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Space Unbound #2
Sun Wolf
Why does a man, haunted by a profoundly intimate encounter with an alien intelligence, troubled by a traumatic past, and stalked by a potentially devastating addiction accept an impossible mission to save humanity from certain annihilation? Because he is Aiden Macallan, commander of the Sun Wolf, and those afflictions make him the only person alive who can do the job.
The voidoids--the eerie portals into nearby star systems that have enabled humanity's expansion into Bound Space--are starting to fade out of existence. No one knows why, or who's behind it, but one thing is certain: if the voidoids shut down, it will not only lock humanity out of Bound Space forever, but it will unleash a cosmological catastrophe of runaway dark energy that will tear our universe apart--from atoms to stars. It will happen soon and will happen fast, unless Aiden and his hand-picked crew of the Sun Wolf can stop it.
But as they set course for the Frontier in search for answers, someone is trying to stop them, following from the shadows, attacking at every step of the way. Someone who just might want the destruction of the voidoids to proceed. Now, in a race against time and malevolent forces, light-years from home, the Sun Wolf is humanity's only hope for survival.
The voidoids--the eerie portals into nearby star systems that have enabled humanity's expansion into Bound Space--are starting to fade out of existence. No one knows why, or who's behind it, but one thing is certain: if the voidoids shut down, it will not only lock humanity out of Bound Space forever, but it will unleash a cosmological catastrophe of runaway dark energy that will tear our universe apart--from atoms to stars. It will happen soon and will happen fast, unless Aiden and his hand-picked crew of the Sun Wolf can stop it.
But as they set course for the Frontier in search for answers, someone is trying to stop them, following from the shadows, attacking at every step of the way. Someone who just might want the destruction of the voidoids to proceed. Now, in a race against time and malevolent forces, light-years from home, the Sun Wolf is humanity's only hope for survival.
405 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 24, 2020
19 people are currently reading
308 people want to read
About the author
David C. Jeffrey
4 books10 followersDavid C. Jeffrey was born in Riverside, California, and now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. He graduated with honors in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Irvine. While pursuing a master’s degree in microbiology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, he conducted field research for the National Science Foundation in the rain forests of Costa Rica and has published in several scientific journals. He worked as a science teacher, a microbiologist, and a cardiology RN for over 25 years.
THROUGH A FOREST OF STARS is the first book in Jeffrey’s Space Unbound series, setting the hard sci-fi foundation for the next three sequels. SUN WOLF, Book 2, and THE LIGHT WITHIN DARKNESS, Book 3, continue the hard sci-fi adventure. Book 4 in the series, QARSOON, was released on January 27, 2026, continuing the story of Captain Aiden Macallan and the crew of the Sun Wolf.
The books in the series have received praise from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, have been chosen as EDITOR'S PICK by Publishers Weekly BookLife, and have received STARRED REVIEWs from BlueInk Reviews. Jeffrey's brand of hard sci-fi storytelling has been compared to the works of Author C. Clarke and James S.A. Corey’s Expanse series.
THROUGH A FOREST OF STARS is the first book in Jeffrey’s Space Unbound series, setting the hard sci-fi foundation for the next three sequels. SUN WOLF, Book 2, and THE LIGHT WITHIN DARKNESS, Book 3, continue the hard sci-fi adventure. Book 4 in the series, QARSOON, was released on January 27, 2026, continuing the story of Captain Aiden Macallan and the crew of the Sun Wolf.
The books in the series have received praise from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, have been chosen as EDITOR'S PICK by Publishers Weekly BookLife, and have received STARRED REVIEWs from BlueInk Reviews. Jeffrey's brand of hard sci-fi storytelling has been compared to the works of Author C. Clarke and James S.A. Corey’s Expanse series.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 11, 2021
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
Devices allow faster than light travel through space, but only so far. One scientist breaks the distance barrier, and the devices begin to shut down. A Starship commander tries to prevent it.
Not bad, but it just didn't hit me.
Devices allow faster than light travel through space, but only so far. One scientist breaks the distance barrier, and the devices begin to shut down. A Starship commander tries to prevent it.
Not bad, but it just didn't hit me.
Currently reading
November 18, 2022EDITORIAL REVIEWS
Kirkus Review
“Jeffrey’s yarn is a dandy cosmic mystery conceived on the vast scale of an Arthur C. Clarke or Olaf Stapledon epic . . . there’s a gallery of well-drawn, diverse characters that may pleasantly remind readers of Star Trek; a memorably sinister cabal of villains; and even a smattering of romance. There’s also no shortage of imaginative perils along the way. A fine spacefaring adventure story on a macroscopic scale.” — Kirkus Review
Publishers Weekly BookLife
“The second installment in Jeffrey’s Space Unbound series (after Through a Forest of Stars) follows the crew of the Sun Wolf, a high-tech Science and Survey vessel, on a journey to save the universe. . . an epic space adventure written in the hard SF mode. The plot operates on a grand scale, featuring interplanetary jumping, rogue space pirates, and warring government factions. But, like its predecessor, Sun Wolf really shines on the micro level. Aiden is a likeable, honorable protagonist who commands a diverse crew of scrappy, well-intentioned individuals. . . well-crafted character dynamics add a personal touch to the wide-ranging storyline. . . This detailed space opera with a touch of mystery will appeal to those interested in the science of interplanetary adventure.” — Publishers Weekly BookLife
Readers' Favorite
“A pulsating page-turner that explores new mysteries and newer horizons, Sun Wolf is an entertaining sequel that holds its own when compared with its much-praised predecessor. Author David Jeffrey introduces a couple of fresh faces into his epic sci-fi saga. He also provides in-depth backstories to his older characters and develops them further. Overall, Sun Wolf was a blast to read. I think it is a must-read for sci-fi fans.” — Pikasho Deka for Readers’ Favorite
“Author David C. Jeffrey delivers a highly captivating science fiction story that follows commander Aiden Macallan as he endeavors to save humanity from destruction. Jeffrey does a wonderful job of creating multifaceted characters . . . the scientific information given was thought-provoking and believable, and it got me thinking about the ideas explored in the novel in more depth. Sun Wolf is an exciting and imaginative science fiction novel with a twist of mystery that will keep you engaged and inspired with the universe, the story, and the characters.” — K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
“I’m so happy with Sun Wolf as it adds to the story introduced in Space Unbound book one. . . One of the reasons I love this series is that the real science facts always leave you wondering, what if? There are some new characters too. There was one I wanted to punch at the start but I cried buckets for him in the end. Sun Wolf will entertain you and leave you thinking hard about humanity’s future.”— Maureen Dangarembizi for Readers’ Favorite
Kirkus Review
“Jeffrey’s yarn is a dandy cosmic mystery conceived on the vast scale of an Arthur C. Clarke or Olaf Stapledon epic . . . there’s a gallery of well-drawn, diverse characters that may pleasantly remind readers of Star Trek; a memorably sinister cabal of villains; and even a smattering of romance. There’s also no shortage of imaginative perils along the way. A fine spacefaring adventure story on a macroscopic scale.” — Kirkus Review
Publishers Weekly BookLife
“The second installment in Jeffrey’s Space Unbound series (after Through a Forest of Stars) follows the crew of the Sun Wolf, a high-tech Science and Survey vessel, on a journey to save the universe. . . an epic space adventure written in the hard SF mode. The plot operates on a grand scale, featuring interplanetary jumping, rogue space pirates, and warring government factions. But, like its predecessor, Sun Wolf really shines on the micro level. Aiden is a likeable, honorable protagonist who commands a diverse crew of scrappy, well-intentioned individuals. . . well-crafted character dynamics add a personal touch to the wide-ranging storyline. . . This detailed space opera with a touch of mystery will appeal to those interested in the science of interplanetary adventure.” — Publishers Weekly BookLife
Readers' Favorite
“A pulsating page-turner that explores new mysteries and newer horizons, Sun Wolf is an entertaining sequel that holds its own when compared with its much-praised predecessor. Author David Jeffrey introduces a couple of fresh faces into his epic sci-fi saga. He also provides in-depth backstories to his older characters and develops them further. Overall, Sun Wolf was a blast to read. I think it is a must-read for sci-fi fans.” — Pikasho Deka for Readers’ Favorite
“Author David C. Jeffrey delivers a highly captivating science fiction story that follows commander Aiden Macallan as he endeavors to save humanity from destruction. Jeffrey does a wonderful job of creating multifaceted characters . . . the scientific information given was thought-provoking and believable, and it got me thinking about the ideas explored in the novel in more depth. Sun Wolf is an exciting and imaginative science fiction novel with a twist of mystery that will keep you engaged and inspired with the universe, the story, and the characters.” — K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
“I’m so happy with Sun Wolf as it adds to the story introduced in Space Unbound book one. . . One of the reasons I love this series is that the real science facts always leave you wondering, what if? There are some new characters too. There was one I wanted to punch at the start but I cried buckets for him in the end. Sun Wolf will entertain you and leave you thinking hard about humanity’s future.”— Maureen Dangarembizi for Readers’ Favorite
November 3, 2021
A while ago, I read part one in the series and was intrigued. So I was delighted when I found part two available for my kobo reader.
The writing isn't always too brilliant, but the story was compelling enough to suck me in regardless. I appreciated the sciency bits, which seem to be grounded in real science. The author is a jazz musician, and while I absolutely love jazz, the bits where musical theory is used seemed a bit forced, like how all the major characters seem to be a musician of some kind. It's small things like this that sometimes distracted me a bit from events, but overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
I am definitely looking forward to part 3.
The writing isn't always too brilliant, but the story was compelling enough to suck me in regardless. I appreciated the sciency bits, which seem to be grounded in real science. The author is a jazz musician, and while I absolutely love jazz, the bits where musical theory is used seemed a bit forced, like how all the major characters seem to be a musician of some kind. It's small things like this that sometimes distracted me a bit from events, but overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
I am definitely looking forward to part 3.
July 22, 2021
(I read and reviewed this book for the San Francisco Book Review.)
Having proven himself on the planet Silvanus, Aiden Macallan has been given command of the titular Sun Wolf, a newly minted interstellar spaceship equipped with a mysterious device that enables travel at an incredible ninety-two percent the speed of light. Even more mysterious are the “voidoids” discovered in 2169 that allow spaceships instantaneous passage from one star to another. With access to this naturally occurring phenomenon, the Sun Wolf effortlessly traverses light-years in the time it takes most of us to drive to the grocery store.
When these voidoids begin intermittently disappearing, Aiden and his crew are tasked with investigating. And thanks to an intelligent and capable cast of characters (reminiscent of the crew from Star Trek: Voyager), their investigations bear fruit quickly. The alarming discovery that the voidoids may actually be the glue holding the universe together coincides with the equally alarming discovery that their sporadic outages are purposefully engineered by a terrorist group called Green War.
Elsewhere, brilliant scientist Elgin Woo works out how to travel beyond the outermost voidoids and discovers a planet one hundred and twenty-seven light-years from Earth teeming with colorful, mind-boggling alien life. It is here that Elgin’s most far-fetched scientific theories are developed and reinforced, making him the only person alive capable of restoring the voidoids to proper working order. The question is, can Aiden and his crew connect with him across that unimaginable space before it’s too late?
In book two of his Space Unbound series, author David C. Jeffrey shows boundless imagination, especially when it comes to alien life. There’s also a lot of heavy technospeak on space travel and engineering, all of which is somehow engaging and easy to follow. The astrophobic politics and misleading rhetoric that gain popularity on Earth feel well developed and disconcertingly realistic, though, in my opinion, the caricature politician who gives voice to these ideas is a little too on-the-nose (at one point going so far as to declare he wants to make Earth great again).
Like Sun Wolf's predecessor, my favorite chapters were those that focused on planetary exploration. In Through a Forest of Stars, we got to know Aiden on the planet Silvanus as he interacted with a sentient, planetwide, mycelial lifeform called the Rete. Here, Elgin Woo absolutely steals the show on the planet Shénmì. As he explores, readers are treated to a hodgepodge of strange animal life and even botanical space travelers launched from fast-growing beanstalks. Fans of Arthur C. Clarke and Andy Weir will fall head over heels in love with Jeffrey’s creativity and non-humanoid extraterrestrials.
The climax is surprisingly heavy on dramatic military tropes, and the Sun Wolf's coup de grâce against its diabolical, somewhat campy adversary made me smirk. But even at its most over-the-top, Jeffrey’s follow-up was hard to put down. All told, Sun Wolf is an immensely enjoyable page-turner with action and exploration galore.
Having proven himself on the planet Silvanus, Aiden Macallan has been given command of the titular Sun Wolf, a newly minted interstellar spaceship equipped with a mysterious device that enables travel at an incredible ninety-two percent the speed of light. Even more mysterious are the “voidoids” discovered in 2169 that allow spaceships instantaneous passage from one star to another. With access to this naturally occurring phenomenon, the Sun Wolf effortlessly traverses light-years in the time it takes most of us to drive to the grocery store.
When these voidoids begin intermittently disappearing, Aiden and his crew are tasked with investigating. And thanks to an intelligent and capable cast of characters (reminiscent of the crew from Star Trek: Voyager), their investigations bear fruit quickly. The alarming discovery that the voidoids may actually be the glue holding the universe together coincides with the equally alarming discovery that their sporadic outages are purposefully engineered by a terrorist group called Green War.
Elsewhere, brilliant scientist Elgin Woo works out how to travel beyond the outermost voidoids and discovers a planet one hundred and twenty-seven light-years from Earth teeming with colorful, mind-boggling alien life. It is here that Elgin’s most far-fetched scientific theories are developed and reinforced, making him the only person alive capable of restoring the voidoids to proper working order. The question is, can Aiden and his crew connect with him across that unimaginable space before it’s too late?
In book two of his Space Unbound series, author David C. Jeffrey shows boundless imagination, especially when it comes to alien life. There’s also a lot of heavy technospeak on space travel and engineering, all of which is somehow engaging and easy to follow. The astrophobic politics and misleading rhetoric that gain popularity on Earth feel well developed and disconcertingly realistic, though, in my opinion, the caricature politician who gives voice to these ideas is a little too on-the-nose (at one point going so far as to declare he wants to make Earth great again).
Like Sun Wolf's predecessor, my favorite chapters were those that focused on planetary exploration. In Through a Forest of Stars, we got to know Aiden on the planet Silvanus as he interacted with a sentient, planetwide, mycelial lifeform called the Rete. Here, Elgin Woo absolutely steals the show on the planet Shénmì. As he explores, readers are treated to a hodgepodge of strange animal life and even botanical space travelers launched from fast-growing beanstalks. Fans of Arthur C. Clarke and Andy Weir will fall head over heels in love with Jeffrey’s creativity and non-humanoid extraterrestrials.
The climax is surprisingly heavy on dramatic military tropes, and the Sun Wolf's coup de grâce against its diabolical, somewhat campy adversary made me smirk. But even at its most over-the-top, Jeffrey’s follow-up was hard to put down. All told, Sun Wolf is an immensely enjoyable page-turner with action and exploration galore.
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October 24, 2021A Thought Provoking Read!
This book, along with its predecessor in the series, provides a unique look at "technology" for faster than speed if light travel while making the reader painfully aware of how limiting current theory and practice is (and will be before this changes -- if ever).
Good characters and a good story. I look forward to additional books in the series!
This book, along with its predecessor in the series, provides a unique look at "technology" for faster than speed if light travel while making the reader painfully aware of how limiting current theory and practice is (and will be before this changes -- if ever).
Good characters and a good story. I look forward to additional books in the series!
October 24, 2021
Getting better.
The rough edges of the first book are gone. I need to go looking for book three as soon as I finish this review.
The rough edges of the first book are gone. I need to go looking for book three as soon as I finish this review.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews