First Life follows the life of Colton Beck from his life now as a 36yr old male with a terminal disease called Xeno, to the various flashbacks in his earlier life, starting at 15 when an alien spaceship first dropped into the atmosphere over where he was playing baseball and several intervals in between.
We learn that the aliens, the Angor, have come to Earth in peace, to offer Humanity several things as part of a ‘Unity Accord’, asking only for help with some projects, including help with colonizing a planet of our own.
However, when they came, the Angor released something into the atmosphere to allegedly help with the damage we had done, something that was supposedly non-toxic to humans. But not all humans were, a very small percentage of the population of the Earth developed a rare condition called ‘Xeno’, something that is fatal to anyone that develops it.
We learn all of this (and a lot more that I won’t give spoilers for), through multiple flashbacks throughout Colton’s life, and that he has Xeno, and how he will eventually succumb to the disease (You don’t know when, those that get it, go through lots of painful attacks early on, before adjusting to a reasonably normal life, and then towards the end, have a few more painful attacks and die). Colton works on an Angor project, having accepted his fate, and having just gotten on with his life, when he learns of the Human Colony that is being sent to the planet Dicore.
Only 10,000 people are being sent though, and unfortunately, no one with Xeno can go. However, Colton believes this is his last hope for a meaningful life, and decides he has to be on the ship that goes, and as a result, he contacts an old friend (His ex-girlfriend from High School who was stood on the baseball pitch the day the Angor came), Indie Hart, and begs her to help him.
And thus begins what is both a full-on adventure, but a story that is utterly riveting and intriguing. The start of this book is fascinating to begin with, and has you completely captivated, but when the story moves to the trip to Dicore, it is like a completely different level of story-telling.
Hystad has always been brilliant at creating characters that are intelligent and multi-faceted, but in First Life, he takes this to a whole new dimension. Colton is exceptional as the man with a death sentence, desperate to make a difference, but with a secret that could get him killed. He is so determined to get to Dicore, to do something significant with the time he has left, that the consequences are almost insignificant to him. Along the way, he meets some wonderful characters, Desmond, the man with a mystery past, but who is full of skills, and such a good friend. There is Miya, barely 18 and already a gifted computer genius, and yet so young in so many other ways.
There are countless others that Colton meets on his journey to Dicore as well (too many, and I don’t want to give away spoilers!).
Indie Hart is intriguing in this story, she appears in so many aspects of Colton’s life, and is such an integral part of him, and yet, as the story progresses, Colton is not ever really sure about who she really is. Indie is a very clever character, and is one of my favourite in this story.
Along with the humans, there are the Angor, who are fascinating, that deceptively humanoid looking alien type, but at the same time, with enough differences to make them look alien when you really compare them. Hystad does a masterful job with the Angor, as you never really know what is happening or going on with them, and it only adds to the intrigue and mystery of the story.
The multi-faceted world-building, including the different aspects of how the Earth changes under Angor occupation, and that of the planet Dicore, are extraordinary. There is so much depth and detail to the descriptive work, really bringing these worlds to life, and allowing you to not only put yourself in these scenes, but to totally lose yourself in them.
First Life is an exceptional first part in what is going to be an amazing series, not only following Colton Beck and through him Indie Hart, but the lives of multiple other people as they take the first steps in setting up a colony on Dicore.
But this isn’t just about setting up a colony, there are so many layers of intrigue, and different factions, all vying for various things that make this just as much a mystery/thriller as a first contact/colonisation story.
It doesn’t matter what genre you like in Sci-Fi, there is something for everyone in First Life, it is an incredible journey, and one not to be missed!!
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Top reviews from other countries
Steve
quite interesting, but interesting enough?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 28, 2022
Louise
Great twist, in a super galaxy crossing story.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 25, 2022
