Earth to Centauri: The First Journey

Earth to Centauri #1

by Kumar L.

An alien signal has been received on Earth but what does it mean? Why and who has used an archaic code to send the message? Spaceship Antariksh lead by Captain Anara is on the way to the origin of the signal. She is prepared for a mission of exploration in the first journey from Earth into interstellar space, to make contact with beings from another planet.

But when her ship is outgunned in an attack she and her crew must find ways to counter the threat even when she discovers that someone on her crew has been keeping secrets from her. When they finally approach their destination 4.2 lightyears away, it turns out there are even more mysteries to be uncovered ... the truth is stranger than anything they ever imagined!

Will a thrilling chase across interstellar chase reveal the secrets or will the crew of Antariksh face death and destruction in face of unsurmountable odds?

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

287 pages, Paperback

Published May 9, 2017

About the author

If you want to discuss faster-than-light and time travel or black holes and new mobiles phones, then Kumar is your person.

He is a passionate tech enthusiast and social media newbie. He loves travelling and is fluent in several languages. A mechanical engineer who loves pulling apart gadgets and not exploring their innards: his background and love of science fiction help him bring technology alive in his books.

Earth to Centauri: The First Journey is Kumar's first book. It is easy to read and understand, and is suitable for a wide range of age groups. The First Journey, as well as the second book in the series, Alien Hunt, are both based on themes of adventure, thrill and drama, with a positive outlook at what the future may hold for humanity.

He is currently working on a the third book of the series - Black Hole: Oblivion.
He has also published a collection of short stories - 8 Down From Saharanpur with a myriad of tales to enthrall you.

He can be reached on Twitter @Captain_Anara or at www.facebook.com/AntarikshAnara or Instagram @KumarLAuthor

Reviews

[Vishnu Chevli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this book on Goodreads giveaway and instantly open the details. I like the way blurb was presented. I found reviews and blurb interesting & original enough to venture into the book. As the book is self-published & cost of the paperback is high, I have to buy Kindle version otherwise I would have loved to keep this book in my precious book collection. It is available in Hindi & English both language.

The story started with response message received on Earth from our neighbor galaxy, Proxima Centauri in earlier 2090. The response was received to the initial messages & probes we sent in earlier 1980-1990. The earth was a peaceful planet by that time & receiver of the message, India, has proven its strength in space exploration. The world has already established a colony on earth & Jupiter's moons. Missions to the farthest planet of our solar system were normal. Sublight speed spaceships were already developed. Scientists did a splendid job by making an FTL speed spaceship to reach the point or (I would say) the origin of the response signal. But things were never meant to go normally. As adventure started, captain Anara, our main protagonist, found multiple issues. Read the book to know more.

I liked the way plot was developed along the story. The author has revealed enough things at a time to maintain interest. Though some review mentioned "Good Mix of Star Trek and Star Wars", I think the author has created his own plot. As the author has created a space-based futuristic story, concepts of speed & interstellar understanding may look similar. But I can see author's own research, knowledge & conceptualization in originality. Though plot developed steadily, I found minor rush towards the end, Overall it was a fantastic ride.

I was shocked to know that author has not contacted publishers yes. If he would have done it I could have got a physical copy of the book. I haven't read Indian author's work in this domain. And the work of this level can easily attract good readership.

Detailed Review Link - http://chevusread.blogspot.in/2017/12...

[Sadaf sarkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book name : Earth to Centauri: The First Journey
Author : Kumar L
Length :228
My rating : 🌠🌠🌠🌠
My review:
The book is set in the year 2117 and narrates a story of discovery and scientific development of that period . The story starts with Captain Anara of the spaceship “Antariksh” trying to reach to nearest star to earth Proxima Centauri to discover the reason behind the extraterrestrial signal received on Earth.
Belonging to the sci-fi genre, the book contains a lot of the details of the technology used in that period and the details about artificial intelligence. The idea of meeting with the aliens was also extremely interesting
The narration of the book was nice and the storyline was interesting containing various twist and turns. The world building was detailed and can easily relatable. The theme of discovery was perfectly maintained throughout the book . The pace was appropriate as it successfully manages to hold readers attention.
The characterization was done well by the author and the background stories provided to them were interesting.
The language used was simple, descriptive and easy to understand
Overall it was a fun read and I highly appreciate it for coming from an Indian author.

