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The Sleeping Gods #1
Endeavour
Since we first looked at the stars, there has been a silence, no signs of alien life, no one who has tried to speak to us, a mystery that a long dead scientist called the Fermi Paradox.
‘Where are they?’
In 2118, the first daring mission to another star, Tau Ceti, twelve light years away is launched. Tom Hites and Harry Cosgrove command the Starship Endeavour on an epic journey to solve the Fermi Paradox. From the first, nearly disastrous steps on a distant world, their quest takes them further than they ever imagined. Out amidst the mysterious long abandoned worlds and ancient relics they discover, some strange, some wonderful and some deadly, that question they seek to answer becomes:
‘Where are they now?’
‘Where are they?’
In 2118, the first daring mission to another star, Tau Ceti, twelve light years away is launched. Tom Hites and Harry Cosgrove command the Starship Endeavour on an epic journey to solve the Fermi Paradox. From the first, nearly disastrous steps on a distant world, their quest takes them further than they ever imagined. Out amidst the mysterious long abandoned worlds and ancient relics they discover, some strange, some wonderful and some deadly, that question they seek to answer becomes:
‘Where are they now?’
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First published October 21, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
January 12, 2024
I read this one straight through to the end, mostly because I was hoping for a payoff that never came. It is written in the style of hard science fiction (which isn’t for everybody to begin with), but never gives you any of the heavy tech or theory thick material which justifies that sub genre. Rendezvous with Rama can pull it off. But here, in the end, this is just regular, run-of-the-mill soft science-fiction poorly written with flat characters.
The storyline – a journey across the stars to make first contact with another star faring species - was an intriguing idea. However, every great plot point was borrowed from another book or movie or TV show that did it better. Even the particular combination of tropes was hackneyed.
I want my 328 pages back.
August 30, 2019
This is an ambitious offering for a debut novel; a lot of ground is covered and the ideas are both big and interesting but it does suffer from poor editing; something all too common in debut novels. I know I can be a little bit pedantic about such things but they do keep involuntarily drawing me out of the story. Which is a particular shame when that story is, as in this case, a very good one.
And it is very good. It is essentially a first contact book and, despite how often that particular subject has been written before, Kern has managed a sufficiently different and interesting take that kept the plot feeling fresh and new. I was also impressed by how much he has managed to cover in a book of just over 300 pages (in my ebook edition); there are many authors who would easily have filled a 1000 pages covering the same material. He has achieved this by simply dropping anything not important to the story. So, for example, training for an exploration mission is not covered, instead the story just skips into the mission itself. Which is just fine since it is perfectly obvious the training has taken place but we’re just going to get on with the interesting stuff! However, despite the success of that tactic (and it does work really well), there are a number of places where the narrative still manages to drift off into unnecessary detail on irrelevant topics and that in turn creates slightly uneven pacing in what is otherwise a brisk well paced story.
World building is where Endeavour really shines out, along with a very good, plausible and varied plot. This is not a character driven story and, despite some brave but flawed attempts to give more depth to the characters, they remain for the most part remote and, to some extent, indistinguishable from each other. I didn’t find this a big problem as, for me, it was more than counterbalanced by that excellent world building which along with most of the science is built on our existing knowledge of exoplanets, star systems and current physics, making this for the most part a good solid hard SF story. Though not entirely so; a number of elements, in particular the various propulsion and transport systems, are really more in the realm of speculative rather than hard science even when built upon current scientific theories. But again, that’s okay, most SF will always have some degree of speculative science and Endeavour strikes a pretty good balance here.
In summary this is an excellent novel if a little flawed in its execution, though that is easily forgiven in a debut novel especially one as entertaining as this. I am very much looking forward to reading the next instalment.
And it is very good. It is essentially a first contact book and, despite how often that particular subject has been written before, Kern has managed a sufficiently different and interesting take that kept the plot feeling fresh and new. I was also impressed by how much he has managed to cover in a book of just over 300 pages (in my ebook edition); there are many authors who would easily have filled a 1000 pages covering the same material. He has achieved this by simply dropping anything not important to the story. So, for example, training for an exploration mission is not covered, instead the story just skips into the mission itself. Which is just fine since it is perfectly obvious the training has taken place but we’re just going to get on with the interesting stuff! However, despite the success of that tactic (and it does work really well), there are a number of places where the narrative still manages to drift off into unnecessary detail on irrelevant topics and that in turn creates slightly uneven pacing in what is otherwise a brisk well paced story.
