A Child of the Federation

by F. Stephan

When you’re named Child of the Federation, the Federation gives you a fresh beginning and your past is erased from all databases. But Isara was named when she was barely a year old with nothing to erase. Or so she thought until forty years later, now a confirmed starpilot, she finds out that she comes from Filb, the planet which witnessed the worst catastrophe the Federation has ever known. And murders accumulates around her as she tries to dig into her own past?With no clues on why she is shot at, she must unravel her past to face present threats... How do you come of age when you are already an adult? Don’t miss this independent story in the Human Federation Universe

332 pages, Paperback

Published February 15, 2021

About the author

Fabrice Stephan is an engineer and is the author of multiple technical books on computer science. As a life-long fan of classic science fiction as well as emerging new voices from the genre, his underlying passion is the exploration of technology through fiction, which he shares in his novel Human Starpilots.

Partially inspired by the classic Robert Heinlein novel Have Spacesuit, Will Travel, Stephan’s debut novel Human Starpilots and its sequel Interstellar Starpilots explore a future world, where, desperate to escape ecological disaster on earth, humankind’s fate relies on the investment in a unique and limited group of only six pilots capable of surviving the training of managing hyperspace jumps learned from a borrowed Alien technology.

And, if the risks and challenges these brave pilots faces wasn’t enough, contact and collaboration with the Alien Federation begins to reveal even more surprises.

When he is not exploring other worlds through science fiction, or computer technology through his work, Fabrice Stephan has traversed much of the globe. Born in the USA, he has lived in France, Denmark and Australia before settling in Macon, near the border of Burgundy, with his wife and two kids.

Reviews

[Wesley Britton · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I sometimes feel like I’m drowning in an overwhelming flood of new novels in science-fiction, I am often surprised how impressive so many new efforts are. That’s especially true when authors present universes and multi-verses painted on wide and deep canvases full of ideas that are tantalizing, if not always easily comprehensible. In other words, impressive doesn’t always mean engaging.

One problem reviewing such sagas is trying to squeeze a useful summary into one or two paragraphs. It’s possible to list some of the major plot points, spell out the major conflicts and main players, but does that tell readers much about the spirit and flavor of the books?

In this case, that’s even more tricky as I’m jumping into the “Human Star Pilots” epic four books into the series. Before A Child of the Federation, Stephan gave us Human Star Pilot: Human Star Pilots Book 1, Interstellar Star Pilot: Human Star Pilots Book 2, and Space Station Acheron: Human Star Pilots Book 3. And I’ve read none of them.

Over the four tomes so far, the universe Stephan created is so vast, ageless, and sprawling, odds are few readers will quickly wrap their minds around what is involved, no matter in which book they first jump into the saga. It’s a story with many plots and sub-plots. The main rudder for the fourth novel is the main character of the forty year old star pilot, Isara. As a “child of the Federation,” she knows next to nothing about who she is until a surprising journey of self-discovery takes her back to the planet of her origins, Filb, the planet which witnessed a horrible ecological catastrophe. She is more special than she knows, even moreso than being one of only six pilots capable of surviving the training of managing hyperspace jumps learned from a borrowed Alien technology. That means she has to live with nanobots in her body that keep her alive during warp jumps.

To describe a few things about the Federation, it’s worth noting this isn’t a Federation Gene Roddenberry would recognize: it’s mainly an economic confederacy of which earth is a relative newcomer. Also facing ecological disaster, earth needs the technology of ancient aliens who apparently no longer exist. The interplay between members of the Federation and the levels of political maneuvering are, well, confusing. While Stephan is masterful at world-building, the further away the story moves away from Isara’s personal evolution, the more lost in the trees I got.

So my final reaction to the book is that it’s a challenge worth exploring if you really like complex universe building, multiple story-lines, very dense back-stories, and occasional memorable scenes in between all the description of a universe easy to get lost in. And, no doubt, more to come.


This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on May 10, 2021:



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