Zenith (The Interscission Project Book 1)

Ok, ok, ok, this book, this story, thisssssss is the kind of science fiction that gives the genre its name in every sense, PLUS characters drawn to levels of complexity that get me excited. Excited. Add in authentically surprising twists and we have a genuine trifecta of reading experience awesomeness.Q: ”Interscission?”“The word means ‘to cut between’ or ‘subdivide’. In this context, it refers to the creation of a localized gravitic distortion sufficient to pierce two manifolds of space-time and for a temporary bridge between them, allowing instantaneous travel between two widely separated locations in the universe.” /QY’all, we’re talkin’ time travel, bending time and space, and multiple timelines of existence, along with the impact they have on all of these characters and their relationships. I know, I know, the passage above and these ingredients might make this read feel daunting, yeah? Difficult to keep straight and make sense of it all. But see, Ahsanuddin’s prose is brilliantly down to earth and places everything in context, making the science as gleefully enjoyable as the fiction. It feels easy going, smooth, lending accessibility to the more technical language. The complexity of the characters is a thrilling companion to everything that surrounds and confounds them, attempting to complicate their lives.Well, ok, most of them do a pretty good job of that all on their own.The plotting and the characterizations, the way everything unfolds in this story from the first page and all through the entire book, had me feeling things like enthralled, surprised, connected, wanting to shout from the rooftops about how freakin’ fantabulous this all is, except I would have had to stop reading to do that. Wudn’t gonna happen! By the end of chapter one, the level of my curiosity was high, both about the project and these people involved in it, or trying to stop it, or thinking they knew what was going on and what their plan was, only to find out neither was the case. Goodness, this is a well-crafted yarn.Q: The two officers stared at each other, neither making any effort to leave or even to turn away. The frozen tableau held for almost a full minute, perfectly still, the walls echoing soundlessly with indescribable grief. /QPossibly my favorite passage. I remember pausing after reading it, just letting it sit there.Martin is a bit of a maverick (more than a bit), intelligent, a tough and talented captain, and carrying around some feelings that might never be reciprocated. He doesn’t sit around waiting or necessarily drowning in sorrow or self-pity, but there is a constant companion of resigned sadness. His sarcasm and zest for adventure don’t necessarily hide this fact but they make up for some of it.Charles is a chief engineer, fellow crewman to Martin, who is also his closest friend. It’s a two-way street, this deeply held kinship. The quiet scenes between them are some of the most emotional in this story. Yes, that’s right, truth in emotion in a science fiction novel. It can be done (Star Wars, anyone? Why do you think it was so successful. Part of the reason was the characters and how much we all fell in love with them, and their imperfections, no matter how frustrating – we loved them even more for that.) and it’s done here confident consistency and care. Yes, that’s it: it’s so easy to feel how much Ahsanuddin cares about these people. It comes through in waves. Respite is but a temporary thing in this book.One of my favorite things about any great story is when I waver back and forth about a character, or more, and whether they’re a villain or not. If they are, why? What motivates them? If not, why do they appear to be so? Or am I just assuming they are given my knowledge of them in this moment? All of these questions, they also tell you this story will make you think, which is another favorite of mine. I want the storyteller to make me work for my experiences while reading. I don’t want to be spoon-fed. No worries about that happening here.Every character, great and small in terms of page time, demonstrates their importance. None feel superfluous or simply around to serve as a cheap plot device or foil. When a supporting character gets my mind to wandering, wondering what the rest of their life looks like, what all I don’t know about them, that’s a big time bonus in my book. I mean, what’s up with Henry, why is he like he is? What is really going on with Edward, and his sister? I think there’s more to Dr Wu, there has to be and I hope to find out. And what about Jake, Martin’s brother? And Knox? I want to experience their stories, too.Reading this story is a fully engaging experience. I was guessing, enjoying the mere act of guessing about what might happen next. Humor, friendship, familial connections, loss, pain, revenge – both successful and aborted – and love in multiple forms are alive and working their brands of magic up in this joint.The dialogue is natural and constantly works to build on the knowledge we’ve gained up to that point. Or to confuse and cause doubt. I love that.Q: She glared at him. “Correct. Quite beyond the ability of the average human mind to encompass unassisted.” Her tone made it obvious whose mind she was referring to.[internal 1st POV]~ No escape this time.~ Interruptions at this point only tended to prolong the agony. ~And God help me if I ask for clarification.~ Smiling and nodding sometimes helped speed things along, but not always.Not for the first time, Martin wished he could sleep with his eyes open. He settled in, resigned to riding out the rest of the monologue. “You were saying?” /QCheeky Martin.As you can see, I have so much I want to share about this story and these characters. I’ve already gone on… and on, but I cannae help it, not when stuff is this good at feeding my soul. Effective, nitty gritty human emotion, and the bending of space and time: YES.As soon as I finished this, I started book two, “Azimuth”. I plan on reviewing that, too. I’ve already started reading, stay tuned… ;)*Originally reviewed for Prism Book Alliance®

4.0 of 5 stars –They say you can’t change the past; but if I could, I wish I had written a series like this. This first in the series was a fascinating start to Arshad Ahsanuddin’s engaging, complex, and entertaining sci-fi/time-travel adventure, with strong world-building and an interesting mix of gay, straight and bi.Summary: I was pleased with how Ahsanuddin’s creative world-building tapped into the classic tradition of what I call “hi” sci-fi, combining both “hard” and “soft’ sciences. There was believable technology and scientific dialogue, as well as social and moral issues related to time travel. The plot was complex, tense and well-paced, if a bit convenient or confusing at times. The cast of characters were well-developed (except for the antagonist) and likable, with interesting relationships spanning gay, straight and bi, and filled with intrigues. Good as a standalone, the novel's high-quality and story were also a compelling lead into book 2.If You Want to Know the Details:The “hard” sciences were heavily displayed in the technology and scientific explanations of computers, space aviation and mechanics, and by jargonistic dialogue between the scientists and engineers. While I don’t have a strong background in these disciplines, it all seemed believable to me; and there was enough to please those who yearn for that.Although well done, sometimes the techno-babble was confusing or a bit too much. Fortunately, the non-techies might ask them to dumb it down for him, so that allowed me as a reader to know what was going on too. Other times, I found I could gloss over it without affecting the story as long as I got the gist of it. It may have even helped keep the pace from slowing down too much.Also well presented were the "soft" science issues related to sociology, psychology and philosophy. Each significant scientific breakthrough introduces its own set of social and moral questions. I love sci-fi partly because it can creatively pose the possibilities of what might happen in the future with a new breakthrough, and in so doing shine a light on our present circumstances.Here, Ahsanuddin creatively built on the time travel trope, where time travelers can change history (is it ok if it’s for the right reasons?). There were the moral questions, for a traveler, of what to do with advanced knowledge, and for an original occupant, of what to do with the people with this knowledge. Then he took it a step further and introduced a practical dilemma and fear of time travelers continually going back to "get it right," and posited a possible scenario of how we might deal with it. I loved how all these issues kept unfolding.The plot, plans and actions were complex, tense and well-paced from one scene to the next, with time in between to catch my breath and learn more about this world. It was all mostly reasonable; but sometimes things seemed a bit convenient, and the scenario posited for how to deal with time travel seemed a bit simplistic. The tension came partly from the mystery of an unknown enemy trying to sabotage the Interscission Project.Tension also came from all the political, organizational and interpersonal intrigues, which were well done, complex, and emotionally intelligent (e.g., an MCs inner dialogue while getting an “academic” lecture was spot-on and astutely described). The numerous relationships were hard to keep track of at first, but they were explained well enough to set the stage for the longer journey, and I ended up enjoying it - the relationships and the characters themselves.I liked the vast array of characters and that Ahsanuddin gave each their own unique personality and voice. He was able to portray their actions, motivations and emotions, such as how they were torn between suspicions, duty, guilt, vengeance, jealousy and love. With their number, I understand that he couldn't be in-depth on everyone, but I would have liked to have seen and known more about the antagonist, in order to have something to sink my teeth into (he essentially didn't appear in book 1). While that left me in the same position as the MCs, it still created an unfulfilled void. It was also disappointing not to see more diversity (going beyond cisgender and sexual orientation).That did not take away from my enjoying the mix of gay, straight and bi relationships, particularly how the bi-guy and "boy genius" came together (who had the one hot sex scene, which was well done). I have to share an amusing conversation about straight, gay and bi –T: “The only problem is, I kind of like women.”M: “So do I. But what you like in bed doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with who you can love.”T: “I … see. That’s an interesting perspective. I’ll have to think about it.”Well, overall, this story did make me think as well as entertained me. It worked well as a standalone, with a satisfactory-for-now conclusion to the story arc in book 1, but left larger issues unsettled, compelling me to read book 2.[Thanks to the author for a free copy via Goodreads' M/M Romance-DBML group]

I couldn’t stop reading this book! (Actually, I couldn’t stop listening to it-the the narration was nearly impeccable).This is a sci-fi novel first an foremost. It just so happens that one of the MCs is attracted to men (and women). The issue of sexuality is never really brought up in the year 2176. I would hope that by this point in the future issues of sexual orientation would be moot. There is some sex and some romance, but it definitely takes a backseat to the intricate plot, action, and character development.This is one of those books that you can imagine as a movie. It’s one of. Those books that you want to know what happens next. You’re itching to know, dying to know, and damning everything to hell when you get interrupted in the middle of a fight or risky maneuver. It’s one of those books that you want to stop writing a review for so you can get on to the second one that you’ve already one-clicked with the audiobook add-on.So, I’m off.Truly, this book was simply stunning both in style and execution. And it’s free on Amazon! Get it!

I've read Sunset by Ahsanuddin, and found I liked this story much better. The writing style is unique to this author, but there's a special way Ahsanuddin tells a story. The story flows very well, and has a great deal of action and sexual content, which doesn't bother me, and I wouldn't describe it as being an erotica story. It's a futuristic sci-fi drama with a bit MM romance. There is a spark between Edward and Martin, but it isn't just about their attraction. It's about saving the world. I enjoyed this story and will definitely read more from this author, especially more books in this series.

Everything you could wish for in a Space Opera!

Here is a man who knows and loves his sci-fi. I’m guessing (and this is a pure guess) that the author has ingested Star Trek and Deep Space Nine and Stargate and any other space-related series on both telly box and the big screen by osmosis since he was out of diapers. Which is why, when I came across phrases like “it became obvious the mobile device was designed to lock out navigation control and retarget the foldspace drive to jump the ship to a specific set of coordinates – that’s if it survived the gravitic torsion of opening a foldspace gateway inside a planetary well,” I could nod my head and say, ‘yeah, that makes total sense.’Of course, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, but the point is that the author knows his subject so well, that it came across in a way that didn’t make me feel like a dumb schmuck for not totally getting it. There were a lot of instances like this. A lot of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff barely concealing a boiling undercurrent of emotions. And this book has a whole lot of it. Corporate intrigue, revenge, complicated love stories. This is as much a drama of human conflictions as well as a rip-roaring, time-warping adventure.And it is an adventure on the high and stormy seas of deep space, elevating my heart rate when the tension is ratcheted up. Will they make the jump successfully? Will they ever see their loved-ones again? Who is the saboteur who seems determined to destroy the teleport project in its infancy? I found I was speed-reading just to see what was going to happen next – not because I’d had it with the geeky stuff, but because the book was so gripping. There were a few cornpone phrases (“no-one dies tonight” or something like that…) but I love all that gung-ho stuff. It made the characters human and familiar, in deeply unfamiliar surroundings.And damn it all, if the author didn’t make his characters so likeable, and cunningly gave them great back stories. The brilliant and mysterious twins, Stella and Edward, Marty, the all-American pilot hero, Charles, his equally capable best friend, the slippery CEO, Henry and taut-jawed Trevor. I loved them all because of their vulnerabilities. And the author cleverly built relationship between them with actions was well as words. It wasn’t so much what they said, as what they didn’t say. There wasn’t a wasted word between them.And finally, the love element, so heartbreaking, so subtly done. The characters’ sexual identity was dealt with then that was it. I didn’t notice the words, “gay” or “queer” or any of those other adjectives throughout the whole book. There was no feeling of “look, LGBT characters and everyones’ okay with it! Isn’t that great! Love is love!” There was no angst about being gay. No issues that I picked up at all. Everyone just got on with it. People were professional, and more concerned about inter-company relationships affecting their job performance rather than who they wanted to sleep with. I only noticed it because most books do seem to be about the issues surrounding being LGBT, or at least touch on them, because to ignore them isn’t right either. I didn’t feel the book was ignoring the issues, but that in this instance, they really didn’t matter. People are being murdered whilst they try to jump through space and time, for God’s sake! Let’s concentrate on that!This book is the first part of The Interscission Project trilogy, so there are some unanswered questions, hopefully addressed in the next two books. If you want something science-y and genuinely moving, about humans wrestling with the convoluted mysteries of space and time, as well as those of head and heart, I really recommend this.Please, Harvey Weinstein, pick this up and make it a movie. Put LGBT characters in the major roles, distribute it all over the world and watch your bank balance go interstellar.It’s a sure thing.

Thought this would be about space travel adventure but it turns out to be teenagers squabbling over who fancies who. Only read 15%. Now, let's browse through the 300 or so other books on my Kindle.

Product as expected

A little different approach. While a good sci-fi plot the story has some very different human perspectives too that make it more interesting and enjoyable. In this book personal lives and relationships are as important as the science and vision described.

This is not your ordinary sci-fi, nor is it a typical romance story. It is so much more. It is an intelligently written, riveting adventure with an intricate plot and characters with diverse sexuality. A promising start to a unique series!