Subsumption

A Sci-Fi Novel to Inspire (Subsumption Series, Book 1)

By: Luciano W. Pesci

Narrated by: Zachary Johnson

Length: 14 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Trusting an alien is hard...figuring out which alien is trustworthy might be impossible.

Marcus carries the weight of the cosmos on his shoulders. Still, he loves being one of the chosen enrolled in the alien-driven education tract at his university.

This extraterrestrial Federation always said he was important, so they’re taking the next logical step by inviting him to join their mysterious research Cohort.

If he survives selection, Marcus will solidify himself as one of the elites tasked with preparing humanity to face an alien Confederation bent on enslaving Earth. The simulated realities he experiences during this Subsumption research creates critical data the Federation needs to understand human nature, choice, and to integrate worlds.

But the alien experimentation proves more physically, mentally, and emotionally taxing than Marcus ever imagined, pushing him to the breaking point.

As the doomsday clock continues its countdown to the Confederation’s invasion, Marcus is running out of time to get his personal life in order.

Can he live up to his family’s idea of always moving forward? Or will he sink humanity's chance to reach the stars? Either way, Marcus is learning what the Federation already knows: The ability to choose is the most powerful force in the universe.

If the conspiracy theories are right, though, he might be aligning with the wrong aliens.

Subsumption is the first novel in the Subsumption series, a story about humanity's pivotal position between two warring alien empires. If you enjoyed Ender’s Game, Ready Player One, and the Amazon Prime series Upload, then the Subsumption series is for you!

©2020 Somnio (P)2021 Somnio

Not Bad... Not Great

A bit meandering, needs to be tightened up. Characters could use some livening up. Not entirely regrettable, but certainly forgettable.

Great Start to 4 Book Series

You might expect a book about the arrival of aliens who are here to "help" written by a PhD in Economics and spiced with philosophical debates about Stoicism to be slow or boring. Not so ! The author takes a coming of age trope and spins it in several directions at once. There are a lot of great "near future world" ideas, and the personal stories are more interesting than in most sci-fi. This is a carefully planned and executed first of four books -- and I really can't wait for the next one.

A compelling and suspenseful story

Subsumption tells the story of the arrival of aliens to earth, and throughout the story, the main question is, can the aliens be trusted?

The story, compelling enough on its own due to the suspense and imaginative look at a post-arrival world, is sprinkled with short stories that come from the main character participating in the aliens’ research into the human mind.

In these vignettes, the main character lives out different scenarios crafted by the aliens, and these scenes by themselves are page turners, and raise further questions about what the aliens are really doing on earth. One of these vignettes, a trial/courtroom narrative, is one of the highlights of the book, and demonstrates the author’s ability to effectively write in different genres and weave them all together in one sci-fi narrative.

The book is also littered with tons of fun and nostalgic Easter eggs and references.

This is worth a listen!

A fantastic story with powerful lessons

This isn’t simply a story, this is a book full of lessons and perspectives that speak to the mind and soul. The story is just a fantastically entertaining delivery mechanism. The characters are archetypal and their experiences step beyond just a sci-fi encapsulation. You won’t regret listening to this book!

Couldn’t stop once I got into it

An exciting science fiction story that feels new and exciting while at the same time somehow familiar. Highly recommend.

Get further immersed into an already captivating story

The diverse ensemble in Subsumption lends itself very well to narration and the narrator does an excellent job distinguishing each character by capturing the nuances of their personalities and circumstances alike. The pace and story make you completely forget how long you’ve been listening and leave you wishing for more hours in a day.

The in-depth discussion of the economic and societal implications of introducing hyper-advanced alien tech to our present day world and how historical antecedents still prove valuable is what makes this story so interesting.

Easy recommendation for any sci-if fan.

2 Dimensional

The story is all storyline... and not a bad one... just very two dimensional. Every character speaks with the same voice, cadence and vocabulary. This is compounded by the narrator who also has a single voice without any difference in tone, pitch, or style of speech... no difference between male or female characters. It's a book but not literature. I just finished Adrian Tchaikovsky's "Shards of Earth " and the difference in writing skill is stark.

Update: I really tried. But listening was to painful 😫