"Nophek Gloss" by Essa Hansen is a hyperdrive-pumping debut novel that takes readers on a wild interstellar ride. This space opera epic follows the adventures of Caiden, a young man seeking revenge against those who destroyed his home planet. The worldbuilding is stellar, with vivid descriptions of exotic planets and cultures that make you feel like you're cruising through the galaxy yourself. The sci-fi slang and tech talk will transport you to another realm, and the action-packed plot will have you on the edge of your acceleration couch. Hansen's writing is absolutely stellar, and "Nophek Gloss" is a must-read for fans of epic space adventures.

This is the first instalment in The Graven series.

When Caiden's planet is destroyed he finds his salvation, a new family, and a new home on-board a spaceship, which is also its own universe, and a crew, who are made up of misfits and different alien species.

I loved all this book set out to do, even if I struggled to properly envision all of it. This futuristic sci-fi incorporated endless new technologies, places, species, politics, abilities... the list goes on. Caiden had lived his childhood sheltered from much of it so the reader was invited to learn at the same pace as him. However, his endless questions allowed for a confrontation of discoveries and I lost my way a bit during them.

I also lost my connection to his character after he underwent a quick growth spurt of six years, thanks to a new technology, and evolved from teen to adult over the course of a few pages. It was very interesting to read but did make me feel like I'd lost some of my close bond with his character.

The story was one involving many scenes of high-tension action and I really enjoyed the direction it took. I am very interested to see where the sequel will take Caiden and I'm excited to join him for the wild ride that is sure to ensue.

Well, Nophek Gloss. Written by Essa Hansen, this book has been on my TBR since before its release. If you have absolutely no idea what the title means, don’t be afraid, it’s intentional and you find out soon enough.

Prepare for an action-filled ride through space and emotions, though. This book starts strong, and has difficulty letting you take a pause during the 400 pages.

Somehow, it also takes every step on the hero’s journey without becoming boring. I don’t know if this was intended as a standalone novel at first and then evolved into a series, but it feels like it. But you can certainly read it as a standalone novel. I note this only because it is my only point of criticism: the book feels a tad too filled, there is so much in it. So many topics are discussed, and there are so many steps in the journey of the main character, and this at barely 400 pages. So you might feel a bit overwhelmed.

4/5 duckies, and big recommendation, and I will for sure pick up the next one.

Nophek Gloss is a story about 14 year old Caiden who finds out that his world is not as small as he thought it was. The people of Caiden's world are property and once they have outlived their usefulness the whole population is dumped on a planet to feed the much more valuable Nophek.

Caiden escapes the slaughter, finds a deserted ship and gains a crew. They offer to take him to the Cartographers, a neutral group of beings interested in the accumulation of knowledge.

What follows is a search for the truth about Caiden's ancestry and his quest for revenge on the people who sent his family to their slaughter.

The Mulitverse is an ingenious setting offering the opportunity for various species to interact, but also allows for limitations with regard to body type and strengths.

The crew are, like most of these types of space opera, a family who look out for each other and accept their differences, weaknesses and limitations and play to their strengths.

Unfortunately I found it very difficult to like Caiden. Even when he was aged 6 years he did not take the opportunity to do it gradually so that he could mature into his new skills. He was still acting like a selfish 14 year old with no regard to how his actions affected those around him. It is not till the latter part of the story that he realises that he should have listened to the crew's advice.

The pace and scope of the storytelling was excellent, it was the character development that let the story down.

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.

Enter a universe of daring space battles and impossible technology, a world where planets can be destroyed in the blink of an eye, and where the galaxy’s most valuable substance – nophek gloss – is in the hands of one young man who will tear it all down.

I don’t read a huge amount of science fiction as a rule, so when I choose to it needs to be a cut above. This year I’ve only read Goldilocks by Laura Lam, The Saints of Salvation by Peter F Hamilton and the Escape Pod 15th anniversary anthology. They were all uniformly excellent, feel free to check out the reviews. Just before the end of 2020, another title has managed to earn a spot on this very select list. The debut novel Nophek Gloss by Essa Hansen was published this week and it’s great.

Before we begin, I should mention the title of this book will likely appear many more times than a title normally does in one of my reviews. While reading I realised, I really like the sound it makes as it rattles around in my brain. Try it…Nophek Gloss. Great isn’t it?

When we first meet Caiden, he is an innocent living a tough but simple life on a backwater planet. Sadly, that innocence does not last long, as he is ripped away from everything he knows. Caiden is forced to grow up quickly and go on the run when he becomes a target for the authorities. The stresses of this fundamental change to his life are one of the things that fascinated me most about his character. Caiden’s emotional journey is just as interesting as his physical one. There is a sense of inner turmoil that is perfectly captured. That jumble of emotions – teenage angst, sadness and the rage of loss all vying with one another for supremacy.

Every good hero deserves a suitable adversary, and Caiden is no exception. The thing that struck me about the main antagonist, Threi, is he blissfully inhabits a morally grey area. His motivations remain shrouded in mystery throughout, we only see glimpses of his end game. Initially, Threi reads like little more than a self-absorbed bully boy but, unsurprisingly, there is far more to him than that.

It turns out that in the multiverse things can get epically brutal. Hassen doesn’t shy away from violence, and Caiden is often on the receiving end. Fortunately, technology has progressed significantly from what we are used to now. Augmentations, replacements and whatnot ensure violence can at least be treated relatively easily at a physical level. Restoring mental health is a far trickier goal, but the author doesn’t shy away from that either. Caiden suffers and the exploration of that suffering allows us to better understand how his experiences are shaping him as his grows.

I think that if you strip away all the intergalactic multiverse-based action, Nophek Gloss is ultimately a story about family. At first glance, Caiden appears to be driven solely by a desire for revenge but there is more to it than that. There is a need to belong to something bigger than himself. Caiden is exposed to so much trauma, physical and psychological, he needs someone other than himself to rely on. He can’t function without the sort of support network that we all need. On his travels Caiden falls in with a group of passengers*. This rag-tag bunch are a bit rough around the edges but perhaps they could be exactly what Caiden needs.

In Nophek Gloss the multiverse is filled with a colourful plethora of races, none more enigmatic than the Graven. Long since disappeared, The Graven have left their mark everywhere. Every branch of society is tied to Graven heritage in one form or another. and ancient Graven tech is still more advanced than anything that has appeared since. Graven science also remains unsurpassed, but only tiny remnants remain. The cultures that have grown up since still view the Graven with envious eyes. Experiments in genetics and conditioning taking place to try and replicate what has been lost. There is a power struggle to control all things Graven and the multiverse along with it. Caiden finds himself right at the heart of this conflict.

Gosh, I haven’t even mentioned how the nophek gloss fit into this vast intergalactic arms race. You know what? I’ve decided I’m not going to. You can discover the importance of nophek gloss yourself.

Nophek Gloss ends on a perfect little coda. How these events affect Caiden, and his surrogate family, have guaranteed my interest in the next book in The Graven series. I’m looking forward to it already.

Nophek Gloss is published by Orbit and is available now. Further books in The Graven series are set to follow.

My musical recommendation to accompany this novel is the blistering soundtrack to Mass Effect 3 by Clint Mansell, Christopher Lennertz, Sascha Dikiciyan and Cris Velasco. It is about as intergalactically epic as you can get. If that’s not a good fit for this novel, I’ll be honest, I dont know what is.

*The free folk of the multiverse. Traders, explorers, mercenaries and the like.

Nophek Gloss is a stunning debut that defies being categorised as it incorporates many aspects of hard and classic sci-fi with space opera. Alongside a coming-of-age story and an emotional core to it, that really brings everything together into an unforgettable story (and this is just the first book in the series!)
The worldbuilding was incredible in both breadth and depth, from the technology like the ship that is depicted on the cover (and I have an age-old fondness for sentient ships), which are both an essential part of the world, but also a threat if they were to fall into the wrong hands. To the range of peoples and creatures that we meet throughout the book, and the idea and use of the multiverse which really sets this book apart. This necessitates a slower-paced beginning to the book, as there is quite a bit to get your head around – and that includes the titular Nophek Gloss. However, Hansen brings the world to life and gives us the information in such a way that it never feels like an info dump and more like you’re settling into a new world that you’re exploring for the first time. Then once the reader has found their feet, the narrative takes off and does the rest, pulling you along for the ride.
While the worldbuilding is beautifully done, Hansen has also created a broad and nuanced cast of characters beyond the main character Caiden – who I had mixed feelings about towards the start, but who grew on me throughout the book and finished being one of my favourite characters. The ragtag crew are a fascinating group, with varying personalities and backstories, and it was a delight to watch their interactions both amongst the crew and with Caiden, and how they help to shape him as he tries to move past the traumatic experiences he has undergone. This nuance and development is not just limited to the main characters or the ‘good’ guys, and I found the antagonists to be just as complex and interesting.
This is a story of technology, and wonder and the potential that a multiverse offers – both good and bad – but at its core remains a very human story, as we see Caiden trying to deal with his demons, and past experiences, and find a purpose and place in an expanding multiverse. For me, it was that emotional core that really set this story apart, from the darker moments to the moments of friendship and loyalty, and it was great to see the worldbuilding and characterisation so well balanced, and I can’t wait to see what Hansen will do in the next book.

Well this one started with a bang! The book starts with the terrifying experience in young Caiden’s life that defines most of the resultant action within the story – I liked that. It meant that I knew exactly what had driven him.

While there are the usual tropes that occur within the genre, Hansen takes them and gives them an interesting spin. I liked the idea of the various universes – and an alien race whose relationship with them is quite different. I also liked the fact that rampant capitalism, which is a staple of this genre, is more nuanced and complicated within this world. In fact the worldbuilding works really well, which isn’t always the case in a book where the character development is so well done. I loved the crew of the ship that rescues Caiden. Each one of them has dark backstories of their own and were either able to use their own experiences to help the boy – or found interacting with him simply too painful.
Hansen’s layered characterisation, so that none of the protagonists are completely good or bad, shone through. As for Threi – Caiden’s initial antagonist – he has to be one of the standout villains of the year, for me.

One of the major themes in this book is how to cope with a terrible trauma. How do you avoid being twisted into a ball of vengeful fury? How do you overcome the pain and anger of injustice so you don’t go on reproducing that on others you interact with? And no… Hansen doesn’t fall back on Pollyanna-ish truisms to help Caiden fight his inner demons.

The plotting in this one is also spot on. I always love it when you are introduced to a person or creature at the beginning of the book as one thing, to find that actually, it is something quite different. Hansen uses this throughout the story to continue producing fresh plot twists throughout. In short, this is one of my favourite space opera adventures of the year – accomplished, well-crafted and packed full of action. It held me throughout and I’m very much looking forward to reading the next in the series. Highly recommended for fans of well written, character-led space opera set in a strong world.
10/10

Nophek Gloss is the first instalment in a science fiction space opera trilogy entitled The Graven, but what makes it different to others series’ is that each book can be read as a stand-alone as the plot wraps up at the end of each instalment. It follows protagonist and slave Caiden, a very young mechanic who dedicates his life to repairing the machines that are used to create food for the animals that generate the gloss of the title, the most valuable substance in the galaxy. However, his planet has had problems in maintaining this task and sustaining the food source to satiate his ruthless masters, thinking that in the absence of good bread there are cakes, decide to pack up and present the entire human population of the planet as a succulent snack to continue supporting the beasts.

Caiden is an interesting character that I didn’t love in the first half, but I did in the second. He starts out in this book as a 14-year-old who hasn’t ever lived outside of his own basic planet. He’s understandably angry and hurt, and he acts just as an angry and hurt 14-year-old from a sheltered nowhere planet would. But this is the multiverse and it is full of all kinds of technology, such as acceleration, which can put a few more years of aging on you in a few hours. The latter half of tose story sees Caiden a few years older and shows him becoming a few years wiser, which I really enjoyed. It's character-rich, full of action and intensity, and intricately assembled, providing hours of escapism and entertainment.

The multiverse in which it is set is interesting and beautifully built, the plot is action-packed, emotional and exciting and the cast of characters, though limited, allows the focus to be on developing Caiden as he comes of age. It's a slow burner to begin with as Hansen deals with the exposition necessary in a series opener but once the setting, characters and backstory are given their foundations it becomes much pacier, palpably tense and pretty difficult to put down. Immersive, refreshingly creative and written in a tactile prose, I am assured the sequel, Azura Ghost, due out in October 2021, will expand the scope to multiversal conflict and the world into new dimensions of consciousness. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Orbit for an ARC.

"Nophek Gloss" is a decent story that's well-written and has some very good characters. However, thoughts of "Dune" and "The Walking Dead" hit me not very far into this book and stuck with me the whole way through, which kind of spoiled it for me as my brain was constantly making comparisons. It's a really promising start to a series though, and I'm looking forward to the next book.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

Much more than a coming of age book (and a very different one at that), NOPHEK GLOSS is an emotional and vivid story about self-worth, overcoming trauma, and finding meaning in an overwhelmingly vast universe.

