In the Orbit of Sirens by T.A. Bruno

I’ve always been one to peer up at the stars and wonder whats out there. What would it be like to live so far from home on a new planet? Many books, comics, films, and video games that I consume are centered around this question and occasionally one succeeds at encapsulating what this may be like for future generations. I feel the game Mass Effect Andromeda and the Hyperion Cantos books by Dan Simmons offer a fascinating glimpse into an answer to those questions and ever since consuming them I’ve been on the look out for new writers who can also answer these questions with the same level of intrigue and wonder. In the Orbit of Sirens is an inspired but fresh take on these questions and answers and it’s author, T.A. Bruno, is just the storyteller I was looking for.

In the Orbit of Sirens is a compelling, action-packed read that kept me turning pages well passed midnight. Step onto the lush and wild surface of the planet of Kamaria. A world that hit each of my senses differently and made me wish it were a real place from the very beginning. The story line splits in fragments and slowly reassembles itself as a cast of dynamic characters find their paths crossed in a conflict over settling mankinds new home and sharing it with the spiritually advanced indigenous race who occupy the planet. I was very impressed with just how much detail and worldbuilding and intersecting plots Bruno was able to fit into this first book in what looks to be a series. While some of the dialogue between certain characters felt a little on the nose at a few points, it was more than made up for in the attention to detail and sheer amount of new concepts and elements introduced on Kamaria. Actually, thats a great word to describe how this book made me feel. It felt uncharted. It felt new. Inspired, yes, but also something new.

If you enjoy Hyperion, Lost In Space (Netflix), or Titan A.E., you would be grateful you picked up this book. Enjoy stunning artwork throughout and check out the audiobook too! Don’t miss the sequel, On the Winds of Quasars, is out now with an absolutely gorgeous cover.

Overall Rating:

Author T. A. Bruno (https://tabruno.com) published the novel “In the Orbit of Sirens” in 2020. This is the first of his "The Song of Kamaria " series. This is his first science fiction novel.

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of violence. The story is set in a far future. The main characters are Denton Castus and Eliana Veston.

Castrus fled Earth with his family and they have opened a garage on the Odysseus Colony on Kamaria. Thousands had fled the attacking Undriel. Dr. Veston is part of the team sent ahead of the refugees to prepare their new home. A plague threatens the early colony and they must get help from the indigenous people, the Sirens.

Veston is also one of the Scouts. This is the small elite force responsible for exploring Kamaria. They are also the ones who meet and interact with the Sirens. Castrus and Veston become romantically involved. He also joins the Scouts.

Some of the Sirens seem friendly, but there is a great deal of mystery about them. They seem to have greater powers than first thought. The leaders seem to have their own agenda.

An ancient intelligence comes to power again on Kamaria. It is able to control inhabitants and is not friendly towards the colonists. The Earth refugees are under threat once again. Veston and Castrus must team up to save the colonists.

I enjoyed the 12+ hours I spent reading this 516-page science fiction novel. The author created an interesting 'universe' for his story. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a 3.8 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.

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*Netgalley gave me an electronic ARC in return for an honest review* Thank you to them and the writer.

In the Orbit of Sirens is the SciFi I didn't know I needed to get me back into the fever of distant planets and things stalking the abyss of space is nothing more than metal shuttles and armed with a will to consume.

If Stargate: Atlantis, Skyward and To Sleep In A Sea of Stars were stories you found interesting, this is the perfect next tale for you to dive into. And now that were are in the holiday season, and excellent gift for a loved one who has their head not just in the clouds but lightyears away on strange planets with diseases that might just wipe out humanities last chance ...

5 stars for a review, but many more in the sky of this novel, In the Orbit of Sirens.

Masterpiece.

YA Sci-Fi where the remains of the humanity head to colonise a alien world and discover something nasty out there. And I rather liked its urgency and setting to start off with - the idea of an advance party gently getting a planet ready for a huge influx of thousands of people gave both a ticking clock, and a decent shape to the exploration (coupled with solving an alien disease). Throw in a mysterious dead city and I was sucked in, disaster and then five years later...

Five years later the colonists arrive, our actual hero is defined and suddenly we have to go through the YA motions of breaking away from parents and a competitive job application process which now seems to be the defining part of any YA sci-fi these days. Perhaps its makes exciting something that is otherwise boring (though I think you can write a pretty tense job interview and test sequence if you are so inclined) but it is so pointless. To waste ten chapters on petty squabbles with other characters may seem like deft characterisation shorthand, but they really don't work for me. And once that is out of the way we are off in the interlands with the aliens and no real consideration of what it might mean to share a planet with its original inhabitants, what with our reputation.

By halfway I was not really able to forgive its shift into psychic mumbo-jumbo and whilst the stakes get continually raised and the action is pretty incessant, I have to say I lost my drive. The last half of the book felt so different to the opening forty pages or so. I finished to get the closure, and it worked well enough, but it reminded me why I generally steer away from YA sci-fi these days.

[NetGalley ARC]

WOW. So I'm still just starting to dip my toes into the science-fiction world, and this book was just absolutely amazing. The world-building and writing style just brings the alien world of Kamaria to life.

The characters, especially Eliana, were so well written and believable, it just make the whole book easy to visualize and kept me engaged the whole duration of the book. There were absolutely no points where I grew bored or felt any disappointment.

Easily one of my new favorite series - I can't wait for the next book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for providing an ARC for review.

A nice mix of sci-fi, suspense, tech and action that is quite engaging. The author uses a nice writing style and creates some fun characters. I look forward Bruno's next offering. Recommended.

I really appreciate the review copy!!

A few humans escape an alien race, that absorbs all in their path. They flee in space and land on a strange world. I enjoyed all the species of creatures on the planet. I felt I was there. It's a well written novel and I look forward to the sequel.