At the Pace of Man

by Devyn Regueira

In 1999, humanity’s attention is drawn toward a garden in the night. Just forty light years outside their celestial nursery and a handful of scientific revolutions beyond their reach, the TRAPPIST-1 system, comprised of an ornery dwarf star and her seven fertile daughters, seems nothing short of an Earth-in-waiting to the fervid ambitions of a species just now beginning to outgrow the cradle.Some centuries after and some distance away, the dollar is obsolete and salaries are paid in access to scarce Suspension Pods—the almighty Minute. Every working man and woman born aboard the ITS Santa Maria is pursuing a chance at sleeping away the waning decades of the interstellar voyage they’d inherited to nurture for themselves that garden in the night. For a restless few, a chance isn’t good enough and neither is the pay. Drastic measures will be undertaken and political anachronisms revived as struggles of an ancient character threaten to undo a mission of post-scarcity proportions. Whatever the danger, though, be it on the first attempt or the hundredth and at any expense, that humanity would not be denied his new conquest was never in doubt. But to survive a trip on the scales of light, it was inhumanity which had learned to be crafty.

348 pages, Paperback

Published December 12, 2020

About the author

Devyn's unique approach to science fiction as a genre has inspired tens of people, although there is speculation that that figure may now be in the dozens. He attended Florida State University, graduating pseudo cum laude with a major in Political Science and a Minor-In-Possession.

Reviews

[Pepita Maiden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique and exciting new voice in sci-fi, Regueira weaves his complex but funny dialogue through a dual plot line, the correlation between which keeps us guessing even at the end with its twisty little hint. The main story is a sort of Snow-piercer in space, with a cast of characters expressing the range of emotions one might imagine felt on a centuries-long voyage where humans yearn for the planet lost and the home to come in equal measure. The pleasure is not at all in the journey! Like his previous novel, Pace of Man is a more challenging read due to sophisticated and sometimes elaborate prose, and readers need to get used to that to enjoy what is really a very good story. Take up the challenge, stick with it and you’ll be rewarded.

[Peter McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an uncertain future, mankind has fled the earth in search of a new home among the stars. It’s a roughly 300 year journey, but integral to ensure the continued survival of our species. Aboard the ITS Santa Maria, the vessel carrying its passengers to their new home, people aren’t paid in currency as we know it, but rather “Minutes,” which can be used to buy time in suspension pods that halt the natural aging process of the human body and theoretically make it possible that someone who was aboard the ship when it first embarked could set foot on the new home planet. When it becomes apparent that these “Minutes” aren’t as scarce as they seem and that a ruling upper class may be manipulating things to keep their underlings subservient, you can’t help but wonder if they will ever make it to their destination.

“At the Pace of Man” by Devyn Reguira was a great sci-fi epic and introduction to the series. I loved all of the cool sci-fi tech that really immersed you into the future. The writing style was also great, similes and metaphors kept you on your toes, particularly those from one crotchety old man. There was actually a whole different storyline sprinkled in between chapters of the ITS Santa Maria’s journey and I wondered how the two would eventually converge. The payoff was great when they finally did. I did feel, at times, that the story was weighted down occasionally by exposition and long tangents of philosophy or explanations of futuristic technologies, but overall I would definitely check out future books in the series.