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Instrumental: Hard Science Fiction: The Autonomous Sequence
The dead planet is calling …
Who will answer …
Over four centuries ago, an Exodus ship carrying 50,000 scientists escaping persecution on Earth crashed into the planet Poincaré. Tragically, the impact killed everyone on board and set off a nuclear winter. Since then, Poincaré has been frozen, dead, and absolutely silent.
Until now.
Poincaré is stirring from its slumber and emitting a mysterious signal. Against their better judgment, the crew of the stealth ship, Pangolin, has taken a contract to investigate the origin of the signal.
But dead planets don't give up their secrets so easily.
Are the crew of the Pangolin truly alone on Poincaré, and is the planet quite as dead as it seems?
The crew will have to fight to survive Poincaré and use all their cunning to uncover their enemies and determine the truth.
Jaruss, Pax, Zed, Venn, and the Captain return in Instrumental, the second installment of The Autonomous Sequence.
A wild ride into the future of humanity.
In the vein of an Andy Weir novel (The Martian, Project Hail Mary) with serious Firefly vibes.
Who will answer …
Over four centuries ago, an Exodus ship carrying 50,000 scientists escaping persecution on Earth crashed into the planet Poincaré. Tragically, the impact killed everyone on board and set off a nuclear winter. Since then, Poincaré has been frozen, dead, and absolutely silent.
Until now.
Poincaré is stirring from its slumber and emitting a mysterious signal. Against their better judgment, the crew of the stealth ship, Pangolin, has taken a contract to investigate the origin of the signal.
But dead planets don't give up their secrets so easily.
Are the crew of the Pangolin truly alone on Poincaré, and is the planet quite as dead as it seems?
The crew will have to fight to survive Poincaré and use all their cunning to uncover their enemies and determine the truth.
Jaruss, Pax, Zed, Venn, and the Captain return in Instrumental, the second installment of The Autonomous Sequence.
A wild ride into the future of humanity.
In the vein of an Andy Weir novel (The Martian, Project Hail Mary) with serious Firefly vibes.
356 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 17, 2025
150 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 4, 2025
Instrumental is an exhilarating continuation of The Autonomous Sequence a sharp, immersive exploration of survival, loyalty, and discovery in the cold void of space. Alastair Wells captures that perfect intersection between hard science and human emotion, grounding every high-stakes moment in authenticity and character depth.
The world-building is meticulous, the pacing relentless, and the atmosphere thick with tension and mystery. Wells doesn’t just write science fiction he constructs living, breathing systems of technology, ethics, and purpose. Like The Martian meets Firefly, Instrumental blends precision, wit, and wonder into a narrative that feels cinematic and emotionally resonant.
An outstanding addition to modern sci-fi ambitious, intelligent, and deeply human.
The world-building is meticulous, the pacing relentless, and the atmosphere thick with tension and mystery. Wells doesn’t just write science fiction he constructs living, breathing systems of technology, ethics, and purpose. Like The Martian meets Firefly, Instrumental blends precision, wit, and wonder into a narrative that feels cinematic and emotionally resonant.
An outstanding addition to modern sci-fi ambitious, intelligent, and deeply human.
April 17, 2025
This book follows on and the question of who Jaruss is and his memories are all quite interesting, he almost certainly is Aidan, but how he came to be in space is not answered and in this instalment, the book carries on where it left off, to an exciting adventure on a world where the Burnell crashed and the creatures that inhabit it. All of which raises more questions and is all linked. It's a cracking story and very exciting. The crew that Jaruss is with are all given more life as well, more motivations and the search for answers generates more questions, I like it.
I got this an ARC copy and my opinions are my own.
I got this an ARC copy and my opinions are my own.
October 5, 2025
Fascinating
Alastair Wells has captured an impressive balance between hard science fiction and great storytelling. I felt invested in the characters at the start and curious about what Jaruss would find out about himself. I’m still trying to figure out if he’s really a thousand years old or some kind of clone.
Thank you Dr Wells for not being afraid to use big words. I am not a 10 year old boy and I appreciate you writing something that is intellectually stimulating while remaining entertaining.
Alastair Wells has captured an impressive balance between hard science fiction and great storytelling. I felt invested in the characters at the start and curious about what Jaruss would find out about himself. I’m still trying to figure out if he’s really a thousand years old or some kind of clone.
Thank you Dr Wells for not being afraid to use big words. I am not a 10 year old boy and I appreciate you writing something that is intellectually stimulating while remaining entertaining.
July 29, 2025
Too many $5 words.
It's always unfortunate when a writer decides to put really obscure words into his story because that makes the reader have to stop and ponder that word and or look it up to see what it means. The story itself is interesting but there are a lot of speed bumps in the nature of big words all throughout.
It's always unfortunate when a writer decides to put really obscure words into his story because that makes the reader have to stop and ponder that word and or look it up to see what it means. The story itself is interesting but there are a lot of speed bumps in the nature of big words all throughout.
November 15, 2025
Not quite as interesting as book #1. Stuck to hard science, but the science was (rightfully) all background props in this story telling. Read very much as a crime fiction tale of mobsters set in the future. This book does not complete the storyline. It does end with a minor cliffhanger that baits me to anticipate what will happen next.
Have a GoodReads.
Have a GoodReads.
December 16, 2025
As usual with series, the second book is far better than the first. And I liked the first a lot!
The characters are fleshed out more and the plot is a page-turner. Throughout the book though the plot felt a little aimless - more questions created than answered, though we do find a little bit more about Jaruss.
Regardless it leaves me highly anticipating the third book coming in 2026.
The characters are fleshed out more and the plot is a page-turner. Throughout the book though the plot felt a little aimless - more questions created than answered, though we do find a little bit more about Jaruss.
Regardless it leaves me highly anticipating the third book coming in 2026.
June 20, 2025
I am surprised
I did enjoy both books and look forward to the next. Thank you.
The surprise is because I was not expecting to.
I did enjoy both books and look forward to the next. Thank you.
The surprise is because I was not expecting to.
July 25, 2025
Good read
August 7, 2025
Instrumental
This was quite interesting, dare I say exciting. The one thing that was disappointing is that it appears the story isn’t finished. Hope the next one appears soon.
This was quite interesting, dare I say exciting. The one thing that was disappointing is that it appears the story isn’t finished. Hope the next one appears soon.
December 25, 2025
Average
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews