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Pelagia: Between the Stars and the Abyss
Former special forces agent turned particle physicist Ben Holden is on the run.
The New Caliphate will stop at nothing to get their hands on his wife's scientific research, which is believed to hold the key to unleashing chaos in the West and advancing their cause.
But in reality it's Ben's biometrics that have the potential to unlock the information they so desperately need. Within the submerged world of Pelagia, in the year 2066, Ben finds sanctuary among the sea settlers of the South Pacific Pelagic Territory, but his respite is short-lived...
The New Caliphate will stop at nothing to get their hands on his wife's scientific research, which is believed to hold the key to unleashing chaos in the West and advancing their cause.
But in reality it's Ben's biometrics that have the potential to unlock the information they so desperately need. Within the submerged world of Pelagia, in the year 2066, Ben finds sanctuary among the sea settlers of the South Pacific Pelagic Territory, but his respite is short-lived...
416 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 18, 2021
11 people are currently reading
493 people want to read
About the author
Steve Holloway
1 book128 followersI grew up in the beach cities of Los Angeles, California, and have always loved the sea. A degree in Aquatic Biology from University of California, Santa Barbara opened many opportunities around the world to work in marine science.
Currently I live with my family in England and consult with a Christian charity for mariculture projects around the Indo-Pacific region. Pelagia is my first foray into fiction and reflects three of my passions: the ocean, science, and the dynamics of faith.
Visit - www.Pelagia.net
Currently I live with my family in England and consult with a Christian charity for mariculture projects around the Indo-Pacific region. Pelagia is my first foray into fiction and reflects three of my passions: the ocean, science, and the dynamics of faith.
Visit - www.Pelagia.net
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 4, 2022
The cover for Pelagia by Steve Holloway is soooo awesome, that I HAD TO HAVE a copy and diving into Steve’s world of oceanic wonder was a delight, when we weren’t dodging bullets and being rescued.
He’d been kidnapped and awakes, trapped in the bow of a yacht, being thrown around during a storm. When the warmth of the water closes over him, he feels at home. What a great start to fantastic adventure that crosses the globe.
Pelagics have a saying, ‘we make our lives at the edge of creation, we walk in wonder’.
The Pelagic Territory is a water community in international waters. Because there are no laws governing them, it creates tremendous problems and dangers for the residents.
Ben’s losses overwhelm him and he struggles to find solid ground to stand on. In his darkest moment, Paul Whitestone found him. The friends he accumulates as he puts his life back together are steadfast, loyal, everlasting. His faith will be tested. Though religion is mentioned a lot, it is pertinent to the story. No preaching, just characters questioning….
Though Ben is the star of the show, Paul Whitestone has his back in dangerous situations, knowing when he is in need. Sophia is autistic and one of the standout characters. I love the relationship she develops with Ben and her ‘Rainman’ life.
The Caliphate wants Ben. The need him, to accomplish their evil goals they have set to disrupt the lives of their enemies. It always amazes me how religion can be twisted to suit some people’s needs. How something developed for good can be used for bad. How far some people will go to get what they want.
I found the life of the seasteaders fascinating. I got lost in their beautifully created undersea world. Steve Holloway’s descriptions made Pelagia come to life, and Nemo’s bedtime stories were mesmerizing. His words created images that rolled through my mind like a YouTube video. It makes me wonder how far we have advanced in real life.
“The exploration of science is systemic wonder.”
Pelagia by Steve Holloway is 416 pages filled with wonderful words of wisdom, filled with warnings and wonders of what the future could hold.
I would like to finish this hard to write review with these words of wisdom:
‘All that is necessary for Evil to triumph is for good men – good people, people like you and me – to do nothing.’ Edmund Burke
Where do YOU draw the line? When do YOU make a stand?
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Pelagia by Steve Holloway.
See more at fundinmental
He’d been kidnapped and awakes, trapped in the bow of a yacht, being thrown around during a storm. When the warmth of the water closes over him, he feels at home. What a great start to fantastic adventure that crosses the globe.
Pelagics have a saying, ‘we make our lives at the edge of creation, we walk in wonder’.
The Pelagic Territory is a water community in international waters. Because there are no laws governing them, it creates tremendous problems and dangers for the residents.
Ben’s losses overwhelm him and he struggles to find solid ground to stand on. In his darkest moment, Paul Whitestone found him. The friends he accumulates as he puts his life back together are steadfast, loyal, everlasting. His faith will be tested. Though religion is mentioned a lot, it is pertinent to the story. No preaching, just characters questioning….
