Author: Dawson Nichols
Publisher: Permuted Press

When unidentified ships begin sabotaging Thalinraya’s terraforming project, Tab must trust in his synthetic companions and lifelong friends, Vie and Wil, to help him escape before the planet comes apart in this mind-bending sci-fi adventure. “Dayr, decrypt this word squirt with the protocol we used in EllGray3. Your mom always said you were porous, but I think you’ll remember. I need you to know about Vie and Wil. I know our friendship was a long time ago for you now, but it’s still pretty recent for me.

“Things here are poggs. Thalinraya is spiraling into its sun. And so you know, I never intended to kill myself. I’m only doing this because I have to. See you soon.” —Tab Terminal Dispatch is set in a meticulously drawn future with complex characters and heart-pounding battles. This is the first installment in the Dispatch Sequence, a riveting new series that explores transhumanism, artificial intelligence and the price of our drive to survive.

Terminal Dispatch is not your typical sci-fi adventure book. It is a long, winding read that digs deeply into issues in our social lives.

It’s written in first-person, and one of the main characters’ personalities is established early in the story. I love the dialogue’s bluntness and straightforwardness, which provides both crazy humor and some intense emotions.

The novel is filled with scientific terms, high-tech gadgets and equipment never before heard of. Although that definitely makes sense in this genre, the book goes beyond most sci-fi works in that regard, so prepare to stimulate your “sci-fi literacy” and vast imagination.

One downside is the author’s tendency to prolong the story in places. Some chapters’ slow pace kind of negates the plot’s energy and adventure. But the author counters that with subplots upon subplots, thereby invigorating the narrative.

It has a touch of the movie The Project Adam for its adventures and hilarity, with a little bit of Star Wars when it comes to perception.

That makes it a must-read for sci-fi book readers!

- Kevin Velayo