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Nel Bently #3
Strangers
If sound kills, how can Nel get the world to listen?
Archaeologist Nel Bently dreamed of finding a ground-breaking site--she just never thought it would be on another planet. When she arrives on Samsara however, Lin confesses that the trip took longer than Nel thought. Two years longer. She throws her anger and homesickness into her work, wondering if she just made the biggest mistake of her life.
Then a lead officer on her team takes a walk without his atmosuit. Once again, confusion and grief rock Nel's dig. But this time, she's determined to fix it--even if it means mutiny. Lightyears separate her from home and as Samsara's body count rises, the more it looks like Earth is next.
Archaeologist Nel Bently dreamed of finding a ground-breaking site--she just never thought it would be on another planet. When she arrives on Samsara however, Lin confesses that the trip took longer than Nel thought. Two years longer. She throws her anger and homesickness into her work, wondering if she just made the biggest mistake of her life.
Then a lead officer on her team takes a walk without his atmosuit. Once again, confusion and grief rock Nel's dig. But this time, she's determined to fix it--even if it means mutiny. Lightyears separate her from home and as Samsara's body count rises, the more it looks like Earth is next.
- GenresScience Fiction
313 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2022
6 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
V.S. Holmes
28 books75 followersV. S. Holmes is an international bestselling author of dark, speculative fiction, from fast-paced hard sci-fi to slow-burn gothic fantasy and everything in between. He has two finished series: Stars Edge: Nel Bently Books, a queer archaeological sci-fi, and the dark fantasy Blood of Titans. Smoke and Rain, the award-winning first book in his fantasy quartet, became an international bestseller in 2018. Travelers is also included in the Peregrine Moon Lander mission as part of the Writers on the Moon Time Capsule. In addition, he writes game content for Stone Blade Entertainment and published short fiction in several anthologies.
He is currently working on a folk horror, inspired by death, sex, and their Frisian and Celtic heritage.
Beyond the keyboard, he lives in western Massachusetts, and like to garden, feed the birds, and watch the river change with the seasons. V worked as a contract archaeologist for over a decade before becoming an electrician. V is a trans guy, among other flavors of queer, and married to a fellow archaeologist. They enjoy quiet evenings with food, games, and films with a sweet lab-rottweiler, Rory and the not-so-quiet brown mutt, Millie.
He is currently working on a folk horror, inspired by death, sex, and their Frisian and Celtic heritage.
Beyond the keyboard, he lives in western Massachusetts, and like to garden, feed the birds, and watch the river change with the seasons. V worked as a contract archaeologist for over a decade before becoming an electrician. V is a trans guy, among other flavors of queer, and married to a fellow archaeologist. They enjoy quiet evenings with food, games, and films with a sweet lab-rottweiler, Rory and the not-so-quiet brown mutt, Millie.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 1, 2019
Another great entry!
Watching Nel open up as her world expands is a real treat. As she's put in fragile positions, she's forced to accept feelings she's locked behind a door of anger. This makes her character all the more complex, and interesting.
As for the adventure? No spoilers, but it's a wild ride.
Watching Nel open up as her world expands is a real treat. As she's put in fragile positions, she's forced to accept feelings she's locked behind a door of anger. This makes her character all the more complex, and interesting.
As for the adventure? No spoilers, but it's a wild ride.
August 4, 2019
After archaeologist Nel Bently accepts a job offer from the IDH, she is launched into the unexpected. Literally. Her new dig site is on Samsara, a planet far away from Earth, where some catastrophic event has killed the entire population.
Faced with a mysterious alien culture and a steep learning curve regarding the advanced technology the IDH uses, Nel is way out of her depth. But when things start going wrong, Nel still has her trusty instincts and her lover Lin to rely on.
I loved this. It's more science-fictiony than the previous two books in the series, because now Nel is in space! I loved the advanced technology and the insights into different cultures. I loved Nel's evolving relationship with Lin. I loved Phil the computer.
The disabled representation and diversity in this book was amazing. Really, all the secondary characters are well fleshed out and so interesting I would love to read their stories too.
Let's hope the next book in the series comes out soon!
Faced with a mysterious alien culture and a steep learning curve regarding the advanced technology the IDH uses, Nel is way out of her depth. But when things start going wrong, Nel still has her trusty instincts and her lover Lin to rely on.
I loved this. It's more science-fictiony than the previous two books in the series, because now Nel is in space! I loved the advanced technology and the insights into different cultures. I loved Nel's evolving relationship with Lin. I loved Phil the computer.
The disabled representation and diversity in this book was amazing. Really, all the secondary characters are well fleshed out and so interesting I would love to read their stories too.
Let's hope the next book in the series comes out soon!
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February 26, 2021Hey there! I'm sharing some of the inspiration and content warnings for this book! This series is an archaeological sci-fi following a lesbian archaeologist as she explores, dismantles, and decolonizes her field and her world. I wanted to explore what it means to be human, and how where we come from--both as a species and as individuals--impacts where we're going. With Strangers I delved into the more speculative aspect of humanity, specifically regarding body modification and sentience, plus exploring a world that is both alien and human.
Content warnings:
- action violence (spaceship crash, threats, physical beating)
- unseen adversary
- side character death
- adult language
- consensual w/w sex
- body horror
- descriptions of human remains (both recent and ancient)
Content warnings:
- action violence (spaceship crash, threats, physical beating)
- unseen adversary
- side character death
- adult language
- consensual w/w sex
- body horror
- descriptions of human remains (both recent and ancient)
January 19, 2025
The trilogy got stronger with each book, and once Nel is actually in space I was much better able to suspend my disbelief about the crazy stuff She gets up to.
This book ends on a cliffhanger but the action and reveals and dramatic tension really worked for me in this book. I do want to keep reading.
I do have to say: please hire a professional proofreader, indie publishing authors. So many annoying editing misses. The kind that spellcheck misses: sentences missing words, and wrong words (mud instead of mug, one instead of once). It gets in the way of a smooth reading experience. There’s a LOT of that.
This book ends on a cliffhanger but the action and reveals and dramatic tension really worked for me in this book. I do want to keep reading.
I do have to say: please hire a professional proofreader, indie publishing authors. So many annoying editing misses. The kind that spellcheck misses: sentences missing words, and wrong words (mud instead of mug, one instead of once). It gets in the way of a smooth reading experience. There’s a LOT of that.
April 16, 2021
Super engaging! Can't wait for my next fix of Nel
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews