Synopsis
A superhero space opera for grownups.
For fans of Guardians of the Galaxy or Invincible.
Like Dragonball Z but wish it had a little more hard science fiction in it?
The il’Drach Empire spans half a galaxy, built on the feet and fists of their Powered hybrid children.
At eight Rohan of Earth learned that he was only half human. By sixteen he was an active superhero, using his inherited powers to fight crime, in mask and spandex. At twenty-two he left his home to fight for the his father’s people, expanding the il’Drach Empire and protecting it from local and interdimensional threats. At thirty-two, exhausted by ten years of ruthless warfare, he retired to Wistful, a vast sentient independent space station, to try to live a normal life.
With a steady job, someone far out of his league to date, and the most cosmopolitan selection of fine dining in the sector, things are looking up.
Then a long dormant wormhole in Wistful’s system is opened by a ship full of refugees, drawing unwanted attention from the Empire. The appearance of the refugees sets off a chain of events that will force Rohan to confront his checkered past and cast doubt on whether he can ever leave behind his violent warrior heritage.
To keep his friends safe, and himself in one piece, Rohan has to face giant insects, body-skipping assassins, vengeful armored aliens, an inquisition of intelligent bears, and a team of his fellow hybrids. The open question is whether tapping into his savage alien powers will end up destroying the peaceful life he has been trying to build.
Review
Wistful Ascending is a MUST READ space opera filled with action, humor, complex characters, and so much more.
Genesis
I honestly do not remember when I first became aware of The Hybrid Helix series. Most likely, though, it was while scrolling through X/Twitter one day. Since starting my YouTube journey and becoming more acquainted with the indie SFF space, JCM Berne is a name that would have come up eventually on my feeds. Why? Well, it’s because Berne has an indie sci-fi series that is becoming increasingly popular.
I don’t know how the exchange went down, but at some point, Berne offered a code to download the audio version of his debut novel, Wistful Ascending.
I am so happy that he did because… WOW! I had a great time with this book.
Preamble
Wistful Ascending is book number 1 in an ongoing series called The Hybrid Helix. Four additional books in this series are out and available to read with JCM writing as you read this review.
The first thing you typically see when checking out a new book or series is… the cover. Crazy right? Well, for Wistful Ascending, we have a pretty unique cover (IMO) for this sci-fi space adventure filled with “superheroes.” We got a dude hovering in space, looking like he’s ready to fight with a big ol spaceship in the background. Usually, with space-focused sci-fi, we typically have… a spaceship, a spaceship battle, or…. (you’re not going to believe it) a planet in space.
With this cover and the beginning of the blurb being “A superhero space opera for grownups,” I really did not know what to expect in terms of the plot.
The word “superhero” in the blurb made me wonder if I have ever read a book about superheroes. I don’t think I have, so I was excited to see how Berne pulled it off in a sci-fi space opera.
Currently, Wistful Ascending has close to 400 ratings on Goodreads, which is a fantastic feat in the indie space. So, obviously, Berne was doing something right. With that all being said, it was time to dive into the il’Drach Empire and immerse myself in a world of superheroes.
Aftermath
WOW!
This book, completely took me by surprise. As I write this review in July 2024, Wistful Ascending is my favorite read of 2024 so far.
Right off the bat, you will instantly tell that Berne has a knack for dialogue. The quick and witty banter between characters instantly drew me into this world and left me wanting more. It was a good thing because I only just started listening to the story and had many more hours to go.
Our main character, Rohan, is a hybrid with a human mother and an alien father. As a hybrid, he has a pool of power within him, allowing him to tap into super strength and the ability to fly.
So, what does our main character do with all this power? Well, he’s basically an overpowered pallet mover. Instead of pallets, he pulls and moves spaceships to dock at his space station, Wistful. That’s right, a pretty mundane job, but… there is a deep-rooted reason why he has this job. As readers, we don’t get to know right away, but throughout the story, we get to pull back layers of this Rohan onion slowly.
Also, another thing you will quickly notice in this story is the prominence of alien races outside of humans. Two words… SPACE BEARS. That’s right; we have bears who not only know how to talk but also how to operate a spaceship. This species has comically funny Russian accents that really make any interaction enjoyable to read.
When it comes to the components of Wistful Ascending, this story does a lot of things that shock, surprise, intrigue, and keep me wanting more.
World Building
- Through our main character, Rohan, we quickly get caught up in this universe that Berne has crafted. We explore politics, planets, sentient spaceships, aliens, and crazy wild creatures.
- One of my favorite world-building elements in this story was the use of sentient spaceships, the most prominent of which is Wistful. This space station has a mind of its own, and it was a joy to learn more about how it came to be what it is today.
- On another note, I feel that we have barely scratched the surface of what this universe contains. In this first entry into the Hybrid Helix, we mainly focused on the Wistful station while occasionally visiting a couple of planets, but there is so so much more.
Character Development
- This is one of the strongest elements in this story. Rohan quickly becomes someone you can root for. His witty external and internal dialogue makes him feel REAL. He has a complex past, demons that he wants to sort out, and a desire to live a peaceful life, but… we don’t always get what we want. He’s also funny as hell.
- I also enjoyed the fact that we had a limited cast of characters that felt more fleshed out than if we had pages and pages of side characters. When a familiar name came across the page, I wasn’t racking my brain on who that character was again.
Action
- Being a space opera, you will most likely expect some action here, right? Well, you expected right because several action-packed moments in this story keep you on the edge of your seat. Some of these scenes are more intense than others because, at the same time, we get to see a different side of Rohan.
Plot
- Essentially, we have a backwater station turned into a central convergence point. Rohan, our boy, is caught up in the middle of the action as multiple parties are vying for control of something that formed near Wistful.
- Through this event, we start off with a pretty lighthearted tone that slowly gets darker throughout the story.
- I had a blast reading this plot, which quickly caught my interest and kept me entertained throughout.
Overall, I recommend anyone who can read to check out this book, especially if they are fans of the MCU. Great action, humor, characters, and a very engaging storyline. If you have the chance, I would also recommend checking out the audio version of this book because Wayne Farrel delivers an exceptional performance.
5 stars.
I also have an interview with JCM on my channel that you can check out here – https://www.youtube.com/live/34x8XqtYu2M?si=KMwwfBeALSL2J3XJ
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