Book Review - NOPHEK GLOSS by Essa Hansen

 

(Title: Nophek Gloss / Author: Essa Hansen / Publisher: Orbit / Publication Date: November 17, 2020 / Pages: 480)

Book Blurb: 

When a young man's planet is destroyed, he sets out on a single-minded quest for revenge across the galaxy in Nophek Gloss, the first book in this epic space opera trilogy by debut author Essa Hansen, for fans of Revenger and Children of Time.  Caiden's planet is destroyed.  His family gone.  And, his only hope for survival is a crew of misfit aliens and a mysterious ship that seems to have a soul and a universe of its own.  Together they will show him that the universe is much bigger, much more advanced, and much more mysterious than Caiden had ever imagined.  But the universe hides dangers as well, and soon Caiden has his own plans.

He vows to do anything it takes to get revenge on the slavers who murdered his people and took away his home.  To destroy their regime, he must infiltrate and dismantle them from the inside, or die trying.

Review:

NOPHEK GLOSS is such a difficult book to categorize.  This is a very good thing mind you.  Yes it contains some amazing space opera moments, yes it also dabbles in a good amount of hard SF, absolutely does it touch on some classic science fiction elements as well.  So there's a lot to digest in the not quite 500 pages of this incredibly entertaining story.  But in the end what it ends up being is a book that makes you care about what happens to the main character Caiden and those around him as they battle some of the most vile enemies imaginable in the Overseers.  The heart of the plot is one that is true of most successful stories, edge of your seat excitement coupled with an emotional and well-delivered central conflict.  In the case of NOPHEK GLOSS, we have a revenge plot line that kicks ass and compels you to devour each chapter to see if Caiden gets that final justice that he so desperately seeks.

Along the way we get treated to some off the charts SF technology and it is utterly breathtaking.  Most notably, the spacecraft that is so stunningly depicted on the front cover of NOPHEK GLOSS.  Not since Peter F. Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy have we been treated to sentient ships like this where they are essentially every bit as much of a living and thinking being as the humans or aliens who travel inside them.  Another aspect of what makes these ships so damn cool is their ability to create their own universes and also allow for quick travel from one to another, something that also makes them a highly desirable commodity and a terribly dangerous weapon in the wrong hands.  

Another imaginative concept is Nophek Gloss itself.  What is it you ask?  I have heard some describe it as similar to the spice Melange in the Dune novels, and sure I can see where those parallels would be made somewhat.  However, there's much more to this mysterious substance and the way of obtaining it is much different than how they harvested spice in Herbert's desert setting of Arrakis.  The myriad of diverse aliens and otherworldly creatures that you will encounter the further you get into the book only serve to add to the brilliance of this special galaxy-spanning opening entry in Hansen's The Graven series.

The fact that this is Essa Hansen's debut novel is unbelievably impressive in my opinion.  To be able to pack this kind of personal story into such a technologically genre bending canvas and have it work so seamlessly is quite an achievement indeed.   I really didn't want this book to end and I found myself kind of slowing up and savoring those last few chapters.  Luckily for us, this is only the beginning for this series and this talented breakout author.  I just hope we don't have to wait too long for the follow up.

If you love science fiction that is big on technology and world-building yet doesn't skimp in the least when it comes to an intriguing story, you need to read NOPHEK GLOSS as soon as you possibly can.  It reminded me of Iain M. Banks at his finest in its quality and boundary pushing and I came away feeling that I had just read an author merely scratching the surface of a blossoming career.  I would liken it to seeing a great musician early on in a small intimate theater.  At the end of the show you walk out smiling because you are part of those who are right now in on the secret, but are also dead certain that the next time you see them will be at a giant arena tour in front of screaming hordes.  I for one am really looking forward to it.

Rating: 9/10