Xenopraxis

Echogenesis #2

by Gary Gibson

The sequel to the hugely popular Echogenesis.

Fifty years on from the previous expedition, the crew of another lander has arrived on Aranyani and made their home on a high mesa isolated from the surrounding forest. There, they can be safe from the deadly Howlers - or so they think.

But Sam can't help wondering if his changes to the Tsiolkovsky's programming have really worked. He believes his will be the final expedition - but what if he's wrong?

And even as he ponders, his son, Gramm, is busy exploring the coast of Aranyani's largest continent, more than a thousand kilometres away - where he makes a shocking discovery that upends everything his father has come to believe.

Genres: Science Fiction

316 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 15, 2025

About the author

Gary Gibson's first novel, Angel Stations, was published in 2004. Interzone called it "dense and involving, puzzling and perplexing. It's unabashed science fiction, with an almost "Golden Age" feel to it ..."

His second novel was Against Gravity in 2005; the Guardian described it as "building on current trends to produce a convincing picture of the world in 2096."

Stealing Light was first published in 2007, and garnered a wide range of positive reviews. The London Times called it: "A violent, inventive, relentlessly gripping adventure ... intelligently written and thought-provoking".

Stealing Light is the first volume in a four-book space opera, the final volume of which, Marauder, was published in 2013.

To date, Gary has written ten novels, most recently Extinction Game and its sequel, Survival Game.

Reviews

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is a great continuation of the series and I think actually was better than the first. Here are some of my pros and cons.

Pro
I enjoyed some of the new characters particularly Keira. It was nice there were more developed women characters.
Plot was as good if not better than the first
Definitely more character development than initial book.
Interesting take on how different each clone can be
Liked the additional depth of the indignese

Con
A lot of new characters is a little overwhelming and there are still some characters that I don’t understand
I could not tell the ages of any of the characters because there was so little description of them. Which is important when you’re dealing with multiple generates and lineages
The time jump from the first book was very disorienting at first
Still a bit rudimentary “humans bad nature good” take

Excited to read the third book!

[Mrs V · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent continuation from Echogenesis.

This book finds us 50 years further on in this great saga. The rebels have managed to survive in the forests against the indigenous, dangerous Cents; Sam Newman and his people living safely on the Mesa, with Sam thinking he had altered the original plan. However another colony of humans have also been living on the planet, some of whom are clones of the original, and they have devised a way of eliminating the Cents. Two Sams, two Amits, who each, through having different lives, have developed different minds. Not everyone has a double, and the new colony has equally dangerous persons and with their own agenda.

A cracking cliff hanger of an ending finds that Sam was wrong and leaves you waiting impatiently for the final book!

[C S Nangland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book. It's just as vivid and thoughtful as Echogenesis. The pacing is a bit odd, I can't tell if that's because this was originally planned as one title that got split into two, or if it is thematic. The conclusion of this part of the story was driven home, for me, about halfway in, and it seemed to take the characters much longer to conclude it - perhaps this is to indicate the different way of life that exists on this planet? Not that people are slower or less intelligent, but that information takes much, much longer to travel. I don't know, maybe I'm reading too much into this or trying to make excuses.

There are a few typesetting issues in the text that once again hold this back from a 5 star review. It needed at least one human proofread. I'm sure it'd be undercutting in the extreme but I'd do it for free. (As if the author is reading these reviews!)

[Darren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, as has been mentioned elsewhere, this version is self-published. I have no problem with self-publishing and encourage anyone to have a go. However, this book (more than book 1) could really do with some heavy copy editing. I mean the sort of copy editing that Stephen King recommends… the gnarly, old copy editor who won’t stand for any fluff, will draw attention to pacing and generally add a lot of marginalia recommendations. That’s before any proofreading.

All the above is a shame because the premise of the trilogy is interesting. I have enjoyed reading it so far and I am sure I will take a look at book 3 when it comes out.

[James Geary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Xenopraxis is a great continuation to Echogenesis, which I devoured. It was good to see where the crew ended up so many decades from where the last book ended. It was a very compelling read, lots of action and still a lot to discover about the mission of the Tsiolkovsky mission, the indigenous Cents, and the planet of Aranyani. The way it ends is nail-biting, and I can't wait for the third book next year.

[Karolis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit weaker than the first.

[Chris Aldridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cliffhanger ending….