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Return to Alpha
Forty years in the future, planet earth will suffer from horrendous climate changes due to global warming. Forty years from now, haunted survivors will also be recovering from seemingly endless waves of decimating plagues that came from uncontrollable biological weapons.
Then, one crisp April morning forty years from now, a strange spaceship lands on a Jamaican beach carrying six aliens. Four of them claim to have the same father, and he was from our earth, Alpha-Earth. Their father is Dr. Malcolm Renbourn, the only man to have lived on three earths in the multi-verse; two of the aliens are his children from Beta-Earth, two from Cerapin-Earth.
How would we Alphans react to this news, an unexpected awareness that our planet shares cosmic space with at least two other earths? How can we adapt to hearing there are many gods and goddesses in the multi-verse, not one creator of everything? Would we be accepting of alien humans who talk about radically different cultures from anything we know? How would we treat these ambassadors bringing with them what is, for many, unwelcome realities? Would we treat our cosmic cousins and neighbors any better than Beta or Cerapin did their father?
Return to Alpha is the sixth book in the criticaly-praised Beta-Earth Chronicles following The Blind Alien, The Blood of Balnakin, When War Returns, A Throne for an Alien and The Third Earth.
Then, one crisp April morning forty years from now, a strange spaceship lands on a Jamaican beach carrying six aliens. Four of them claim to have the same father, and he was from our earth, Alpha-Earth. Their father is Dr. Malcolm Renbourn, the only man to have lived on three earths in the multi-verse; two of the aliens are his children from Beta-Earth, two from Cerapin-Earth.
How would we Alphans react to this news, an unexpected awareness that our planet shares cosmic space with at least two other earths? How can we adapt to hearing there are many gods and goddesses in the multi-verse, not one creator of everything? Would we be accepting of alien humans who talk about radically different cultures from anything we know? How would we treat these ambassadors bringing with them what is, for many, unwelcome realities? Would we treat our cosmic cousins and neighbors any better than Beta or Cerapin did their father?
Return to Alpha is the sixth book in the criticaly-praised Beta-Earth Chronicles following The Blind Alien, The Blood of Balnakin, When War Returns, A Throne for an Alien and The Third Earth.
180 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 7, 2017
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9 people want to read
About the author
Wesley Britton
29 books110 followersImmerse yourself in an extraordinary universe revealed by the most original storytelling you’ll ever experience. “Science fiction yes, but so much more.”
Besides his 33 years in the classroom, Dr. Wesley Britton considers his Beta-Earth Chronicles the most important work he’s ever done. “I suppose an author profile is intended to be a good little biography,” Britton says, “but the best way to know who I am is to read my novels.”
Still, a few things you might like to know about Wes include the fact he’s the author of four non-fiction books on espionage in the media, most notably The Encyclopedia of TV Spies (2009). Beginning in 1983, he was a widely published poet, article writer for a number of encyclopedias, and was a noted scholar of American literature. Since those days, for sites like BlogCritics.org and BookPleasures.com, Britton wrote over 500 music, book, an movie reviews. For seven years, he was co-host of online radio's Dave White Presents for which he contributed celebrity interviews with musicians, authors, actors, and entertainment insiders.
Starting in fall 2015, his science fiction series, The Beta-Earth Chronicles, debuted with The Blind Alien. Throughout 2016, four sequels followed including The Blood of Balnakin, When War Returns, A Throne for an Alien, and The Third Earth. Return to Alpha will be the sixth volume of this multi-planetary epic.
Britton earned his doctorate in American Literature at the University of North Texas in 1990. He taught English at Harrisburg Area Community College until his retirement in 2016. He serves on the Board of Directors for Vision Resources of Central Pennsylvania. He lives with his one and only wife, Betty, in Harrisburg, PA.
Find out more about the Beta-Earth series on the official website -- http://www.drwesleybritton.com
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 21, 2021
The sixth book in the series, Beta Earth Chronicles...Return to Alpha, tells the story of the Renbournes, each from a different version of Earth, Beta and Cerapin. A multiverse situation. The story sees each version of Malcolm Renbourne and their collective entourages crash land on Alpha Earth. The reception they receive is somewhat hostile, resulting in their capture and placement under house arrest. Without giving too much away, in comes Mary Carpenter, Beta Malcolm’s would be interrogator to save the day. From that point, the story revolve around survival, and avoiding Rovers and Citadel intelligence from where Mary came.
The story is strong, and the dialogue, plentiful. I like a good dialogue in a book and the odd gratuitous sex scene, of which there are a few. I have to admit, this is the first book in the series I have read, but you don’t feel lost after reading it. It would do well as a stand-alone, as well as part of the series it was intended to be. I can honestly say that I would like to read the rest of the series to see how the story got to the point it reached. I highly recommend this read.
The story is strong, and the dialogue, plentiful. I like a good dialogue in a book and the odd gratuitous sex scene, of which there are a few. I have to admit, this is the first book in the series I have read, but you don’t feel lost after reading it. It would do well as a stand-alone, as well as part of the series it was intended to be. I can honestly say that I would like to read the rest of the series to see how the story got to the point it reached. I highly recommend this read.
November 25, 2025
Return to Alpha is one of the most emotionally gripping sci-fi novels I’ve ever read. What sets it apart is how deeply human the story is. Instead of focusing on flashy technology, the author focuses on the psychological damage that comes from displacement and trauma. The early chapters create a slow-building tension that feels almost suffocating, especially as the group tries desperately to stay unseen in a world that resembles home but reacts differently to them.
When the fragile companion breaks down in Chapter 6, it’s not just a plot device, it’s a realistic portrayal of PTSD under extreme pressure. The following institutional scenes hit even harder, showing how systems meant to “help” can worsen trauma when they don’t understand it. This book made me ache for the characters in a way sci-fi rarely does.
When the fragile companion breaks down in Chapter 6, it’s not just a plot device, it’s a realistic portrayal of PTSD under extreme pressure. The following institutional scenes hit even harder, showing how systems meant to “help” can worsen trauma when they don’t understand it. This book made me ache for the characters in a way sci-fi rarely does.
September 4, 2021
Return to Alpha by Wesley Britton was a very interesting read for me, while I don’t usually read sci-fi I thought I would give this one a shot. Upon starting the book the story was interesting, and the chapters short enough that I was able to read it relatively quickly. I must admit even thought this is the sixth book in the series, it is the first that I have read but you can read the detailed story as a stand alone. But personally I find myself wanting to read the rest to see how the story got the great place it is in this installment. Mr. Britton puts his great word-building skills to use to give us very vivid details for not wonky his story but also his wonderful characters. So if you love sci-fi then I definitely recommend Return to Alpha as your next weekend read.
November 25, 2025
One thing that stands out is how the narrator’s emotional burden becomes the central thread of the story. They carry guilt, responsibility, and unspoken fear like weights on their back. Every decision feels life-or-death, and the writing puts you directly inside their mind. You feel their exhaustion, their panic, their desperation to hold the group together. It’s powerful, heartbreaking, and beautifully executed.
The author’s subtle world-building is also phenomenal. Alpha-Earth feels alive, yet alien in the small human details, the way people stare, the structure of institutions, the rhythm of daily life. It captures that uncanny experience of being somewhere familiar but not yours. I am still thinking about this story days later.
The author’s subtle world-building is also phenomenal. Alpha-Earth feels alive, yet alien in the small human details, the way people stare, the structure of institutions, the rhythm of daily life. It captures that uncanny experience of being somewhere familiar but not yours. I am still thinking about this story days later.
November 25, 2025
This book is a masterpiece of tension. The first half is like watching an emotional avalanche form: chapter by chapter, the pressure builds until the characters are barely holding on. The breakdown in Chapter 6 and the system intervention in Chapter 7 were some of the most realistic depictions of trauma I have ever read in fiction.
But what I loved most is how the author shows the cost of leadership. The narrator isn’t a hero in the traditional sense, they’re a person trying not to fall apart while carrying everyone else. Their quiet suffering, their need to keep moving, their fear of making one wrong decision… it’s emotionally devastating.
But what I loved most is how the author shows the cost of leadership. The narrator isn’t a hero in the traditional sense, they’re a person trying not to fall apart while carrying everyone else. Their quiet suffering, their need to keep moving, their fear of making one wrong decision… it’s emotionally devastating.
November 25, 2025
From the moment the group lands on Alpha-Earth, I was hooked. The writing makes you feel the disorientation and the panic in a visceral way. Every detail feels intentional, the strange familiarity of the landscape, the way strangers’ eyes linger a little too long, the slow shift from fear to full-blown crisis.
The author is a genius at portraying trauma. I felt deeply connected to every character, especially the companion who spirals emotionally. Their collapse isn’t treated as weakness, it’s handled with raw honesty. The system’s response makes the story even more powerful and raises real questions about how society handles mental health and outsiders.
The author is a genius at portraying trauma. I felt deeply connected to every character, especially the companion who spirals emotionally. Their collapse isn’t treated as weakness, it’s handled with raw honesty. The system’s response makes the story even more powerful and raises real questions about how society handles mental health and outsiders.
November 25, 2025
If you want sci-fi with heart, depth, and emotional intelligence, this is it. The characters feel like real people, not plot devices. The way they respond to stress is brutally honest. I loved how Alpha-Earth’s normal citizens react, with suspicion, concern, misunderstanding, fear. It’s exactly how real society treats outsiders who don’t “fit.”
This is the kind of story that makes you think about trauma, mental health, bureaucracy, and compassion.
This is the kind of story that makes you think about trauma, mental health, bureaucracy, and compassion.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews