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First Fleet: A Horror Novel
"...a cross between Battlestar Galactica and H. P. Lovecraft""..classic space opera with elements of Lovecraftian horror!"In the captivating novel "First Fleet" by Stephen Case, humanity embarks on a thrilling odyssey of galactic exploration. As a military fleet stumbles upon the enigmatic remnants of an extinct alien civilization, the fate of humanity beyond Earth hangs in the balance. However, their awe and excitement swiftly morph into abject terror when a medical regeneration pod awakens something unimaginably destructive, plunging the fleet into chaos.With the entire First Fleet goes silent, the Second Fleet is dispatched to assemble a team of scientists to unravel the mystery. ---In the distant future, Earth's Military operates under the protection of the Contract, a groundbreaking agreement that promises to bring fallen soldiers back to life. Through the use of advanced technology, their minds are uploaded to the Brick, a quantum-entangled storage unit shared by every ship in the fleet. When death occurs, a res-pod carries the remains back to a medical frigate where the body is regrown, and the mind is downloaded from the Brick.
The First Fleet, on a mission to vanquish the Colonizers, a group that fled Earth space to escape humanity's genocide, engages in battle with the Colonizers and stumbles upon the ruins of an enigmatic non-human civilization. These ancient ruins possess a psychically maddening quality, causing confusion among the System soldiers who find themselves not only battling the Colonizers but also each other.
When a res-pod containing alien DNA accidentally revives an alien consciousness, the First Fleet succumbs to the alien intelligence. The ensuing investigation falls s to the Second Fleet led by Admiral Tholan. Determined to unravel the mystery, Tholan assembles a team led by scientist Davis Germaine, with Beka, whose sister vanished with the First Fleet, among their ranks. Desperate to find answers, Davis and Tholan are willing to sacrifice the minds in the Brick for the truth they seek.
Beka's and her team face the daunting task of downloading minds without corresponding bodies, resulting in horrifying consequences as the mismatched minds meet a gruesome fate. Yet, driven by a chilling determination, Thorn and Davis push the team to commit even darker deeds. But a glimmer of hope emerges when they learn of one intact body from the First Fleet that has arrived.
Donovan, a survivor of the First Fleet, met his demise in the prologue and drifted through space within a res-pod until he is discovered by Cam and her husband, Paul, settlers on a terraforming world. Cam, a former member of the System military who possessed the ability to hear the voices within the Brick, revives Donovan, unsure of the ethical implications involved. With her two daughters, who possess even greater powers, Cam embarks on a journey to uncover the secrets of the Brick and sets them on a collision course with the Second Fleet and the alien intelligence.
"First Fleet" by Stephen Case is a gripping Lovecraftian horror science fiction novel that explores the boundaries of life, death, and the terrifying unknown. With its enthralling blend of military action, mind-bending alien intelligence, and a battle against human malevolence, this captivating tale will leave readers on the edge of their seats, questioning the nature of humanity and the far-reaching consequences of our actions.
The First Fleet, on a mission to vanquish the Colonizers, a group that fled Earth space to escape humanity's genocide, engages in battle with the Colonizers and stumbles upon the ruins of an enigmatic non-human civilization. These ancient ruins possess a psychically maddening quality, causing confusion among the System soldiers who find themselves not only battling the Colonizers but also each other.
When a res-pod containing alien DNA accidentally revives an alien consciousness, the First Fleet succumbs to the alien intelligence. The ensuing investigation falls s to the Second Fleet led by Admiral Tholan. Determined to unravel the mystery, Tholan assembles a team led by scientist Davis Germaine, with Beka, whose sister vanished with the First Fleet, among their ranks. Desperate to find answers, Davis and Tholan are willing to sacrifice the minds in the Brick for the truth they seek.
Beka's and her team face the daunting task of downloading minds without corresponding bodies, resulting in horrifying consequences as the mismatched minds meet a gruesome fate. Yet, driven by a chilling determination, Thorn and Davis push the team to commit even darker deeds. But a glimmer of hope emerges when they learn of one intact body from the First Fleet that has arrived.
Donovan, a survivor of the First Fleet, met his demise in the prologue and drifted through space within a res-pod until he is discovered by Cam and her husband, Paul, settlers on a terraforming world. Cam, a former member of the System military who possessed the ability to hear the voices within the Brick, revives Donovan, unsure of the ethical implications involved. With her two daughters, who possess even greater powers, Cam embarks on a journey to uncover the secrets of the Brick and sets them on a collision course with the Second Fleet and the alien intelligence.
"First Fleet" by Stephen Case is a gripping Lovecraftian horror science fiction novel that explores the boundaries of life, death, and the terrifying unknown. With its enthralling blend of military action, mind-bending alien intelligence, and a battle against human malevolence, this captivating tale will leave readers on the edge of their seats, questioning the nature of humanity and the far-reaching consequences of our actions.
- GenresScience FictionHorror
456 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 24, 2015
23 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Case
54 books7 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 28, 2016
First Fleet #1-4: The Complete Saga is four serialized novellas collected in book form, and is described as a cross between Battlestar Galactica and H. P. Lovecraft. So, the potential is HUGE, but there’s really so much more to it.
The universe created by Stephen Case sees humanity spread across the galaxy in two distinct groups of humans: the Colonizers, who used the “old” technology of near-light speed engines to travel through the galaxy, and those from the System, who were able to travel vast distances instantaneously by using “light-lines” built by “forge ships”. Of course, these two groups don’t see things eye-to-eye, and war breaks out between them. Soldiers on the Settlers’ side are able to upload their memories for safe keeping before entering combat. Should they be killed, what’s left of their body, however small (even cellular), is immediately shuttled away a “RES-pod”, which completely restores/regenerates/resurrects the soldier. The soldier’s memories are then downloaded into the new body and the soldier is sent back into battle. This leads to some interesting moral issues on both sides, and there is no clear-cut black-and-white answer to the ethics involved, which plays heavily later in the storyline.
The book’s character development is exceptional. Like the moral and ethical issues I already mentioned, the characters aren’t simply “good guys” vs “bad guys”. Protagonists Beka Grale and Cam Dowager are very well-rounded, and their personalities grow with the story, especially Beka’s. I especially liked the back story of Paul and Cam, and their twins. Antagonists Admiral Tholan and Special Attaché Eleanor are just as complex, with the added bonus of being downright duplicitous in their actions.
The world-building is outstanding, with all sorts of mind-bending scenes crafted both in outer space and planetside. The pacing of the book is like a symphony by Tchaikovsky or Mahler, starting out somewhat slow and methodical, slowly building up the intensity through the four movements until the explosive ending of the grand finale. Through the book, layer upon layer of the mystery is peeled back, revealing more depth and twists than expected.
This book gives the reader a rich, complex universe that has a ton of potential. While it doesn't have a clear, wide-open ending, I sure hope Mr. Case revisits this universe soon!
The universe created by Stephen Case sees humanity spread across the galaxy in two distinct groups of humans: the Colonizers, who used the “old” technology of near-light speed engines to travel through the galaxy, and those from the System, who were able to travel vast distances instantaneously by using “light-lines” built by “forge ships”. Of course, these two groups don’t see things eye-to-eye, and war breaks out between them. Soldiers on the Settlers’ side are able to upload their memories for safe keeping before entering combat. Should they be killed, what’s left of their body, however small (even cellular), is immediately shuttled away a “RES-pod”, which completely restores/regenerates/resurrects the soldier. The soldier’s memories are then downloaded into the new body and the soldier is sent back into battle. This leads to some interesting moral issues on both sides, and there is no clear-cut black-and-white answer to the ethics involved, which plays heavily later in the storyline.
The book’s character development is exceptional. Like the moral and ethical issues I already mentioned, the characters aren’t simply “good guys” vs “bad guys”. Protagonists Beka Grale and Cam Dowager are very well-rounded, and their personalities grow with the story, especially Beka’s. I especially liked the back story of Paul and Cam, and their twins. Antagonists Admiral Tholan and Special Attaché Eleanor are just as complex, with the added bonus of being downright duplicitous in their actions.
The world-building is outstanding, with all sorts of mind-bending scenes crafted both in outer space and planetside. The pacing of the book is like a symphony by Tchaikovsky or Mahler, starting out somewhat slow and methodical, slowly building up the intensity through the four movements until the explosive ending of the grand finale. Through the book, layer upon layer of the mystery is peeled back, revealing more depth and twists than expected.
This book gives the reader a rich, complex universe that has a ton of potential. While it doesn't have a clear, wide-open ending, I sure hope Mr. Case revisits this universe soon!
February 24, 2017
A blend of classic space opera with some elements of Lovecraftian horror, but with far better wordcraft and character development. In addition, Stephen Case can write a compelling, strong female lead character. I can't recommend these highly enough!
May 23, 2022
A great book by a great guy! So much weirder than I was expecting, but in a good way!
June 5, 2019
I did a book swap with the author at a fest and decided to dive into it after hearing him bust out a quick pitch. I ended up reading the whole thing over two days and enjoyed all of it. Tautly written characters, a fascinating plot, and an ending that makes the whole thing worthwhile. His breezy style belies the fact there's some deep stuff hidden in there for readers to ruminate over. If you like words, you should give this a read.
November 29, 2018
Very enjoyable sci-fi. I got right into it.
February 4, 2019
Wonderful series!
March 15, 2024
A ship Graveyard in Space!
Interesting story line. Sentient robotic people? Aliens that can bend the space continuum, Space warriors, Get The book and read it.
Interesting story line. Sentient robotic people? Aliens that can bend the space continuum, Space warriors, Get The book and read it.
December 13, 2015
Published by Retrofit Publishing, who provided me with a review copy of the book, First Fleet is actually a collection of serialized e-book novellas. Author Stephen Case has described the book as a cross between “Battlestar Galactica” and the cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft. This is almost exactly spot-on, but I actually think he is selling himself a little short here. While First Fleet may share some of the action/adventure vibes (and even some of the social commentary) from “Battlestar,” Case’s novel features some original technological inventions that are more clever than anything in “Battlestar” than I can recall.
Literally first and foremost (they are introduced in the book’s opening paragraph) are the res-pods. The world of First Fleet sees humanity spread across the stars, but they didn’t get to where they are without a fight. Fortunately for the soldiers on the ground (or, you know, in space), they are able to upload their memories for safe keeping before entering combat. That way, should they be killed, their body (or what’s left of it) gets shuttled away to safety by a res-pod, which then gets to work on healing the injuries sustained. Once the body is fully regenerated, the soldier’s memories can be downloaded in the new body before being sent back out into the fray. Case explores some of the interesting ways that society would change with a technology like this being available. Soldiers, for example, don’t have the same sense of mortality that they might otherwise if the res-pods were not available to them.
Case’s imagination doesn’t stop there, but it would spoil much of the fun to mention any more about the specifics of the world he has created. The world-building in First Fleet is truly top-notch. As he moves the story along, Case expertly peels back new layers of the world, fleshing out his universe little by little and answering questions that you didn’t even know you had.
A novel can’t exist on world-building alone, however. It needs strong characters to make the journey complete. Fortunately, Case excels at this. Protagonists Beka Grale and Cam Dowager are just awesome. Beka is especially fun to watch as the novel progresses and she reminds us that sometimes leaders emerge from the unlikeliest of places. I would definitely want them on my team if I happened to find myself in a space battle against Lovecraftian horrors.
Between the world-building and the likeable cast of characters, we are left with a rich and complex fictional world by the time we reach the end of the story. I enjoyed my time in this world so much, in fact, that I hope we will get to revisit sometime in another book. I have no idea if this is in the cards at all, but here’s hoping that Case is busily working on Second Fleet already!
Literally first and foremost (they are introduced in the book’s opening paragraph) are the res-pods. The world of First Fleet sees humanity spread across the stars, but they didn’t get to where they are without a fight. Fortunately for the soldiers on the ground (or, you know, in space), they are able to upload their memories for safe keeping before entering combat. That way, should they be killed, their body (or what’s left of it) gets shuttled away to safety by a res-pod, which then gets to work on healing the injuries sustained. Once the body is fully regenerated, the soldier’s memories can be downloaded in the new body before being sent back out into the fray. Case explores some of the interesting ways that society would change with a technology like this being available. Soldiers, for example, don’t have the same sense of mortality that they might otherwise if the res-pods were not available to them.
Case’s imagination doesn’t stop there, but it would spoil much of the fun to mention any more about the specifics of the world he has created. The world-building in First Fleet is truly top-notch. As he moves the story along, Case expertly peels back new layers of the world, fleshing out his universe little by little and answering questions that you didn’t even know you had.
A novel can’t exist on world-building alone, however. It needs strong characters to make the journey complete. Fortunately, Case excels at this. Protagonists Beka Grale and Cam Dowager are just awesome. Beka is especially fun to watch as the novel progresses and she reminds us that sometimes leaders emerge from the unlikeliest of places. I would definitely want them on my team if I happened to find myself in a space battle against Lovecraftian horrors.
Between the world-building and the likeable cast of characters, we are left with a rich and complex fictional world by the time we reach the end of the story. I enjoyed my time in this world so much, in fact, that I hope we will get to revisit sometime in another book. I have no idea if this is in the cards at all, but here’s hoping that Case is busily working on Second Fleet already!
February 11, 2016
Sci-fi with a little horror thrown in. This was a fun read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews