Junction

by Daniel M. Bensen

When Japanese nature show host Daisuke Matsumori finds himself on an alien world, he hopes to rekindle his passion for his work. Traveling through a newly-discovered wormhole in the Papuan highlands, he joins biologist Anne Houlihan on Junction, a patchwork planet of competing alien ecosystems. When their exploratory party crashes in the alien wilderness, Daisuke and Anne try to lead bickering soldiers and civilians back to civilization alive. As they trek across one unearthly biome after another and members of the party continue to die, however, Daisuke wonders whether human politics might be more deadly than alien biology. One of his companions might be a murderer.

Genres: Science Fiction, Audiobook, Horror, Science Fiction Fantasy, Thriller, Fiction

240 pages, Hardcover

Published January 10, 2019

About the author

Daniel M. Bensen writes alternate history, science fiction, and fantasy. He teaches English in Sofia Bulgaria, where he lives with his wife and daughters in the Balkan Tower of Matriarchy.

Reviews

[Kalin]

Junction is a fast-paced, erudite novel, which turned out to be not quite my cup of tea, as explained in the final note below.

The other notes contain some of the moments I really enjoyed.

~ Already at the start, I'm wowed by the international cast. We have Japanese, Indonesian, American, Australian, Russian characters ... did I miss anyone? It's an ambitious scope, and I'm looking forward to learning more about these cultures--besides xenobiology. ;) (Daniel has lived in Japan, so I will trust his insights.)

~ Here's something I'd never thought about before:

“When animals on Earth climbed out of the sea, they took the sea with them, as blood contained in a sack inside their bodies. (...)”

So ... it's not just the common sky that unites us. We're one already in our veins ....

~ A sample of the humor in Junction. (It starts seriously, but wait for the juxtaposition.)

Daisuke held the glass plate high over the wafting steam. In the chilly air of dusk, water condensed almost immediately on the under-surface of the glass. Little droplets merged as Daisuke tilted the glass, ran together like rivers running down a mountain to water, or veins spreading the heart’s nourishment to a man’s hand. He lifted the glass high, and water bulged on the lower lip of the glass plate, shone red in the light of the setting sun, and fell onto Daisuke’s outstretched tongue.
Anne watched his experiment, her brows together. “I wish there was some other way to test this. Don’t swallow immediately. Any weird tastes?”
Daisuke held the water in his mouth. There was still some sour sulfur there, but no stinging or numbness. Daisuke swallowed, and smiled. “Yum,” he said.

* * *

“Yuck,” said Tyaney.
Daisuke agreed. Hardly chilly or shaky at all now, he forced himself to eat another mouthful of something that said Turkey Tetrazzini on the package, but tasted like poultry-flavored vomit.
“Is this what the American military has to eat?” Hariyadi asked.
“No rice?” Nurul asked her silvery food-pack.
“I like,” said Rahman. “Good like wife cooking.”
Nurul shoved him.
“We don’t usually rehydrate the stuff with sulfuric acid,” said Pearson.
“Very diluted acid.” Daisuke spoke around a spoonful of sulfurous sweet and sour pork. “This is no worse than what’s already in your stomach.”
“That’s hydrochloric, though,” Anne contributed.
“So you mean this food is pre-digested,” said Misha. “Efficient!”

~ One fourth into the book, I was wondering if I could relate to any of the characters. Their interactions seemed too pragmatic--and too guarded? (Even Anne's, yes. She explodes, but I can't really see what's in there, at the bottom of the crater.) Is it just the effect of the ever-watching cameras? Or is it a fundamental incompatibility between the typical interaction of people and my need for openness, even with relatively new acquaintances? (Especially if I sense that we click on one level or another.)

Then I reached the scene where Daisuke spills out his divorce and the reasons for it, and I started liking him. For real.

(Not Anne, though. "Are you available then?" is totally the wrong thing to say when someone is showing you their guts for the first time. So Anne is totally in character. ;)

~ What good is a book with a Japanese MC without some fanservice for the lovers of, uh, anime?

“Ah,” said Misha, “geysers of plant semen. What’s that word, Daisuke? Bukkake?”
Daisuke made a disgusted face.
Rahman giggled and, thank goodness, put the camera down.
Nurul squinted at her husband. “How do you know about bukkake?”
“Well, how do you?” asked Misha and burst into laughter at her blush. “Ah, when a married couple finds they share a fetish—”
“Shut up, Misha,” Anne said. “I’m thinking about sulfur-reducing bacteria.”
“Oh, were you?” said Misha. “I was thinking about—”
“On Earth!” Anne said heavily.

~ Have I mentioned the linguistic fun?

“So,” she said. “What are you thinking about?”
‘Eating you for breakfast’ would be, perhaps, too forward. “I was thinking about how I am a shell with no egg inside, and you are an egg with no shell,” he said. “Maybe that’s why we suit each other.”
Anne looked at him. “Naw,” she said. “I think your ex-wife is wrong. You’re not a hollow shell, you’re just a big fucking nerd who doesn’t know how to talk to human beings.”
“That’s…a strange thing to say.”
“Ha. You mean it’s the pot calling the kettle black.”
Daisuke had to think for a moment before he remembered the meaning of that expression. He smiled and said, “It’s better in Japanese. ‘The eye-shit laughs at the nose-shit.’”
She screwed up her face. “Eye-shit?”
Daisuke rubbed the inner corner of an eye. He ignored the unmanly tear he found there and said. “You know, eye-shit. After you sleep, the stuff in your eyes. It shouldn’t laugh at nose-shit, because it’s all the same stuff.” The word came to him. “Mucus!”
Anne’s laughter bounced off the glowing mountainside. “Ah, the subtle poetry of the Land of the Rising Sun.” She clapped her hands. “That’s it, you’ve seduced me. Let’s go to my tent.”

~ Over the past few days, I've been thinking about the main incompatibility between this book and my needs as a reader, and it comes down to this: Junction offers a story of survival in a biologically hostile environment. The question "Are they gonna make it?" does not thrill me but stresses me (perhaps because I'm going through a period where I'd very much like to see everyone around me "make it"--not in terms of physical survival but still). On top of that, it's a story about a group of people brought together by circumstances who do not become a team (a fellowship ;) but instead treat each other with paranoia and mistrust--which turn out to be well founded, too. I'm aware there're such situations but I'm not at a point where I want to read about them. (Haven't been in a long time either.) Right now, I need my faith in humanity ... and may I have a second helping too? ;)

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone else seems blown away by this book, but for me it was just okay. There were some pretty incredible elements, namely in the descriptions of Junction and its alien inhabitants. Daniel M. Bensen has created vibrant, detailed and wonderous alien worlds within this story. In his acknowledgements, he wrote that this originally started out as an alien field guide and this basis definitely comes through. As a field guide, this would have been really impressive but as a story it just fell flat for me.

The first chapters were just so odd, here’s a guy who makes his living as a TV explorer and is told he’s being given the opportunity to explore a previous unknown wormhole to an alien planet. Most people would be bowled over and have a million questions about this astonishing discovery, but all he can do is stare at his ring finger where his wedding band had been. Personal issues aside, how can that be your reaction to the greatest discovery and opportunity ever afforded to man?

Everyone’s reaction was off for that matter. No one really seemed to question this and we didn’t get to see how the rest of the world felt about it. It was just a few government officials saying “Hey here’s a wormhole, let’s go in with a film crew!”

The second half of Junction was much stronger and you started to really feel immersed in this dangerous and desolate planet with our international crew. It had elements of Annihilation, Rendezvous with Rama, and At the Mountains of Madness in that it really captured the mystifying scenes around our fictional explorers. It was a short read so to be able to do that in less than 300 pages is pretty impressive.

This wasn’t a bad book but for me it wasn’t an amazing one either. What I would love to see is a follow-up/companion book written from the point of view of our no-nonsense biologist Anne, possibly co-written with our hero, Daisuke. Now that would be a really fantastic read. I think if this had been more of a field guide as it was originally envisioned, all the areas where it was lacking (character development, dialogue, or the fact that Sing can suddenly speak English after a night in a tent with Misha ) wouldn’t have been as noticeable. Either way, I would like to learn more about the ominous Junction and where else it leads to so if there are sequels, I'll read them.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of Junction in exchange for a review.

[Bandit · Rating 2 out of 5]

It appears I’m in a dissenting minority here, going by all the other glowing reviews…I just didn’t care for this book at all. Which is disappointing, because it’s such an intriguing concept and I was due for a good sci fi story, but these adventures on the alien world that randomly appears in Papua New Guinea just didn’t work for me, tried as I did to get into it. For one thing…not that original. From the first chapter of a make multinational shift team, meant to reflect the geopolitical complexities of this alien world discovery, venturing out to reconnoiter and survey this alien world replete with wild and wildly different creatures…it’s entirely too much like VanderMeer’s Annihilation. And I haven’t even read that book yet, so going by the movie version alone. The premise is similar to identical, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Something about this inferior Annihilation is just oddly choppy, unengaging and distant. Like a second rate foreign movie with a third rate dub job. I didn’t care about a single character. The creatures were interesting, the best thing about the book, which ironically enough according to the afterword meant to be something of a field guide to alien flora and fauna. Maybe it would have succeeded at just that, a picture book with descriptions. The actual narrative plot, though, was just too bland, at best. Actually not even that, it’s difficult to put into words what it is, because it’s a sound, if not even remotely original, concept on paper. And, going by other reviews, a well liked effort. It’s entirely possible this was just one of those reader to book incompatibility things. To each their own and all that. To me this was a slow, plodding, indifferent read. Didn’t even know Flame Tree (new publishers) do science fiction, having read two of their conventionally horrific books before. Well, variety is great. Though this one wasn’t. And thus the dissenting minority opinion was offered. Thanks Netgalley.

[Emil Minchev · Rating 5 out of 5]

All sci-fi should be like this: clever, inventive, engaging, exciting and, above all, character-driven and full of heart. Highly recommended!

[Meradeth Houston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel did my nerdy, sci-fi loving heart good! As someone who has always had a weakness for alien biology and physiology, I completely adored the different biomes in this book, as well as the fascinating patchwork planet of Junction. I wanted to keep exploring it, with Anne and Daisuke in tow. The story was a whole lot of fun, filled with intrigue and mystery, along with just the right amount of romance. Anne was by far my favorite character, which is probably because I could completely identify with her scientist heart and mind. The whole crew was well drawn, too, and their motivations as varied as the politics playing out in the background. It was no far stretch to imagine just what might happen if a wormhole were discovered on earth, and the bickering over its resources that would undoubtedly ensue. So, in sum, a really fun read that kept me glue to the pages, and left me hoping for another book to extend the exploration of Junction!

[Kate Heartfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read an early version of this book and provided this blurb: "Reading JUNCTION is like diving into a tropical bay, where the water's warm, there's some new bright creature everywhere you look, and you're having so much fun that you hardly notice the impending doom. A travelogue of all-too-real characters in unreal places, and a perfectly constructed murder mystery that will keep you turning pages."

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Came for the cool aliens, stayed for the plot! I love the way this book handles the different aliens it portrays with respect to their biologies! But even if that's not your thing, and you're in it just for the adventure, this book had a couple of plot twists that really took me by surprise. Thoroughly enjoyed. Hope there will be a sequel! :3

[Eric Fischl · Rating 5 out of 5]

JUNCTION is a deep dive into exobiology and mystery, full of twists, strange creatures, and adventure. I expect big things from Dan Bensen.

[Red Lace Reviews]

Daisuke Matsumori gets the opportunity of his career - to be one of the first to explore a new world with unknown terrain and wildlife. A wormhole has been discovered in Papua New Guinea, and humanity's curiosity and possessiveness urges them onward, yet to explore the uncharted brings with it nameless dangers.

(WARNING: This review contains minor spoilers.)

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I thank Flame Tree Press for giving me the opportunity.

DNF: page 100.

I wanted to change things up a bit, read a genre I neglect yet no less enjoy. I don't know what exactly I expected, but it wasn't this. Whilst I liked the inclusion of different nationalities and ethnicities - it was refreshing to have such an all-around cast - I just couldn't get into it for the life of me. I gave it a chance, but the scientific jargon was a little too much.

In conclusion: Not my sort of book, left unrated due to not finishing it.

© Red Lace 2019

Wordpress ~ Twitter

[Sage · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a review copy from Flame Tree Press.

Daisuke Matsumori, is a Japanese nature show host who gets to be one of the first to visit a new world through a wormhole. As people start dying in this newly discovered planet, is it all the aliens fault or is something sinister going on in the group Daisuke is traveling with.

This book was an ok read. It's a hard scifi action adventure with a twist. This book just didn't pull me into the story as much as I would want it too. The action and various aliens in the book were cool but the characters weren't drawn out enough. They didn't have enough back story for me to care about them enough.

[Melissa Walshe · Rating 5 out of 5]

As if compelling characters and solid plot weren't enough in a debut novel, Bensen's ingenuity with creature and ecosystem creation shoots Junction to the top of the list for new science fiction where biological world-building is concerned. Top that with a fierce, smart scientist heroine who will use her knowledge, compassion, and anger to save lives and kick butt? This book is worth your time.

[Wayne Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniel Bensen shows an incredible amount of imagination and research with Junction. It's an unusual choice to go with a Japanese nature show host as your protagonist, but Bensen brings an endearing, introverted warmth and introspection to the character that also helps to flesh out the different biomes on display here, and the lifeforms that inhabit them.

It's a wonderful balance between the shaky politics of different factions with different interests thrown together to explore a wormhole to another world and the sheer, intimidating scope of the biology that Bensen has meticulously thought out, and laid out for us to encounter. The book moves along at a brisk pace, but always teases with more new alien biology to muse over.

[AnnaReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wormhole is found on the Papuan highlands. This caught my attention immediately. I’m mad about good sci fi and Junction by Daniel M. Bensen gripped me from the start.

I get to explore this new world with our heroes, Daisuke - right pronunciation is Dice-Kay not Dye-Sue-Key - who is a japanese nature show host and Anne, who is an australian biologist.
I have met with a lot of crazy, amazing creatures.

The story behind this exciting field trip didn’t move that much but I started this book for the aliens and I stayed with the story because of them.

Thank you NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for this digital book.

[Joanne Rixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read an advance version of this book, and I think it's a great book for fans of biology-oriented hard SF. Here's my blurb: "It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such inventive, strange, and plausible aliens. Every biome is unique from both Earth and the other biomes, and Bensen's descriptions of alien organisms are clear and beautiful. I found myself leaning into the introduction of each new creature and ecology, because it was fascinating to imagine encountering these varied and diverse worlds. Bensen hits the right balance between danger and wonder at encountering creatures and worlds that are entirely new."

[Franz Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a person native to the region where the book is set, I'm impressed by the way the author portrays the local characters. Their personalities, pattern of speech, and even personal motivations suggest that the author put a lot of effort into understanding our language and political history.

On top of that, Junction's world is alien yet strangely believable. The speculative wildlife is based on a solid understanding of how nature works—I feel like the creatures could pop out of my backyard anytime. Looking forward to seeing more from the author.

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an enthralling, entertaining, and educating novel! Science fiction plus contemporary comment plus deep characterization, shades of Star Trek's Prime Directive and of colonial imperialism, contribute to making this such an enthralling novel. I was thrilled from beginning to end and couldn't set it aside. An Australian biologist's accidental discovery in New Guinea of a Wormhole, with a civilization living on "the other side," impels governments of all sorts to intrude. And the selected "hero explorer" is a reality tv star whose career has been founded on wilderness survival.

[Patrice Sarath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Junction is a thrill ride! When a ragtag group of adventurers crash lands on an alien planet, accessible by a wormhole in one of the most remote regions on Earth, they are endangered at every step by alien fauna and flora in a series of inhospitable and highly dangerous worlds. But protagonist Daisuke suspects that the most dangerous specimens are his companions.

Adventure, romance, and weird aliens -- what's not to love? I thoroughly enjoyed this science fiction travelogue/adventure tale.

[Amber Royer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Benson takes you on a survival journey through a truly alien landscape — but it’s also a journey into the human heart where motivations aren’t as clear as they seem. His endearingly awkward characters make Junction come alive. I really enjoyed the mystery elements of the book, and his world building.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Junction is a science fiction odyssey brimming with aliens and intrigue. Bensen excels at describing creatures and habitats that would make Wayne Barlowe jealous. Fans of Larry Niven's Ringworld or Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World will find a welcome addition to the genre.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good sci-fi with an interesting world building and an engaging plot.
i loved the style of writing, the plot and the setting.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Flame Tree Press and Netgalley for this ARC

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

A refreshing take on Aliens.
This was a really different read with different aliens all on the same planet.
A good read.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not generally a SciFi fan, but I love politics, and this book has its fill of otherworldly political intrigue! Daniel Bensen’s Junction is a remarkable blend of romance, diverse characters, cultural contrasts, excitement, and adventure.

The plot is 100% science fiction exploration — a suspenseful journey to an alien world, called Junction. Each chosen for a different role and reason, a cast of characters from a variety of nations on Earth find themselves traveling through a newly discovered wormhole in the Papuan highlands. Fictional, of course, Bensen’s level of descriptive detail about this new planet they find themselves exploring is marvelous; readers will feel like they’ve learned about an actual new planet… and they’ll learn about human nature as well.

The central character from the start, Japanese survival show host Daisuke Matsumori is the placater. Not a scientist or a politician, he uses his hosting skills to try to ease tensions among so many strong personalities. He’s also always trying to assist the biologist, Anne Houlihan, to express herself and the situation better on television. Because yes, the entire expedition is to be documented, both for national security and to make a one-of-a-kind survival adventure show.

When the exploratory party’s plane crashes somewhere in the midst of a bunch of disparate alien ecosystems, that’s when Matsumori’s unique skills are most needed. Between bickering with soldiers from competing countries and trying to communicate with natives as they try to navigate their way back to the Earth wormhole, members of the party start to die off one by one.

In the end, it’s all about survival, but it’s equally interesting how so many romantic pairings come about — and how they ultimately determine the outcome. Because it’s not just the elements on Junction that are harsh, but there’s now a hostile political environment as well, with characters surrounded by others who refuse to cooperate. Is it the alien biology that will end up killing them, or are human schemes more deadly?

5 stars

[Adam Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by my wife and after the first couple of chapters, I put it down and asked her why. I did that because the writing style was a little unusual and the author used a lot of sentence fragments and the occasional unusual dialogue tag, which made it difficult for me to get into the flow. I'm not patient with odd writing styles. My wife is a much more patient person than I and she said if I stuck with it I would enjoy it. She was correct.

It doesn't take long to get used to the author's unusual writing style and then you start to see what he was trying to achieve and it's impressive. His unusual writing style, it turns out, is just perfect for a very unusual book. With great creativity and imagination, this author has described a world made up of little slices of a whole variety of other alien worlds but he has done it with amazing attention to biological detail.

The plot quickly becomes the lesser element of the story, simply there to be a matrix in which the wonderful biological explanation of each new alien biome can bloom... or sprout... or crystalize... or whatever. If you are into the 'sci' in Sci-fi or even just into something a bit off the beaten path, you'll like this.

Another thing I liked about this book was that while the plot seemed to take a secondary role to the world building, the author still wrote a bit of everything for everyone in his story. There's a little romance, a little mystery, a little intrigue, a fair dab of adventure and heaps of action.

I'd read a sequel. Three and a half stars.

Adam :)

[Leo McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

Junction is the debut novel from Daniel Bensen - and it's a riproaring delight. Japanese nature expert Daisuke Matsumori gets an unexpected call - a portal has opened to another world, and the powers-that-be want him on an exploration team venturing off into the planet beyond.
It turns out that world beyond is a patchwork quilt of strange biospheres, with more and more portals branching off to yet more worlds. As his party move through strange new ecosystems, they face a struggle for survival from both the new world around them and the political tensions tearing apart their own expedition. Which will prove deadlier? It's an even bet. Worse, someone in the group might just be a murderer.
This is great fun as a story, reminding me of the likes of Harry Harrison's Deathworld books. It's a real adventure of a story, all with a fine sprinkling of biological sciences in there. I wasn't terribly convinced by some of the romance elements, but hey, what's an adventure without an occasional smooch? The language is fun and playful, and the whole thing is just... well, wild. And that very much hit my sci-fi spot.

[Henry Lazarus · Rating 4 out of 5]

The planet Junction (trade from Flame Tree Press) has wormhole gates from many different planets linked long enough so that the area around the gate duplicates the world it is connected to. Hidden from most human eyes, in the jungles of New Guinea, there is a gate to Junction that’s been around long enough that people have settled habitable areas close to the gate. Daisuke Matsumori is a Japanese survival host known for wrestling alligators. Biologist Anne Houlihan told the world about the gate after one of the Nun people showed her the gate. The Indonesian and American governments have set up a forward base and a plane is brought through the hole for an air survey. A few hours in, the engine seizes up forcing the pilot to glide the plane in. Daniel M. Bensen has a wonderful time designing the biozones the group have to traverse to return to their base, all filled with deadly traps that have to be understood to survive. Lots of fun. Review printed by Philadelphia Free Press

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daisuke Matsumori is a very unhappy man. Frustrated over his recent divorce and disillusioned with his job, he just wants to finish his last show and try to forget. Then his government send him to New Guinea because a wormhole to another world has been discovered there.

He ends up in a multinational group that is tasked with exploring this new world. The world they find themselves in is full of alien landscapes and beings. On their first trip to explore the planet, their plane crashes. They must learn to work together to survive and to make it back to camp.

There are many surprises in store for the group and It's quite possible that the aliens are the least of their worries.

I enjoyed this book and recommend it to all sci-fi fans. It has amazing aliens and countrysides. It has politics, romance, and danger. Definitely a fun read!

[Spugpow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dan said in the acknowledgements that what he really wanted to write was a field guide to alien life, and that was honestly what I really wanted to read. That said, this book was entertaining throughout; the setting was evocative and underpinned by deep world-building, the story was full of unexpected twists and turns, and Daisuke and Anne especially were a pleasure to spend time with. Dan has a talent for writing romance, which gave the story a warmth that’s uncommon in hard sci fi.


A fun book overall, and I look forward to the next one from this author!

[Elana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bio-punk! The best genre ever! Interesting descriptions of alien life are so incredibly rare that I treasure every book in which they appear. This one exceeded my expectations. The alien biomes are so astounding, unusual, and yet scientifically informed, that I lingered over each one. Who cares that the characters were irritating, the POV inconsistent, and the murder plot felt forced. The author wrote that he actually wanted to write a field guide to alien life and I think he should have stuck to this idea. Still, a great read for alien-life aficionados!

[Yolanda Sfetsos]

DNFd after 3 chapters.

It's unfortunate, because I found the blurb intriguing, but I couldn't get into the story or the characters.

[Hope C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, exciting mixture of alien field guide, survival story and whodunnit. Would recommend.