Ceres

Universe Eventual #3

by N.J. Tanger, Nathan M. Beauchamp, Rachael Tanger

Whatever Navigator Selena Samuelson expected when her Fractal Class ship, Chimera, arrived at Earth, it certainly wasn’t a brutal attack from an unknown enemy that killed more than half her crew and all but destroyed her ship. Deserted by their captain and the only other navigator, Selena makes a terrible gamble and flees for Damascene—a colony that lost contact with Earth hundreds of years ago.

On Damascene, an anachronistic society has sworn off advanced technology and have all but forgotten about their colony ship, Ceres, still in orbit high above. Embroiled in an endless war with the more advanced EPR, they want nothing to do with Selena or the war at Earth. However, Ceres herself might hold the key to ending the war, and changing the fate of not just the Damascene colony, but Stephen’s Point’s as well.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult

351 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 24, 2016

Reviews

[Ryan Middlebrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Series keeps getting stronger!

Ceres, the third book in the Universe Eventual series, grows the scope of the story with great new characters and a perfectly rendered original world, Damascene. A taut adventure of love and honor, Kerissa and Hammid struggle against the tradition of their machine-less society to find something greater - truth. The vicious Interlocutor has plans of war brewing against those who stand in her path to power. At the same time, Chimera, the wounded colony ship, is coming across the vast fractal space. The collision of all the threads weave a rich and fascinating tale that is the best yet in this exciting series.

NJ Tanger delivers again. The galaxy is richer. The stakes higher. The quest deeper. You’ll love this book!

8.5 stars out of 10

Red Eagle's Legacy

[Hannah Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was my favorite of the series so far (although it's been a while now since I've read all three). The fact that space is infinite and the technology is all futuristic means that it's very hard to predict what will happen next--and yet the authors do a great job of keeping a coherent and consistent string of authenticity and relevance among the dozens of characters in their different settings, different awareness of the varying technology, and different rules for where they live. So far each book has it's own complete story in and of itself while still succeeding in keeping the overarching plot and character arc of the series intact. I really appreciate the diversity in the cast of characters which seems hard to pull off given that the characters live in quite literally different worlds from the one we live in, and they have completely new cultures, contexts, rules, and expectations--and yet at some point in their history there was a time when they all lived on the earth as we know it today. Our current racial-political identities are not quite relevant in these futuristic worlds--and yet if the books become a movie it is written into the script that the actual conflicts of diversity that affect our entertainment industry will be taken into account in the telling of this futuristic universe (at least in regards to having a diverse cast of actors). Not saying that's everything, but it is something.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid book in the series. I'll admit the start was a bit strange for me because here we are in book three and massive world building is happening. It's necessary, and the authors do a good job conveying how vastly different life is on Damascene than at Stephen's Point, but it seems a little hard to get through. Having just finished Helios immediately before starting this, I was ready for more of my Chimera crew and they felt sparse in the first part of this book. The balance does get better toward the middle, though.

I also felt there was a lot that could have been expanded upon: the Interlocutor and her teshkilots (how did she create them?), exactly how/why the city turned its back on the original purpose, why there are city and tribe people and why they don't get along, etc. Then, that total teaser of an epilogue - oh man!

As always, I'll be awaiting the next installment in the series, eager to see what befalls the characters I've come to know and love. Keep up the good work, NJ Tanger!

[Renee Rearden · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Universe Eventual series continues to shine...

I love this universe the writing team N.J. tanger have created. A unique plot filled with twists and turns that not only pique but hold my interest. The characters continue to evolve, resolving some issues while still dealing with others. Witty dialogue and realistic emotional actions/reactions keep the characters real and present. I look forward to revisiting Universal Eventual when the next book is released. Could someone relieve my expectation anxiety and tell me when that might be? 🙃

[Cosmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the third book in the series, the author(s) made a brave move and choose to set aside (for a while) the characters and the universe from the first two books and introduce new characters and a new world. For the hungry reader looking for the conclusion of the Helios this could take some effort to get used to - but I left myself taken for a ride by the adventures of the new characters.
This time I did not feel the themes were as complex as in Chimera and Helios and the characters seemed to me more linear and predictible.

[P S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ceres (Universal Eventual Book 3)

This was a strange start to the book concerdering where book 2 finished off couldn't get my head around it for some time but as most things everything becomes clear, this is a story that is worth continuing...

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, hard for me to rate because there's so much I love about this series and I do want to keep reading. I find it hard to know who the hero is and who to care about and root for. The style might not be my thing or maybe I just need to keep reading and all will be redeemed.

[Rachel Applegate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I really enjoyed this book, more information about when the next in the series is being released would be good :)

[Sunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 star, prob the best of the series

[Sterling Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good continuation of the series. It might be hard to see how the storylines will merge, but they do, eventually. I liked the new characters and was satisfied with the changes in the old characters. On to book 4.

[Noodle The Naughty Night Owl · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10: Good solid read, something to get your teeth into.

“It was a pleasure meeting the two of you. I sincerely hope your people don’t kill you.”

[Wynette Eleuthere-Stoute · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book

This book was great, as all in the series are.
I eager anticipate the next book, Horus. I hope that there is hope for Theo and Selena...I loves those two characters and although Theo made a huge error in judgement, he deserves a series and chance. I hope the writers make Selena a little softer and understanding towards him. Anyway....can't wait to read Horus.

[Joe Frazier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ceres is the third, and most polished entry in the Universe Eventual series by N. J. Tanger, a pseudonym for the writing team of Nathan Beauchamp, Joshua Russell and Rachel Tanger. The first two, Chimera and Helios, introduce us to the world of Stephen’s Point, the challenge to that colony and the push to send a fractal-class ship (think, a ship capable of finding and traversing a worm-hole trail) back to earth. Much of that book introduced us to the young people (late teens) who were to become candidates to make up the crew. In Helios we see that crew form and deal with a surprising new arrival from Earth. We see a mastermind sociopath’s impact on the crew as they prepare for what mysteries lie ahead on earth. Now a much-diminished crew turns its attention to the colony with an older predecessor to Chimera, Ceres. This colony on Damascene, has its own set of cultures and troubles. In Ceres, we see the seemingly disparate worlds of Damascene and that of the Chimera’s crew join together. (Note, this story will continue in Horus).

Ceres does everything a third book ought to do, namely extend storyline but develop it in new and exciting ways, continue to build the characters and their relationships, organically introduce new characters that make sense to this story and continue to build the tension. One of the ways that it continues to make this story fresh is through the new world of Damascene. The authors do a beautiful job of bringing these two disparate worlds with their respective storylines and weave them back and forth until they finally come together whole. The new world is interesting in and of itself; it has subcultures of interest, challenges that are intriguing and with fascinating bad guys (and good guys) and everything in between.

For full review see joesgeekfest at wordpress.com

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the Authors "Timeline" at the beginning of the book very helpful in following along. I enjoyed this book greatly enough to give it a five star rating even though I hadn't yet read the first two books in the series. Without that timeline, or having had the pleasure of reading the first two books, (YET) I would have been lost. I'm going to remedy that right now and read all three books from start to finish. And, fortunately, Book IV has already been written.
I read a lot of Sci Fi books and have trouble keeping some series distinct from one another. I kind of like it when I discover a great series that's well along as it enables me to read the series with limited interruption.
If you know me and have read more than a few of my reviews you may get the impression I've an easy Five Star reviewer. NOT SO! I never post a public review for any book I deem worth less than four stars. In fact, unless I'm reading as an advance or BETA reader book, I won't even finish a book that seems to be unequal to at least a four star rating. In the case of BETA and advance reader books, when they're less than four stars I give a private personal review directly to the Author. No need to hurt any authors career more than the absence of a review does.
I've also begun to NOT write "HS style Book Reports" (e.g. Story Summaries) as the author's already provide that for prospecting readers.
DO YOURSELF A FAVOR; DO NOT READ THIS BOOK until you read the first two in the series. You will anyway, as I'm about to do.

Review by: THE HOLEY ONE

[C.J. Darlington · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some reason it took me nearly a month to finish this book, but it wasn't for lack of good writing or a solid story. I started this series with no idea what to expect. What fun to discover a new favorite sci fi adventure! Ceres continues right where Helios left off, which I was thankful for. Selena and company have become old friends, and I needed to know what happened to them. But while Helios and Chimera take place exclusively around the Stephen's Point colony and the goal to get to Earth for help, Ceres brings in some new characters completely different, and completely non technologically advanced. I wasn't sure what I thought of it at first, as at times it felt like I was reading two different books. But Tanger successfully managed to entwine the two storylines realistically. And there's going to be a Book 4! Count me in, though I hope we stick more to Selena and the Stephen's Point crew next time.

[Scott Kinkade · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high praise for the previous book. I thought it was riveting and incredibly well-done. Unfortunately, I can't say quite the same for this entry. Most of the compelling characters are absent for this book, and a couple only show up in the epilogue. That means the authors must rely on the strength of new characters, and I don't think these newcomers are as interesting as in previous entries. Unlike Marcus, the Interlocutor is a very generic antagonist who doesn't carry much narrative weight. Hammid and Kerissa are all right, but they can't match the depth of Theo.

Also, the book needs proper editing. Typos and formatting mistakes pop up with uncomfortable frequency, something I didn't notice with the previous book.

Nevertheless, the story is strong enough that it kept my interest throughout, and I will definitely read the next entry when it releases.

[Rae Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sent a review copy of the third book in the Universe Eternal series, which reminded me I hadn't read the second book. Since I'd enjoyed Chimera, the first book so much I decided to binge, buying Helios, and then diving into Ceres.

One of the fascinating parts of this series I'm finding is that we are talking youthful characters stepping up to take on big roles in their worlds. This continues as the Chimera travels to find an older colony ship, Ceres. The first book laid out the generational reasons for the ships crews to be so young, and in a way this latest episode develops the characters as the young people would be developing in their own right.

Add in another world, a lost society, another psychopath, and a couple of new young characters and Ceres is a gift to sci-fi. I can't wait until the next in the series.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

It leaves you wanting more

I love books that leave you hanging on a cliff at the end because you know that there is another book after

[Gina Schwartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Escape to Damascene

Nothing has prepared the crew for what they find. Regression, violence, betrayal, love? A great follow up to Helios, that keeps us as readers coming back for more.