Alex Racine, who led an elite group of humans and SADEs (self-ware digital entities), left the newly discovered planet of Celus-5 under difficult circumstances. Few of the Harakens with Alex thought there was little he could do to bring peace to the embroiled planet. From their viewpoint, the demands of the Celus-5 Swei Swee, the six-legged aliens of the ocean, and the Dischnya, the warring, dog-like, intelligent creatures, who inhabited the dry plains, were too convoluted to solve.
Except Alex doesn’t see fulfilling the desires of the two sentient species, identifying the third species hiding in the green, and gaining permission for humans and SADEs to settle the planet as challenges. To Alex, these are merely steppingstones to what he seeks.
Two centuries ago, Swei Swee escaped from their masters, the Nua’ll, and landed their dark travelers on the shoreline of Celus-5. This was the first clue the Harakens had received in twenty years as to the direction the enormous and deadly alien sphere of the Nua’ll originated before it attacked the first Confederation colony.
Alex was intent on solving the thorny issues of Celus-5, so he could garner the Dischnya’s support to help him solve the burning When and from which direction did the Nua’ll sphere enter the Celus system? To do this, and prevent potential future attacks on human worlds, Alex realizes he must shed the responsibilities of the past years and return to the foundations on which he built Haraken, which were city-ships, Independents, and SADEs.
From my early years to the present, books have been a refuge. They’ve fueled my imagination. I’ve traveled to faraway places and met aliens with Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke, Herbert, and Le Guin. I’ve explored historical events with Michener and Clavell, and I played spy with Ludlum and Fleming.
There’s no doubt that the early sci-fi masters influenced the writing of my first two series, The Silver Ships and Pyreans. I crafted my stories to give readers intimate views of my characters, who wrestle with the challenges of living in space and inhabiting alien worlds.
Life is rarely easy for these characters, who encounter aliens and calamities, but they persist and flourish. I revel in examining humankind’s will to survive. Not everyone plays fair or exhibits concern for other beings, but that’s another aspect of humans and aliens that I investigate.
My stories offer hope for humans today about what they might accomplish tomorrow far from our home world. Throughout my books, humans exhibit a will to persevere, without detriment to the vast majority of others.
Readers have been generous with their comments, which they’ve left on Amazon and Goodreads for others to review. I truly enjoy what I do, and I’m pleased to read how my stories have positively affected many readers’ lives.
If you’ve read my books, please consider posting a review on Amazon and Goodreads for every book, even a short one. Reviews attract other readers and are a great help to indie authors, such as me.
The Silver Ships novels have reached Amazon’s coveted #1 and #2 Best-Selling Sci-Fi book, multiple times, in the science fiction categories of first contact, space opera, and alien invasion.
This is book nine in the Silver Ship Series. Alex Racine and Renee de Guirnon have bought and updated the city ship “Freedom” from Haraken. Their first stop after leaving Haraken is to free the Independents that the Federation has incarcerated on an out of the way moon. They return to Celus-5 with supplies to build the promised cities for the Dischnya and to build one for Alex’s people who want to live on the planet. They are also building government buildings that will comfortably allow both the Dischnya and the giant Swei Swee to sit in parliament. The building also includes a pool for the Swei Swee. This was his part of the peace agreement between the two people of the planet. They also decide to call the planet Omnia instead of the three names each had for the planet. Alex is pushing everyone to work faster as he has a feeling the Nu’all will return soon.
The book is very well written. I have enjoyed reading this delightful series. I particularly like the SADEs (self-aware digital entities). Jucha is adding new characters and expanding on others. It is fun to watch these characters grow into their roles. In this book there is more disagreement between Alex and his key SADEs as he teaches them some lessons. There is some action, but mostly this book is about discovery and inventions. The ending is a nice set-up for the next book. I am looking forward to book ten.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is almost 14 hours. Grover Gardner does a great job narrating the book. I love to listen to his voice. He was awarded by Audiofile “The Voice of the Century” and Publishers Weekly named him “Narrator of the Year for 2005”. He has also won many Audiofile Earphone awards.
Love reading this epic tale. The story line appeals to so many of my needs... great sci-fi mysteries, romantic hints, developing friendships, interacting alien relationships, adventures galore. This particular installment (Book 9) struck me with emotion. The relationship between SADE Killian, aka The Plaid Man, and Vivian, the little girl who is not quite coping with the solitude of her earlier deportation, as well as the keenly developed details concerning the births of Chona Nyslara's pups, were terrific. I had tears in my eyes! Excellent writing.
I love this author's style and command of the English language. He is such a pleasure to read. I look forward to reading the first book in his new series, but will have to find the patience to wait for Book 10 in this series, which isn't scheduled for release until 2018.
