Review: Wistful Ascending by JCM Berne
Blurb:
A superhero space opera for grownups.
For fans of Invincible and Marvel Cinematic Universe films.
If Thor and Harry Dresden combined in a transporter accident.
The il’Drach have conquered half a galaxy behind the civilization-ending Powers of their mixed-species children.
Half-human Rohan, exhausted by a decade fighting for their Empire, has paid a secret and terrible price for his freedom.
Now retired, he strives to live a quiet life towing starships for the space station Wistful. His most pressing problems are finding the perfect cup of coffee and talking to a gorgeous shuttle tech without tripping over his own tongue.
A nearby, long-dormant wormhole is opened by a shipful of scared, angry refugees, and the many eyes of the Empire focus uncomfortably on Wistful.
As scientists, spies, and assassins converge, reverting to the monster the Empire created is the surest way to protect his friends. And the surest way to lose them.
Review:
Wistful. An independent sentient space station home to roughly two million individuals of various intergalactic species. Employed by said station, Rohan works as a Second-Class Tow Chief helping visiting spaceships successfully and safely dock. Residing in a calm quadrant of space, life seems simple. Rohan wakes each day, fulfills his work, tries new restaurants, and occasionally finds himself flirting with a local alien named Tamara. That is until a black hole opens in Wistful’s quadrant and Rohan finds his life turned upside down and now rife with danger. Secrets that were best left buried resurface as Rohan races to keep the station and its inhabitants safe from old and new adversaries.
Wistful Ascending was my first ever dive into the Space Opera genre and boy, did this book hit every check box of expectation. Action, adventure, mystery, a hint of romance, battles of epic proportions and witty banter; Wistful Ascending takes it all and wraps it up into a nice bookish package that will stay in your memory for years to come.
The book kicks off with some foreshadowing in the first chapter. Berne does not waste any time and drops readers into the heart of the action from page one. Our protagonist, Rohan, is getting beaten within an inch of his life for a revealing event that will take place later in the book. It is here we see that Rohan is not a standard human, but in fact a hybrid being with an arsenal of power. Despite this, Rohan is one who just wants a simple life. He is humorous, witty with comebacks, a skilled fighter, and a fantastic leader. He sometimes tends to put his foot in his mouth and gets embarrassed, but it’s just part of his charm. He is, after all, part human. Readers connect with his character right from the start and slowly learn more about his past before he was a Tow Chief at an independent space station. In short, we all need a little Rohan in our lives.
Readers also get to experience more minor characters from Wistful’s operations crew, its inhabitants, and even a separate ship containing a species known as Ursans. While these characters are not at the forefront, they are well developed in their personalities, languages, culture, and mannerisms. Readers truly feel like they are meeting an alien lifeform rather than reading a book. Without spoilers, Ursans must be the most unique take on alien life I have seen in a while, including from both literature and film. If I had to be part of an alien spaceship crew, I would without a doubt want to be a Ursan.
Like many good space novels, the world readers are transported to is unique and imaginative. You will experience vast new worlds, lifeforms, flora and fauna, and the interworking of a sentient space station. There are references to Earth and its continents and you get a deeper dive into Rohan’s history, but the focus is mostly on the station and a planet, Toth, that it resides close to. Toth is a beautiful planet that attracts scientist from various quadrants. However, as every rose has its thorns, the planet is not quite what it seems. One should heed the warnings that it’s better left alone.
My personal enjoyment of this novel carried from page one to the very end. Berne has a way of writing that keeps you up late at night for “just one more chapter”. The story flows seamlessly with action and reflections at the appropriate times so readers have time to process the story. For those of our readers who are interested in audio, I highly recommend giving Wistful Ascending your ears. The narrator, Wayne Farrell, does a dynamite job in inflection, character voices (especially those of an alien species), and intonation. You can feel the emotion pour from his narration as he brings the story to life.
In conclusion, this book made my year in the sci-fi genre. There were times I was listening to the story while driving and was laughing so hard I had to hit the pause button until I could regain composure. I went ahead and acquired the remaining books in the series and will soon be starting book two. I can’t wait to see where Rohan’s adventures take us next!
