“THE LAST FRAGMENTS OF THE HUMAN RACE ARE FORCED TO ADAPT TO A DANGEROUS NEW WORLD OR FACE EXTINCTION.”
Fleeing their home system of Sol to escape a technological terror known as the Undriel, humanity takes to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, settling on a planet known as Kamaria – a lush vibrant world with biological – and somewhat mystical – wonders. When her father is inexplicably murdered by a fellow colonist, Eliana XXX seeks an explanation. But it’s only when starship mechanic Denton Castus arrives on a second wave colony ship that the mysteries of Kamaria begin to make themselves known. There are ancient forces beyond comprehension at work on Kamaria that see no qualms in using humans as pawns in their conflict…
T.A. Bruno’s In The Orbit Of Sirens is classic sci-fi.
Actually, let me repeat that with emphasis, because I don’t know if you took the journey with me.
T.A. Bruno’s In The Orbit Of Sirens IS classic sci-fi.
The entire book is pretty much an embodiment of the platonic ideal of classic science fiction: far flung planets, cool aliens, exciting technology, space battles, and an exciting epic scope – Sirens has all of this and more. It’s clear that Bruno has lovingly crafted a world/universe right down to the most minute detail, and as a result, the book sings.
But Bruno doesn’t rest on those laurels, as Sirens doesn’t fall into the trap that a lot of classic sci-fi does. Classic sci-fi works generally put a focus on the world building and concepts at the expense of their characters, but Bruno does an excellent job with the fairly large cast of Sirens, making them real, believable and having clear motivations and arcs that drive the story and more than complement the world around them.
If there is an area where Sirens falls a bit short, its that there is a large amount of page-space dedicated to not entirely necessary set-up – including some very cool things (like the terrifying Undriel) that are clearly meant to be addressed in future books. Some of this set-up results in a small second act lull, where Denton is brought up to speed with the exploration methods of humans on Kamaria through a short period of schooling and testing. It extends the book and feels a bit like padding – but really, Bruno is a more than talented enough author that while I felt like some of these pieces got a little long in the tooth, they never detracted from my interest and commitment to the narrative.
In The Orbit Of Sirens is unabashedly a 5 star book and is a real indie gem for lovers of science fiction.
