Dissent

by Thomas Olbert

This thrilling and inventive space opera takes us to a fascinating and terrifying future where newborn life is won in battle and death. Genetic engineering has removed the male influence and Femes, a sapien race similar to legendary Amazon Warriors, fight each other for supremacy across the galaxy.

Despite being born with the genes of nobility, Kaylenn decides to prove herself in battle. Nothing is more sacred to a Kralite. When her government declares war, she is eager to prove herself again. All opponents fall before her, but when she has no choice but to place her faith in Saaryth--a lowly Kaltaarist squadron commander--or face glorious death herself, she chooses to live.

Born to the tribe, Saaryth embodies the unity and self-sacrifice that is the birthright of all Kaltaarists. After years of being marginalized by their Kralite-led government, Saaryth shows Kaylenn the potential of the many working together in perfect harmony to accomplish a single goal. But Kaylenn's fiery passion awakens within Saaryth desires forbidden to Kaltaarists: she doesn’t want to share.

Their union provokes the ire of the governments and corporations controlling the galaxy, but is the only hope to save Kaylenn's homeworld. The Nexus is always watching… and its judgment is neigh.

232 pages, Paperback

Published March 31, 2016

Reviews

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm very conflicted about this novel.

On the one hand, it does descriptions very well, with clear prose and some extremely evocative visual imagery. This is true all the way through space battles, ground battles with tanks or bows, and even a wonderful fight with a wolf. I never once got bogged down in bad prose. Everything from these through the dialog ran smooth.

The novel is obviously full to the brim with emotion, too.

I can't say that there's an awful lot of different kinds of emotion, but it is full of emotion.

And that's part of where the novel began to lose me.

Let me back up.

The ideas are pretty complex and wide from the very opening exposition, reminding me a bit of Stephen Baxter's Raft in a way, punching hole through the universe to remake another to fit themselves, traversing galaxies, being masters of both space and time and even by the chapter titles, we're intended to get the idea that this whole civilization we're focused on is at best a failed experiment or at worst a joke. With all this power and ability, being able to rewrite time and effect and reverse entropy, I was thrilled that I might get an idea-heavy exploration of what it means to be a god. (It might not work so well on a character level or even just to make the reader care, but I was willing to suspend judgment.)

So what happened? The first half of the book can be broken down into very easy segments of violence, sex, a little more violence, violent sex, and just for good measure, some more violence. It doesn't always have to be fighting, of course. We have lots of anger, mistrust, hate sex, and later we have economic chicanery, corrupt politics, virtual slavery, and excommunication. See a common theme?

So from page 3 or 4, I kept asking myself a single question that practically ruined my enjoyment of this entire novel. It was "Why?"

I mean, the imagery and emotions were always consistently high, there was lots of fighting and sex. What's not to love?

Um. Story. There was no drill-down into the reasons why these godlike beings had or needed war. I should also point out that every person is female, too. Why? IDFK. But yeah, that's right, all that sex is between women. And then there's the much later reason given about resources. And then I'm like, isn't space Big? Aren't there, like, a Lot of stars and planets and resources, like, everywhere? And especially if you have godlike powers, wouldn't problems like keeping your crops healthy be a no-brainer?

And then it dawned on me by chapter 16 that there's ANOTHER group that has these godlike powers. Oooooohhh, okay... but these peeps don't do much except sometimes reverse life and death on planets that don't really have anything to do with the people we haven't really gotten to know yet because they're only fighting and screwing. Um. Okay.

Pointer: Never assume that a kick or a punch or a blaster firing is a substitute for character choices and actual plot. Cool scenes can't make up for a lack of overarching story, either. I felt like I was in one of those soap operas from Fahrenheit 451, where everything was overly dramatic, but there was no substance. Later on we get into farming and politics and a slight bit of bonding between some characters, but long before that point, I was far out of the story. Perhaps a bit of these late "reasons" might have grounded me in the novel early as a poor substitute for the truly interesting characters I wished I had gotten, but it was all way too late.

So in case you're wondering why I give a middle rating instead of a 1 star, it's because I really did think the descriptions were cool and sharp and very readable. The evocation of emotions were strong, too, or at least between lust and anger.

If this had actually been a SF b-movie, perhaps I could have turned off my brain and enjoyed the ride and ignored the lack of substance, like so many stupid movies with great special effects and pathos, but it wasn't. This was a novel.

I apologize to the author. I did like portions of this. Thank you for the review copy, and I'm sorry that I didn't enjoy the tale more.

[Rhett Bruno · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I was provided an ARC of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I was very surprised by this novel. It's odd, unique, and yet somehow familiar. A bend on a space opera in a universe that strays from many of the normal tropes. While not perfect, it was a very fun read.

I'm a sucker for great descriptions, and they're top notch here. This book is written extremely well, and as the universe inhabited by Femes is expanded on throughout I found myself drawn in by the world-building as well. Amazon Warriors in space. There isn't a more accurate description out there, but there is also a lot of heart in this story of war and conflicting ideologies.

Saaryth and Kaylenn, our main characters, come from completely opposite walks of life. The former comes from a communal culture, where everybody exists and works for the good of the tribe. The latter comes from a battle-mongering culture, almost like vikings, who believe in the power of the individual and rising to be as strong as you can be. While these aren't unique cultures in any way, it was a treat to see these two characters come together.

This, more than anything, is a story about coming to understand and accept other walks of life. I could feel the growing love between Saaryth and Kaylenn, but also their frustration as they struggled to do just that. Accept everything about each other. That's the heart of the story in my opinion, and for all the spectacular battles and savagery, it was what held my attention.

So why not 5 stars? Well there is a background story threaded throughout the book about the Nexus, an AI that controls everything. I wasn't as invested in these scenes, and felt that the interludes often broke the momentum building in the main Feme narrative. Hopefully it pays off more in the sequels though.

I also felt that there was too much focus on sex. Don't get me wrong, I'm not at all against that appearing in a book, as long as it has a purpose in the narrative. I was sold on the love between Saaryth and Kaylenn well enough without the abundance of sex scenes. Trimming out a few I think would have kept the focus on the stuff that really mattered.

Overall, this was a riveting, brutal space opera with a ton of heart and a beautifully crafted universe. I'll have a close eye on Mr. Olbert's work in the future.

[Justin Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The universe presented in Dissent is fascinating and busy, brimming with big ideas. The author, though, doesn't seem to have complete control of it, as it periodically spins out into chaos, leaving the reader grasping at straws. At its best, Dissent suggests a voice blending the boundless imagination of old pulp space opera with a modern eye toward technological and social progress. It's a bit of a mess, but it's never a boring one.

[Erin Penn · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good description of Dissent (The Nexus #1) is Different. A very different society ("females" with "xenogenesis" as their procreation method) in a whole new universe. Images are solid ... Plus enough normal stuff to ground the space opera without it going all Tim-Burton-strange: action really picks up in the second half of the book, political subterfuge, space battles, fights between sentients, fights against nature, fights against animals (I did mention lots of action in the second half of the book, right?).

But getting to that point was a battle. The first third of the book takes a little getting use to as you dance between the start of the new universe (invaded by a failed universe) and a thought experiment - maybe reality if the beginning of the universe lets it continue to play out. I think that is what I don't like most about the story - it may or may not end up being real, depending on how a political battle with the Nexus ends up. The control for winning against the Nexus is a "Chosen One" still a child but showing powers no adult has. But after about a third of the book, the Beginning-of-Time falls back and we get to concentrate on the solid part of the story.

Just a shame that the more accessible "solid" part of the story may not end up being real. Mr. Olbert does come up with a very interesting premise for the universe. Now all the sentients are "female" in that they have breasts and female forms as we understand them. But since no procreation happens within the species, I have a hard time assigning the creatures a gender even is they are sapien in form and nurse their young.

Yes, they have young and nurse them without procreation. The sapiens have to cut the young out of monsters after slaying them. Great worldbuilding twist (introduced on page 5 so I really don't think I am giving anything away here). But the twist doesn't work - they have ten battle to get one child - and nearly everyone in the battle dies. This means the species will be wiped out - even if you don't add thousands dying in space battles. (Start with 1,010 people - 1000 die in space battle - 9 out of 10 die to get the one child - one person with one child does not a species propagation make)

And two major species of sapiens exist - depending on what monster they remove their young from. The one monster per one child isn't a viable race (Kralite); I can see the one monster with multiple young working (Kaltaarist). But then we have the problem of how the heck technology was developed. We have a war-like people who have no respect for weaker people - yet supposedly they are the innovators of technology; just asking, how did the nerds survive - why did they even try to develop tech when no one would respect them for it and they got no benefit. Oh, and the "peaceful" take that tech and then specialize in fully developing for non-war applications. The whole sociological structure of the two species don't make sense.

Then we have the big-stick ecological issues of the war-like people just destroying their planets with little gain while the marginalized peaceful people can terraform an ice planet.

Anyway, the worldbuilding got me to buy the book - but it just doesn't make sense and so ended up destroying my enjoyment. I managed to turn my brain off the final third of the book and jam to the action.

Line editing note: A couple of echo-phrase issues. I did not write them down - but sometimes a phrase appears two paragraphs in a row. I only noticed two.

So a fairly good yarn, but some serious world-building issues - which is a big thing for me. If you like violence, sex, and an unusual premise, this may be the book for you.

[Sheilah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imagine an all female world, where men do not exist. Likely wiped out by their female superiors. In Dissent, you enter a world where beasts birth the human babies and women have more testosterone than men.

I liked the ending, the last big chapter, the climax if you will. I felt like the story finally was coming together and I saw the purpose. Olbert, is a good writer, in that he has created an alternate world unlike anything I have read before — a skilled world builder. It was rather fascinating to me that I kept forgetting all of the characters were female. Their bloodlust and warrior cries full of rage and testosterone, I had to keep reminding myself that these were women. Olbert created a whole race of terrifyingly, violent women that I would not want to spend a Sunday afternoon with. But I liked the creativity, it was refreshing.

Overall, this story wasn't for me. The main reason being, up until the very end, there was a lack of character development. The love story that exists throughout the story, felt false. It began with an uncomfortable beginning, almost like a forced union and that uncomfortable feeling continued throughout most of the story. If there had been a longer lead up, a more thorough revelation of the characters as the book unfolded, perhaps I would have felt more of a connection. Unfortunately, I felt very little for any of the characters. And I needed that connection.

However, it was still an intriguing tale and well-written. It is worth exploring for the interested Science Fiction readers out there.

[Rabid Readers Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phase 5 Publishing gave me this novel as an Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for my review.



Thomas Olbert has built an interesting female driven society in “Dissent.” Babies are genetically engineered by the Nexus and won from their host mothers when cut from the abdomen after bloody conflict. We get glimpses of the Nexus that are fascinating because it illustrates the cyclical style of procreation in the race. As with any society, there’s a pretty rigid class system and Kayleen and Saaryth are at opposite ends of that spectrum.

The Nexus was an interesting construct. I understand the necessity to keep it somewhat mysterious so won’t spoil that aspect of the novel other than to say that the Nexus clearly represents a god-like race from the start of “Dissent.” Whenever the narrative switched to the Nexus the language of the world was beautifully framed and poetic. There’s a undercurrent of the unknown that drives a reader further into the work to see how the Nexus connects with the main story line. That connection and the way it plays out does not disappoint.

If you’re looking for a sci-fi read that is something very different and quite interesting, pick “Dissent” up today.

[Maya Preisler · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I was provided an ARC copy in exchange for a fair and honest review*
There are books best read for escapism; flights of fancy that are loved like a good desert. Then there are books best read for thinking; stories that provoke us to thought and question. These books, much like a main meal, must be considered and digested. Dissent by Thomas Olbert is one of the latter. Nearly a week after finishing the book, I still find my mind wandering around the world he created and wondering about its inhabitants.

Olbert's future is one in which the human race nearly destroyed itself through technological advances. Concerned for their survival, humanity sought to remove the source of the urge for conquest by creating an entirely femme species. Olbert uses this fictional setting to explore the falsity of gender roles and the idea that men are the source of all conflict and violence. Olbert uses a highly stratified society to explore themes of racism, sexism, and greed while creating an excellent allegorical parallel of our own society.