Authors: LEO
Age: 15 years and up
Size: 18.4 x 25.7 cm
Number of pages: 64 colour pages
Publication: June 2021
ISBN: 9781800440241
£9.99 inc VAT
https://www.cinebook.co.uk/aldebaran-c-143_361_152.html
The mysterious cube on Aldebaran was destroyed by a terrorist, along with the quantum gate that allowed passage to a new world – stranding Kim and her team on the other side. At least, they did manage to find – and befriend - the intruder who’d kidnapped Marie. Meeting his people, Kim discovers that the planet has recently begun being plagued by strange phenomena. What is the young woman going to find out – and what sort of impact will it have on Humanity’s future?
BACKGROUND:
First cycle: Aldebaran The first colonists arrived on Aldebaran in 2079. They were to be the first wave of a large influx of pioneers, coming from an overcrowded Earth to live on this apparently very hospitable new world. But an unexpected problem put a stop to the process: The second ship, with thousands of people onboard, disappeared mysteriously in mid-flight. On Earth, scientists were forced to admit that they hadn’t quite mastered the incredibly complex phenomenon that allowed interstellar flights to overcome the speed-of-light barrier. So, all such travel was halted until the theoretical gaps could be filled and going to the stars could be done in complete safety. At the time, no one could have predicted that this interruption of flights would last a whole century. During that time, the first colonists on Aldebaran remained isolated on a wild planet and had to struggle to ensure their survival. As might be expected, they made mistakes, went to some unfortunate extremes and the society they built reflected those: a military dictatorship mixed with an authoritarian church. The story of the Aldebaran cycle covers five years in the life of young Kim Keller, who lives in a small coastal village. She’s only 13 at the beginning, and finds herself quite against her will drawn into a tragic series of events that will force her to grow up quickly so as not to be broken. Second cycle: Betelgeuse In 2184, a few years after interstellar flights resumed, mankind launched a second colonisation attempt, this time of a planet around the Betelgeuse star. The first ship, with over 3,000 people onboard, arrived without incident and remained in orbit while a team of technicians went down to the surface to prepare for the colonists’ arrival. Soon afterwards, all communication with Earth mysteriously ceased. It took six years for Earth finally to send a rescue mission to Betelgeuse in order to find out what had happened a small mission, with a reduced crew of only three: two astronauts and young Kim, now 24, who had just finished her biology studies on Earth. Once more, she would be swept into a series of events, often tragic and extraordinary, that would eventually change her life forever. After the six months she would spend on Betelgeuse, world of green canyons, she would never be the same person again.
I loved this series from the outset but my main concern was how long was it going to run for? I was getting a tad science fiction weary and was hoping for a conclusion and, well, here we are "end of the cycle".
I think that Betelgeuse, Antares, The Survivors and Aldebaran have been series for true sci fi (Yeah, I wrote "Sci Fi" live with it) fans and whether space opera fans would enjoy it I have no idea. Certainly no big space battles or blaster action every other page but solid science fiction from start to finish.
I'd suggest that if you want to follow what is after all a space epic you start with Betelgeuse and I know there are a few fans of this series so we can't all be wrong!
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