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Nova
344 pages
A psychedelic, myth-soaked space opera that hurtles toward the burning heart of an imploding star.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like being strapped into a sensory-overload machine while listening to a cosmic symphony. It is a foundational piece of New Wave science fiction that reads with the breathless velocity of a pulp adventure, yet is layered with the dense, mythic resonance of the Tarot and the Grail quest. The prose is fiercely lyrical, painting a gritty, psychedelic universe where cyborgs, artists, and aristocrats collide in a deadly race for ultimate power. You are pulled into a feverish atmosphere of man-machine communion and destructive obsession, hurtling toward a climax that is both physically harrowing and intellectually profound. It will deeply satisfy readers who want their space operas to be as philosophically ambitious as they are propulsive.
- Mood
- psychedelic
- cosmic
- awe-inspiring
- gritty
- Tone
- mythic
- visionary
- operatic
- philosophical
- feverish
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- the nature of art and creation · man-machine communion · myth-making and destiny · destructive obsession · sensory overload
- The writing
- Lyrical and densely textured, blending the breathless momentum of pulp adventure with avant-garde poetic experimentation.
- The arc
- The journey accelerates from a thrilling, ragtag crew assembly into a harrowing, mind-bending descent into obsession and cosmic awe.
- Who it's for
- Fans of New Wave science fiction who crave space operas steeped in tarot symbolism, proto-cyberpunk aesthetics, and deep philosophical inquiry.
Content notes
- graphic violence
- drug use
- body modification and disfigurement
- incest themes
About the book
These are at least some of the ways you can read NOVA: as a fast-action farflung interstellar adventure; as archetypal mystical/mythical allegory (in which the Tarot and the Grail both figure prominently); as modern myth told in the S-F idiom... the reader observes, recollects, or participates in a range of personal experience including violent pain and disfigurement, sensory deprivation and overload, man-machine communion, the drug experience, the creative experience - and inter-personal relationships which include incest and assassination, father-son, leader-follower, human-pet, and lots more!
The balance of galactic power in the 31st century revolves around Illyrion, the most precious energy source in the universe. The varied and exotic crew who sign up with Captain Lorq van Ray know their mission is dangerous, and they soon learn that they are involved in a deadly race with the charismatic but vicious leader of an opposing space federation. But they have no idea of Lorq's secret obsession: to gather Illyrion at the source by flying through the very heart of an imploding star.
Description from Open Library.
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