Synopsis
A dying planet. A desperate mission. A crew facing impossible odds. Humanity’s last hope lies with them…
Time is running out for the people of New Pallas. Nobody knows that better than Alvera Renata, a tenacious captain determined to scout past the stars with nothing but a handpicked crew and a promise: to find a new home for humanity.
But when a perilous journey across dark space leads to first contact with a galactic civilisation on the brink of war, Alvera soon realises keeping her word might not be as easy as she thought.
Her only hope lies with the secrets of the ancient alien waystations scattered across the galaxy. The mysterious technology could be the key to humanity’s survival—or bring unwanted attention from the long-forgotten beings who built them.
But remaining united is a lot to ask from a crew already splintering under the weight of their differences. A jaded pilot looks for a place he can start over. A young translator searches for meaning out in the galaxy’s lawless frontier. And Alvera reckons with the aftermath of betrayal as she fights for a way to save them all.
As they break apart to forge their own paths, Alvera and her crew all face the same question: what are they willing to sacrifice to save those left behind?
Those Left Behind is an epic, galaxy-spanning space opera full of exploration, adventure, and ancient alien mysteries. Fans of Mass Effect, The Expanse and Star Wars will love this character-driven science fiction novel—the first instalment in the Waystations Trilogy.
“Those Left Behind is nothing short of epic.”– Indies Today,★★★★★
“Intelligently plotted and makes you embrace the impossible […] Those Left Behind has an emotional strain that hooks you in from start to finish.” – Readers’ Favorite, ★★★★
Review
Cool cover, cool name. I believe I requested an audio code from the author right before my life fell apart. Bad breakup that had me needing a place to live, a new job, a new car. So starting over has taken some time. I apologize, and I promise that the line of things I said yes to and then didn’t review is very close to an end. I appreciate any and all understanding either way.
Humanity’s last hope is being sent across the entire universe. Their planet is dying, and with it, billions of human lives, that is, unless this mission is a success. What they find, though, is not only first contact, but contact with an entire galaxy’s worth of civilizations. Ones that seem so fruitful and safe on the surface. But there’s something dangerous bubbling just under the surface. These civilizations are the protectors of strange tech known as waystations. These are the very things the humans need to save their people, but the alternative might be just as deadly.
I really enjoyed this. It was interesting to read a first contact story from somewhere that wasn’t earth. So even though they were human, it already felt sort of foreign. The planet, though only seen a sort while (and dying), still felt kind of cyberpunk-y Blade Runner meets Alien: Romulus to me. In a good way! I also appreciated that the story wasn’t one focused on the traveling bits. While I do love those, it’s neat to see this one throw readers right into the destination. Trust me though, the arrival might have been a big deal, but it’s the least of their worries.
The multiple alien species were super cool. They had me picturing mixtures of a Predator, Randall from Monsters, Inc., the Elites from Halo, and more. And while my mind might have filled in the blanks with references, this whole novel is very original. Cultures, planets, species unknown, all living in a not-so-safe galaxy. And even though their current turmoil might seem galaxies better than starving and perishing on a dying planet, the humans aren’t just going to be welcomed with open arms. Their arrival would shift the population scales, giving the numbers, thus the upper hand, to the race of humans, and the other species are not sure they can accept that. It all feels very lived-in in a similar way to how the background worlds of Star Wars have always felt to me.
I also really liked the whole idea of double, triple, even quadruple crossing each other. It made the stakes feel real with this kind of mutiny inside a mutiny, and while you might not root for them, it is, in a way, its own revenge subplot. The humans searching for safety can’t get along; the humans from this new galaxy can’t either. The alien races face their own turmoil throughout as well, and then there’s the whole doomsday discovery too! Peace and calm are on a razor’s edge, and I really enjoyed this sort of political intrigue flipped into the sci-fi sphere.
If you are typically a fantasy reader and want to check out more sci-fi, this would bridge that gap well for you. If you like sci-fi but want another, this has a more unique, fantasy-style taste to it. If you’ve never read sci-fi (TF?), that’s okay, and this is still a great book to jump in with!
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