Nophek Gloss

September 7, 2020
A revenge plot leads mechanic Caiden across a multiverse populated by a colorful array of humanoid species in Hansen’s wonderfully inventive debut, the first of a space opera trilogy. Fourteen-year-old Caiden lives on a planet that raises vicious predators called nophek. When the planet is attacked by a new shipment of nophek, Caiden alone escapes, and uses his unique ability to manipulate technology to pilot an abandoned spaceship. Caiden soon joins a team of scavengers who guide him to Emporia, an interstellar marketplace where he learns more about the Casthens, who orchestrated the slaughter of his people, and undergoes genetic manipulation to accelerate the development of his body and mind. He emerges a 20-year-old determined to bring down the Casthen—but the Casthen leaders have their own plans for Caiden’s future. Hansen packs a lot of novelty and a fair number of ethical dilemmas into Caiden’s adventures, as he realizes that killing the Casthens will create a devastating ripple effect. Caiden’s ability to control technology also extends to sentient beings, making him wary of his heritage and uncertain of his relationships. But in the end, his essential decency prevails. Space opera fans will be eager for the next installment. Agent: Naomi Davis, Bookends Literary.

Starred review from September 1, 2020

Teenager Caiden has only known his life serving the overseers, until they betray his people in a horrific massacre that destroys his entire world but opens him to the multiverse that actually exists. Rescued by a crew of unusual salvagers and a mysterious ship that can exist in its own universe, Caiden focuses on his own fury and exacting vengeance for his family. Finding a way to advance his age and abilities, he maps an internal course to make his slavers pay by destroying their entire regime. Yet as personal and political truths are revealed, Caiden finds the path to his revenge means embracing his origins and destroying them from the inside, all along trying to save his sanity. An intriguing bubble universe setting, flawed characters, and advanced technology from a compelling sf story that will draw in and hold readers until the very last page. VERDICT Hansen's marvelous debut is a fast-paced, action-filled ride through the multiverse, introducing a complex found family of gender- and neurodiverse characters.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2020
Hansen's debut opens the door to a marvelously complex sf multiverse filled with wondrous technology. Caiden, a na�ve, 14-year old mechanic, miraculously survives the wholesale slaughter of his family by hiding in a partially wrecked spaceship. An odd band of humans and aliens rescues him, trading repairs for passage on his salvaged ship. Caiden learns he is a genetic hybrid, enslaved by the conglomerate that callously fed his people to a hungry pack of rare animals that are the only source of a highly prized energy crystal. With the help of his new friends, Caiden changes his name and undergoes an enhancement process allowing him to gain six years of growth and knowledge instantaneously. Now 20, he plans to take revenge but needs to contain the seething rage left by his earlier experience. The Graven Trilogy kicks off with heart-rending loss, traumatic memories, fast-paced action, and stunning scientific concepts, with mercantile and political intrigues spanning manifold universes. Fans of Alastair Reynolds and Megan E. O'Keefe will want to try this.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)