Sep 12, 2026
Excellent story!
I have yet to read anything from the pen of Eric Sammons that was not very well done. From some of his excellent non-fiction works such as Holiness for Everyone and Be Watchful to his wonderful fictional short story, The Profession. Since he released that short story I have been awaiting another fiction offering from his pen. This is that volume. The description of this book states: “In the early 22nd century, the world is recovering from the Chaos Wars—the bloody AI revolt that left more than a billion dead and the planet in disarray. From the ashes of this conflict emerges a revitalized Vatican, with war hero Pope Gregory XIX leading the way. Now Vatican scientists have detected a mysterious signal from deep space which does not appear to be natural. To investigate, the pope commissions the Stella Maris, the first ship capable of traveling faster than light and going beyond our solar system. Captained by Chaos Wars veteran Dominic Rourke, the crew of the Stella Maris will face many trials and have their most fundamental beliefs challenged in order to solve the mystery of the Signal.” This story is masterfully written; it really draws the reader in and keeps their attention. The story is not written linearly. We have or main story of the mission that is going to take at least 16 years to investigate and return. But we also have flashbacks that give us insight into each of the characters, their motivations, their concerns, and even their hopes. It some ways this story is epic science fiction or space opera. It is speculative fiction at its best. A small crew, a mission they might not return from, a mission with the potential to change the future of humanity. And to be honest questions. While reading this; I though often of the Catholic Truth Society volume; Artificial Intelligence by Father Andrew Pinsent and Sean Biggins and Robert Reed. And the story can be interpreted a few different ways. I would love to work through this with a group and compare the interpretations, especially after the epilogue. This is a novel with a great plot, an excellent pace, the characters are complex and well written. Catholic Science Fiction is not something new, and some of the greats in the genre have been Catholic and woven their faith into their stories. Sammons has done that in this story. It is Science Fiction at its best! A story masterfully written that leaves you wanting more. When I read Eric’s story The Profession I wanted more stories in that work and have awaited them for a few years now. That feeling is even greater after reading this one. Well done Eric! An excellent story I can easily recommend.