World building is where Endeavour really shines out, along with a very good, plausible and varied plot. This is not a character driven story and, despite some brave but flawed attempts to give more depth to the characters, they remain for the most part remote and, to some extent, indistinguishable from each other. I didn’t find this a big problem as, for me, it was more than counterbalanced by that excellent world building which along with most of the science is built on our existing knowledge of exoplanets, star systems and current physics, making this for the most part a good solid hard SF story. Though not entirely so; a number of elements, in particular the various propulsion and transport systems, are really more in the realm of speculative rather than hard science even when built upon current scientific theories. But again, that’s okay, most SF will always have some degree of speculative science and Endeavour strikes a pretty good balance here.
In summary this is an excellent novel if a little flawed in its execution, though that is easily forgiven in a debut novel especially one as entertaining as this. I am very much looking forward to reading the next instalment.
May 17, 2015
The ending was exceptionally anticlimactic.
started_finish_later
June 5, 2015writing style did not work out for me, kind of mediocre, nothing to convince me to turn pages
August 30, 2014
A space opera of sorts spanning quite a bit of time as well as distance. I thoroughly enjoyed the story.
This is the writers first book and it does sort of show. That i can overlook as the story was coherent and enjoyable. The only drawback to this book was the lousy proofreading. My e-book version had typo after typo. Thats probably not the authors fault but did detract from the enjoyment. I'd have given this book four stars if not for that.
I look forward to the sequel.
K
This is the writers first book and it does sort of show. That i can overlook as the story was coherent and enjoyable. The only drawback to this book was the lousy proofreading. My e-book version had typo after typo. Thats probably not the authors fault but did detract from the enjoyment. I'd have given this book four stars if not for that.
I look forward to the sequel.
K
February 1, 2025
Some very interesting concepts are brought up, and definitely delivers on the space exploration and its added consequences on the people involved, but feels incomplete on its own - I appreciate that as it is the first part of a duology there is much left to come, but the missing information comes across more missing gaps than questions that make you want to jump to the next book.
Well written and quite a page turner for anyone who loves the exploration of distant stars and uncovering mysteries, although may not interest you as much if you're looking for complex dynamics between well fleshed out characters.
Well written and quite a page turner for anyone who loves the exploration of distant stars and uncovering mysteries, although may not interest you as much if you're looking for complex dynamics between well fleshed out characters.
December 30, 2015
I didn't think I'd enjoy this space novel, but I did despite its problems and possibly lifting the scenario from a very popular tv series. Humans search out the Galaxy in search of alien life and to colonize new worlds using a network of interplanetary gates. A new ship and small crew find a "lost city" in the far reaches of space that was built by an advanced alien species. They set out to find the builders and encounter various other aliens. Hmm. Sound like Stargate and Stargate Atlantis at all?
December 27, 2020
I really wanted to enjoy this book more as it has a good premise but the narrator had an odd cadence that continually jerked me out of the story.
The story itself was ok for a debut, dealing with the Fermi Paradox in an interesting way. It was a bit weak on character building but the way the timeline skips chunks of time sort of made it ok. Each chapter had the date and location so you didn't get lost. The ending was, frankly, weak though which is unfortunate.
The story itself was ok for a debut, dealing with the Fermi Paradox in an interesting way. It was a bit weak on character building but the way the timeline skips chunks of time sort of made it ok. Each chapter had the date and location so you didn't get lost. The ending was, frankly, weak though which is unfortunate.
October 17, 2024
Went in completely blind (didn't even read a blurb) and was quite impressed. Solid sci-fi without being impenetrable.
Only real, glaring flaw, I would suggest, is the lack of characterisation; they're all a bit same-same.
BUT for a first novel it's handled very well
Only real, glaring flaw, I would suggest, is the lack of characterisation; they're all a bit same-same.
BUT for a first novel it's handled very well
September 16, 2023
It was okay, but nothing spectacular.
March 18, 2018
Eh, good enough for me to finish reading, not good enough for me to continue on with the rest of the series.
April 6, 2020
This is a very interesting book. Quantum entanglement? That’s the way were going to travel between stars, not just between planets. As a science fiction fan, you surely that space is really, really vast, almost incomprehensibly so.
You also know just how long it would take us to reach any of the stars and planets we read about, so quantum teleportation sounds like the way we’ll have to go. Now that’s not a bad way to travel, that is, if you don’t mind getting instantly copied and destroyed while being instantly printed out alive at the other end of your journey.
That’s what this book is about. Traveling to the stars. it’s the year 2118 and Earth has had no alien contact So, if aliens or whatever won’t visit us, then we’ll have to go visit them. The Endeavour was the first starship built by Earth to go through a quantum stargate. She would have a crew of twelve. The overall Mission Commander was Tom Hites and the Endeavour Commander was Harry Cosgrove. Several other crew members are introduced with several of those not having last names. Not sure why, but I couldn’t find them for Johnny, Ash, Dimitrov or Yumi.
Anyway, the first mission for the Endeavour was to go to Tau Ceti, twelve-light years away. The Endeavour would travel through the Sol System quantum stargate and emerge instantly from the Tau Ceti quantum stargate that was previously built and tested by an Earth drone. While it would seem as no time had passed for the crew, some twenty-five years would pass on Earth for each of the outbound and inbound trips.
Arriving at Tau Ceti, their initial objective was to establish orbit around a planet/moon named Eden. It orbited a gigantic planet named Atlas, but Eden appeared to be a twin of Earth. It had almost the same size of Earth, a compatible temperature with water, planet life, seas with ocean life, but no evidence of intelligent life. It was to be the first planet in another star system for humans to explore. And the did so until they had to suddenly leave.
It turns out that the Tau Ceti system isn’t all that pleasant with what seems to be the remnants of a severe astrological disturbance at some point in its past. A planet must have shattered and now has pieces of it flying all though the system causing all sorts of problems for the smaller planets and moons. Eden gets its share of impactors with most causing extinction events. Once such event chases the one of the two Endeavour ground missions to evacuate. They almost did that too late!
The biological studies made by the teams on the ground of Eden were somewhat interesting, but they knew most of what they found from the myriad of drones previously sent to the planet. But, there was one finding in the geological study that suggested some one had been to Eden some 150,000 years ago and had stopped the impactors from hitting the planet for about a thousand years. Just who did that, an alien intelligence, maybe, was what the rest of the book goes on to find out.
The whole premise to this book is, “Where are they aliens?”. The Endeavor journeys to find out going much further than their original twelve-light year trip. And each time they leave Earth, they return to find a different world. At some point, they could come back and that Earth humans have turned into the aliens they were always looking for. Maybe, may be not!
Well written first book in this series. I’m not exactly sure where the next book will lead, but I’m going to follow!
You also know just how long it would take us to reach any of the stars and planets we read about, so quantum teleportation sounds like the way we’ll have to go. Now that’s not a bad way to travel, that is, if you don’t mind getting instantly copied and destroyed while being instantly printed out alive at the other end of your journey.
That’s what this book is about. Traveling to the stars. it’s the year 2118 and Earth has had no alien contact So, if aliens or whatever won’t visit us, then we’ll have to go visit them. The Endeavour was the first starship built by Earth to go through a quantum stargate. She would have a crew of twelve. The overall Mission Commander was Tom Hites and the Endeavour Commander was Harry Cosgrove. Several other crew members are introduced with several of those not having last names. Not sure why, but I couldn’t find them for Johnny, Ash, Dimitrov or Yumi.
Anyway, the first mission for the Endeavour was to go to Tau Ceti, twelve-light years away. The Endeavour would travel through the Sol System quantum stargate and emerge instantly from the Tau Ceti quantum stargate that was previously built and tested by an Earth drone. While it would seem as no time had passed for the crew, some twenty-five years would pass on Earth for each of the outbound and inbound trips.
Arriving at Tau Ceti, their initial objective was to establish orbit around a planet/moon named Eden. It orbited a gigantic planet named Atlas, but Eden appeared to be a twin of Earth. It had almost the same size of Earth, a compatible temperature with water, planet life, seas with ocean life, but no evidence of intelligent life. It was to be the first planet in another star system for humans to explore. And the did so until they had to suddenly leave.
It turns out that the Tau Ceti system isn’t all that pleasant with what seems to be the remnants of a severe astrological disturbance at some point in its past. A planet must have shattered and now has pieces of it flying all though the system causing all sorts of problems for the smaller planets and moons. Eden gets its share of impactors with most causing extinction events. Once such event chases the one of the two Endeavour ground missions to evacuate. They almost did that too late!
The biological studies made by the teams on the ground of Eden were somewhat interesting, but they knew most of what they found from the myriad of drones previously sent to the planet. But, there was one finding in the geological study that suggested some one had been to Eden some 150,000 years ago and had stopped the impactors from hitting the planet for about a thousand years. Just who did that, an alien intelligence, maybe, was what the rest of the book goes on to find out.
The whole premise to this book is, “Where are they aliens?”. The Endeavor journeys to find out going much further than their original twelve-light year trip. And each time they leave Earth, they return to find a different world. At some point, they could come back and that Earth humans have turned into the aliens they were always looking for. Maybe, may be not!
Well written first book in this series. I’m not exactly sure where the next book will lead, but I’m going to follow!
May 26, 2015
Very fast. Doesn't dwell on the boring parts of science but takes the advances we're just beginning to see and makes some logical and intriguing leaps. What you discover in the end was so unexpected...very creative tie in to a real-world mystery. Michael Kramer was terrific as always with the narration.
I think this book is more about the story than characters. When the story is something that transports your entire imagination to a higher plane, as does ENDEAVOUR, you really have your imagination of reality--and what could be--expanded greatly.
Looking forward to the next one!
I think this book is more about the story than characters. When the story is something that transports your entire imagination to a higher plane, as does ENDEAVOUR, you really have your imagination of reality--and what could be--expanded greatly.
Looking forward to the next one!
February 1, 2018
Read any book on how to write a novel and it will tell you there needs to be an arc: something that sets the action running, the challenge to the main character, and major crises to overcome on the way before the story is resolved. I got over half way through the book and found none of that. The team visit places and have adventures, but the story never takes off, which is a shame because the writing is good.
May 21, 2015
It was OK I liked it - not sure what I did not like but there was something there - maybe a bit disjointed at the last third of the book - but still a good book hope to see more quickly please
January 7, 2025
Rehash of existing scifi. Very slow and next to no world or character building
May 17, 2019
Endeavour by Ralph Kerns
I have visited this novel once before and read it now three time. This year I've had the pleasure of reading three outstanding novels by debut novelists in the Science Fiction catagory. Each of them qualifies in my mind as solid pure science science fiction. But I think that the reader should make their own choice so you should read them. The other two are; Day One by John Forsberg and Emergence by Nick M. Lloyd. This the third novel was just as outstanding, but initially had some problems with editing. I'm happy to say 'most' of those were taken care of.
This novel itself is almost indicative of the space program today and then what it might be like in the future. At first glance it is almost akin to a Star Trek spin-off; but it takes the story of the Dyson Sphere further. It moves to the more current trend in science fiction to Matrioshka Arrays based on the Dyson Sphere. But first it has to get us into space so we invent a sort of cross between a star-gate and the transporter technologies. A three dee printer using the stuff of the cosmos to print copies of the travelers to thier destination.
The primary plot premis in this story derives from the question; where is everybody? I'm not talking about a Twilight Zone last man on earth episode I'm talking of the Fermi Paradox. Since our sun and world are relatively young then there might be older systems with older worlds with older civilizations with more advanced technology and the universe should be full of explorers and colonies- so where is everybody?
This book is about the search for the answer. Endeavour should appeal to all Pure science Science Fiction Fans because Ralph Kern does a great job of trying to keep his science well grounded with the physics we know today. There are a lot of recognizable locations that are used in the search and some interesting speculations on what we might find out there.
Ralph Kern does a spectacular job of entertaining.
And despite the new edits I do have some of the usual Caveats. Most of the previous problems were conquered, but for me there were still some problems with around a dozen sentences that had poor punctuation that often left me confuse.
Lydia rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, as Harry filled them in quickly and succinctly.
Kern, Ralph (2014-10-17). Endeavour: A Sleeping Gods Novel (Kindle Location 1061). Tickety Boo Press. Kindle Edition.
I offer the one above as the mildest example where I was not really sure what Harry was filling Lydia's eyes with. And this may just be me; but I felt it would have made more sense if it had read ' ,as Harry filled everyone in quickly and succinctly'.
Also; and this is a pet peeve of mine when it come to the pure science ones; there is a word here that is spelled Tokomak. If this is the Magnetic Plasma Torus then it should be TOKAMAK or Tokamak since it's name is an achronim and there is an English variety from a different achronym that is Tochamac. But all of this is minor stuff and many readers will not notice them or at least you should read and make your own judgement about the punctuation at least.
The story spans long distances and a long time, but we experience it through the eyes of those chosen to explore and their unique situation allows them to stretch the time of their lives. The search is like searching for a needle in a haystack only it's in the middle of a field of haystacks and it's pitch black out. So what happens when we light a match to see? You will have to read this fine piece to get that answer.
Great stuff for the SFF fans and for anyone who enjoys entertaining and thought provoking speculative fiction. If you're a fan of Star Trek or Babylon 5 or just someone who enjoys watching the space program and are looking for something fresh to read; you should read this.
J.L. Dobias
I have visited this novel once before and read it now three time. This year I've had the pleasure of reading three outstanding novels by debut novelists in the Science Fiction catagory. Each of them qualifies in my mind as solid pure science science fiction. But I think that the reader should make their own choice so you should read them. The other two are; Day One by John Forsberg and Emergence by Nick M. Lloyd. This the third novel was just as outstanding, but initially had some problems with editing. I'm happy to say 'most' of those were taken care of.
This novel itself is almost indicative of the space program today and then what it might be like in the future. At first glance it is almost akin to a Star Trek spin-off; but it takes the story of the Dyson Sphere further. It moves to the more current trend in science fiction to Matrioshka Arrays based on the Dyson Sphere. But first it has to get us into space so we invent a sort of cross between a star-gate and the transporter technologies. A three dee printer using the stuff of the cosmos to print copies of the travelers to thier destination.
The primary plot premis in this story derives from the question; where is everybody? I'm not talking about a Twilight Zone last man on earth episode I'm talking of the Fermi Paradox. Since our sun and world are relatively young then there might be older systems with older worlds with older civilizations with more advanced technology and the universe should be full of explorers and colonies- so where is everybody?
This book is about the search for the answer. Endeavour should appeal to all Pure science Science Fiction Fans because Ralph Kern does a great job of trying to keep his science well grounded with the physics we know today. There are a lot of recognizable locations that are used in the search and some interesting speculations on what we might find out there.
Ralph Kern does a spectacular job of entertaining.
And despite the new edits I do have some of the usual Caveats. Most of the previous problems were conquered, but for me there were still some problems with around a dozen sentences that had poor punctuation that often left me confuse.
Lydia rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, as Harry filled them in quickly and succinctly.
Kern, Ralph (2014-10-17). Endeavour: A Sleeping Gods Novel (Kindle Location 1061). Tickety Boo Press. Kindle Edition.
I offer the one above as the mildest example where I was not really sure what Harry was filling Lydia's eyes with. And this may just be me; but I felt it would have made more sense if it had read ' ,as Harry filled everyone in quickly and succinctly'.
Also; and this is a pet peeve of mine when it come to the pure science ones; there is a word here that is spelled Tokomak. If this is the Magnetic Plasma Torus then it should be TOKAMAK or Tokamak since it's name is an achronim and there is an English variety from a different achronym that is Tochamac. But all of this is minor stuff and many readers will not notice them or at least you should read and make your own judgement about the punctuation at least.
The story spans long distances and a long time, but we experience it through the eyes of those chosen to explore and their unique situation allows them to stretch the time of their lives. The search is like searching for a needle in a haystack only it's in the middle of a field of haystacks and it's pitch black out. So what happens when we light a match to see? You will have to read this fine piece to get that answer.
Great stuff for the SFF fans and for anyone who enjoys entertaining and thought provoking speculative fiction. If you're a fan of Star Trek or Babylon 5 or just someone who enjoys watching the space program and are looking for something fresh to read; you should read this.
J.L. Dobias
May 25, 2023
Endeavour is a classic work of science fiction for those who prefer a view of the future that is based around exploration more than warfare. The author has stuffed his debut novel with a recognizable collection of sci-fi staples - the search for alien life, time travel, mysterious technology, and unknown civilizations. This is a good voyage to worlds unknown.
What kept it from being great, however, is a lack of depth. This is a quick paced and easy read and, for some readers, that might be all they are really looking for. For me, it left me wishing I had more to dig into. Kern has some really interesting ideas and almost any, on its own, would have been worth a full novel. But in Endeavor they are packed in one after the other in a way that makes them seem to pass by almost unexplored.
The characters and settings are written in much the same way. We learn so little about the people in this story that they begin to feel almost generic. (Most aren’t even given a surname.) The settings, while potentially incredible, lack the time and detail to fully grasp the reader’s attention.
I personally felt that these drawbacks improved in the very final chapters of the book. I thought Mr. Kern’s idea for the resolution was a clever one and, if the foreshadowing earlier in the novel had been more fleshed out, could have been even more impactful.
The writing style is fast paced which does move the story along nicely, but sometimes this results in skipping over so much plot that you feel like you are missing something you would have liked to know. This quick style also doesn’t leave a lot of room for subtlety so there is often much more “tell” than “show”. I have noticed other reviews mentioning typos and grammar issues, but I didn’t see that issue at all while I was reading which leaves me to wonder if some poorly copied pirated editions are floating around out there or if these problems had just been fixed by the time I downloaded my copy.
Overall, this is a sci-fi novel with some reliable science and some big ideas. I just wish the author (and his crew) would have slowed down enough to truly explore them.
Trigger Warnings: Attempted rape, one violent death, and brief descriptions of torture (though none of this is very lengthy or descriptive). The f-word is used a handful of times if that is an issue for anyone.
What kept it from being great, however, is a lack of depth. This is a quick paced and easy read and, for some readers, that might be all they are really looking for. For me, it left me wishing I had more to dig into. Kern has some really interesting ideas and almost any, on its own, would have been worth a full novel. But in Endeavor they are packed in one after the other in a way that makes them seem to pass by almost unexplored.
The characters and settings are written in much the same way. We learn so little about the people in this story that they begin to feel almost generic. (Most aren’t even given a surname.) The settings, while potentially incredible, lack the time and detail to fully grasp the reader’s attention.
I personally felt that these drawbacks improved in the very final chapters of the book. I thought Mr. Kern’s idea for the resolution was a clever one and, if the foreshadowing earlier in the novel had been more fleshed out, could have been even more impactful.
The writing style is fast paced which does move the story along nicely, but sometimes this results in skipping over so much plot that you feel like you are missing something you would have liked to know. This quick style also doesn’t leave a lot of room for subtlety so there is often much more “tell” than “show”. I have noticed other reviews mentioning typos and grammar issues, but I didn’t see that issue at all while I was reading which leaves me to wonder if some poorly copied pirated editions are floating around out there or if these problems had just been fixed by the time I downloaded my copy.
Overall, this is a sci-fi novel with some reliable science and some big ideas. I just wish the author (and his crew) would have slowed down enough to truly explore them.
Trigger Warnings: Attempted rape, one violent death, and brief descriptions of torture (though none of this is very lengthy or descriptive). The f-word is used a handful of times if that is an issue for anyone.
July 16, 2021
As classical for hard SF, it starts with a ramscoop and drones traveling from Earth to Tau Ceti, and goes exploring, finds plenty of life. Nice.
Then they discover how to quantum teleport (the destructive, scanning kind) and send a gateway, which allows people to go and explore. The quantum teleport is light-speed only, so they effectively jump forward in time.
Coming back, they discover that gateways are being sent to many other world. Eventually, the crew goes back to another mission - and discovers intelligent life. Then another mission. Now humankind has created Von Neumann gateways (and changed in many ways). And they go to a distant star where they see clear evidence of higher civilizations, and cool super structures. Then they meet aliens.
There is a nice flight into the alien territory, and a cute segment with the Roanoke colony (which appears in so many fiction pieces).
It then ends somewhat well, although I understand that part of the series is over (i.e. the series has parallel stories, not the same people).
Reminded me of The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman (for obvious reasons, for those who read it), and some others. Pretty well done, exciting themes overall (skipping over time, immortality, Von Neuman machines, quantum gateways).
There was also a nice short section talking about the tech in the book, which I always like.
Some reviews here seem to talk about typos. I didn't notice any.
Then they discover how to quantum teleport (the destructive, scanning kind) and send a gateway, which allows people to go and explore. The quantum teleport is light-speed only, so they effectively jump forward in time.
Coming back, they discover that gateways are being sent to many other world. Eventually, the crew goes back to another mission - and discovers intelligent life. Then another mission. Now humankind has created Von Neumann gateways (and changed in many ways). And they go to a distant star where they see clear evidence of higher civilizations, and cool super structures. Then they meet aliens.
There is a nice flight into the alien territory, and a cute segment with the Roanoke colony (which appears in so many fiction pieces).
It then ends somewhat well, although I understand that part of the series is over (i.e. the series has parallel stories, not the same people).
Reminded me of The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman (for obvious reasons, for those who read it), and some others. Pretty well done, exciting themes overall (skipping over time, immortality, Von Neuman machines, quantum gateways).
There was also a nice short section talking about the tech in the book, which I always like.
Some reviews here seem to talk about typos. I didn't notice any.
February 8, 2025
Book Review: Endeavour (The Sleeping Gods, #1) by Ralph Kern
In Endeavour, humanity sets out on its first deep-space mission to explore the Tau Ceti system and answer the big question: if the universe is so vast, why haven’t we found anyone else out there? With a crew of scientists and astronauts, the journey spans decades as they search for signs of life and uncover mysteries that could change everything.
This book has been popping up in my recommendations for a while, so I finally gave it a shot. The story dives into space exploration in a way that feels realistic, with plenty of science mixed in with the adventure. However, it kinda plods along as the crew moves from one planet to the next. There was some tension build-up as they approached a planet tied to a major mystery, but the book never really took off for me. The pacing felt slow, and while the characters were believable, I found myself waiting for something more exciting to happen.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Michael Kramer, and he did a great job bringing the story to life. His voice fit the tone well, making it easy to stay immersed in the journey.
I’d give Endeavour 3 out of 5 stars. It’s a solid, thoughtful read with a strong focus on realistic space exploration, but it didn’t completely hook me. If you enjoy slow-burn, science-heavy sci-fi, you might like this more than I did. It wraps up well while leaving room for more in the series, but I’m still undecided on whether I’ll continue with the next book.
In Endeavour, humanity sets out on its first deep-space mission to explore the Tau Ceti system and answer the big question: if the universe is so vast, why haven’t we found anyone else out there? With a crew of scientists and astronauts, the journey spans decades as they search for signs of life and uncover mysteries that could change everything.
This book has been popping up in my recommendations for a while, so I finally gave it a shot. The story dives into space exploration in a way that feels realistic, with plenty of science mixed in with the adventure. However, it kinda plods along as the crew moves from one planet to the next. There was some tension build-up as they approached a planet tied to a major mystery, but the book never really took off for me. The pacing felt slow, and while the characters were believable, I found myself waiting for something more exciting to happen.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Michael Kramer, and he did a great job bringing the story to life. His voice fit the tone well, making it easy to stay immersed in the journey.
I’d give Endeavour 3 out of 5 stars. It’s a solid, thoughtful read with a strong focus on realistic space exploration, but it didn’t completely hook me. If you enjoy slow-burn, science-heavy sci-fi, you might like this more than I did. It wraps up well while leaving room for more in the series, but I’m still undecided on whether I’ll continue with the next book.
June 5, 2021
Well this is an odd SCI-FI journey. The technology and science is more speculative than hard science. And , quite so. The starship is able to travel and return to earth in A 25 year trip. The crew do not age 25 years, but time in the planet goes on regular time. What is hard to swallow, is that each time the crew returns, the technology and space exploration of humans has leap-frogged. So, the reader just has to go with the flow and enjoy the ride. The mission is to find out sentient beings and although there is evidence, they haven't meet them.....
Spoiler:Near the end of the book when the CEO who turned himself into an avatar (of sorts) goes off on a 75 journey with these ancient beings who apparently are bored exploring the cosmos and have more or less uploaded themselves into a VR that is their reality. From what I gather, their hypothesis is that the universe may be in VR, too. Thus, why not create one's on game board.
Spoiler:Near the end of the book when the CEO who turned himself into an avatar (of sorts) goes off on a 75 journey with these ancient beings who apparently are bored exploring the cosmos and have more or less uploaded themselves into a VR that is their reality. From what I gather, their hypothesis is that the universe may be in VR, too. Thus, why not create one's on game board.
August 13, 2021
This book should be a favorite of mine. It has all the things I like in a fun space sci-fi. But, none of them is done expertly and they don't fit together very well. Additionally, the characters are so generic that I could barely muster any concern for them even when they were in peril.
New Planet Exploration: Check, but without detail
Alien Megastructures: Check, but not doing anything all that interesting or mysterious
Aliens: Check, but almost no conflict or meaningful interactions
Interplanetary Politics: Maybe, but it's handwaved away
Strangely, the most interesting thing to happen in the book seems be have been left as a loose-end. Something happens on Io while our heroes are away and is not resolved before they depart again. I'm not sure if there was some resolution I missed or if this is intentionally being left as a mystery for the sequel.
New Planet Exploration: Check, but without detail
Alien Megastructures: Check, but not doing anything all that interesting or mysterious
Aliens: Check, but almost no conflict or meaningful interactions
Interplanetary Politics: Maybe, but it's handwaved away
Strangely, the most interesting thing to happen in the book seems be have been left as a loose-end. Something happens on Io while our heroes are away and is not resolved before they depart again. I'm not sure if there was some resolution I missed or if this is intentionally being left as a mystery for the sequel.
May 17, 2023
( Format : Audiobook )
"There's always more, always bigher."
Futuristic, moving forward from from 2078 into the mid 2200s. After the invention of The Gate, enabling the people from earth to access and populate other planets more easily, the original pioneer spacemen again headed for the Stars in search of other sentient, intelligent races. The book started well and was interesting enough, but seemed a little disjointed and in need of more character development. Narration by Michael Kramer has a sing song rhythm, because of a strange upturn to his voice midway through his sentences and, although chapters individually voiced, some accents were very odd, especially both Scottish and Yorkshire attempts: it became hard to listen to his performance at times.
An interesting concept which held my attention.
The first in a short series: I'll probably read book two, but not yet.
"There's always more, always bigher."
Futuristic, moving forward from from 2078 into the mid 2200s. After the invention of The Gate, enabling the people from earth to access and populate other planets more easily, the original pioneer spacemen again headed for the Stars in search of other sentient, intelligent races. The book started well and was interesting enough, but seemed a little disjointed and in need of more character development. Narration by Michael Kramer has a sing song rhythm, because of a strange upturn to his voice midway through his sentences and, although chapters individually voiced, some accents were very odd, especially both Scottish and Yorkshire attempts: it became hard to listen to his performance at times.
An interesting concept which held my attention.
The first in a short series: I'll probably read book two, but not yet.
March 21, 2020
Interesting take
So this book is a tale of humanity's journey and place in the stars. It is slow and ponderous at times but undoubtedly a good sci-fi story, even plausible. The characters were alright, there wasn't all that much character development and the story really only revolves around a few. That wasn't too much of an issue for me as I honestly didn't care for any of them, they were not interesting at all. perhaps they were deliberately written this way, as overall, they are simply insignificant in the grander scheme and story. There's a deep philosophical message in here and that trumps the characters. However, by the last 10% of the book, the story was becoming a bit apparent.
So this book is a tale of humanity's journey and place in the stars. It is slow and ponderous at times but undoubtedly a good sci-fi story, even plausible. The characters were alright, there wasn't all that much character development and the story really only revolves around a few. That wasn't too much of an issue for me as I honestly didn't care for any of them, they were not interesting at all. perhaps they were deliberately written this way, as overall, they are simply insignificant in the grander scheme and story. There's a deep philosophical message in here and that trumps the characters. However, by the last 10% of the book, the story was becoming a bit apparent.
August 13, 2020
My favourite type of sci-fi in the sense that it favours the more exploratory nature of man rather than the destructiveness. The revelations start out small with each subsequent one chipping away at the overriding mystery of the universe encapsulated within the story. The book holds some very interesting ideas on the future of humanity and its love affair with the Internet, but I'll say no more for fear of spoilers. I was very satisfied with the conclusion and whilst I felt this story didn't need a sequel, I was very intrigued to know there is one. This book will be love by fans who prefer the more exploratory sci-fi as opposed to battle action ones, so for those Arthur C. Clark fans out there, give this ago.
August 5, 2025
I enjoyed the exploratory nature and the ethics of augmented tech that was subtly touched on interesting but honestly the characters fell flat. I felt you could have interchanged all their names for the individual personality they brought to the story. They really only started to be kind of interesting right at the end.
Disclosure I'm new to the genre so not sure if there's less character depth in exploratory/first contact plotlines. Character connection is a big component of enjoying a story for me so I might be a touch tougher when they feel flat.
I will note this is the writer's debut novel (I've just discovered) and as I can barely write a shopping list I'd say it's a much better attempt at a novel than I could make.
Disclosure I'm new to the genre so not sure if there's less character depth in exploratory/first contact plotlines. Character connection is a big component of enjoying a story for me so I might be a touch tougher when they feel flat.
I will note this is the writer's debut novel (I've just discovered) and as I can barely write a shopping list I'd say it's a much better attempt at a novel than I could make.
October 14, 2024
This presents as Hard Science Fiction but ultimately it’s not. Kern throws a lot of ideas at the wall hoping some will stick, but ultimately it doesn’t jell. There’s a lot of talk about lightspeed-this and nano-that, but it devolves into technobabble straight out of a Star Trek episode. Which would be fine if the characters were more compelling but they’re not. By the time we get to Ancient Aliens having kidnapped humans for, uh, reasons, the book had pretty much jumped the shark. At one point it felt like that line from the Ant-Man movies: “Do you guys just stick the word ‘quantum’ in front of everything?”
January 18, 2018
I have a problem with the transporter in this book. Here's how it works:
A computer on one planet scans & DECONSTRUCTS the person; turns them into INFORMATION; beams that info to a receiver on another planet; and then re-constructs the person using the elements on hand around that planet.
I say: when the computer deconstructs the person they are actually killing them & then making a clone of them on the other end. It's NOT the same person. If the computer didn't deconstruct (kill) the original, then they there would be two of them and would live separate lives from then on out.
A computer on one planet scans & DECONSTRUCTS the person; turns them into INFORMATION; beams that info to a receiver on another planet; and then re-constructs the person using the elements on hand around that planet.
I say: when the computer deconstructs the person they are actually killing them & then making a clone of them on the other end. It's NOT the same person. If the computer didn't deconstruct (kill) the original, then they there would be two of them and would live separate lives from then on out.
June 11, 2018
Very good story
The story felt a little slow at first but I think that I had gotten used to exploding ships and desperate battles (poorly conceived and written, as a rule). Reading a story that makes sense in a universe that's actually interesting, plausible and well thought out caught me by surprise.
The humans don't register as much as the first set of aliens, because of the third person storytelling. Later on the humans become characters who talk and act and drive the story.
Overall, I liked it and will try the next book. I think this is a series.
The story felt a little slow at first but I think that I had gotten used to exploding ships and desperate battles (poorly conceived and written, as a rule). Reading a story that makes sense in a universe that's actually interesting, plausible and well thought out caught me by surprise.
The humans don't register as much as the first set of aliens, because of the third person storytelling. Later on the humans become characters who talk and act and drive the story.
Overall, I liked it and will try the next book. I think this is a series.
August 19, 2017
A story focusing more on exploration of space, to find where is everyone. With some innovative mode of travel humans can be sent to nearby star and return within one generation. Meanwhile other advancements are made on Earth, allowing next journey.
Most of the technologies used are based on existing theoretical concepts, to make it believable. It's a story about getting the answers and theorising to what end would any civilisation evolve.
Most of the technologies used are based on existing theoretical concepts, to make it believable. It's a story about getting the answers and theorising to what end would any civilisation evolve.
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