"Strength can rise from any wreckage"

The opening chapter introduces Caiden, a young mechanic working in a community of farmers who rear livestock under the supervision of slavers. When their entire population of cattle succumbs to a disease, the citizens are rounded up, and the events that follow turn Caiden’s world upside down, inside out, and tear it to shreds. He soon finds himself on a quest for answers and vengeance as he struggles to survive in a strange multiverse filled with both hope and heartache.

There’s so much I want to say about this novel, but I don’t want to give anything away. Not discussing the plot makes reviewing and recommending a book a little tricky, so I guess I'll say if you were to put a Becky Chambers novel in a cage and poke it with the pointy end of a stick until it gets REALLY pissed off, you might have a vague idea of what to expect from NOPHEK GLOSS. Essa Hansen writes with the epic scope of space opera's greats, but with the vibrance and diversity that we’ve seen more of in recent years.

NOPHEK GLOSS features a ragtag space crew like many of my favourite SF stories, but by no means are they a custom-fit bunch. Their personalities and experiences are as diverse as their physiology, and they work hard to get along. The villains in this story are equally complex, and while they all play a significant role in Caiden’s journey, the focus remains on him finding his new purpose in the world(s) while trying to reconcile his anger and guilt. It is by no means a comfortable journey for protagonist or reader, but it is ultimately an incredibly satisfying and moving one.

'Own what you hate, and polish the rest of you until that hated part is outshined completely."

It was such a thrill to discover Hansen’s sci-fi vision alongside Caiden who, due to his captive upbringing, has never even seen the night sky. While this may sound like an obvious storytelling device, it is integral to the plot, and in my opinion, works extremely well.

The last thing I’ll say is that while Caiden’s journey features fascinating technology and unique alien species, its focus is not so much on futuristic realism and technical explanations, but more on the unfettered wonder and potential of an ever-expanding multiverse, both the good and the bad.

Fans of novels by Chambers, Scalzi, Szal or Tchaikovsky will love NOPHEK GLOSS.

Many thanks to Orbit and Netgalley for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Our protagonist Caiden is only 14 years old at the beginning of this novel, and has all the impulsivity and storms of emotions we associate with adolescence. We rapidly follow as his community is ripped away from the only home they've ever known and delivered into horrific scenes of slaughter, leaving Caiden alone with only thoughts of revenge to keep him going.

Caiden is rescued by his unlikely discovery of a mysterious abandoned ship, and a crew of 'Passagers', a found family of interesting aliens, that I hope return in the next book. Some heavy scientific concepts explored in this novel, multiple universes, a spaceship which is partially organic and the possibility of having your skills and knowledge artificially accelerated. Caiden takes advantage of this risky process to better prepare for his pursuit of revenge against the group responsible for the death of his people.

Unfortunately, we never really see Caiden grow up or mature emotionally. He remains that adolescent storm of impulsive rage, and continues to think that the people around him just don't understand him. This leads him to take dangerous risks, which put him and his new friends in peril. I enjoyed this novel, and particularly liked the ending, teasing us with a glimpse of what is to come in the next book. I could definitely do with Caiden showing some more maturity, as he was as irritating as only a moody teen can be!

There are dark themes within this novel, obsessive pursuit of revenge, torture and injury, enslavement. On balance, we also see strong bonds of loyalty and friendship, a commitment to doing the right thing and a desire to protect the vulnerable and bring justice to the (multiple) universes.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

#LGBT #scifi

Nophek Gloss is a space opera debut and first in a new series from Essa Hansen. The name of the book comes from Gloss, the most valuable substance in the multiverse which is harvested from the brain of a vicious mammalian creature called nophek. This is not the only strangeness in a book that is full of eldritch technology and new xenid (aka alien) species. There is a glossary at the back Nophek Gloss for those who feel confused by lightseep obsidian or find it hard to remember what a saisan looks like but all is explained in the text and it is generally more rewarding to go with the flow.
Nophek Gloss opens frenetically. A group of agricultural workers are just coming to terms with the unprecendent death of their livestock when they are rounded up and sent away. There is little time to get a sense of place or character before the violent action kicks in as the workers are confronted by ravenous nophek, an attack which one of those slaves, Caiden, manages to survive. Before long, Caiden has found a fabulous spaceship, has been adopted by a Firefly-style alien crew and learns that he is some kind of genetically bred supersolider. But despite all of this it takes time for the actual plot to kick in to gear. That plot follows Caiden’s search for vengeance for the death of his parents (who are not really his parents) and sister (who is not really his sister). Given the lack of time we spend with these characters this often feels like ultimate fridging.
There is plenty of standard space opera tropes here – lost advanced civilisations, genetic modifications, huge space station/trading hubs crawling with aliens. All of this is embedded in a chosen one/found family narrative. While there are technological explanations Caiden goes from wide eyed naïf to deadly killing machine (with a heart) in a very short amount of time. He manages to solve a range of problems that other, more experienced characters have struggled with. The crew of misfits and outsiders (all with a blotted past) that Caiden ends up are on the whole more interesting and when he leaves them behind for a bit the narrative suffers. The crew really provide the heart and soul of this book and while a little generic they are well drawn. They include the grumpy, suspicious captain, to the empathic mechanic, the medic and former best pilot in the galaxy. Many are alien species and Hansen does a good job in creating a range of creatures even if stating their preference of pronoun when they are introduced is very 2020.
Nophek Gloss is a promising debut. Hansen takes a range of fairly standard tools and tropes and shapes them into a narrative that, when it fires, can be both original and propulsive. Although there is a fair amount of exposition and just wandering around huge space structures that needs to be navigated between those sections. The epilogue throws the reader ten years into the future and teases a new range of problems for Caiden and his gang in a sequel due in 2021.

Nophek Gloss es la novela de debut de Essa Hansen, con unas ideas buenísimas al comienzo de la lectura pero con una ejecución que deja bastante que desear, lo que nos ofrece un libro bastante mejorable a pesar de un punto de partida de lo más atractivo.


El protagonistas de la novela es Caiden, un jovencísimo mecánico que dedica su vida a la reparación de las máquinas que se utilizan para crear el alimento de los animales que generan este gloss del título, la sustancia más valiosa de la galaxia. Sin embargo, su planeta ha tenido problemas en el mantenimiento de esta tarea y sus despiadados amos, pensando que a falta de pan buenas son tortas, deciden empaquetar como un suculento snack a toda la población humana del planeta para seguir manteniendo a las bestias.

Este sacrificio terrible marcará el destino de Caiden, como bien sabremos porque la autora está empeñada en que rememore cada poco tiempo la tragedia. Y este es uno de los problemas de la historia, la reiteración de ciertas imágenes y comportamientos hasta la extenuación. Y el hecho de que la única respuesta a este círculo vicioso sean los ataques de rabia tampoco dice mucho de la evolución del personaje.

Es cierto que algunas de las ideas que utiliza Hansen a lo largo de la narración son estupendas, dignas de un desarrollo más cuidado. El hecho de que algunas de las razas alienígenas o los propios humanos sean capaces de modificar su propio cuerpo a voluntad es una implementación de los géneros fluidos realmente brillante. Que el universo en que se desarrolla la historia esté compuesto a su vez de pequeños multiversos donde van ocurriendo pequeños cambios en la física o en la biología o en algunos otros aspectos de la naturaleza de forma que conforme te vas alejando de tu lugar de origen sea más probable encontrarte en un lugar que sea incompatible con tu vida es genial. Incluso estoy dispuesta a aceptar que algunas razas estén genéticamente predispuestas a influir en el comportamiento de otras, aunque esto ya es más exige más de mi suspensión de la incredulidad.

Por desgracia, todo este caudal de buenas ideas se desperdicia en una historia de rito de madurez bastante manida. El protagonista tiene la suerte de encontrarse con una tripulación capaz de acogerle, pero sus propias dudas acerca de su herencia hacen que sea incapaz de aceptar este regalo caído del cielo. Las conspiraciones para derrocar los poderes fácticos en los que se ve envuelto son de una simpleza extrema y el hecho de que la única forma que encuentra para dar rienda suelta a su venganza sea aliarse con el causante de sus males también resulta poco convincente.

Este libro es la primera parte de una trilogía. Tengo curiosidad por saber si la autora conseguirá evolucionar, ya que las ideas están ahí, solo que la ejecución no es lo suficientemente buena.

This book was very original and I really like the world created by the author !!

I had a really hard time getting into the story, because of the format of this book, it was a little painful to read it !! I would have probably enjoyed this book much more if the format had been different.

I was fortunate to be granted an advance copy to read and that is the problem, the copy is unreadable due to being formatted by what I can only assume is an AI not familiar with the written word because I would probably have more chance of being able to read this if it was in.binaric code. Oh well I will preorder the audio book instead