Though Ben is the star of the show, Paul Whitestone has his back in dangerous situations, knowing when he is in need. Sophia is autistic and one of the standout characters. I love the relationship she develops with Ben and her ‘Rainman’ life.
The Caliphate wants Ben. The need him, to accomplish their evil goals they have set to disrupt the lives of their enemies. It always amazes me how religion can be twisted to suit some people’s needs. How something developed for good can be used for bad. How far some people will go to get what they want.
I found the life of the seasteaders fascinating. I got lost in their beautifully created undersea world. Steve Holloway’s descriptions made Pelagia come to life, and Nemo’s bedtime stories were mesmerizing. His words created images that rolled through my mind like a YouTube video. It makes me wonder how far we have advanced in real life.
“The exploration of science is systemic wonder.”
Pelagia by Steve Holloway is 416 pages filled with wonderful words of wisdom, filled with warnings and wonders of what the future could hold.
I would like to finish this hard to write review with these words of wisdom:
‘All that is necessary for Evil to triumph is for good men – good people, people like you and me – to do nothing.’ Edmund Burke
Where do YOU draw the line? When do YOU make a stand?
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Pelagia by Steve Holloway.
See more at fundinmental
January 2, 2022
Steve Holloway’s Pelagia is a unique and fascinating novel. It’s not often I read a science fiction story that has me hoping the future depicted might actually come to pass, but I would love to be part of the oceanic civilization the author describes so vividly. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, with its combination of futuristic science in the realm of marine biology, thought-provoking philosophical themes, and fast-paced adventure.
One of the author’s skills is the capacity to extrapolate from existing scientific knowledge – clearly well-researched and understood – to establish a world in 2066, where huge leaps forward have been achieved in humanity’s attempts to better protect and exist in harmony with the natural environment, specifically its oceanic waters. This is no dystopian Waterworld, but a sophisticated collaboration of peaceful sea communities living in architecturally intelligent settlements, who employ AI to help them farm fish commercially yet humanely. I am not a scientist, yet interested and informed enough to have read various accounts of current research and breakthroughs which might herald Pelagia’s more advanced civilization. Knowing that the foundations on which that world could be built are set in today’s reality helped my appreciation of the novel’s plausible set up. The stunning locations are painted in beautiful language. The novel’s characters are well drawn, and their back stories empathically filled in, from the youngest member of the sea community – an autistic savante called Sophia – to the complex antagonist, a scientist seeking Caliphate supremacy.
In spite of their positive advances and admirable ethics, a familiar threat is visited upon the sea communities when they offer sanctuary to the novel’s protagonist. Driven in the name of religion, the stakes are high. Former soldier Ben Holden is being pursued by Islamic fundamentalists for his fingerprint key to information that could be used to trigger cataclysmic earthquakes along the US seaboard, destroying the progressive new way of life. I particularly appreciated the author’s sensitive handling of the religious themes in this novel. He bravely projects a deep division that exists in today’s world into his envisaged future, yet resists splitting along a good v. bad axis. Instead, he peoples both camps with authentic, well-rounded characters, conveying a spiritually mature understanding of the themes and experiences that can unite major world religions. His message is clear: it is power, not religion that corrupts.
I would love to learn more about Pelagia’s marine farming communities and encourage others to read Holloway’s debut novel before he finishes his sequel. In fact, the novel’s locations and characters and were depicted so clearly, and its action was so page-turning that I could easily see the blockbuster Hollywood action movie being filmed!
One of the author’s skills is the capacity to extrapolate from existing scientific knowledge – clearly well-researched and understood – to establish a world in 2066, where huge leaps forward have been achieved in humanity’s attempts to better protect and exist in harmony with the natural environment, specifically its oceanic waters. This is no dystopian Waterworld, but a sophisticated collaboration of peaceful sea communities living in architecturally intelligent settlements, who employ AI to help them farm fish commercially yet humanely. I am not a scientist, yet interested and informed enough to have read various accounts of current research and breakthroughs which might herald Pelagia’s more advanced civilization. Knowing that the foundations on which that world could be built are set in today’s reality helped my appreciation of the novel’s plausible set up. The stunning locations are painted in beautiful language. The novel’s characters are well drawn, and their back stories empathically filled in, from the youngest member of the sea community – an autistic savante called Sophia – to the complex antagonist, a scientist seeking Caliphate supremacy.
In spite of their positive advances and admirable ethics, a familiar threat is visited upon the sea communities when they offer sanctuary to the novel’s protagonist. Driven in the name of religion, the stakes are high. Former soldier Ben Holden is being pursued by Islamic fundamentalists for his fingerprint key to information that could be used to trigger cataclysmic earthquakes along the US seaboard, destroying the progressive new way of life. I particularly appreciated the author’s sensitive handling of the religious themes in this novel. He bravely projects a deep division that exists in today’s world into his envisaged future, yet resists splitting along a good v. bad axis. Instead, he peoples both camps with authentic, well-rounded characters, conveying a spiritually mature understanding of the themes and experiences that can unite major world religions. His message is clear: it is power, not religion that corrupts.
I would love to learn more about Pelagia’s marine farming communities and encourage others to read Holloway’s debut novel before he finishes his sequel. In fact, the novel’s locations and characters and were depicted so clearly, and its action was so page-turning that I could easily see the blockbuster Hollywood action movie being filmed!
August 28, 2021
In the midst of a suspenseful story set in 2066, the hero finds refuge in a sea-based community, started by Italian and Yemeni followers of Jesus. Religious elements are well-done, sketched in lightly. This is a hopeful view of the future, showing ways we might address environmental challenges and expand into the sea.
My favorite character is Sophia, an autistic girl with brilliant abilities to design robotic animals that realistically imitate real fish and other creatures and do the jobs needed by the community. Her father Suliman, sheikh of the community, is as wise as Solomon. Her brother has found ways to talk and work with dolphins, treating them as equal members of the community.
There is even a romance, though the action keeps interrupting it; still, it adds a deeper connection to the characters and plot.
This is a wonderful book; I enjoyed all of it, with its range from the ocean to the land. I look forward to a sequel, but this book stands on its own very well. Highly recommended.
My favorite character is Sophia, an autistic girl with brilliant abilities to design robotic animals that realistically imitate real fish and other creatures and do the jobs needed by the community. Her father Suliman, sheikh of the community, is as wise as Solomon. Her brother has found ways to talk and work with dolphins, treating them as equal members of the community.
There is even a romance, though the action keeps interrupting it; still, it adds a deeper connection to the characters and plot.
This is a wonderful book; I enjoyed all of it, with its range from the ocean to the land. I look forward to a sequel, but this book stands on its own very well. Highly recommended.
September 15, 2025
I honestly loved this book—I couldn’t put it down! Every time I thought I’d stop after “just one more chapter,” I kept going. Like a lot of the other 5-star reviews, I agree that the worldbuilding is amazing, the characters feel real, and the mix of science, adventure, and heart keeps you hooked from start to finish. People mention how immersive the setting is and how it makes you feel like you’re right there in the story—I felt the same.
It’s one of those books that makes you want to slow down to enjoy the details but also race ahead to see what happens next. I’m already looking forward to reading whatever Steve Holloway writes next. Definitely a 5-star read for me too!
It’s one of those books that makes you want to slow down to enjoy the details but also race ahead to see what happens next. I’m already looking forward to reading whatever Steve Holloway writes next. Definitely a 5-star read for me too!
September 20, 2025
I wasn't so sure what I would think about this book, but once I started it, I could hardly put it down. I read it from cover to cover in just a couple of days. The plot is believable and exciting, the descriptions are good and clear, and there is a good pace to the writing. Character development is believable and you find yourself really connecting with the characters. I liked the descriptions of technology that is, of course, not yet possible (but something to look forward to). I loved the idea of the maritime community that Pelagia is. I can't wait to read a sequel.
September 18, 2021
Pelagia combines a unique science-based concept, and a credible vision for the future, with fast-paced and engaging adventure. I was put in mind of Swiss dramatist Friedrich Durrenmatt's 'The Physicists' in terms of the struggle to politicise science. The pursuit of an heroic figure by organised Islamic fundamentalists is both wholly plausible and frightening. Intelligently written and literate, this is an enjoyable read.
December 1, 2021
One of my favourites. This near-future, techno-thriller, hard-science, faith-revealing book kept me gripped throughout. I especially love the vignettes with Sophia, the autistic daughter of the ship's captain, and those in which the world of the sea-steading community is described.
June 24, 2022
Interesting world, fun story, a little slow. 20-30% shorter would have improved the pacing a lot.
September 16, 2025
Did not finish
September 16, 2025
What an exceptional novel by Holloway. Ted Decker meets WATER WORLD in this entertaining and perceptive romp with a good eye for credible next-gen science.
September 22, 2021
Review to follow...
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews