Remnants of the Solixa

by James A. McGettigan

84 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 2, 2026

Reviews

[Mrs. Beady P]

First off, a huge thank you to James Alan McGettigan for the eARC of Remnants of the Solixa! Getting an early peek at this one was a real treat. And now I’m left with the very inconvenient problem of wanting MORE!!

Remnants of the Solixa is exactly the kind of sci-fi novella that makes me immediately ask, okay… so when do I get the rest of this universe?!

The world building is phenomenal. McGettigan sets up a sci-fi world that feels expansive, layered, and absolutely primed to be explored. Even in novella form, there’s this sense that there’s a much bigger story lurking just beyond the edges of the page. Naturally left my inner sci-fi nerd wanting to go poking around in all the corners.

I especially enjoyed the breadcrumbs sprinkled throughout the story. At first, you’re picking them up and thinking, Interesting…Very intertesting... noted. Then as the story unfolds, those little pieces really start coming together, and suddenly you realize there’s a much bigger picture taking shape. I love when a story trusts the reader to connect the dots instead of dumping the entire galaxy into your lap on page one.

The dystopian undertones were also right up my alley. Throw in the sci-fi setting, mysterious threads, and a world that feels like it has plenty more secrets to reveal, and you sold me!

And then there’s Drakkar, who is anything but a cardboard cutout character. He’s multilayered, complicated, and interesting enough that I wanted to dig deeper into what makes him tick. He adds another layer to a story that already has plenty going on beneath the surface.

Honestly, for a novella, this book packs a lot onto the plate without trying to serve the entire buffet at once. It’s the perfect hors d’oeuvre, giving you just enough of this fascinating world to get your appetite going before leaving you staring at the kitchen like, cool… where’s the main course?

I’m definitely ready for more. More Solixa. More Drakkar. More of this world!

[Charis Alfonso]

I really enjoyed this story! The abandoned world, the remnants of the Solixa, and the questions surrounding their disappearance created this feeling that I was walking through the ruins alongside the characters, trying to understand what had happened.

I also found Drakkar interesting. I went into the story expecting one thing from him and came away much more curious about him and his motivations. He ended up being one of the characters I wanted to understand more.

For a short novella, there is a lot of worldbuilding here, and I actually found myself wanting more rather than feeling like I had gotten too much. There are ideas and pieces of history that made me want to keep digging deeper into this universe.

Remnants of the Solixa feels like an introduction to a much larger cosmic story, and I'm very interested in seeing where that story goes next.

Thank you so much to James Alan McGettigan! Really loved this!

[Stardust Booklover]

Remnants of the Solixa is a prequel novella about a group of investigators trying to figure out what happened to an ancient civilization that vanished without a trace. They explore an abandoned world full of empty cities and strange mysteries, and slowly uncover secrets that tie into a much bigger cosmic story. Also, rather than following one protagonist, the story is told through several perspectives.

For such a short book, it packs in a ton of worldbuilding, mystery, and interesting concepts. My favorite part was definitely exploring Galiza and learning about the Solixa. The mystery kept building, and when everything finally came together, I thought the explanation was really satisfying. The story left me pondering on the cost of technological progress, as the Solixa doom themselves with their own advancements.

Drakkar was a very impacting character. I expected him to just be the typical ancient evil, but he ended up being way more interesting than that. The author actually gives him understandable motivations, and by the end I wanted to know a lot more about him. The atmosphere was another big plus. The abandoned cities, preserved remains, and all the weird things happening on the planet gave it this creepy, mysterious feeling that made me want to keep reading. It really nails that "exploring the ruins of a lost civilization" vibe.

The only reason I'm giving it four stars is because I think the worldbuilding sometimes overshadows the characters. I liked the characters, but I never got super attached to them emotionally. There are also a few sections where a lot of lore gets thrown at you at once. That said, it did exactly what a prequel is supposed to do: It made me want to read more.

Also, at the end we get to see Amat from the first main novel in The Dust Cosmos, connecting the prequel's cosmic history to the future military science-fiction storyline. Which was super cool.

Overall, if you like cosmic sci-fi or books that slowly reveal a much larger universe, I recommend giving this one a shot. It's a really solid start to a very ambitious series.

[A.J. Kelley]

I'd like to say this is 4 stars for me, bordering on 4.5.

This story is fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed the read. It leans heavily into exploration, mystery, and worldbuilding, which is well done. The setting is easily the novel's greatest strength. I loved uncovering the history of the Solixa, and the deeper the mystery became, the more invested I was. By the end, the answers felt earned, and the themes surrounding technological ambition and its consequences gave the story a surprising amount of depth. Drakkar also stood out as a memorable character, avoiding the typical one-dimensional villain role by having motivations that made him genuinely compelling.

The only thing that kept this from being a five-star read for me was the balance between lore and character development. I've always been a reader who invests in the characters, and while the book introduces a wealth of fascinating ideas, it ,at times, loses me with extensive, albeit great, worldbuilding. This overshadows the emotional connection with the cast, making it harder to become deeply invested in them as I was with the world. There are also a few moments where a lot of information is delivered at once, which can feel a bit overwhelming. Even so, the atmosphere is excellent, capturing the haunting feeling of exploring the ruins of a long-dead civilization, and by the final page I was eager to dive into the rest of the series.

I would easily recommend this as a pick up for any sci-fi fan.

[Dan]

I’m always up for a good space opera, and Remnants of the Solixa hit all the right notes. The worldbuilding was a high point for me, especially the mystery surrounding the planet Galiza and the Solixa (Solaxan?) people. I also really liked the names of the characters, races, and places, which helped give the world its own distinctive feel.

What fascinated me most was the technology of the Solixa and how their eventual fate unfolded. Light spoiler ahead: It begins with a decision made for the good of their people, but that decision leads to another, and then another, until eventually the technology they created spirals beyond anything they intended and basically consumes their entire planet leaving it broken. I couldn't help but see some parallels with our own rapid development of AI and the potential pitfalls of creating a technology could eventually take a very bad turn.

There is a lot of worldbuilding packed into a relatively short story, and at times I think that comes at the expense of getting to know more about the characters, although this might be purposeful as the story is supposed to be an introduction to the universe. As a prequel, it accomplished its goal: by the end, I was genuinely curious and wanted to read more about the Dust Cosmos.

If you enjoy science fiction with ancient civilizations, cosmic mysteries, and a story that hints at so much more, then this is definitely worth checking out.

[Scarlett Ripberger]

Let me first start off I saying this is not my usual genre, and I’m new to reading pieces not yet released but what an interesting read!

I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into Remnants of the Solixa. But sometimes stepping outside your usual reading comfort zone pays off, and this novella definitely did for me.

James is an amazing storyteller. He has a way of creating a world that immediately pulls you in and makes you curious about what is happening, where the story is going, and what lies beneath the surface. I’m truly a sucker for immersive world building this novella manages to give you a taste of a much larger universe that I’m sure James will dive into deeper into.

This may not be my typical genre, but I found Remnants of the Solixa to be a fun, unusual, and captivating little journey. James clearly knows his way around science fiction this universe and his imagination is impressive. I don’t want to give any spoilers It’s what I’ve come to expect by reading one of his books and that’s an imagistic experience. The mystery of this book was a lot of fun I loved the premise.

If you're a fan of sci-fi, and full immersion stories that leave you wanting to know more, I'd definitely recommend giving this novella a try.

The best books are the ones that take you somewhere you wouldn't normally go and Remnants of the Solixa certainly did that for me.