First Published: May 2021

Genre: Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller

My Rating: 4.5/5

From the first page itself, this book felt right up my alley. It was intriguing from the get go and unexpectedly funny.

Our protagonist, Ryland Grace, comes out of a coma, stuck in space alone and not knowing where his ship is headed to. He tries to navigates through this problem, literally, while simultaneously trying to remember why he is there in the first place.

Our other protagonist, Rocky, is even better. Their banter, if I can say that, is just enjoyable. I will think of him whenever I see a spider. Do not want to say more, but he is an absolute gem. I even liked Stratt. She remained exactly how she was till the very end.

Sometimes I felt that, Ryland, was way smarter and quicker with mathematics and science than he should be. He always had a way to fix things (of course Rocky also helped). Usually such characters can come off as too good to be true. But give a know-it-all, no memory of how he knows what he knows, and you find a great way to get me on his side.

What I like about this book, is that, it managed to surprise me in every chapter. I would think its going a particular route but then it would move in a totally unexpected direction. Some parts still felt a bit too out of bounds, but nothing that spoils the whole story.

Both the flashbacks, the actual timelines, and the “science stuff”, all of them were packed in a neat order and kept almost believable and importantly understandable. I didn’t have to skip a lot of details. That, in my opinion was its biggest strength. The nerdy me was satisfied. For people who don’t enjoy a lot of science, some parts may be a bit tedious, so beware.

I was starved of a good sci-fi thriller and I gobbled this one up like a hungry mole. Absolutely enjoyed it.