Oblivion Awakes is one of those stories that weeks later, you are still thinking about it as it is such a fascinating story, with some of the best SCI-FI Characters I have read this year. Hopper’s character writing is gritty, powerful and utterly captivating as he brings to life these people with such raw and charismatic intensity. The two main characters, Jericho and Evelyn are brilliant, whilst at times almost overshadowed by their sidekicks Sam and Kit.
This is a story set in a future in which the world has undergone a serious climate event, one that has impacted the Earth, and humanity, wiping out a large part of life on Earth. Those left have divided into a multitude of what are known as Politicasts – Factions that dictate a person’s belief on how humanity should spend its resources, there are the Solum Terram, who think that everything should be put back into saving Earth and humanity should remain on Earth, or the flip side, there are two factions, NUESSA and Viatoribus who reach for the stars, one who seeks Alien life to help humanity and one who just looks to the stars as a means to further humanity. There is of course the Tantum Terrae, the faction who not on believe in the sanctity of Earth, but do not want anyone reaching out, and will do anything to stop it, including violence.
The world building is so in-depth, so rich, you can lose yourself in this place that Hopper has created, with an alternate Earth, full of a complex and multi-faceted political system. On top of that, there is so much intricate detail of the civilisation and Earth that we now live on, and even more exciting, the space stations that orbit above. Hopper has created this world that is so full of comprehensive detail that you can walk on the world as the Characters talk about it, or stand on the station and see what they see, as they visualise it. It is both extraordinary and breathtaking.
The Politicasts in this story are fascinating, you belong to your cast, and have it tattooed on your hand. People have so much passion about their casts, it is almost like a Religion for them. But this is about ‘belief’, believing in something, whether that be in the Earth, in exploration, or in Alien life, it doesn’t matter, what matters is that you have your beliefs, and you stick to them.
The quality and the depth of the world building relating to aspects such as the Politicasts is what makes this story so astonishing.
The story is split into two main arcs, one that follows Jericho Fox, and the other that follows Evelyn Parks.
Jericho Fox is a pilot with a past, and the weight of the entire galaxy on his shoulders. We learn pretty quickly (No spoilers), that he has been involved in some sort of incident, an accident, that has seen him cast out of not only his job, but his former Politicast as well, and that for a lot of the human race, he seems despised. So it is a shock to him when he starts a new job, and finds a young Engineer, Kit, who doesn’t really know him and is grateful to work with him. Kit to has been cast out due to a misadventure in life, and the pair work on shipping Uranium on a hauler.
There story arc is one that sees them sent to investigate a crash, and what they find will not only change their lives, but the lives of many others.
Dr Evelyn Parks is probably the best character in the book, and one of the best characters I have read all year. She is just so much fun. Not only is she highly intelligent, being the lead Astrophysicist onboard the Astrea space hab, a station in space that houses more than 375,000 humans all researching the future of humanity in space or looking to connect humanity with an alien civilisation. Evelyn ‘Evie’ Parks, and her friend, and co-worker, Dr Samantha ‘Sam’ Collins, work at trying to locate extrasolar intelligence that could help humanity further themselves, repair the Earth, or reach into the stars. At the start of Evelyn’s story, she finds herself confronted with not only her research in trouble, but for the first time ever on Astrea, something horrific has happened, and she has been tied to it, and now must work out what has happened. The story on Astrea is utterly intriguing, fast paced, gritty and intelligent. It has so many twists and turns, that you won’t see the last twist smack you in the face, let alone the two new ones that have just appeared. Evie and Sam’s tale is intense, at times almost brutal, but it is always gripping and it is exceptionally well written.
The other really extraordinary part of this story is the dark character we get to read about every now and then, Jack, this elusive predator that is stalking our main characters. He is an assassin lurking in the shadows and seeking to cause mayhem, but is so well done. These little elements in the story are not only captivating, but utterly fascinating.
There are several other characters I won’t mention to avoid spoilers, but Hopper continues to prove why he is so good at character driven storytelling. Oblivion Awakes is a masterclass in gritty, intelligent and thrilling Sci-fi and regardless of the genre you love, Mil Sci-Fi, Space Opera, Alien Invasion, Exploration, even Hard Sci-Fi, there is something for everyone in this book.
This will be one of those series that is long remembered into the future, so get onboard now.
Oblivion Awaits: Infinita, Book 1
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Top reviews from other countries
Nick
World Building First book...... Onwards to Book 2!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 14, 2021Ian
Best book read for a long time
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 18, 2022Sean Ross
A great new direction for Hopper!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2021
