2024

First Born by James Goss

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The novel “First Born” by James Goss was published for the first time in 2011.

Gwen Cooper is pregnant but she and Rhys Williams are being hunted by practically every secret agency in the world. They manage to escape when their hideout is discovered and among what are at least in theory Torchwood’s safe places is the small Welsh village of Rawbone, where the couple hopes to raise their recently born daughter Anwen.

Some strange reactions of the inhabitants of Rawbone towards the new arrivals lead Gwen to suspect that something strange is happening in the village. The presence of abnormally calm teenagers and the absence of children make the situation disturbing.

The Microcolony by Gordon Williams

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The novel “The Microcolony” by Gordon Williams was published for the first time in 1979. It’s the second book in the Micronauts trilogy and follows “The Micronauts”.

When David Gudenian goes to a tunnel that very few people know about to have some intimacy with Magda Hoessner, he discovers that a fox is dangerously close to the colony. He decides to risk punishment by revealing the danger but his warning is not taken into account and he risks coming to a bad end.

Seeing his situation, David Gudenian decides to rebel and escapes with other people who were prisoners for various violations of the colony’s rules after finding Magda. The new group must venture into a wild territory while in the colony there’s a power struggle. The discovery that Magda is the most important woman in the colony changes everything.

Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton

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The novel “Pandora’s Star” by Peter F. Hamilton was published for the first time in 2004. It’s the first book in the Commonwealth Saga.

When astronomer Dudley Bose discovers that two stars have disappeared, he sees the possibility of becoming famous in the Intersolar Commonwealth. Observations suggest that the stars have been surrounded by Dyson spheres, and this would indicate the presence of a sentient species.

The two stars are far beyond the borders of the Commonwealth, so there’s no wormhole nearby that allows humans to get there quickly. A starship capable of interstellar travel at speeds greater than the speed of light is designed to be sent to explore the area. Wilson Kime is one of the very few humans with experience in space travel even though his last trip was a few centuries earlier and he’s chosen to command the mission.

Views of a partial humerus (a-f), including one obtained with a micro-CT scan (g), of Homo floresiensis found at the site of Mata Menge compared with some views of a humerus (h-i) found at the site of Liang Bua

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An article published in the journal “Nature Communications” reports a study on new fossils belonging to the hominins called Homo floresiensis and nicknamed hobbits found at the site of Mata Menge, on the island of Flores. A team of researchers examined these new fossils dated to about 700,000 years ago and concluded that the species Homo floresiensis could descend from Asian Homo erectus.

The discovery of hominins just over a meter tall in a cave at Liang Bua, on the island of Flores, aroused much curiosity and not only among professionals in the field. Nicknamed hobbits because of their small height, they stimulated discussions since the beginning about their origin and relationships with other hominins, especially with Homo sapiens.

The Lost Fleet: Victorious by Jack Campbell

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The novel “The Lost Fleet: Victorious” by Jack Campbell was published for the first time in 2010. It’s the sixth and final book in The Lost Fleet series and follows “The Lost Fleet: Relentless”.

After many battles against the Syndicate, Captain John “Black Jack” Geary must assert his loyalty to the authorities of the Alliance. This means keeping some of his officers at bay, as they’re ready to follow him even in a coup if he were interested in taking power.

Being promoted to Admiral of the Fleet is a burden for John Geary, also because it adds another problem to his personal life. The knowledge that there’s a non-human species that constitutes a threat to both the Alliance and the Syndicate pushes him to accept the new assignment.