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Extension
A dying planet…
A thousand impossibilities... one solution…
Can Ayathesti live up to the expectations of her?
A multi award-winning, heart-pounding sci-fi romance that will keep you on the edge of your seat.Meet Ayathesti, the anxiety plagued geneticist tasked with a mission to save her world from extinction.
As planet Naratu faces its demise, the only hope for the Mujai people lies in aerosolizing gold into the atmosphere. Ayathesti accompanies the team on an eighty-seven-year flight to a new planet, tasked with pinpointing an indigenous species to create a hybrid for gold production. But when her compassionate nature conflicts with her people’s need for survival, Ayathesti must make an impossible choice.
Tiamet is the mission leader, and the pressure is on to succeed, but his history with Ayathesti creates a distracting tension. Will they be able to stay focused and achieve their goals, or will their growing attraction put the mission at risk?
Fans of sci-fi and romance alike will love this gripping tale of adventure, morality, and love. And if you enjoy books like “The Sparrow” by Mary Doria Russell and “The 100” by Kass Morgan, you won’t want to miss Extension.
Embark on an unforgettable journey to save a world on the brink of demise and get your copy today!
A thousand impossibilities... one solution…
Can Ayathesti live up to the expectations of her?
A multi award-winning, heart-pounding sci-fi romance that will keep you on the edge of your seat.Meet Ayathesti, the anxiety plagued geneticist tasked with a mission to save her world from extinction.
As planet Naratu faces its demise, the only hope for the Mujai people lies in aerosolizing gold into the atmosphere. Ayathesti accompanies the team on an eighty-seven-year flight to a new planet, tasked with pinpointing an indigenous species to create a hybrid for gold production. But when her compassionate nature conflicts with her people’s need for survival, Ayathesti must make an impossible choice.
Tiamet is the mission leader, and the pressure is on to succeed, but his history with Ayathesti creates a distracting tension. Will they be able to stay focused and achieve their goals, or will their growing attraction put the mission at risk?
Fans of sci-fi and romance alike will love this gripping tale of adventure, morality, and love. And if you enjoy books like “The Sparrow” by Mary Doria Russell and “The 100” by Kass Morgan, you won’t want to miss Extension.
Embark on an unforgettable journey to save a world on the brink of demise and get your copy today!
278 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 17, 2020
5 people are currently reading
5 people want to read
About the author
Melody Kepler
5 books49 followersMelody Kepler writes emotionally intense romance where love collides with darkness, science, and the unknown. Her debut—seven years in the making—sparked a passion for tragic, character-driven stories that blend science fiction with haunting romance. When she’s not exploring the fragile line between monster and man on the page, she’s at home in Utah with her husband, kids, and two dogs, always searching for new ideas and the psychology that makes characters feel real.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 26, 2023
The planet Naratu is dying. Right off the bat, the premise had me.
Dive in, head first into a scientifically stimulating story riveting with deep character development and delicate romantic tension.
Ayathesti is a brilliant sympathetic scientist over-whelmed by her own feelings for a confident, somewhat-cocky at times, mission leader. The conflicts within herself and pain are so real and true, most readers will definitely relate to it. Oh and Nineveh is an absolute doll. Her quirky uplifting personality is a perfect addition to the introverted Ayathesti. Kepler writes each character as if they are so real, you could have a conversation with them.
I loved every moment between Ayathesti and Tiamet. If those two were talking, I was captivated. I just wanted so badly for Ayathesti to get the courage to express her feelings and for those two to be together. Keplar does an amazing job keeping you engaged.
The main premise reminds me of something you'd see in the best of the Star Trek Next Generation episodes, which brought its own nostalgia to this Sci Fi fan, of sitting by the TV every week with her dad. Its got good, well thought out story and science, which is hard to find these days.
I definitely plan to buy the next book and all the books in this series.
Dive in, head first into a scientifically stimulating story riveting with deep character development and delicate romantic tension.
Ayathesti is a brilliant sympathetic scientist over-whelmed by her own feelings for a confident, somewhat-cocky at times, mission leader. The conflicts within herself and pain are so real and true, most readers will definitely relate to it. Oh and Nineveh is an absolute doll. Her quirky uplifting personality is a perfect addition to the introverted Ayathesti. Kepler writes each character as if they are so real, you could have a conversation with them.
I loved every moment between Ayathesti and Tiamet. If those two were talking, I was captivated. I just wanted so badly for Ayathesti to get the courage to express her feelings and for those two to be together. Keplar does an amazing job keeping you engaged.
The main premise reminds me of something you'd see in the best of the Star Trek Next Generation episodes, which brought its own nostalgia to this Sci Fi fan, of sitting by the TV every week with her dad. Its got good, well thought out story and science, which is hard to find these days.
I definitely plan to buy the next book and all the books in this series.
April 26, 2020
This novel is brimming with atmosphere and character development! Ayathesti's struggle with indecisiveness and self-doubt rings true here, and confuses and enrages her coworkers, which only makes it seem more real. I really enjoyed my time with this book, it gave me serious Mass Effect vibes, (and I love Mass Effect). I'm very excited to read more by this author!
August 15, 2020
Review originally posted here, at Reedsy Discovery: https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/ext...
A science fiction romance story, involving scientists sent on a questionable mission to save their planet from environmental destruction.
Suffering from work-related anxiety is bad enough, but what if your job involved a mission to rescue your entire world from extinction? Meet Ayathesti--the main character of Mily Ketchum's relationship-driven science fiction novel Extension--a geneticist of the Mujai people who is undergoing this stressful predicament.
Aya has been struggling since her dad passed away: she aggressively focuses on her work, often drinks in the evening to calm her nerves, and doesn't get along very well with people. Even worse, she has a huge crush on her co-worker Tiamet, but she never seems to be able to say the right thing around him. Tiamet is leading the expedition Aya's going on to save the planet, so she'll need to learn how to reconcile her feelings if The Extension Project is going to succeed.
Aya and Tiamet's home planet, Naratu, needs gold dust in the atmosphere to avoid destruction; the world's governing body, The Council, has determined a solution to maintaining the gold supply. The Mujai will collect DNA from a compatible species on a planet called Earth and splice the DNA with their own to create a genetic hybrid. These new creatures will work to supply gold for Naratu.
Even though Aya is the lead geneticist on this mission, she doesn't agree with The Council's decision. It seems like the Mujai are creating slaves to solve their problems, instead of working out a solution on their own. Despite Aya's reservations, she has to go along with this plan in order to ensure her planet's survival. Tiamet and Aya (along with other work companions, including their friends Nineveh and Latif) must set off on a lengthy journey to Earth quickly, as the atmospheric situation on Naratu is rapidly deteriorating. On Earth, the team will encounter unfamiliar environments--and bipedal creatures that could be friend or foe. Will Aya go along with the mission and get along with Tiamet, or will she align with the beings of Earth instead?
Extension is mostly focused on the relationships between the main characters, their arguments and potential romances, as opposed to the machinations of the larger science fictional world in which they occur. Ketchum smartly switches back and forth between Aya and Tiamet's narrative voices, highlighting tensions and misunderstandings along the way as the plot develops. I'd recommend this book for readers looking for a complicated psychological romance taking place on a different planet, with a dangerous space journey as the backdrop and setting for character development.
A science fiction romance story, involving scientists sent on a questionable mission to save their planet from environmental destruction.
Suffering from work-related anxiety is bad enough, but what if your job involved a mission to rescue your entire world from extinction? Meet Ayathesti--the main character of Mily Ketchum's relationship-driven science fiction novel Extension--a geneticist of the Mujai people who is undergoing this stressful predicament.
Aya has been struggling since her dad passed away: she aggressively focuses on her work, often drinks in the evening to calm her nerves, and doesn't get along very well with people. Even worse, she has a huge crush on her co-worker Tiamet, but she never seems to be able to say the right thing around him. Tiamet is leading the expedition Aya's going on to save the planet, so she'll need to learn how to reconcile her feelings if The Extension Project is going to succeed.
Aya and Tiamet's home planet, Naratu, needs gold dust in the atmosphere to avoid destruction; the world's governing body, The Council, has determined a solution to maintaining the gold supply. The Mujai will collect DNA from a compatible species on a planet called Earth and splice the DNA with their own to create a genetic hybrid. These new creatures will work to supply gold for Naratu.
Even though Aya is the lead geneticist on this mission, she doesn't agree with The Council's decision. It seems like the Mujai are creating slaves to solve their problems, instead of working out a solution on their own. Despite Aya's reservations, she has to go along with this plan in order to ensure her planet's survival. Tiamet and Aya (along with other work companions, including their friends Nineveh and Latif) must set off on a lengthy journey to Earth quickly, as the atmospheric situation on Naratu is rapidly deteriorating. On Earth, the team will encounter unfamiliar environments--and bipedal creatures that could be friend or foe. Will Aya go along with the mission and get along with Tiamet, or will she align with the beings of Earth instead?
Extension is mostly focused on the relationships between the main characters, their arguments and potential romances, as opposed to the machinations of the larger science fictional world in which they occur. Ketchum smartly switches back and forth between Aya and Tiamet's narrative voices, highlighting tensions and misunderstandings along the way as the plot develops. I'd recommend this book for readers looking for a complicated psychological romance taking place on a different planet, with a dangerous space journey as the backdrop and setting for character development.
February 10, 2023
Extension by Melody Kepler is an intellectually-invigorating science fiction novel that takes science to some imaginative ends while still remaining grounded in the science process. In Naratu, gold is precious, but the planet is dying without it. The people of Naratu need workers to mine for their precious gold, but the method they propose is questionable and unethical. Ayathesti, a geneticist and a perfectionist, is selected to join a special mission: travel to a strange planet, Earth, to find suitable specimens to create a hybrid species. Tiamet, the mission leader, further complicates the matter by causing conflict between Ayathesti and her feelings for him.
With Ayathesti as the lead geneticist on a mission to Earth, she must adapt to the long, harsh journey to another world, with harsh elements unlike her own, while achieving her goals and avoiding them at all costs. Tiamet only adds further challenges to the mission, which may risk Ayathesti’s focus. I enjoyed how Kepler brings the reader into Ayathesti’s head and into a more intimate, rarely seen side of humanity in science fiction. The first in a series, I found the story exciting, and a definite page-turner, as I constantly wondered what would happen next.
In her debut novel, Melody Kepler has created a whole new world inhabited by a species called the Mujai, which is impressively detailed, as well as her knowledge of genetic science and processes. This knowledge helps the reader enter the story with a solid understanding of the mission and the characters’ risks. I especially liked how the author shows the perspective of Earth from another planet, and its people, which is intriguing and entertaining.
Extension by Melody Kepler is an exciting story, and I thoroughly enjoyed her view expressed through another species and how they view humans. It’s an excellent sci-fi book, worth 4 out of 5 stars, and an excellent read for science fiction fans looking for compelling science with a touch of romance.
With Ayathesti as the lead geneticist on a mission to Earth, she must adapt to the long, harsh journey to another world, with harsh elements unlike her own, while achieving her goals and avoiding them at all costs. Tiamet only adds further challenges to the mission, which may risk Ayathesti’s focus. I enjoyed how Kepler brings the reader into Ayathesti’s head and into a more intimate, rarely seen side of humanity in science fiction. The first in a series, I found the story exciting, and a definite page-turner, as I constantly wondered what would happen next.
In her debut novel, Melody Kepler has created a whole new world inhabited by a species called the Mujai, which is impressively detailed, as well as her knowledge of genetic science and processes. This knowledge helps the reader enter the story with a solid understanding of the mission and the characters’ risks. I especially liked how the author shows the perspective of Earth from another planet, and its people, which is intriguing and entertaining.
Extension by Melody Kepler is an exciting story, and I thoroughly enjoyed her view expressed through another species and how they view humans. It’s an excellent sci-fi book, worth 4 out of 5 stars, and an excellent read for science fiction fans looking for compelling science with a touch of romance.
August 5, 2020
Really loved this book! Great character development throughout and characters are always what makes a story for me. I loved the world-building and enjoyed the different perspective of viewing earth through the eyes of an alien race trying to save their own homeworld.
I like sci-fi but I tend to skip a lot of the over-descriptiveness of the science aspect to the stories. This was beautifully done from a 1st person POV and I did not really find myself skipping at all.
I won’t go into too many details to avoid spoilers, but I can’t wait to read the next one when it comes out!!
I like sci-fi but I tend to skip a lot of the over-descriptiveness of the science aspect to the stories. This was beautifully done from a 1st person POV and I did not really find myself skipping at all.
I won’t go into too many details to avoid spoilers, but I can’t wait to read the next one when it comes out!!
September 1, 2021
A Story of Love and Exotic Exuberance
A scifi story unlike anything I've ever read before. The journey was exciting meeting all the characters and learning more about their emotions and interactions with one another. The love story between the two many characters felt real! This is definitely an excellently well written piece of work and I look forward to ready more by the author!
A scifi story unlike anything I've ever read before. The journey was exciting meeting all the characters and learning more about their emotions and interactions with one another. The love story between the two many characters felt real! This is definitely an excellently well written piece of work and I look forward to ready more by the author!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews