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Remission
When Dr. Karin Amani's rescue mission crashes on a hostile exoplanet, survival becomes the least of her problems.
Her crew is missing. The research base has gone dark. And something in the planet's ecosystem is spreading. Fast.
As the ship's doctor, Karin's purpose has always been save lives. But on Tyche, that mission becomes a nightmare. Each discovery brings another body, dragging her deeper into trauma. The weight of what's unfolding threatens to pull her under. Something isn't just contaminating people, it's spreading in ways that could reach billions.
Karin is breaking. Depression claws at her mind, following her with every step. Her only companion is Navigator, the ship's AI. Logical, precise, and utterly incapable of understanding grief. The rational part of her knows she's sinking.
But giving up means billions die. She can't save everyone who's already lost. And accepting that may be the hardest part.
REMISSION is hard science fiction that doesn't look away from the cost of survival. A story about endurance under pressure, and what it takes to keep moving when everything is breaking.
For readers who love scientifically grounded sci-fi with psychological depth and protagonists who endure, not just overcome.
Her crew is missing. The research base has gone dark. And something in the planet's ecosystem is spreading. Fast.
As the ship's doctor, Karin's purpose has always been save lives. But on Tyche, that mission becomes a nightmare. Each discovery brings another body, dragging her deeper into trauma. The weight of what's unfolding threatens to pull her under. Something isn't just contaminating people, it's spreading in ways that could reach billions.
Karin is breaking. Depression claws at her mind, following her with every step. Her only companion is Navigator, the ship's AI. Logical, precise, and utterly incapable of understanding grief. The rational part of her knows she's sinking.
But giving up means billions die. She can't save everyone who's already lost. And accepting that may be the hardest part.
REMISSION is hard science fiction that doesn't look away from the cost of survival. A story about endurance under pressure, and what it takes to keep moving when everything is breaking.
For readers who love scientifically grounded sci-fi with psychological depth and protagonists who endure, not just overcome.
- GenresScience Fiction
173 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 18, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
ARC Review: This book is a great example of why I love sci-fi, it lives in the realm of "what if." What if an accident leaves you abandoned on another planet, how far would you go to save yourself, or your team? What if terraforming were possible, and what if it went wrong? What if life and death choices were left in your hands, not just impacting yourself, but your team, and even beyond. What if......? Thought provoking, intriguing, and a fantastic read.
February 19, 2026
REMISSION by M. R. Damova
A sci-fi novella with a haunting twist.
This book hooked me from the very beginning. The tension is consistent throughout the story, from our protagonist, Doctor Karin ‘K’ Amani, crashing onto an alien planet, to her journeying through the desert to find her squad members. The plot is meticulously built so as not to leave any loose ends.
For a large part of the story, K is alone, with only an AI assisting her. This gave the plot an eerie atmosphere, with us, the reader, being her only, albeit unreachable, human companion.
Simple elements, like loneliness and nature, are used to create an unsettling feeling, leaving a lasting impact on the audience.
The crucial element that makes this novella shine is that K is just a normal human being like you and me.
She is no heroine, and this is why this story resonated with me. I was rooting for her because I could see myself in her: a person trying her best to just help people. Her struggles and failures felt grounding, comforting. I realised that if she can still choose to get up after failing numerous times, then so can I.
This book is recommended to people who crave hard sci-fi with a side of nightmare-inducing horror. It is also recommended for those who wish to read about a person who endures in the face of mental breakdown and walks out with scars of determination.
Merged review:
Review of advanced copy received from Author
REMISSION by M. R. Damova
A sci-fi novella with a haunting twist.
This book hooked me from the very beginning. The tension is consistent throughout the story, from our protagonist, Doctor Karin ‘K’ Amani, crashing onto an alien planet, to her journeying through the desert to find her squad members. The plot is meticulously built so as not to leave any loose ends.
For a large part of the story, K is alone, with only an AI assisting her. This gave the plot an eerie atmosphere, with us, the reader, being her only, albeit unreachable, human companion.
Simple elements, like loneliness and nature, are used to create an unsettling feeling, leaving a lasting impact on the audience.
The crucial element that makes this novella shine is that K is just a normal human being like you and me.
She is no heroine, and this is why this story resonated with me. I was rooting for her because I could see myself in her: a person trying her best to just help people. Her struggles and failures felt grounding, comforting. I realised that if she can still choose to get up after failing numerous times, then so can I.
This book is recommended to people who crave hard sci-fi with a side of nightmare-inducing horror. It is also recommended for those who wish to read about a person who endures in the face of mental breakdown and walks out with scars of determination.
A sci-fi novella with a haunting twist.
This book hooked me from the very beginning. The tension is consistent throughout the story, from our protagonist, Doctor Karin ‘K’ Amani, crashing onto an alien planet, to her journeying through the desert to find her squad members. The plot is meticulously built so as not to leave any loose ends.
For a large part of the story, K is alone, with only an AI assisting her. This gave the plot an eerie atmosphere, with us, the reader, being her only, albeit unreachable, human companion.
Simple elements, like loneliness and nature, are used to create an unsettling feeling, leaving a lasting impact on the audience.
The crucial element that makes this novella shine is that K is just a normal human being like you and me.
She is no heroine, and this is why this story resonated with me. I was rooting for her because I could see myself in her: a person trying her best to just help people. Her struggles and failures felt grounding, comforting. I realised that if she can still choose to get up after failing numerous times, then so can I.
This book is recommended to people who crave hard sci-fi with a side of nightmare-inducing horror. It is also recommended for those who wish to read about a person who endures in the face of mental breakdown and walks out with scars of determination.
Merged review:
Review of advanced copy received from Author
REMISSION by M. R. Damova
A sci-fi novella with a haunting twist.
This book hooked me from the very beginning. The tension is consistent throughout the story, from our protagonist, Doctor Karin ‘K’ Amani, crashing onto an alien planet, to her journeying through the desert to find her squad members. The plot is meticulously built so as not to leave any loose ends.
For a large part of the story, K is alone, with only an AI assisting her. This gave the plot an eerie atmosphere, with us, the reader, being her only, albeit unreachable, human companion.
Simple elements, like loneliness and nature, are used to create an unsettling feeling, leaving a lasting impact on the audience.
The crucial element that makes this novella shine is that K is just a normal human being like you and me.
She is no heroine, and this is why this story resonated with me. I was rooting for her because I could see myself in her: a person trying her best to just help people. Her struggles and failures felt grounding, comforting. I realised that if she can still choose to get up after failing numerous times, then so can I.
This book is recommended to people who crave hard sci-fi with a side of nightmare-inducing horror. It is also recommended for those who wish to read about a person who endures in the face of mental breakdown and walks out with scars of determination.
February 20, 2026
This book subverts the typical space-disaster narrative by focusing on acceptance rather than triumph.
When Karin discovers her crew missing and contamination spreading, the story doesn't focus on superhero solving the problem or finding a solution. Instead, it explores what happens when a normal person is forced to accept losses and still carry because on the stakes are too high to give up.
The hard sci-fi elements are good. Contamination mechanism is particularly effective.
But what I liked the most is its psychological side: Karin's relationship with Navigator, the AI is unable to process human pain and amplifies her isolation beautifully.
I found it easy to side Karin and crawl with her during the journey, to an end I wasn't expecting honestly. Also I found it really enjoyable to read.
When Karin discovers her crew missing and contamination spreading, the story doesn't focus on superhero solving the problem or finding a solution. Instead, it explores what happens when a normal person is forced to accept losses and still carry because on the stakes are too high to give up.
The hard sci-fi elements are good. Contamination mechanism is particularly effective.
But what I liked the most is its psychological side: Karin's relationship with Navigator, the AI is unable to process human pain and amplifies her isolation beautifully.
I found it easy to side Karin and crawl with her during the journey, to an end I wasn't expecting honestly. Also I found it really enjoyable to read.
Review of advance copy
Set in a future where humans have reached the early stages of attempting to terraform other planets, this story balanced the science aspect and humanity well. The main character, Dr. Karin Amani, is part of the crew of a mission support vessel trying to reestablish contact with a research colony. To a degree, this story involves a lot of situations where, if something could go wrong, it would.
I did find enjoyable the interaction between Dr. Amani and the support vessel’s AI Navigator. Since much of the story is a solo journey, there was plenty of opportunity to see the working relationship between them.
The explained science of the terraforming process appealed to the nerd in me. It also led to the ethical dilemma that was key to the story. The understanding Dr. Amani develops during the course of the story of the implications of the terraforming project, along with the relationship with the Navigator, resulted in an ending I wasn’t expecting.
This story packed a lot to think about into a short space.
I received an advanced copy through BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I did find enjoyable the interaction between Dr. Amani and the support vessel’s AI Navigator. Since much of the story is a solo journey, there was plenty of opportunity to see the working relationship between them.
The explained science of the terraforming process appealed to the nerd in me. It also led to the ethical dilemma that was key to the story. The understanding Dr. Amani develops during the course of the story of the implications of the terraforming project, along with the relationship with the Navigator, resulted in an ending I wasn’t expecting.
This story packed a lot to think about into a short space.
I received an advanced copy through BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Remission by M. R. Damova was a great sci fi space thriller (horror?) book. I question the horror aspect, because while there isn’t anything big or scary going on in the book, when you find yourself all alone on a planet in outer space, trying to figure out what happened to your crew, I imagine that would be quite horrifying.
The book takes place on a planet that the FMC’s crew crashes to, when they go to investigate why they haven’t heard from the crew already on said planet that was sent there to terraform. After crashing, Karin finds that she’s all alone as she looks for anyone from either crew, and fails to find anyone. With only the AI from her ship to keep her company, she starts to decline mentally while trying to get to the bottom of the mystery.
This is a good psychological thriller, and I really enjoyed reading it.
The book takes place on a planet that the FMC’s crew crashes to, when they go to investigate why they haven’t heard from the crew already on said planet that was sent there to terraform. After crashing, Karin finds that she’s all alone as she looks for anyone from either crew, and fails to find anyone. With only the AI from her ship to keep her company, she starts to decline mentally while trying to get to the bottom of the mystery.
This is a good psychological thriller, and I really enjoyed reading it.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews