The Nexus / Nexus Vol 1: Ascension [Paperback]

Returning from a 30-year long-haul mission, the crew of the Ea come out of stasis to discover their world - Bh'Harat - dead, and screamer satellites strung around it to warn any potential visitors away - saying "hazard plague hazard plague hazard plague" over and over. Left with no choices, however the crew descends to the surface to try to ascertain what has happened, and to see if they can come up with a way to survive. Can they find a cure for the plague? Is there any hope for Bh'Harat?

This was quite a story - somewhere between hard sci-fi and space opera, but eminently readable by anyone. The plot moved ahead briskly, with plots and counter-plots and counter-counter-plots running amok - at the end, there is no way to tell who is the villain of the piece. I thought that things were left open for a potential sequel - or maybe we're left to determine ourselves how things would proceed from here. Fans of science fiction will love this story - do yourselves a favor and check it out.

I'm always on the lookout for a strange but plausible story. A friend recommended this book to me. Right from the opening scene you get a sense of scope that will unfold in the coming pages. The characters are interesting and not at all typical. Each one is crafted with their skills and you get a sense of why they'd be out there on such long haul missions.

I love the depth that this book has. Details about the small stuff that really immerses you into that setting. The best part about the book is the connections within the story itself. Its ability to make sense when our main characters connect the dots. The hybrid facilitators in the book make excellent and necessary members, taking data immersion and calculation to the next level, something that could/will be happening as humans augment their bodies with tech in the very near future.

I don't want to give any plot away on this novel. It's certainly not light reading. It's got some serious depth, thanks to the author.

It's a struggle for humans to survive. At times you want the character to give up, but know, deep down that if you were there, you'd have to struggle til the end no matter what ending it may be.

A great read.

This is a book of relatively grim hard science fiction set in a universe where humanity inhabits hundreds or thousands of solar systems. Most of these systems and the most advanced belong to a confederation called Nexus that seeks to expand its influence by inviting planets that are not yet its members to join it. Nexus has a big carrot to offer: technology that is way more advanced than in any non-member worlds. Nexus is so advanced technologically because it holds a trump card nobody else has, faster-than-light communication. This makes it possible to for Nexus to develop new technologies efficiently and maintain its presence thousands of lightyears from its seat of power.

Nexus with all its technological wonders forms mostly the novel's background. A lot of the book is set on a planet with a name too hard for me to remember (Bhaaret, but with an apostrophe and an additional h somewhere). Most of the characters are native of the planet and crew members of returning longhaul ships - vessels that spend decades in interstellar space in order to trade with other solar systems. When the first characters arrive to their native solar system from a trading mission, they discover to their shock that the entire human population of their home world is dead. People at space stations and colonies seem to have fallen to the same plague as well, which is a strong hint towards a deliberately engineered disease.

What follows from then on is pretty interesting exploration of a post-apocalyptic world, detective's work on the matter of the plague's origin and drama between characters. Overall the book is really interesting piece of science fiction with somewhat two-dimensional characters being its greatest weakness. It is definitely recommendable to friends of hard science fiction, especially if darker undertones strike one's fancy. If one has read and liked Alastair Reynolds, Nexus: Ascension should be enjoyable as well.