Transition

by Ian Patterson

Are you so sure you’re the painter, and not the painting?

Micah has a hangover, a looming deadline, and a very opinionated rat following him around the orbital station. No one else can see it—which is definitely not ideal.

Outside, the wealthy are fleeing Earth on seed ships. Inside, Micah’s team has days to perfect their gene-editing tech, or be left behind. On top of that, Micah’s unsure if reality is taking an extended vacation, or if his brain has finally short-circuited.

Equal parts absurdly funny, sharp-edged, and human, Transition explores the events that started The Narrator Cycle. Long before Nicholas, Dorothy, and Charon, there was Micah, a dying earth, a talkative rat, and a question—is reality such a fixed thing?

141 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 31, 2026

About the author

Ian Patterson is many things. Importantly here, he’s the author of The Narrator Cycle. He’s also an engineer, cyclist, foodie, coffee lover, cat dad, human father, and reader of books. Preferably, thick books that deal with strange things and big ideas. He’s dreamed of being an author for decades, but finally began the journey with the birth of his first daughter. This is an objectively terrible time to start work that requires quiet concentration, and he knows it, but he loves the chaos nonetheless. He lives in Colorado with his wonderful family.

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll start with a disclaimer that I received an early copy of Transition as a beta reader. Since this book is not yet out, I'll avoid any spoilers and talk about the book in a more general sense.

I loved Transition from the first sentence. There are lots of fun references to find in this one and the comedy knob was turned way up compared to Ian's other books. I found myself laughing through the book, even as things got more dire.

Transition is a mixture of sci-fi, comedy, and existential horror but tied together by the emotional maturation and development of Micah and his new companion. The slow development of the plot and how the quipping between Micah and his rat friend turns from being light hearted and a bit antagonistic to more meaningful and important is very well done. The emotions of this story really resonated with me.

I think Transition works well as a stand alone novella and adds to the universe that Ian's created with his other books without taking anything away from them. It's similar in style to novellas written in the Expanse universe by James S.A. Corey - something that fits in between or before the main stories but could be read along with or independently to them.This book made me wonder a lot about its universe and left me wanting answers to many questions, but in a way that left me excited instead of frustrated.

All in all, a great read that I would definitely recommend to others. I look forward to the next one!