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No Gods Above the Stars
In order to be reunited with his wife, Lars Ventor will stop at nothing, even if that means confronting the gods themselves—and that may be exactly what he has to do.
In the distant future, Lars Ventor leads a simple life as a deep space mining contract negotiator, where he represents the Interstellar Alliance Government’s interests in their dealings with a cryptic alien race hailing from Alpha Centauri. Known to humanity simply as the Hivemind, these interlopers communicate with humans through bodies called “vessels” by swapping their conscious projections in and out of such bodies at will.
However, Lars’ ordinary life is suddenly shattered when his beloved wife Katerine, a renowned theoretical physicist, is killed in a freak accident—quite literally vaporized on her way to work. Shortly thereafter, while in the midst of tense negotiations with a Hivemind vessel, a grieving Lars receives a most distressing surprise: Katerine is alive, and somehow talking to him through the vessel. In order to uncover the truth behind his wife’s mysterious death, Lars must embark on a mind-bending, metaphysical journey that will make him a central player in a perilous feud between forces as old and unforgiving as time itself.
Meanwhile, in the deep void of interstellar space, Oren Yadrette and Joanna Saro, two senior science officers aboard the human exploration ship Warrant Conviction, make a startling discovery about the true nature of the Hivemind. Technologically outflanked and under grave threat, Oren and Joanna must race against time to ensure the survival of their fellow crew, and perhaps even the entirety of the human race.
In the distant future, Lars Ventor leads a simple life as a deep space mining contract negotiator, where he represents the Interstellar Alliance Government’s interests in their dealings with a cryptic alien race hailing from Alpha Centauri. Known to humanity simply as the Hivemind, these interlopers communicate with humans through bodies called “vessels” by swapping their conscious projections in and out of such bodies at will.
However, Lars’ ordinary life is suddenly shattered when his beloved wife Katerine, a renowned theoretical physicist, is killed in a freak accident—quite literally vaporized on her way to work. Shortly thereafter, while in the midst of tense negotiations with a Hivemind vessel, a grieving Lars receives a most distressing surprise: Katerine is alive, and somehow talking to him through the vessel. In order to uncover the truth behind his wife’s mysterious death, Lars must embark on a mind-bending, metaphysical journey that will make him a central player in a perilous feud between forces as old and unforgiving as time itself.
Meanwhile, in the deep void of interstellar space, Oren Yadrette and Joanna Saro, two senior science officers aboard the human exploration ship Warrant Conviction, make a startling discovery about the true nature of the Hivemind. Technologically outflanked and under grave threat, Oren and Joanna must race against time to ensure the survival of their fellow crew, and perhaps even the entirety of the human race.
- GenresScience Fiction
430 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 17, 2019
31 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 21, 2019
I received this book through a free giveaway that the author did on reddit a few weeks ago. I decided to give it a try after reading the premise on the post, which sounded interesting enough. Overall I thought this was a really good book. The story is broken up into three parts, and the second and third part (at least for Lars' portion of the story) are a pretty stark departure from what you might be expecting given what happens in the first act, and ventures into science-fantasy territory. Luckily, I am a big fan of fantasy so this didn't really bother me too much, but it is probably worth nothing for people who are looking to pick it up. The second major storyline is more classic hard(ish!) science fiction, and they two storylines alternate pretty well so that you are never bored, at least I wasn't. There are a few other B-stories and a couple interludes that break up the main narrative, which I thought were interesting, but I found myself reading through them quickly because I wanted to make my way back to the main story.
No Gods Above the Stars explores a few diverse themes, including love, loss, the idea of consciousness, the afterlife, trauma, as well as some far future (bordering on magic) science esoterica, which was compelling. I don't want to spoil the book by going into details, but I thought it was a really fun read overall, especially for a self-published, first time author. The book is not without its problems (some awkward writing in parts, a few typos here and there) but I don't think they are big enough gripes to ruin the reading experience.
4.5/5 stars.
No Gods Above the Stars explores a few diverse themes, including love, loss, the idea of consciousness, the afterlife, trauma, as well as some far future (bordering on magic) science esoterica, which was compelling. I don't want to spoil the book by going into details, but I thought it was a really fun read overall, especially for a self-published, first time author. The book is not without its problems (some awkward writing in parts, a few typos here and there) but I don't think they are big enough gripes to ruin the reading experience.
4.5/5 stars.
March 5, 2020
I enjoyed this book, though I must say that the author is very verbose. I think a good couple hundred pages could be cut out if the descriptions were a bit shorter. I found myself skipping pages at times, just to get to the action. But overall, a good story line, interesting characters and I do recommend this book.
November 11, 2019
Excellent mix of Sci-Fi mystery and fantasy!
November 17, 2019
Could not finish it. Just a lot of babbling. The virtual reality world Laars entered finished me off! Pure nonsense. I jumped ship while he and Hunter met with the “Queen, whatever.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews