J. H. Wear https://www.jhwear.com is the author of more than a dozen novels. A Hole in the Universe was published in 2020. It is the 14th book I completed reading in 2023.

. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to some mature language, I categorize this novel as PG. The primary character is spacecraft captain Jaret McLeod.

McLeod had been an asteroid miner aboard the ship Gladiator until an accident put him on sick leave. As he nears medical release, he is offered the opportunity to captain a mining vessel, the Nebula. While on a mining run, they save another mining ship.

McLeod becomes captain of the cargo ship McKenzie King. Later he is offered the chance to captain an experimental ship with FTL capabilities. It is the Hendrik A. Lorentz, and McLeod will take it on its maiden voyage.

Many spacers claim to have encountered USOs, Unidentified Space Objects. They move at incredible speed and have been sighted for years, but no one knows what or who they are. On Mars, fossil hunters discover alien stonework. Are the two connected?

I enjoyed the 8 hours I spent reading this 276-page science fiction novel. It took a bit of reading (44% of the book) before the plot began to kick in. Before that, the book focused on everyday life in space and on Mars. The chosen cover art is eye-catching. I give this novel a rating of 3.3 (rounded to 3) out of 5.

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I started reading this book and found that it was not for me. It didn't seem fair for me to review a book that I didn't finish.

This book was great! I loved the world building! The pacing was great! I loved the characters. This is a 4 star book.

It’s been ages since I’ve read a sci-fi, and I really enjoyed this book. In a nutshell, there are a few stories going on which all connect.

We have colonised Mars, but humans haven’t yet worked out if there is still life on the planet, and contact with aliens in general have not yet been made.

One part of the story focuses on a space pilot working his way through the ranks on various ships with his crew, and one part focuses on archaeologists searching for life. And a bar...

The characters are likeable (although I did find one of the characters who only wanted to date pure Martian born men a bit...hmmm...racist?!), and the plot is excellent- maybe a bit rushed at times. The pilot only seemed to be in one job for a very short time before being promoted. Maybe it could be extended a bit!

All in all, I enjoyed the read!

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy

i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the scifi elements.

This story follows Captain Jared McCleod's career from asteroid miner to captain of a passenger liner and beyond. His bosses notice his integrity, strength and the easy way he he gets along with his crews. He is asked to captain the new faster than light ship that his company has recently added to the fleet. A ship that leads to first contact. Is being a great Captain enough to handle mankind's first meeting with an alien species?

I really enjoyed this book. There is a lot of character development, which I really like. This is not part of a series which makes it even better for me. If you enjoy space opera, and not having to buy the next book to see what happens, get this book!

Unfortunately, I thought I had reviewed this book right after I read it, but only just recently found out that I had not. With that said, I greatly enjoyed this book. It was an easy read with a number of elements to appeal to any number of readers. Space exploration. Mars. Asteroids. Unidentified Space Objects (USOs). Advanced Technology. Romance. Terraforming. And so much more.

Captain McLeod is the central character of the story, following his progression from mining ship to cargo hauler to passenger liner to experimental ship. His interactions with secondary characters develop a web of interactions and throughout the world of A Hole in the Universe that tie themselves together nicely. Some of the character development is a bit thin and leaves you wanting a bit more personality and understanding of the characters. However, there is enough for you to be invested in who they are and what they are trying to accomplish.

The technical details of all aspects of the book show great depth and attention to detail by J.H. Wear. You are given enough technical detail to understand the whats, hows, and whys without going overboard into technical monotony.

This is a stand-alone book but leaves open the possibility of future books to expand the world and extend the storylines of the main characters. Overall, this was a very fun and exciting read that kept me engaged from the get-go.

A hard science-fiction novel fans of The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey might enjoy

This is a slow-burn space opera, focused around a miner-turned-spaceship captain, Jaret McLeod and the ensemble crew and acquaintances he creates along the way as he hops from one spaceship to another. Focused is not the right word either. Some light is cast upon McLeod, Writson and all the other secondary and tertiary characters, but the main focus of the story is the technology that has allowed humans to colonize Mars and later on make a groundbreaking (space-breaking?) discovery that will bring the not-so-unexpected conclusion at the end of the book.
J.H.Wear exerts tremendous care as he describes every single mechanical contraption one could find on a spaceship; every single ginormous drill used to drill under the surface of Mars; every single aspect of theoretical physics theories pertaining to the speed of light. All these things are great and have the potential to turn this book into a sci-fi masterpiece... if the human aspect of it all wasn't so sadly missing.
To me, the characters felt somewhat flat. We spend the first 1/3 of the book focusing just on McLeod and yet I was left feeling we don't really know him at all. What makes him tick? What does he think? Everyone seems to congratulate him and they keep promoting him... but why? We are told he is good at his job —but because we're not really allowed into his head, it's hard to connect in any meaningful way with him. (On that note, the character of Nellie Writson is a bit more alive and relatable.)
I compared this book to The Expanse series because it shares the uncanny attention to detail when it comes to planet terraforming and space exploration — but what it doesn't share, is characters you can root for. You see their actions, you become puzzled by them sometimes, but you're never allowed a real peak under the surface.
Another thing that personally didn't work for me in this book (but might not be a problem for other readers) was the way gender roles and women in general were portrayed. To me, the descriptions of women, how they talked to other women and how they talked to and about men, seemed anachronistic; more suitable to the Mad Men era or an '80s office drama than a space opera.
Still, if you love hard science-fiction reads and care more about the "how" than the "why" of space explorations and first contact with alien species, this might be the book for you.

P. S. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this sci-fi tale and was surprised to find that it is a one off. Usually many of these style books have a million sequels but this is what it is, and it's all the better for it too.A fantastic protagonist, believable fictional science backed by mainstream astrophysics ( yet in a very light manner ). The book has an air of Star Trek about it which will guarantee a lot of 5 star ratings across the board. Excellent work which I highly recommend.

Mars is once again capturing the human imagination. As our efforts to place human feet on a truly foreign - and alien - soil intensify, our plans for living this particular dream take on a whole new immediacy. The story assumes several generations of human occupation have passed. Genetic mutations are beginning to separate new immigrants from 'native' martians who have not just accommodated to the martian environment but now identify as uniquely martian. Martian pride is fostering a nascent independence movement.

Jaret McLeod is a talented leader and spacefarer. Though born on earth his true love is the cosmos. As the action begins Jaret is an asteroid miner, cutting out and hauling blocks of valuable minerals and other material for processing by private companies. More importantly, beyond his technical expertise he is a natural leader who earns the loyalty of his crews by learning about and interacting with them, and caring about their safety and wellbeing - leadership by respect and trust. Because of this he gains a reputation as a person who gets things done and earns the fierce loyalty of his crews. In short order he is catapulted from captaining small mining vessels, to passenger ships, and finally to the newest and technologically most advanced, faster than light, starship.

There are several additional characters introduced and developed as the story moves along. The pace is steady as the story broadens and moves forward. Some readers may be put off by the seeming slow pace but I was fascinated by the new characters and how they became part of the fabric of the story.

Readers who hang in are rewarded as the pace quickens and developments, both on Mars and far into the cosmos, come to a head. Suddenly, serendipitously, native life is discovered in ancient lava tubes, a structure, only 8000 years old, is uncovered and Jaret pilots the brand new starship beyond light speed for the first time, and is greeted by an alien ship that communicated with him - in English.

it took me a while to get into this one. I found that some times I wanted to stop because of the secondary personal stories(they do make sense in the end-but the end seemed too far sometimes)
the main story revolves around captain Jaret McLeod that gets promoted from a mining ship-to passenger ship-to a more special spaceship that involves faster than light traveling. he is a well viewed person and leader, but sometimes such qualifications aren't enough for first time sort of contact with aliens.
the book is well written though it took me a while to get into this type of prose-some descriptions where too much
I would love to read more from this author

I received this book as an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

A Hole in the Universe is about Jaret McLeod, a starship captain who, working his way up from asteroid miner in his company, ultimately finds himself captaining a passenger spaceship. His rapid advancement, his apparent integrity, and his observed leadership skills lead to his being noticed by the company’s owner. She decides to offer him an opportunity to captain a faster-than-light experimental ship. FTL flight is not considered possible at this time by the general public so he will be test piloting the ship built based on one scientist’s FTL theory.

Being a well-qualified captain does not necessarily prepare one for first-contact. He faces that challenge when watcher aliens approach him. Their original homeworld is now known as planet X, the current theorized ninth planet in our solar system.

While the plot line may not sound exciting for space opera fans, the book is a good read and does keep your interest due to its excellent prose and personal side stories that tie back to the original storyline.

Exciting novel about life on Mars. I thought the novel was very interesting and liked the concepts the book examined. I enjoy a good science fiction book, that presents new thoughts and is believable.

I have been looking for a new science-fiction author to read for some time now. Authors I enjoy are Peter F Hamilton, Stephen Baxter and pseudonymously James S A Corey (The Expanse series) - all giants of the genre, so quite something to live up to. As a result, I was delighted when I saw the synopsis of this book - it seemed to be exactly what I was after.

However (that's a horrible word to start a paragraph) despite the fact that the synopsis was great, the book (as much of it as I read) was well plotted and the idea is definitely one that lends itself to an enjoyable read, I am afraid that I was unable to finish it, due to the author's writing style, which is very much tell rather than show.

There is a lot of exposition at the start of the book. I understand that a whole lot of world building is needed in a science fiction novel, and the author has done a great job of creating a believable universe, I would just rather see it introduced gradually.

There are a lot of good points to this book and I can see it making a good film or TV series, but I just can't get past the author's style - that's a personal preference though. As a result, I gave a great deal of thought to my star rating - a great idea, just not realised in a style that I can enjoy and as such I can't justify anything more than three stars. I wish the author success and hope that he finds an appreciative readership.