Isolation

Dark Nebula #1

by Sean Willson

Lies crafted from good intentions. Death spreading through the stars. When the past returns to claim its due, will anyone survive?

Earth Solar System, the Future. Abigail Olivaw is drowning in self-doubt. Hiding a devastating secret from the populace, the President of the Confederation of Planetary Explorers is horrified when hostile aliens arrive to announce they’re putting humanity on trial. Forced to act as her species’ defender in court, she struggles to hide her family’s hidden multi-generational history that could lead to a sentence of genocide.

Epsilon Eridani Colony. Joyce Green’s passion for her job is dwarfed only by her love for her son. So when he dies from a mysterious virus that threatens the entire settlement, the Director of Colonization vows to stop at nothing to discover what triggered the deadly infection. And as she uncovers the truth bit by bit, her heartbreak fuels a berserk need for justice.

Trapped by guilt over a mistake she didn’t choose, Abigail falls into a tailspin when the invaders reveal the facts of her race’s origins. And when Joyce unmasks a traitor, the rest of her people would be lucky to only die from disease.

With their paths on a collision course, will the women’s consequence-laden decisions destroy humankind’s last hope?

Dark Nebula: Isolation is the gripping first book in the evocative Dark Nebula space opera series. If you like emotionally complex characters, chilling twists, and eye-opening takes on technology, then you’ll love Sean Willson’s sweeping epic.

Buy Dark Nebula: Isolation to launch a defense against corruption today!

Genres: Science Fiction, Amazon, Fiction

494 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 4, 2020

About the author

Sean Willson lives in North Carolina with his wife and three beautiful children. He’s a Computer Engineering in his day job, and when he’s not busy being a father, you can find him peering though his telescope, reading, or enjoying a great cup of coffee. Only after having kids and teaching them they can do anything they put their mind to did he resolve to rekindle his passion for writing.

If you’re interested in learning more about his Dark Nebula, Portalverse, or other series and books, you can subscribe to his newsletter at:

seanwillson.com/join

Reviews

[Andrew Dahms · Rating 4 out of 5]

With action, political intrigue, scheming artificial intelligence, centuries-old families harbouring dark secrets, and mountains (and mountains!) of new technology, Sean Willson’s debut novel is a roiling adventure into the pivotal moment of an intergalactic conflict that’s been brewing for centuries. A giant space opera with hints of classic science fiction in the vein of Asimov and E.E. Smith, Dark Nebula: Isolation is a sprawling story of trust, responsibility, and self discovery that will appeal to fans of science fiction young and old.

The story is set far in the future with the sudden arrival of a series of alien spacecraft in our solar system, tracking the events that follow from a number of different perspectives. In the years before then, humanity has been busy colonising the stars, developing new technology and expanding throughout the solar system, and the appearance of lifeforms other than our own - with advanced technology on their side, nonetheless - throws a major spanner in the plotting of a number of different factions. Much like the characters, the reader is plunged straight into events, and is left to piece together the reason for this change of events through the steadily building conflict that ensues.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this novel was the slow but steady exposition of information about the history and lore of the universe through the different characters. The author has clearly spent a lot of time getting the details and history of their world building down just right, and entering the story feels a lot like catching a glimpse of a much broader universe that has been ticking along for some time. It’s one of those debut stories that makes you wonder whether you’ve been dropped into an already well-established universe, and one that keeps you guessing as well. My expectations about the way events would unfold were overturned on more than one occasion, and the reader is given just the right amount of information to guess at events without ever giving everything away at once.

As a long-time science fiction reader, I’m also a big fan of artificial intelligence done well, and one of my favourite parts of the series is the incorporation of this technology into some of the characters’ lives and its effect on the power dynamics in the setting. The author does a great job of using the technology they introduce in innovative and unexpected ways, and there isn’t a piece of technology introduced that doesn’t come back to have some sway on events at an important point in the story.

Be warned - the cast of characters is huge, as is the introduction of new concepts and history, so it can be a bit of a ride at first. I did find myself trying to keep track of some of the different places and ideas introduced in the beginning, but this quickly settled out early on in the story as we get used to the different perspectives and their lives, and remains constant throughout the rest of the story. There’s a lot going on here, but in many ways, we’re sharing the same journey as the characters as they try to come to terms with this sudden change in a well-established order, and we learn to follow and understand it all as they do.