We’re back with Alex Racine and Renée de Guirnon, his constant companion, but things have changed slightly. As you’ll recall, Alex has an idea that he wants put into effect, but he has to have a lot of resources to make it happen. He knows of a planet, Celus-5 that would be and ideal starting point for what he wants to accomplish. He just needs to get a peace treaty/settlement with the two known sentient species that inhabit the planet.
He believes he can accomplish that by making it more hospitable for the Dischnya to live on the surface in accommodation much more modern and civilized than what they have now. He agrees to build settlements for the Dischnya as long as they observe peace between all inhabitants of the planet; namely the Swei Swee, and humans. The Swei Swee have been hunted down and killed as food for the Dischnya when they did not know the Swei Swee were actually sentient beings. The Swei Swee prefer to inhabit the oceans and seldom venture out of the water and only wish to have their original cliff side homes near the beaches as they had in the past. There is possibly a third sentient life in the dark forest although no one who has ventured into that forest has ever come out to tell what they found. “Z” is tasked by Alex to do just that; go into the forest and find who is living there. His adventure is quite reveling and dangerous to even a SADE.
So, once the peace comes to the planet and the humans decide they can live there, they do rename the planet Omnia as far as the Harakens are concerned. Someday in the near future, all of the different races will have to decide on a common name for the planet if they chose to do so. Now he must figure out how to start building lots of things. He has the habitats for the Dischnya, which will include school of leaning and a Military Academy to teach the Dischnya warriors how to fight with humans and SADES. Since peace has come to the planet, the Dischnya warriors find themselves out of a job, but Alex believes he might very well need their skills in the future.
This book is a fascinating description of a lot of leadership and direction do without a heavy-handed approach by Alex. He is the central focus of everything and everyone wants to please him. There’s no specific reason except that he has become a really nice guy and people just love his benevolent nature. But, do not take that mild nature as passive. He intends to build powerful warships in large numbers when the ability to do so comes to Omnia. And that’s really all this book is about; getting prepared for what he wants to do next. Most of his senior staff have already guessed that Alex Racine has a undying hatred for the Nu’ll. They believe he wants to seek them out and destroy them or at least stop them from attacking other sentients. And they all are in agreement that it needs to be done and will be done if Alex Racine wants it done.
There is much more to this story than I have put in my review. You’ll, of course, have to read the book to find out how all of this works. But, I still think it’s just a great story on how people can get along and build something far greater than they ever expected they could. I’m looking forward to “Vinium”, the next book in the Silver Ships Novel series.
I find it odd, in this series, what gets glossed over and what gets described in detail. The immediate events surrounding Alex's return to the planet and establishment of Alex's beech head, so to speak, takes up about 3/4 of the book. Then towards the end, there is the summary of the events that follow, and slow down again to setup the next book.
This isn't necessarily a bad thing. The book is the usual interesting mix of people desperately trying to work with Alex, Alex coming up against people who don't want to work with him, and the usual formula. However, I did feel, that some of the things that were glossed over I would have liked explored, and vice versa.
That being said, this is another well thought out, well written installment in the Silver ships story. If you've made it this far in the series, this one wont shock you.
The book, in my opinion, was good and I liked it about as much as the others in this series. But it had a lot of what I call filler. There was a lot of discussion of the financial and contractual arrangements between the Omnians and the Harekens people and officials. And there was little about how the native species were adopting to their new habitats. And there are now so many SADE that its hard to tell while reading who is a SADE.
The end of the book leads into the next book where Alex and his fleet go to rescue on the SADE's who was doing scout duty and was captured by another species.
Another wonderfully developed installment of the adventures of Alex Racine and his ever expanding collection of strays, aliens, and misfits. No spoilers here, but the universe continues to expand and the sense of discovery and growth that captured fans so completely in the opening Silver Ships has returned. Our heroes move forward and grow as they meet new challenges and guide their fellow sentients both old and new grow and mature while navigating a universe that also grows in scope and richness.
In some ways the series is beginning to repeat itself, Alex goes off and finds a new planet, then frees a load of people, human and SADE, to add to the population. Then begins the build up of a new culture ready to move on again. The story was OK and there are a few fascinating new characters, but the author often gets you interested, then they seem to just fade out of the story. Towards the end of the book the author was trying to tidy up any lose-ends ready for his next book, but it felt more like the author had just lost interest in Omnia.
I'm running out of superlatives to describe this series of interesting, very readable novels stressing the integration of the many characters he has joined together. I've never seen an author who can turn imagination into a realistic fictional "reality" as he has demonstrated in each successive episode of "The Silver Ships". Thank you, sir, for the enjoyment of anticipation for the next installment.
Whenever I see a new release date, I check if it will be a good day for me to read the new book straight through. I'm a little tired right now, but excited to see a new series is coming out this year. The only downside seems to be that the next in this series will be next year some time. I love the characters and the universe depicted in this series and hope I am not the only one. Looking forward to more!
Omni is another fine addition to the 20 year timeline of the Silver Ships journey. One thing I do enjoy about this series is the sense of optimism it carries, while not changing the basics of human nature. Ruthless politicians, greed , and dishonesty sadly will continue to exist, but the main character of Alex and his Sade companions leaves one thinking things can get better. Eagerly awaiting the next novel, and a new race of aliens.
This is a great series. The characters are interesting g and well drawn, although this book in particular was a little tech heavy. Understandably so, given that it seemed preparatory to the next arc in the story. I am looking forward to the next book in this series and very much look forward to the beginning of the new series! Great work s. H. Jucha
Reviewing a series is not that simple. I finished 9 books including this one and each one was undoubtedly awesome, the question is how is it all going to end?
Any way Omnia was amazing like the first 8, narrated perfectly by Grover Gardner. The only thing that makes me sad is that the end of this series is approaching, luckily the author had decided to write at least 2 more books which continues this series, and I hear good things about them.
This is a great series the stories are full of wonderful characters. Alex is one of the most intriguing. I would love to meet him or who he is based on. Thank you for the great books but can you write faster please. I mean 2018 for the next book, come on that's to long to wait for the next book. PLEASEEEEEE,!
The family of characters continues to grow as the adventure expansion new worlds
Alex and dedicated followers represent the best of human traits. It is refreshing how the SADES and aliens fit into they solutions required to stay ahead of Alex's vision to save e everyone he adds to his family.
Alex Racine, former space tug captain, and now retired president of the space colony Haraken, is searching for a new world to settle. Using his influence and some sleight of hand, he comes into possession of two "space cities" capable of providing living space for several thousand people. With the help of the SADEs (Self Aware Digital Entities--think LCDR Data from Star Trek) he is able to deal with multiple sentient, alien life forms. Behind the scenes, he continues his search for the Nua'll, another alien life form that has been wreaking havoc wherever they go. Book 9 in the series and still going strong.
EXCELLENT - NEVER WANT THIS SERIES TO END - AND DO NOT SEE WHY IT SHOULD
this is such an a obsorbing series with such realistic characters and story line i get totally immersed - i don't hear the phone or doorbell - or anything. more, more - don't end this series. the people have long lives - many more books here!
Loved it. I5 is amazing the amount of information you have had to consume to understand everything that goes into starting a new world. There are so many moving parts and you handle them in such a fine way. Really loved the way it all evolved and came together. Really fun read.
This book seemed like a bridge book for things to come but it was nonetheless very enjoyable. It is fun to read about how many characters from Alex (Dassata)’s past that drop everything to join in a new adventure. I look forward to the next installment.
I believe it was at the end of the previous one that things turned in an unexpected direction and with this one it feels like it keeps going in that direction. In a sense, it feels like the introduction of the story finished and the middle started... after all, this is called the Silver Ships series.
I believe Omnia is by far S. H. Jucha's best book so far in the Silver Ships series. This story grabbed me by the imagination and never let go. I was sorry to reach the end. I hope the next book is quick in coming! Way to go Mr. Jucha!
I love this series . The characters feel like old friends that you care about. The story is always imaginative and exciting. I'm so looking forward to the next book!
As always, a well developed story, new characters, and goid background. I came to the book expecting a fight with the enemies and was slightly disappointed when I realized where the story was headed, but then I was hooked. I can't wait for the next book.
This entire series has caught my attention. I am truly enjoying this series and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good adventure series with a ton of different types of characters. Thank you Mr Juchartz for a truly enjoyable series of books.
I really enjoy this series, cast and crew. I am looking forward too the next book in this series, so that you might get to stomping the Nua'll who started this crazy jaunt throughout the heavens...😎😎😎
Its a 5 star really. Only gave it a 4 because, I do not have the patience to wait till next year, for the new book. Outstanding read and love how all the characters are evolving.
Love the silver ship novels,but this one lost its focus a bit,long on details ,very short on any real action,or even moving the overall theme of the story forward..not to say I didn't enjoy it.
Like so many books these days, it seems like the author was paid by the word (or possibly by the page). There did not seem to be any new or interesting ideas in the story. I'm not sure I'll continue reading this series.q
I love these stories of new alien species, and the slightly incredible but compelling world where just doing the right thing has made Alex into a galactic leader...
Lots of action - but not much time with our beloved characters. I figured it would be more of a story about Teague, but no. I like the new characters well enough but always want more Alex with the SADEs.