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Arrival: A novel of Uplift and First Contact
Battle lines are drawn to contest the fate of a world.
Alliances and communication are in place between the Ceph and Humans to build widespread relationships. Projects to save not only humanity, but the world itself are advancing. The balance between secrecy and revelation is precarious, however, and a mistake will provoke disaster.
Bright, the Ceph Matriarch, chosen to be Ambassador from the Ceph on Earth to the Civilization, faces a trial of self-sacrifice. Stella, her oldest friend, must choose between loyalty to her race and what she knows must happen for her race to survive. Thomas Belten, aka Ax10m the criminal hacker vowed that he would have his revenge, and he would not be stopped even by his own death. Pearl the Ansible once again must balance the demands of the future against all it has worked a billion years to build, and the children it loves but never dreamed would exist.
Ideology has faced off against reason and compassion. The prize is the very existence of humanity. The world-ship, the Swimmer in Relativity, is due and with it comes judgement.
A spark will kindle a blaze that could sweep the world to ash, and an enemy from beyond the grave will strike that spark.
~***~
Praise for The Reborn, First book in the Ceph Universe.
5 out of 5 stars - 14 December 2020 - An excellent hard sci-fi book.
The story is well-paced and compelling, and very visual in its descriptions. It really lends itself to a screenplay and I’d to see this hit the screens!
5 out of 5 stars - 16 April 2021 - Really interesting look at uplift and first contact.
This is a gripping take of first contact from an alien POV. There is a really unusual take on uplift which drives the first half of the novel.
5 out of 5 stars - 21 August 2021 - It was amazing!
A tour de force for a first book - It takes a new lens to an old sci-fi trope and reimagines our prehistory in a well thought out and engaging fashion.
Praise for The Alliance, Second book in the Ceph Universe.
5 out of 5 stars - December 16, 2021 - Really Entertaining Reading
A genuinely unusual aspect of this series is that the protagonists and antagonist, are a species. What’s special is they’re the same species… us. Now I’m off to get the third book.
5 out of 5 stars - January 26, 2022 - Addictive!
I loved this story. While it isn't something I'd usually read, I didn't regret it for a second. I adored the relationships between Human and Ceph especially. I found the descriptions to be both fascinating and memorable.
5 out of 5 stars - December 9, 2021 - Great story, hard to put down.
This second book by Matthew Poehler is just as fascinating as the first. His characters are believable and grow and develop as the story builds. It is complex, a picture of the development of alliance between the residents of the Earth, both Human and Ceph, as well as the upcoming arrival of the Ceph from other worlds.
5 out of 5 stars - 19 February 2022 - Extraordinarily excellent...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on
Extremely readable and relatable follow up to the first book, Arrival.
Alliances and communication are in place between the Ceph and Humans to build widespread relationships. Projects to save not only humanity, but the world itself are advancing. The balance between secrecy and revelation is precarious, however, and a mistake will provoke disaster.
Bright, the Ceph Matriarch, chosen to be Ambassador from the Ceph on Earth to the Civilization, faces a trial of self-sacrifice. Stella, her oldest friend, must choose between loyalty to her race and what she knows must happen for her race to survive. Thomas Belten, aka Ax10m the criminal hacker vowed that he would have his revenge, and he would not be stopped even by his own death. Pearl the Ansible once again must balance the demands of the future against all it has worked a billion years to build, and the children it loves but never dreamed would exist.
Ideology has faced off against reason and compassion. The prize is the very existence of humanity. The world-ship, the Swimmer in Relativity, is due and with it comes judgement.
A spark will kindle a blaze that could sweep the world to ash, and an enemy from beyond the grave will strike that spark.
~***~
Praise for The Reborn, First book in the Ceph Universe.
5 out of 5 stars - 14 December 2020 - An excellent hard sci-fi book.
The story is well-paced and compelling, and very visual in its descriptions. It really lends itself to a screenplay and I’d to see this hit the screens!
5 out of 5 stars - 16 April 2021 - Really interesting look at uplift and first contact.
This is a gripping take of first contact from an alien POV. There is a really unusual take on uplift which drives the first half of the novel.
5 out of 5 stars - 21 August 2021 - It was amazing!
A tour de force for a first book - It takes a new lens to an old sci-fi trope and reimagines our prehistory in a well thought out and engaging fashion.
Praise for The Alliance, Second book in the Ceph Universe.
5 out of 5 stars - December 16, 2021 - Really Entertaining Reading
A genuinely unusual aspect of this series is that the protagonists and antagonist, are a species. What’s special is they’re the same species… us. Now I’m off to get the third book.
5 out of 5 stars - January 26, 2022 - Addictive!
I loved this story. While it isn't something I'd usually read, I didn't regret it for a second. I adored the relationships between Human and Ceph especially. I found the descriptions to be both fascinating and memorable.
5 out of 5 stars - December 9, 2021 - Great story, hard to put down.
This second book by Matthew Poehler is just as fascinating as the first. His characters are believable and grow and develop as the story builds. It is complex, a picture of the development of alliance between the residents of the Earth, both Human and Ceph, as well as the upcoming arrival of the Ceph from other worlds.
5 out of 5 stars - 19 February 2022 - Extraordinarily excellent...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on
Extremely readable and relatable follow up to the first book, Arrival.
527 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 20, 2022
7 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 16, 2024
The third book of Matthew Poehler’s The Ceph series not only meets but exceeds the high standards set by the first two.
The story continues with the first two, The Ceph, Reborn & Alliance. It further develops the outcome of the Ceph’s return and the arrival of the worldship. The Ceph are collaborating with humans to create a more ideal world for everyone.
Throughout the novel, there were conflicts that resulted in violence and battles.
The story captivated me from start to finish. The preview of Poehler’s upcoming book left me eagerly anticipating more!
I give it five stars.
I listened to this novel on Google Play.
Google does a decent job producing.
You can find it at the below link.
https://play.google.com/store/audiobo...
The story continues with the first two, The Ceph, Reborn & Alliance. It further develops the outcome of the Ceph’s return and the arrival of the worldship. The Ceph are collaborating with humans to create a more ideal world for everyone.
Throughout the novel, there were conflicts that resulted in violence and battles.
The story captivated me from start to finish. The preview of Poehler’s upcoming book left me eagerly anticipating more!
I give it five stars.
I listened to this novel on Google Play.
Google does a decent job producing.
You can find it at the below link.
https://play.google.com/store/audiobo...
April 8, 2023
Arrival (Ceph Book 3 by Matthew Poehler) is a satisfying conclusion to this Sci-Fi adventure series. There’s excellent world-building and the new characters are fun, too.
Most humans accept the Ceph Alliance, with its helpful technological advancements, but some fight against these “dangerous aliens”. Thomas Beltan simply hates them because they’re shutting down his evil empire. His unequal fight with the Alliance shows him that his “careful planning of years lay like a bucket full of shattered glass in front of him.” Great descriptions!
A Mirror Church emerges, with a rebirth of values with true acceptance that changes the world anew. The Ceph do not accept war. Humans ask, “What gives you the right to interfere in our nation’s quarrels?” The Alliance responds, “We live here too, and aggressive warfare damages all of us.” Quite true! Creative and well written.
Most humans accept the Ceph Alliance, with its helpful technological advancements, but some fight against these “dangerous aliens”. Thomas Beltan simply hates them because they’re shutting down his evil empire. His unequal fight with the Alliance shows him that his “careful planning of years lay like a bucket full of shattered glass in front of him.” Great descriptions!
A Mirror Church emerges, with a rebirth of values with true acceptance that changes the world anew. The Ceph do not accept war. Humans ask, “What gives you the right to interfere in our nation’s quarrels?” The Alliance responds, “We live here too, and aggressive warfare damages all of us.” Quite true! Creative and well written.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews