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Ethos
Ethos was mankind’s greatest hope. Until the Link closed.
On the 300th anniversary of Earth’s first expedition to another solar system, the original colony ship miraculously appears near Saturn. But the crew of Excursion One is nowhere to be found. All that’s left is a broken android, and a string of clues.
Captain Calvin Brooks, a hero from the Solar Wars, spends his days trying to forget the past on Link Station, until he’s thrust into danger when he’s asked to pilot the decayed ship back through the wormhole to search for the Ethos colony.
Jane Vanderbilt is the world’s most renowned historian on the revamped Excursion One mission, and her connection to the crew runs deep. Jane is added to the team by a mysterious astrophysicist, loyal to the Diplomats.
Luke Dalton is haunted by tragedy. He works the mines on Mars, while the loss of his family constantly weighs on him. The Deniers have other plans. Luke’s enlisted for duty by the Diplomat’s enemy. His learn what really happened on Ethos.
Join the crew of Excursion Two as they venture into the Link. No one is ready for what they find across the void.
From Nathan Hystad, the Best-Selling author of The Other Place, First Life, The Event, Lost Contact, and many others.
On the 300th anniversary of Earth’s first expedition to another solar system, the original colony ship miraculously appears near Saturn. But the crew of Excursion One is nowhere to be found. All that’s left is a broken android, and a string of clues.
Captain Calvin Brooks, a hero from the Solar Wars, spends his days trying to forget the past on Link Station, until he’s thrust into danger when he’s asked to pilot the decayed ship back through the wormhole to search for the Ethos colony.
Jane Vanderbilt is the world’s most renowned historian on the revamped Excursion One mission, and her connection to the crew runs deep. Jane is added to the team by a mysterious astrophysicist, loyal to the Diplomats.
Luke Dalton is haunted by tragedy. He works the mines on Mars, while the loss of his family constantly weighs on him. The Deniers have other plans. Luke’s enlisted for duty by the Diplomat’s enemy. His learn what really happened on Ethos.
Join the crew of Excursion Two as they venture into the Link. No one is ready for what they find across the void.
From Nathan Hystad, the Best-Selling author of The Other Place, First Life, The Event, Lost Contact, and many others.
- GenresScience FictionAudiobook
361 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 5, 2025
803 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
August 24, 2025
Nathan Hystad is, without doubt, one of the greatest science fiction authors of our time. From humble beginnings, he has become an authorial powerhouse. I have come to know that if I get a Nathan Hystad book, 3 things will happen: 1. It will be a great read, certainly one of my best ones ever. 2. I will want to read every book in the series, if it is one (and I have). and 3. I am going to be sleep deprived for as long as it takes me to read. Oh, I've tried. I really have. auto-lights off, reminders on my phone, Alexa "BEDTIME, STOP READING! alerts". I know I need my sleep. But that goes out the window when I just have to find out what happens next.
If I had to summarize why these books are so impactful, absorbing, and enjoyable, I think it would be this: Nathan Hystad can create worlds with his writing that are absolutely believable. He can also write characters that are so engaging and believable, both good and evil, that you feel like you are reading about real people - and you get to know them, and care about them.
Nathan Hystad has honed his writing skills to an art, literally. He is the master of the narrative, drawing you in and making you read in so many ways about yourself, that it becomes as real as your own internal dialogues.
Nathan has also crossed genres successfully. If you want to know if an author is really excellent, well, when he can write murder mysteries and horror that really scares the crap out of you (read as: Sleeping with the lights on), you know the guy can deliver the goods.
In a way, he is so darned reliable that I KNOW what I am getting myself into when I buy one of his books. I am going to get one of my best reads in any genre of the whole year. And even though I will try to read slowly and savor the experience, I'll be hitting the preorder button right on the last page, which I did with Ethos, of course, and thankfully, I only have to wait a month or so for Pathos, and then another month for Logos.
Like another reviewer said, I don't think Nathan Hystad can write a bad book. This one is particularly good, and I highly recommend it and the series. You'll continue to love these books long after the cost is forgotten.
If I had to summarize why these books are so impactful, absorbing, and enjoyable, I think it would be this: Nathan Hystad can create worlds with his writing that are absolutely believable. He can also write characters that are so engaging and believable, both good and evil, that you feel like you are reading about real people - and you get to know them, and care about them.
Nathan Hystad has honed his writing skills to an art, literally. He is the master of the narrative, drawing you in and making you read in so many ways about yourself, that it becomes as real as your own internal dialogues.
Nathan has also crossed genres successfully. If you want to know if an author is really excellent, well, when he can write murder mysteries and horror that really scares the crap out of you (read as: Sleeping with the lights on), you know the guy can deliver the goods.
In a way, he is so darned reliable that I KNOW what I am getting myself into when I buy one of his books. I am going to get one of my best reads in any genre of the whole year. And even though I will try to read slowly and savor the experience, I'll be hitting the preorder button right on the last page, which I did with Ethos, of course, and thankfully, I only have to wait a month or so for Pathos, and then another month for Logos.
Like another reviewer said, I don't think Nathan Hystad can write a bad book. This one is particularly good, and I highly recommend it and the series. You'll continue to love these books long after the cost is forgotten.
August 6, 2025
Nathan Hystad can't write a bad book. Period. This is another great work with wonderful characters and a story that really pulls you in. It's as if I know these people and going through everything as an onlooker that has connections.
So ... wormholes and wormholes. What better idea than let's put together a team, go through the wormhole and start a new colony! YAY! But, the link closed ... the ship suddenly appears ... no one's onboard. And now, trying to put the clues together. Are they ready to learn the truth???
Well put-together novel with an edge-of-your seat gripping mystery. Couldn't put the book down and looking forward to the next one.
If you've never read this author before, this is a good place to start but, be forewarned, you'll be obsessed with reading everything he's ever written.
So ... wormholes and wormholes. What better idea than let's put together a team, go through the wormhole and start a new colony! YAY! But, the link closed ... the ship suddenly appears ... no one's onboard. And now, trying to put the clues together. Are they ready to learn the truth???
Well put-together novel with an edge-of-your seat gripping mystery. Couldn't put the book down and looking forward to the next one.
If you've never read this author before, this is a good place to start but, be forewarned, you'll be obsessed with reading everything he's ever written.
August 5, 2025
This was a fantastic book to read. Three hundred years after the Excursion One travels to Ethos through a wormhole, the ship returns and is close to crash landing on a planet. But no one is on board, so how did it return on its own? Nathan Hystad has done a wonderful job of bringing us along on an unbelievable journey to the past and the future as he attempts to show us how we could evolve our place in the solar system by travelling beyond our sun. And what happened to stop Atticus (an android) to forget what has happened to the original crew? Did they arrive or Ethos or has humanity been lied to for the past 300 years? Thank you, Nathan Hystad, for what I see as another fantastic series to read.
August 5, 2025
Earth is celebrating its 300th independence birthday. Celebrations in Vienna erupt into violence; yet the news media broadcasts fake news instead. Why?
Meanwhile, a specialized & remarkable group of 30 scientists, researchers, and soldiers are prepping for a 4 month trip through a wormhole to Ethos in secret. Again, why?
Secrets unfold. The particular people who were chosen all have a common bond. You’ll discover who they are, as well as the issues to be faced when the ship drops out of the wormhole, not even close to Ethos. Where are their people? their colonies? Did anyone survive? and is there even such a place as Ethos?
Another brilliant novel from Nathan Hystad will keep you on the edge of your seat. I could not put it down and neither will you.
Meanwhile, a specialized & remarkable group of 30 scientists, researchers, and soldiers are prepping for a 4 month trip through a wormhole to Ethos in secret. Again, why?
Secrets unfold. The particular people who were chosen all have a common bond. You’ll discover who they are, as well as the issues to be faced when the ship drops out of the wormhole, not even close to Ethos. Where are their people? their colonies? Did anyone survive? and is there even such a place as Ethos?
Another brilliant novel from Nathan Hystad will keep you on the edge of your seat. I could not put it down and neither will you.
August 20, 2025
Three hundred years since the colony ship had departed the Solar System for another world.
Only one man and a robot occupied the colony ship that was built for one thousand colonists. They had found Ethos on the other end of the wormhole. When they rebuilt the original colony ship to take a few people, ancestors of the original crew, to find Ethos and their families! A lot had changed in three hundred years, but the answer they wanted wasn't the answer they found!
Great characters wanting answers from a three centuries old colonist and his robot, both of whom were suffering from memory loss. They were about to find the answers they wanted weren't the answers they were given! This is a good beginning of a series that looks to be a great read! The storyline continues.
Only one man and a robot occupied the colony ship that was built for one thousand colonists. They had found Ethos on the other end of the wormhole. When they rebuilt the original colony ship to take a few people, ancestors of the original crew, to find Ethos and their families! A lot had changed in three hundred years, but the answer they wanted wasn't the answer they found!
Great characters wanting answers from a three centuries old colonist and his robot, both of whom were suffering from memory loss. They were about to find the answers they wanted weren't the answers they were given! This is a good beginning of a series that looks to be a great read! The storyline continues.
October 7, 2025
Very inconsistent. Great read until it isn't. Really enjoyable build up and then everyone starts to make silly decisions like in the worst horror movies which make not to care about them any more.
Some parts made zero sense to me when suddenly they use sci-fi technologies which could have been used previously when they ran around like headless chickens in the dark. I get it's a sci-fi but the author sometimes forgets general physics no matter on what planet you are. There are some things that shouldn't work no matter the technology.
Although ending was great and made me want to read the next book, clichés and the daftness of some 'intellectual' characters ruined it for me.
3.4 out of 5
Some parts made zero sense to me when suddenly they use sci-fi technologies which could have been used previously when they ran around like headless chickens in the dark. I get it's a sci-fi but the author sometimes forgets general physics no matter on what planet you are. There are some things that shouldn't work no matter the technology.
Although ending was great and made me want to read the next book, clichés and the daftness of some 'intellectual' characters ruined it for me.
3.4 out of 5
August 5, 2025
This is a book that really drew me into the world building and the variety of characters. The author has created a backdrop that helps define the characters in myriad ways. This is book one of a series that I look forward to reading the following books in the series as they come out. I really feel this author’s stories are getting better and better. That is saying a lot because his books were excellent to begin with. I recommend this book to all readers.
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.
August 11, 2025
Instant Classic
300 years ago, The Excursion left the Sun Colonies to venture through a wormhole that suddenly appeared. Now it has returned, empty with no record of what happened to the colonists. A new team mainly constructed of descendants of the first trio are going through the same wormhole that has suddenly reappeared. Calvin Brooks is our Caption alongside a scientific team hand picked by Dr Henry Abimbola. Their hope is to connect to Ethos, find out what happened to the original crew and make it back to the Sun Colonies
300 years ago, The Excursion left the Sun Colonies to venture through a wormhole that suddenly appeared. Now it has returned, empty with no record of what happened to the colonists. A new team mainly constructed of descendants of the first trio are going through the same wormhole that has suddenly reappeared. Calvin Brooks is our Caption alongside a scientific team hand picked by Dr Henry Abimbola. Their hope is to connect to Ethos, find out what happened to the original crew and make it back to the Sun Colonies
November 2, 2025
I am a hard grader, and this book earned every bit of its 5 star rating.
It has everything I was looking for in a sci-fi novel:
- An undiscovered back story including aliens
- Technology that's believable given the time frame
- The government lied to you about everything
- The resistance also lied to you about everything
- You can't trust any of the characters
- Several characters are not who you thought they were
Recommended for science fiction who want mystery and intrigue more than space battles. Hard to put down- I eagerly look forward to the next book.
It has everything I was looking for in a sci-fi novel:
- An undiscovered back story including aliens
- Technology that's believable given the time frame
- The government lied to you about everything
- The resistance also lied to you about everything
- You can't trust any of the characters
- Several characters are not who you thought they were
Recommended for science fiction who want mystery and intrigue more than space battles. Hard to put down- I eagerly look forward to the next book.
August 26, 2025
I like Hystad and will read next one. But let's not get carried away. I don't think there is one Sci Fi cliche not in here. Alien monsters, Unpredictable worm holes, FTL travel, brilliant Elon MusK semi-evil guy, alien malevolent race about to invade, Missing interstellar colonists, disgruntled ex military guy.....
I could go on, but entertaining enough. It is rare these days to find a plot that is truly unique.
I could go on, but entertaining enough. It is rare these days to find a plot that is truly unique.
August 5, 2025
With vibrant characters and fascinating descriptions this story will keep you on the edge of your seat. The characters are concisely described coming from diverse backgrounds. The relationships are colorful and intriguing. The plot evolves fluidly with a polished tempo of action. True to his renowned best selling series, Mr Hystad engages the reader yet again.
September 7, 2025
fantastic
I was glued to the story. To me it was classic science fiction for someone who’s not very science oriented. The downside, I stayed up way later than I should reading :-) it was such a pleasure to read
The elements of intrigue, discovery, character development. And of course, adventure.
I was glued to the story. To me it was classic science fiction for someone who’s not very science oriented. The downside, I stayed up way later than I should reading :-) it was such a pleasure to read
The elements of intrigue, discovery, character development. And of course, adventure.
August 5, 2025
This is a fantastic sci-fi adventure. I loved it.
Lots of great character development and a compelling story. I couldn't put this book down.
It's also a great setup for the next instalment, so definitely looking forward to that.
Lots of great character development and a compelling story. I couldn't put this book down.
It's also a great setup for the next instalment, so definitely looking forward to that.
September 16, 2025
Excellent, Hystad’s best yet! Bring on 23/9/25 for Pathos; book 2 in The Link series!
Ethos combines the elements of many Sci-Fi themes, along with strong characters and their personal lives and back story, with plot twists worthy of the best novel.
Ethos combines the elements of many Sci-Fi themes, along with strong characters and their personal lives and back story, with plot twists worthy of the best novel.
October 7, 2025
Good story but lacked tension
Concept was great but the dialog drifted from one topic to the next in a rather confusing way. Result was a lack of tension with a disappointing ending.
Concept was great but the dialog drifted from one topic to the next in a rather confusing way. Result was a lack of tension with a disappointing ending.
November 26, 2025
A new author for me. Interesting read. Liked the story, characters not so much. Lots of twists that I felt pulled the story in too many directions. But in the end, I liked it, just not as much as I wanted to.
August 20, 2025
❤️❤️❤️Excellent crush!!
Aboard his space crate, Captain Calvin Brooks couldn't help but admire the planet Saturn.
His gaze lingered on his objective: the moon Enceladus and its hundreds of satellites.
The mining robots were busy harvesting Enceladus' resources...
---------
A big favorite for this excellent start to the series, with an absolutely stunning science fiction/colonization plot, lots of mysteries, danger, action, and unexpected events!!
The two main characters, Calvin and Jane, are very well-crafted and quite captivating.
The supporting characters are also very well-crafted and full of surprises.
The ending is excellent! I was blown away...
And now what are the characters going to do?
I can't wait to read the rest!!
One of my favorite novels by this wildly imaginative author!
I highly recommend it ❤️
*****************
❤️❤️❤️Excellent coup de coeur !!
A bord de son vaisseau spatial, le capitaine Calvin Brooks ne pouvait s’empêcher d’admirer la planète Saturne.
Son regard s’attarda sur son objectif : la lune Enceladus et ses centaines de satellites.
Les robots mineurs s’activaient à récolter les ressources d’Enceladus...
---------
Un grand coup de coeur pour cet excellent debut de serie, avec une intrigue de science-fiction/colonisation absolument bluffante, beaucoup de mystères, de danger, d’action et d’imprévus !!
Les deux personnages principaux de Calvin et de Jane sont très réussis et plutôt captivants.
Les personnages secondaires sont également très réussis et pleins de surprises.
La fin est excellente ! J’ai été bluffée...
Et maintenant que vont faire les personnages ??
J’ai trop hâte que de lire la suite !!
Un de mes romans préférés de cet auteur à l’imagination débordante.
Je recommande vivement ❤️
Aboard his space crate, Captain Calvin Brooks couldn't help but admire the planet Saturn.
His gaze lingered on his objective: the moon Enceladus and its hundreds of satellites.
The mining robots were busy harvesting Enceladus' resources...
---------
A big favorite for this excellent start to the series, with an absolutely stunning science fiction/colonization plot, lots of mysteries, danger, action, and unexpected events!!
The two main characters, Calvin and Jane, are very well-crafted and quite captivating.
The supporting characters are also very well-crafted and full of surprises.
The ending is excellent! I was blown away...
And now what are the characters going to do?
I can't wait to read the rest!!
One of my favorite novels by this wildly imaginative author!
I highly recommend it ❤️
*****************
❤️❤️❤️Excellent coup de coeur !!
A bord de son vaisseau spatial, le capitaine Calvin Brooks ne pouvait s’empêcher d’admirer la planète Saturne.
Son regard s’attarda sur son objectif : la lune Enceladus et ses centaines de satellites.
Les robots mineurs s’activaient à récolter les ressources d’Enceladus...
---------
Un grand coup de coeur pour cet excellent debut de serie, avec une intrigue de science-fiction/colonisation absolument bluffante, beaucoup de mystères, de danger, d’action et d’imprévus !!
Les deux personnages principaux de Calvin et de Jane sont très réussis et plutôt captivants.
Les personnages secondaires sont également très réussis et pleins de surprises.
La fin est excellente ! J’ai été bluffée...
Et maintenant que vont faire les personnages ??
J’ai trop hâte que de lire la suite !!
Un de mes romans préférés de cet auteur à l’imagination débordante.
Je recommande vivement ❤️
August 14, 2025
Another great book, while not high brow sci fi, easy beach read and I can’t wait for the second book.
August 16, 2025
Fun!
A well told story, with little profanity or overt sexuality. I cannot wait to read the next in the series
A well told story, with little profanity or overt sexuality. I cannot wait to read the next in the series
September 6, 2025
yeah. struggle street.
almost a dnf, but the snakes and aliens kept me going.
great writing, but the story and characters were all over the place for me.
just couldn't get into it.
almost a dnf, but the snakes and aliens kept me going.
great writing, but the story and characters were all over the place for me.
just couldn't get into it.
September 22, 2025
Wow.
A really good read for me. Not too heavy in science nor making it sound like magic. Just a simple good read.
A really good read for me. Not too heavy in science nor making it sound like magic. Just a simple good read.
September 23, 2025
It's a new story line
I enjoyed this one and am downloading the next release to continue this tale. I have to know what's next...
I enjoyed this one and am downloading the next release to continue this tale. I have to know what's next...
October 13, 2025
Enjoying it very much and go to book 2 now.
October 26, 2025
A good read in Hystad's normal style. Looking forward to reading Book 2
December 16, 2025
Too many, too similar, perspectives for me. Have a terrible memory for attaching specific described situations by name alone.
December 27, 2025
Excellent!
Intriguing and keeps you reading for more. Well developed plot with world building and details. Book one makes you ready for book two!
Intriguing and keeps you reading for more. Well developed plot with world building and details. Book one makes you ready for book two!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews