate in Optical Science and Engineering, a Master’s degree in Physics, a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, all from the University of Alabama in Huntsville; a Master’s degree in Astronomy from the Univ. of Western Sydney, and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Auburn University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Alabama.

Dr. Taylor has worked on various programs for the Department of Defense and NASA for the past sixteen years. He is currently working on several advanced propulsion concepts, very large space telescopes, space based beamed energy systems, future combat technologies and systems, and next generation space launch concepts. He is also involved with multiple MASINT, SIGINT, IMINT, and HUMINT concept studies.

He has published over 25 papers and the appendix on solar sailing in the 2nd edition of Deep Space Probes by Greg Matloff.

His first science fiction novel is, Warp Speed, and his second is The Quantum Connection published by Baen Publishing. He is also working on two different series with best-selling author John Ringo also by Baen Publishing. He has several other works of both fiction and nonfiction ongoing.

Travis is also a Black Belt martial artist, a private pilot, a SCUBA diver, races mountain and road bikes, competed in triathlons, and has been the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of several hard rock bands. He currently lives with his wife Karen, his daughter Kalista Jade, two dogs Stevie and Wesker, and his cat Kuro.

Reviews

[William Walter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old fashioned science fiction with science and thoughtful detail leading the story-telling. An enjoyable read without a doubt.

[Lee Pfahler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than Saving Proxima so it is really 3 1/2 stars. It's more old school hard SF like its predecessor. Has some interesting twists and ends with the suggestion of a sequel. So we'll have to wait and see.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good hard science fiction with some interesting twists. The mathematics was good too.

[Jon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the first book in the series. This was dull and there was too much world building

[futureboy · Rating 4 out of 5]

With part two of the Proxima series published last year (technically, the author refers to the series as Orion’s Arm, but since each book title features “Proxima,” I’ll stick with Proxima series here), I figured it was time to give it a try. Yes, that means committing to another unfinished trilogy—a frustration for any reader—but I was in desperate need of fresh reading material. So I dove into book one, Saving Proxima, and continued straight into book two, Crisis at Proxima. While both books were ultimately a bit underwhelming, I’ll have to wait for the yet-to-be-released book three to see how the larger story plays out.

Saving Proxima is a solid, hard science fiction novel—fittingly written by two actual rocket scientists. Set in the not-too-distant future, humanity has established a permanent presence on the Moon. It’s there, on the far side, that a scientist detects an unusual radio signal. After a lengthy process of decoding and verification, it becomes clear that this isn’t just cosmic background noise or a misidentified Earth signal. It’s a message from another world.

The novel begins with a fascinating exploration of how humanity might react to a first contact scenario, complete with detailed protocols for verifying, interpreting, and responding to alien communication. The pace quickens when it's revealed that the extraterrestrial senders are not only humanoid but appear to be near-identical to Earth humans - albeit about a century behind in technological development and appear to be suffering from a fertility crisis that might threaten their long-term survival. A mission is soon launched to assist them, and the authors do a commendable job portraying the mission planning, the technology involved, and the journey to Proxima.

However, the narrative starts to stumble upon arrival. The authors seem determined not to reveal why there is a human-like civilization on another planet just yet - and unfortunately, the depiction of first contact feels flat. The encounter reads like a hybrid of Star Trek diplomacy and Indiana Jones-style adventuring, lacking the emotional or philosophical depth one might hope for in such a scenario.

In Crisis at Proxima, a second ship from Earth joins the original crew. Despite this reinforcement, they struggle to prevent the looming extinction of the Proxima civilization. Soon, a new threat emerges - this time from a genuine alien intelligence - introducing more space travel, higher stakes, and a new potential danger extending all the way back to Earth.

While this escalation might sound exciting, it stretches plausibility even by sci-fi standards. Worse, the most intriguing aspect of the series - the coexistence of two virtually identical human civilizations - continues to feel underexplored and disappointingly shallow.

The first two books make for an acceptable, if uneven, read. The main thing that kept me turning pages was the desire to learn the truth about these mysterious human counterparts. But with book three not yet announced, that mystery remains unsolved.

If you’re looking for more compelling hard sci-fi - particularly stories that explore panspermia or the shared origins of intelligent life - I’d recommend The Eccentric Orbit series instead. Or, feel free to browse the rest of Futureboy’s reviews to find your next great read.

For more sci-fi reviews (and to get them before they make their way here), check out my Futureboy Substack where you will find the original version of this review.