[Gordon Bickerstaff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet crew of the starship Antariksh.

This is stylish sci-fi story with a first contact theme. The spaceship Antariksh travels to Proxima Centauri to investigate the source of a mysterious signal. The spaceship environment and the technology is richly described and convincing. A good mystery develops for the crew to uncover. However, the journey to Proxima Centauri is less eventful in terms of action/adventure or danger to the crew. I didn't like how the first half of the book hopped back and forth between current time and a past episode, although I did come to realise how the past influenced the current. Characters are well described and the potential for inter-crew relationship/conflicts is indicated for future books. Otherwise, a good story unfolds that sets the scene for future adventures for the crew of the starship Antariksh.

[Mary Yarde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a big Star Trek fan, I love everything sci-fic and thankfully Earth to Centauri: The First Journey (Captain Anara & Antariksh) by Kumar L did not disappoint. I have to commend Kumar L on his ability to make the complicated very easy to understand. All the technological advances were explained in a way that made reading effortless and more importantly believable.

I really liked the short chapters in this book. What I did find a little tedious was the constant jumps back in time. I was more interested in the mission than how the mission came about. Nevertheless, this is only a small complaint, and it certainly did add to the story. I was just impatient to read what was happening to the crew while they were in space!

The premise of the story was good, and there was a fair amount of tension throughout the book which kept me turning those pages.

I look forward to reading more books in this series.

I Recommend.

[Booxoul · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been 110 years since the launch. 60 billion kilometers away from earth, it had been drifting around aimlessly for more than 70 years. Deep in interstellar space with only gas and comet-forming icy particles to keep it company, it was all alone in the black vastness.

Someone (aliens) found Voyager 1 which was launched in 1977, and send a signal back to Earth. To see who are those “someones”, India decides to make ‘Antariksh’, a spaceship that will be under the command of Anara and can travel at FTL speeds (Faster than Light speeds).

2 Different years and times
The book is set in two different centuries i.e. 2095 and 2117.
2117 is the present where Antariksh is in Space and 2095 is the root of this mission aka ‘How it all started?’. So, while reading you’ll come to know what’s happening with the people inside Antariksh and how Antariksh came into existence.

The Thing I loved the most about the Book
The chapters are small. Yes! The chapters are small and thus impedes you from getting bored.

My first Sci-fi Read
Yes, this is my first SCI-FI read and I truly cherish it. I had this book for 4-5 months but I never felt like reading it due to 2 reasons:

Reading slump since a few months
I have never heard of any sci-fi book written by an Indian Author before, so I thought that this book won’t be that good.
I was wrong
But I was wrong! This book is really good apart from one hypocritical thought of mine that Indian names seem a bit off on a sci-fi book and it’s characters. I think this is because we have grown up seeing sci-fi movies by Hollywood and you know by our PREDICTIVE PROGRAMMING!

It helped me out of my Reading Slump
For months, I didn’t even read a single book because I just can’t. One day, I looked at my TBR and picked up this book and thought I should give it a try (Also, sci-fi would be a new genre to me) and BINGO!!! I read this book in just 2 nights and it was a cure to my reading slump.

It’s easy to Read
I thought that this book is going to be full of cosmical scientifical words that I will have to learn first to understand this book, but no, the author has written this book in such a manner that anyone can understand the concepts and the book.

Though I created notes while reading it. See below:

My Thoughts
The book is good and the author has written it well too, but in the 2nd part of the book, I kind of started losing interest. I mean I didn’t think that the first part aka this book will end in such a way. Though it’s only my perspective, other people might love that ending but I was having very high expectations in the end. Well, I’m giving this book 4 out of 5 stars and will recommend it to those who are looking forward to reading a Sci-fi book or those who love science and this cosmic sort of stuff.

[Ananya thefoodandbooklife · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is set in the year 2117 and follows Captain Anara and her team on their adventure into deep space. The preparation for the mission begins years before Launch Day and we are treated to the decision making process as the timeline of the book fluctuates between present day and 22 years in the past.
Captain Anara and her crew set out to travel 4.2 light years to act as scientists, explorers and diplomats that represent Earth. The premise of the book was interesting and the author seemed to have a firm grasp on the diplomatic necessities of a mission to space.
The encounter with the alien species and the discovery on planet HuZryss seemed too good to be true and the scandalous discovery of the residents was tailor-made for the continuation of the series. I would have loved to read more on the technical aspects of the mission with a bit of physics and mathematics thrown in to make the book more believable.
However, for an author's debut, with very few Indian authors daring to dabble in the Sci-Fi genre, it was a commendable effort and I was glad to see that the book was well structured and consistent with its characterization. What made me extremely happy was the fact that the lead character was a woman and that she wasn't just delegated to the sidelines as the story progressed. The strong female character made all the important decisions and made them with poise and a degree of professionalism that will be hard to match by others for a long time.

[Faith Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earth to Centauri is a good read and a worthy work of science fiction, although it does re-visit a scenario in sci-fi that has a well-known precedent. This is not a bad thing as it has been portrayed here in another way, so the story still earns originality points. To fill in the details around the idea and how it’s been done differently then and now:

The first Star Trek film featured an “alien” probe that later turned out to be the Voyager space craft, which had been found by E.T.s , built into a larger vessel and sent back to its planet of origin. The idea that one of our probes exiting the Solar System might make first contact and lead to a physical-presence sort of response is slightly old hat because of the extreme distances involved to (a) get our probe to them and (b) for them to push something solid back. That would take perhaps tens of thousands of years. Where this book gets it right and Star Trek got it wrong is that the response would most probably be a transmission. That’s logic, Cap’n.

“Space is big, really big. I mean you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space.” (Douglas Adams).

Detecting a transmission isn’t simple because you can only train a radio telescope, for example, onto a thin band width and narrow point of focus. A signalled message could hit Earth at any time and be missed completely because our ears and eyes were facing somewhere else. Therefore, as explained in this book, aliens and earthlings would both have to predict what the other end might consider to be logical. For example, using the bandwidth of the background radiation of the Universe (from the Big Bang). That’s chaotic, so a signal with a calculated pattern within that would be clear. Also, in map coordinates, this book describes the sensible idea that the brightest star in a system and the local pulsars would be markers that anyone could triangulate directions and distances from. The author is clearly tuned into astrological thinking.

There was a writer (I forgot who) who said “There is only one real story: Nothing is what it seems.” That’s why a title like “Snakes on a Plane” fails instantly, as it can only be what it seems and there’s no point in the audience engaging further. In Earth to Centauri, there’s a mischievous sub-plot where critical mission information is kept from the captain. People have hidden allegiances and tasks to perform in the event of certain scenarios, which builds a feeling of uncertainty and mystery in the story that propels it along.

Another good aspect is showing India’s future as a major player in space; and how that national achievement opens itself to international missions and benefits the human species as a whole. I do hope that’s how the future unfolds. The Indian space programme is one of the largest and most effective on our planet even now, with record launches of satellites broken regularly, both in total and from a single rocket. With the national will and pride behind space exploration, why shouldn’t India take the lead in space and represent our planet at first contact?

One thing I didn’t think necessary in the book was the rigid, disciplined and threat-responsive thinking. It had a sort of defence force mentality to it, evident in the characters’ speech, especially where a diplomatic mission to visit the source of the transmission packs atrocious weapons in the hold, just in case. Okay, so the aliens might be a threat but the escalation against something not understood and quantified would be beyond stupid. As an opening gambit, Earth would be more likely to consider their first contact crew expendable than make it possible to have an armed misunderstanding. I’d send linguists, mathematicians and biologists, never soldiers or civilians who think like soldiers.

The twist in the tale, what the Earth ship finds when it gets to the planet from whence the signal came, was a healthy surprise and opened up a whole new set of questions to investigate (later in the series?). The author has done well here because the reader’s mind lights up with new thoughts, possibilities and lines of enquiry. The good thing about sci-fi speculation is that if we ever do make contact with extra-terrestrial life (hopefully with intelligence), a fiction writer in the past will probably have already proposed the form they will take, how contact will happen, the surprises in store and perhaps even their inner motivations. This writer has added to that wealth of our civilisation’s preparation and their country is, potentially, bringing the date of that encounter closer.

[Shahnila Hassan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although the writing style is very good but I'm not very fond of space ship's stories. The main reason is you cannot imagine the whole space ship in your mind. The characters are non visionary. Basically this is the story about the spaceship.. The present year is 2095 and Voyager 1 which is launched in 1977.Someone (aliens) send a signal to Earth. This story set in two centuries 2117 and 2095. 

The spaceship Antariksh was sent to investige the mysterious signals with professional crew members. The technology and the environment of spaceship is interestingly described.

Complications which I faced during reading is that the first half chapters are so similar which is hard to distinguish for instance they switched the centuries oftentimes. And the terms used in the story is difficult

Meanwhile some scenes are intriguing whereas some are confusing. Characters are richly described because they were very passionate about their work. 

[Christine Keleny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the premise of the books but it needed more - more character development (It was hard to care about characters you really didn't know), more detail (you meet aliens and step into their world but both are only briefly described. I didn't feel like I was there). And the end felt rushed. Here is this new world, wow. We'll see you later. Bye. I like that the present day world is not US centered. I like the switching back and forth in time in the beginning of the novel, I like who they find on the planet they visit (I won't say so I don't spoil the surprise), though how they got there is a bit of a stretch for me. Overall decent story, but it needed more.

[Sukanya Mallik · Rating 4 out of 5]

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub (9 May 2017)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1546555633
• ISBN-13: 978-1546555636
• Product Dimensions: 14 x 1.8 x 21.6 cm
About the book
The year is 2095.
Voyager 1 launched in 1977 with a golden record - someone has found it and is sending a signal back to Earth. With a newly constructed fasterthan- light spaceship named Antariksh, and a crew which includes novices like Lt. Manisha, as well as seasoned professionals, including Commander Ryan, Captain Anara reaches the source of the signal at the nearest star to Earth - Proxima Centauri.
Before she can meet with the aliens, Anara must clear obstacles on her own ship, including a recalcitrant Artificial Intelligence and inexplicable radiation, which threatens the safety of the mission. The implications of what they find on planet Proxima B will resonate far beyond this first journey, exposing Earth to dangers on an unimaginable scale. And then Captain Anara finds out its creators buried a secret aboard Voyager 1.
Tech for the geek. Thrills for the action seeker. Mysteries for the detective. Science for the uninitiated.
About the Author
Kumar is a passionate tech enthusiast and social media newbie. He loves travelling and is fluent in seven Indian languages. His engineering background and love of science fiction helps him bring technology alive in his books. Earth to Centauri is Kumar's first book. It is easy to read and understand, and is suitable for a wide range of age groups. Earth to Centauri, as well as the second book in the series, Alien Hunt, are both based on themes of adventure, thrill and drama, with a positive outlook at what the future may hold for humanity.
A third book in the series, Black Hole: Oblivion is currently in the research stage.
He can be reached on Twitter @Captain_Anara or at www.facebook.com/AntarikshAnara


The storyline was attention-grabbing and at that I’d say the author seems to have done his background research truly well. The book has a well structured plot overall and the characterization too is impressive for a debutante author. (The female lead, Captain Anara made it even more interesting for me). Captain Anara along with crew of novices leave for a mission in search of a source of the alien signal they receive in their headquarters in India. The manner in which the story unfolds will keep you hooked till the end. The constant leaps however could be better presented and the narration could still be worked upon. That could’ve made it an easy read. At times I felt like the plot and the force of the story was kind of similar to the ‘MH370’ Malaysia Airlines missing case. However it is totally different. But the book and in fact the series has the capacity of going viral like the news that I just referred to.

[Anindita Banerjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank author Kumar L sir for giving me the opportunity to review this outstanding science-fiction fantasy.While reading this book, it's words took me to imagine scenes from best known Hollywood science fiction movies and while turning every page, I felt that the author definately took interest in them to creat this masterpiece.Being of an Indian origin, the author definately took Indian science fiction fantasy and it's lovers to a next level.Actually, it was my first ever science fiction read and it made me overtly mesmerized and awed me that how the author had projected such depths in describing interplanetary space travels and wars.I loved the aspect that India has been given an utmost powerful seat of the world in space travels being taken out utmost care,patience and friendliness in near future which makes the book stand.Honestly speaking, being an English Honours graduate, I had a bit difficulty in getting some parts of this book but I definately regard this project as an epic, though being short in length and the first one in the earth to Centauri series.Beside the plot, the timings given to the characters have also been carried out deftly.The book gives some morals that whereever an exploration takes place, whether it be in this wild world or in the space, A right leader, coldmindedness, team spirit,trust and division of labour always hails away a problem.Overly the world has to read this book and apart from a few printing errors, this book is a true first to the series.Hoping to read the other books in the series as well.One last point, I also have to the appreciate the author's choice of names whenever an alien race has been mentioned. The author's farfetchedness in creating a female protagonist definately kept me glued to the last pages of the book.

[Gaurav Bajpai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never read any sci-fi genre book before this and when I got the chance, I took it and I simply loved it very much. As you know from the blurb of the book that how unusual and movie like the story-line is, but let me tell you here it is not like anything you had read before. Though I may not read the sci-fi books but I have watched a lot I mean a lot of movies of the same genre and something like this story I had never encountered with.

The highest point of the book that I adored was that the mission that was planned and executed by Indians. I loved to read about the Indian researches that are happening in the story. I loved that how the Indians are prepared for the future and are way more ahead in the field of space sciences than anyone else in the whole world. And as we are progressing in this field in real life too, the story didn’t stays a story, it feels realistic and you kinda feel that you are reading a true story. I love this thing when you want to read ahead because you believe in the events that are happening in those lines. You create a whole new world which is more real than anything in the world you live in.

I didn’t read the english version and I didn’t feel for a second that this translated version feels odd because the translation from english to Hindi is hard and not everybody can do it. When you translate form one language to other, you don’t just have to translate, you also fill it with the same feeling that is in the original. So you need to fit the words accordingly and I am glad to say that this translated version is very good.

Although the story ended in this book with a conclusion to the events of the story, I might tell you that there is another part of the book that is coming out soon this year I hope. I am very excited to read the second part of the series and eagerly waiting for it.

[Richard Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Earth to Centauri is largely set in the early 22nd century, and follows the journey of Earth's first spaceship capable of crewed interstellar flight. There are also a number of flashbacks to various stages of the thirty-year period while the journey is planned and the ship built.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and am looking forward to subsequent books which seem very likely to follow on. For one thing, it was refreshing to read of a genuinely multi-ethnic crew, rather than representatives of a single nation. In this case the ship - the Antariksh - was designed in and launched from India, with an assorted crew.

The nature of the quest evolves steadily through the book, from simple exploration to first contact, self-defence, and diplomacy. The crew, backed up by mission control back on Earth, have to decide how to meet the different challenges; in the process they discover that some of the ship's details had been only on a need-to-know basis. Relationships are, to say the least, strained by this.

I liked the characterisation in the book, and found the various ship personnel very credible. The science, while obviously developed well beyond what we have, made sense in the context of a space journey of this magnitude. Personally, I would have liked a bit more resolution of how the ship was able to communicate apparently instantaneously with Earth - just like Star Trek, actually going somewhere takes a reasonable amount of time, but comms happens in real time. Likewise, the occasional mentions of the ship "coming to a stop" seem to presume some kind of absolute reference system which really doesn't exist. But these are very minor issues, and the fact that they occurred to me at all indicates how plausible the overall picture was. Certainly no reader should be put off by them.