All in all, Dark Nebula: Isolation feels like the first foray into a gigantic world full of intrigue and conflict ready to come to a head. Things are going to get a lot worse before they get any better, and I can’t wait to see where it all leads.

[Jer Wilcoxen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a mess of a book. Following too many characters from each one's point of view. Those characters' motivations changing on a whim. Many of the characters' behaving against their established personalities. Mysteries hinted at but never revealed. Antagonist aliens with godlike powers one moment, then comically weak two chapters later. Sympathetic aliens that are purposefully antagonized by the protagonists for no reason Uneven, clumsy pacing. No climax to speak of. No loose ends tried whatsoever; so no satisfaction for the reader. And simply put, though I normally hate to be so blunt, but absolutely half-assed world building. And why is every other character from North Carolina?? This is just a terribly put together book with little craftsmanship. The concept had so much potential; with heavy homage nods to Isaac Asimov and David Brin; but it was so ineptly crafted that I'm a little mad I wasted the time on it.

[John Purvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Sean Wilson (https://www.seanwillson.com/) published the novel “Dark Nebula: Isolation” in 2020. Mr. Wilson has published five novels. This is the first in his “Dark Nebula” series.

I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of violence and mature situations. The story is set in the far future of 2278. Humanity has spread throughout the Solar System and has now traveled to the stars.

Abigail Olivaw is President of the Confederation of Planetary Explorers on Earth. Without warning, she is facing an unexpected crisis. Aliens of the Galactic Alliance arrive in the Solar System. They accuse humans of stealing their intellectual property. Olivaw must defend humanity against this deadly charge. This is doubly difficult for Olivaw. She knows her own predecessors stole the technology and used it to build a tech empire.

Major Lync Michaels and Director Joyce Green are at the Earth colony on Epsilon Eridani. They are dealing with their own survival crisis. A strange and deadly disease is spreading through the colony. A secret research facility lies hidden in the Oort Cloud. Humans there are seeking alternative Faster Than Light tech. They are trying to discover new tech not tied to the stolen Galactic Alliance tech. That looks to be the only way humanity can defend itself against the Alliance.

I enjoyed the 11.5+ hours I spent reading this 496-page science fiction novel. The book gave a good start to the series. I look forward to reading later books in the series. This novel came to an abrupt end. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a 4.5 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

[Anne Szlachcic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humanity has finally succeeded in colonising our own Solar system and have founded a Colony 10 light years away on Liprosus . Two other colony ships have also been dispatched one to Alpha Centauri and one to an unknown destination into the Universe......... when an Alien fleet sudden appears in the Solar System .
The Aliens are here to bring humanity to trial on charges of crimes against the Galactic Alliance - a crime we know nothing about ! How could we steal something we did not know existed ?
It is left to Abigail Olivaw , President of Planetary Explorers , and her AI to present our defence - if unsuccessful Humanity will be exterminated .
It looks as though the Aliens might just pre-empt the result of the Trial ......... will we survive ?

This book has an interesting premise but I felt too much time was spent on Abigail's background and the details surrounding our Solar system - that being said it was a book I enjoyed .

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author has created a universe that is complex, detailed, and so darned interesting! Mankind is facing not just one alien threat but a coalition of many aliens. The humans have several factions as well, the Outers, Inners, Ilixi, and the Olivars. An alien probe was discovered and when taken apart revealed faster than light travel. A hundred years passed and now the aliens want the humans to pay the ultimate price for the "theft" of their technology, a price of total extermination. The story is not complete at it's end as it is part of a series yet does not leave you with a huge cliffhanger. I can't wait to read the next book in this series!

[Garrett · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out ok with a lot of interesting sci-fi ideas but never went beyond the surface level on any of them. The world felt so similar to life today despite the futuristic technology implanted and surrounding all the characters. The book tries to tell the stories of so many different characters and doesn’t compete a single story arc for any plot or character. The ending is the worst as the last 20 percent of the book is just people meeting someone new and immediately trying to kill them, no joke it happens 5 times.

2 stars

[Lori Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received as a review copy, this is an honest review. Prepare yourself for a journey that is haunting for being s immersive... you feel as if you're right among the harrowing action and deep political chaos that fills every single page. Recommended.

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Dark Nebula: Isolation. The characters are intriguing, and the plot is imaginative, complex but reasonable. The only fly in the ointment is Admiral Nguyen. How he ever achieved the rank of Admiral with his uncontrollable anger issues is beyond me!

[Anthony Philosophos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this action, scifi thriller. I could not put the book down. It's a fast paced novel, Sean Wilson has written a winner! I am looking forward to the sequel of this book.

[Louise Sumrell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not worth reading

The punctuation errors were bad enough, but the logical inconsistency stopped me at page 40, and I only got that far due to inertia.

[Doris Stillings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alien invasion

Good book about human stealing tech from aliens and using it for their own. Now humanity is on trial, and the aliens are ready to wipe us out. A good read.

[Marvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2278 humans have succeeded in colonising our solar system and have founded a young colony on Liprosus, the only habitable planet orbiting Epsilon Eridani, approximately 10 light years from Earth. Another ship is en route to Tau Ceti, and a third to an unnamed destination. Until now, the human race thought we were alone in the universe, but now, out of nowhere, an alien fleet appears in the solar system. The aliens are here to bring humanity to trial on charges of crimes against the Galactic Alliance, more precisely the theft of Faster Than Light technology, hundreds of years ago. An interesting premise because how can humanity have stolen something from aliens it didn’t even know existed? It is up to Abigail Olivaw, President of the Confederation of Planetary Explorers, to defend our species. If she fails, we will be exterminated. And it doesn’t appear as if the Galactic Alliance will be awaiting the outcome of the trial before taking action.

The book starts with a short prologue in which Abigail Olivaw is introduced briefly. She is an important protagonist in this book, the entire Olivaw family actually is. Readers familiar with Isaac Asimov will recognise this name of course because it highly reminds of R. Daneel Olivaw, a recurring robot in Asimov’s books. Besides this, Willson has also incorporated the three (four) laws of robotics in this book, be it adapted for use with A.I.’s. (By the way, Abigail and her two brothers are named after Willsons own three children.)

After the prologue, there is a data sheet about our solar system, in which readers can find all the details of its colonisation at that moment in time. Handy, it gets you up to speed. After that, we quickly meet a bunch of new people on many different places. Luckily, the auteur has made the excellent choice to name each chapter after the main character in it, and has also included the place of action as a subtitle.

Willson’s writing is swift and smooth and he delivers a nicely balanced mix of dialogue, action and description. It’s sci-fi so there is plenty of technology, but it doesn’t stand in the way of character development and plot. Technology is important, but it doesn’t feel as being overused. Every now and then Willson adds an unexpected twist and manages to surprise his readers, and this trick too isn’t overdone. When you start reading, you have to know that the story isn’t finished at the end of this book. If you want to know how the story continues, you need to continue reading the next parts. It’s actually pretty cool that we don’t have to wait another year for book two. With Dark Nebula: Isolation coming out on December 4 (2020), book two (Discovery) will already become available on January 4 (2021), and book three (Generations) on February 4. Willson worked for five years on these three books and it’s a nice surprise they get published so soon after each other. Also, the author speaks about “the first three books”, so there are more to come.

Willson reuses things from other sci-fi franchises here and there. Asimov was mentioned already, but some things also remind of Star Wars. The Galactic Alliance with some exotic life forms did that for me, for instance, and the Ulixi, a human clan living near Jupiter, use a kind of English that immediately made me think of Yoda. Willson even literally mentions 'the dark side' at one point. And that shooting moon on the book cover, well, it should make you think of something… I also had a very brief Battlestar Galactica moment while reading, a brief Stargate flash too, and the Expanse series by James S.A. Corey crossed my mind as well. But to be very clear, Willson didn’t steal anything. If you have read/watched a lot of sci-fi for decades, you inevitably have seen everything already in some or other form. So there are occasional resemblances, but Willson adds novelties as well and succeeds in delivering an original story of his own, which hasn’t stopped fascinating me. I’m eager to get my hands on the second novel of this series.

(Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ADRC in exchange for an honest review.)