So you think you can write a science fiction saga.
Let’s be real. You can’t. Or at least not one like this.
If you’ve followed the Auror— I mean, the Amaranthe saga from the beginning, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. This story is huge, and it’s only getting bigger. The Aurora Rhapsody series of course consisted of nine full books, followed by the Asterion Noir trilogy…the end of which saw the collision of the two series.
That collision continues (*ba dum tss*) in full force here in Continuum, which is set fourteen years after the events of Aurora Rhapsody and mere weeks after the events of Asterion Noir. We get a glimpse of how the Humans have adapted to their new life in Amaranthe among the Anadens and all the other alien races we met in AR, and the events of ANR—particularly the imminent arrival of the sinister Rasu—are still fresh in our minds. The book does include an appendix with recaps of all the individual trilogies this series consists of, and I’d still recommend taking a peek at it to refresh your memory even if you’ve been a die-hard fan of these books from the beginning. There’s just a LOT going on, and I admittedly had to pause occasionally while reading and remind myself which galaxy I was in. But that by no means affected my enjoyment of the book overall.
Our old friends Alex, Caleb, and Nika of course reprise their roles as the protagonists in this book, but one can hardly call them the “main characters” simply because we have so many other people—including Dashiel and returning fan favorites like Miriam and space-boyfriend Eren—playing critical roles. With such a large cast and major events happening on so many fronts in the plot, some characters don’t always get much “screen time,” but in a way, that was actually what kept me glued to the book. Many chapters picked up from what had essentially been mini-cliffhangers the last time we saw certain characters, and I was always eager to find out what shenanigans they might get into next.
Shenanigans do abound in this book, some more…dire than others. There’s action, intrigue, espionage, and some epic space battles. And then of course there’s always someone somewhere who would rather cause trouble for the good guys than focus on, you know, helping prepare for the looming threat of a virtually indestructible shape-shifting alien race hell-bent on wiping out all galactic life. Personal battles also abound; Caleb and Eren in particular are each dealing with some issues that are most definitely going to shape events to come, and I can’t wait to see how those issues do or don’t get resolved. And would it surprise anyone to know the Kats are once again up to something behind the scenes?
<insert obligatory closing statement about always being excited to see what comes next in this ever-growing series>
Also of note: reading this book over the holidays unfortunately meant I was dealing with a somewhat loud environment, so I made use of earbuds and ambient noise. Depending on what was going on in the book at any given moment, I’d switch back and forth between this space station ambience and this space battle ambience, and it made for a really fun immersive experience!
Check out all of G.S. Jennsen’s work, available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook formats across a wide variety of retailers!
About G.S. Jennsen
G. S. Jennsen lives in Colorado with her husband and two dogs. She has written thirteen novels and short story collections, all published by her imprint, Hypernova Publishing. She has become an internationally bestselling author since her first novel, Starshine, was published in March 2014. She has chosen to continue writing under an independent publishing model to ensure the integrity of her series and her ability to execute on the vision she’s had for them since their genesis.
While she has been a lawyer, a software engineer and an editor, she’s found the life of a full-time author preferable by several orders of magnitude.
When she isn’t writing, she’s gaming or working out or getting lost in the Colorado mountains that loom large outside the windows in her home. Or she’s dealing with a flooded basement, or standing in a line at Walmart reading the tabloid headlines and wondering who all of those people are. Or sitting on her back porch with a glass of wine, looking up at the stars, trying to figure out what could be up there.
Twitter - Facebook - Goodreads - Instagram - email at: gs@gsjennsen.com