Fundamentally this is a grand story, filled with interesting human touches and the promise of more intrigue to come. The story is self-contained, and reaches a satisfying conclusion, but it is set in an open-ended universe which could yield a great deal more exploration.

[Akansha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second read of the series, and what a journey it has been! Earth to Centauri series has proved to be an informative one. This book is the first in the series, and presents a very healthy mixture of fiction and non-fiction, which is the author's plus point to attract the readers of both the genres. The unknown reaches of space have always been a mystery for the mankind,even till date. This genre is very new, and even then it grips us like a magnet. Be it planets, aliens, astrophysics, aliens:this book covers it all. The story is set in the year 2095, and starts with Captain Anara of the spaceship “Antariksh” trying to reach to nearest star to earth, to uncover the reason behind the extraterrestrial signal received on Earth. Is there an alien attack oncoming? Will the astronauts survive? All such questions keep the reader on the edge of his seat till the last page!
For me it's the best sci-fi book I have encountered, and I am continuing my journey to the next book! Hats off to the author for penning down this gem!

[Bibliophiletwins | Kadambari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel falls under the sci-fi genre and is great for all those readers who love science fictions or space.
As the name suggests it is about the journey of a group scientists in search of planet out of our solar system. An unknown planet has sent a SOS message straight to earth.
Anara is the captain of the ship which travels across the space along with competant and highly qualified crew.
According to me the plot kept me through the novel, but there were many unnecessary history points written too, which i tried to skip.
I would recemmond this book to young readers and old readers too, because it has this taste of space and aliens, and journey to the unknown and all that thrills a sci-fi can give. But it had less of the plot and more of the process, yet no issue and I'll read the next 2 books from the trilogy too.

[Adv. Vandana Choudhary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Earth to Centauri is something I would like to cherish. I never thought this book was going to turn into one my favorite book by the Indian Author. I always wondered why there is no good sci-fi book by the Indian Author, and I'm glad that I found this one. The plot is well paced and inventive, with two primary strands. Switching between the past & present. An impressive, fast and thoughtful thriller with the perfect blend of science along with an Indian context. The Narada name of the AI is definitely worth mentioning, the unexpected twist lifted the story to the next level.

Kumar's writing is strong throughout and holds the reader’s attention. Characterization is good, I especially liked the fact that the book features a woman protagonist. There are some clever ideas here and for the most part, it's thought-provoking and entertaining in equal measure. The way the future is presented, as one possibility of many, is good, solid theory and the author describes it in remarkable clarity. Earth to Centauri is a strong novel and promises much for what is to come in Kumar’s next book in the series; Alien Hunt. This is the must read for the sci-fi lovers.

[Priyaranjan Mohan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is surprisingly engaging and utterly thrilling.Book is fast paced, filled with action, great ideas and gold solid writing.This book absorbed me.Earth to centuari is no less exciting than any other book on space adventure.The first book of a promising series.It will be interesting to find out what adventure the author has in mind for his characters in next one. Cover and title is apt. Language is simple. A must read book.

[Vishakha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot is full of Interesting facts and wonderful forthcoming vision of the author.
Dharti Se Sitaron Tak Pehli Yatra (Earth to Centauri): Proxima ka Rahasya (The First Journey) by Kumar L.

I have read many sci-fi books, but mostly in English. I wanted to try something different this time, so I choose Hindi sci-fi to read. Trust me, it is an incredible experience reading it. I mostly find it difficult to understand sci-fi technical stuff and the rest goes into it. But while reading it in Hindi changes my experience and expectations.

I'm not fluent in Hindi which made some words difficult to pronounce and to understand the meaning of it. But the narrative and rich language used in it compelled to read it till the end.

[Anupama C K(b0rn_2_read) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detailed review later

[Ky Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, I enjoyed it immensely!

[Yash Thakrar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives me many goosebumps. The characters are also very good. The scientific terms are also explained perfectly by the author. The author has a very wide knowledge of space which is clearly indicated in this book.
Really good science - fiction story. But the books somewhat lags on creating an irresistible urge to read the book. So 3 stars

[Ruchi Patel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s an Hindi language book but I think it’s available in English language also. Before reading this one, I never liked sci-fi genre books. I tried two or three books prior to this and didn’t like but I wanted to read more about this genre as I like movies based on them and people love this genre, so I decided to change language of this genre. I read somewhere that stories that you read in your mother tongue, that connects differently and deeply compared to other level. So since then I change the language of the book to local if I don’t find the particular genre interests. And I am glad that I read this in Hindi. I started the book and just in two three pages, the book got me into it. I will very superficially summarise the blurb as I don’t want to give spoilers. As you read the title, you can predict many things like the language of the book is Hindi and the book is based on space mission. The book is set up in future, and in future books runs into different frames simultaneously like the current day is year 2117 and the space capsules are like about 2.2 light years away from the earth. The other frame is in like 2095, that is twenty two years ago about giant meter-wave radio telescope. The story has been set up in India definitely. The story has been setup when the signals had received from Proxima, that is another planet and the spaceship was crafted after that. The main characters of the story is Captain Anara. Read the book to unfold further plot.
If I want to summarise my reviews shortly, this is the first future based book that I absolutely love. The plot is amazing and unique. The narration style of the author holds our interest in the beginning only and that is maintained till the end. The plot is full of twists. The author has written the plot after researching well like using terminologies etc. Plot runs in two frames simultaneously so it’s difficult to not to mess up the story but author has done a really wonderful job in that. Overall good one. I enjoyed reading it and recommended from my side. Eagerly waiting to read other parts.

Click the link below to read detailed reviews

https://drruchipatel.wordpress.com/20...

[Pooja Srivastava · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Earth to Centauri: The First Journey' by Kumar L.
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***BOOK REVIEW***
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#PLOT: This book is a Sci-fi genre novel. The story is set in 2095 and revolves around how Captain Amara take a mission to the closest star to the Earth...as Indian astronomers received a SOS signal which made them curious! Thus, humans decided to go on a expedition in search of the alien life ...in the massive spaceship named 'Antariksha'. This spaceship travels in light year speed🌌 Soon they discover they are not alone with some hidden secrets and darkness ahead!
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#NARRATION: Story hops between present and in future ...which somehow created a difficulty in catching up! But after few pages you will get used to it..and the story starts gripping and keeping us on the edge! The usage of intricate scientific details and depiction of surrounding is spell bounding. The ending was the most amazing part as you will crave for the next part of this book😋
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#WRITING: The writing of this book is amazing as it is engaging as well as entertaining! He used simple language with a blend of technological terms! The author took this genre in India to another level..as I adore who explores different genre other than romance and do a splendid job😇
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#CHARACTERS: Author used a very strong headed and determined female protagonist Captain Anara. She is a leader giving guidance to her whole crew ...as her crew trusts her and follow her😇🌌
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#MY_VIEWS: This is one of the best Sci-fi novel I've read so far by an Indian author..so I congratulate him😇 This is one of those creative work..which you are proud to say that it is an Indian novel! The storyline kept me hooked with a engaging narrration❤

[Brian Webb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd like to start off by saying that I enjoyed this book and I see great potential in this author. I only have 2 major criticisms, thus the -2 stars:

1) It can be tedious at times, especially with the flashback chapters, which are largely dissociated from the main story line.
2) I am a huge supporter of independent authors, especially being one myself, and this is a lesson I had to learn, too. The book needs an independent editorial pass to clean it of grammatical errors and offer suggestions to reduce superfluous word use, thus giving the story some brevity and a better pace.

Now here's what I enjoyed:
1) The "mysterious" elements are well-conceived.
2) The premise (first contact) is well-executed, minus the pacing issue.
3) The science, especially the engineering aspects, is solid. This is a major plus for me as authors that simply substitute "science" for "magic" and then call it science fiction are a pet peeve of mine. Thankfully, this is NOT one of those.

Overall, I would recommend this book, hiccups and all.

[Prasanna Venkatesan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Ultimate Roller-coaster Ride.

To Amazon India :
I sort of accidentally stumbled upon this book on Amazon India Kindle site because this is not listed in the popular books listings and not everyone would come across this book. Owing to the very good quality of the book you should list the Book where more Kindle readers could view it. This is my earnest request. Science fiction lovers would absolutely miss something special if they fail to have this book in their respective libraries.
About the book :
Absolute Page Turner. The simple language used is more than capable enough to make us suck ourselves into the arenas presented and make us feel it's happening around us and we are a part of it. Instellar travel, Faster Than Light travel and much more surprises. I want to wait till the 3rd book to get launched. My wait is going to kill me but still that will be a pleasurable pain to wait with the expectation of what mysteries the author holds for us.
Conclusion :
Guys definitely go for it and it will be a ride like none so ever.

[Kidliomag · Rating 4 out of 5]

Proxima ka rahsya is a science fiction and it based on year around 2117 ,story is based in India ,one signal received from proxima it sources that signal came from another planet send by some Aliens,
So a team is formed it takes around 7 year to make a spaceship Antraiksh,which lead by captain Anara And her team Maneesha Rayan and others .
One AI Narad is also accompany them in their journey to proxima.
On their way they disvovered Radiation on spaceship n they got to know they carried Parmanu weapons with them n they r planned for their safety in space...
Later on they discovered two spaceship n they try to attack on them...how they continue their mission....got to read this
My opinion: this book is my first sci fi and it is brillantly written .solar system,spaceship,planets,Aliens,signal and ISRO these are things we got to know better.
Knowledge and research of author is superb.
Narration is perfect and hooked me till end.
Language is simple and easily understandable.

[Nandini Mozumdar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Earth to Centauri: The First Journey' by Kumar L is the first journey of the spaceship Antariksh, from Earth to interstellar space, in search of an alien signal, a planet named Proxima B. The spaceship is led by Captain Anara who is all set to look out for beings from the other planet.The book unravels the details of this adventurous journey, how the space crew survives different challenges, how Anara deals with the fact that there is someone in her crew who is not trustworthy. As they finally approach their destination, the crew reveals enigmas that were completely unexpected.Will they be able to survive the attacks and chases or will the crew of Antariksh face untimely death?
Well, this sci-fi genre book will definitely the thrills and will keep you glued to its pages. It is quite informative in terms of space travel and technology.

[The Hissing · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice tight read and so amazing to see this kind of hard science fiction emerging from India.

I frankly found the book riveting and it kept me hooked to the end.

What I liked about the book was that while it projected India as a superpower it did the same in a subtle manner. No jingoistic chest beating!

The writing was crisp and fluid with lots of attention to details.

Where the book lacks (though it was not a deal breaker for me) perhaps due it its pace is the exploration of interpersonal relationships. I thought there could have been more focus on the first meeting between the Humans and the KifrWyss considering that to the latter were merely pets and now to see them as equals. This results in the climax feeling a little damp.

But nevertheless a great read and I look forward to reading the other books in the series and more from the author.

[Prakatita Das · Rating 4 out of 5]

The year is 2095. The plot is driven by CAPTAIN ANARA, our female lead. And of course her crew.
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There are rogue AI, a faster than light spaceship and a journey to the near star- Proxima Centauri.
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I loved every single bit of it. Especially the characters. ❤ The author has done a lot of research and that is noticeable throughout the entire book. The part of the A.I. won't get out of my mind. The book is a journey indeed. I have watched Sci Fi movies from Interstellar to The Martian and this book gave the vibe of those.
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I can not wait to read the Book 2!!
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#Rating- ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐.5 ( 4.5 stars )

[Aman Sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

For anyone interested in sci-fi. I am impressed with the plot. Also, It's one of the rare sci-fi novels from an Indian author.