The author Nicholas Rossis is known to a lot of people, but this was my first introduction. I’d been promising myself to read something from his fantasy series for some time now and finally decided to begin with Schism, the prequel. Nothing like starting at the start, right? I’ve been reading more fantasy/science fiction lately (I’ll be reviewing Bone Wall sometime later this month) and am really getting into this genre. Right now it’s a lot like sushi – I love it, but not as a steady diet.
This series explores one of the most popular themes in science fiction, the reboot of humanity. The prequel begins on board the spaceship UES Perseus, with celebrities and dignitaries celebrating the New Year and the dawn of a new century. The story unfolds through the eyes of several of the travelers, among them: Lucas Rivera, the Second Engineer of the Pearseus, who initially dreams of disaster; and First Mate Gerard Croix, who’d been hearing a voice whispering numbers in his head and who sets the coordinates to a new destination – this sends the ship through time and space, killing many aboard, to land on an Earth-like planet in an unknown part of the galaxy.
Years pass with no hint of rescue. During that time, with leadership from Rivera and Captain Kibwe of the Pearseus, a fully functioning society evolves from the survivors. The planet is also populated by others, to which the reader is briefly introduced. The human settlers avoid them but these beings also avoid the settlers, which sets up stories yet to come.
When Captain Kibwe dies, Croix campaigns to become a real Dictator, still guided by the voices he hears. His psyche fractures and the army he created of arm-banded youth takes over to enforce his leadership. Riots begin and law, other than his, is obliterated.
I will leave it to now-and-future readers to discover what happens next. The author creates an interesting scenario, populates it with well-drawn characters, and prompts the reader to think about the shortcomings of human nature and intriguing clues of where he’s going next. Will I read the first book in the series? You betcha!
About the author:
Nicholas C. Rossis is clearly a sci-fi/epic fantasy author! His works 
include Pearseus, The Power of Six and children’s books, including the recent and very delightful Runaway Smile. He was born in 1970 in Athens. Greece, has a BSc in Engineering from the Technical Institute of Pireaus and a PhD in Digital Architecture from the University of Edinburgh. In 2000, he moved back to Greece where he has continued his career as web designer and teacher of design and has published at various colleges and universities. By his own description: “Nicholas lives in a forest outside Athens with his lovely wife Electra, beautiful dog and two remarkably silly cats.” 
He can be reached via
His blog: http://www.nicholasrossis.me/
Twitter: @Nicholas_Rossis
Facebook: www.facebook.com/NicholasCRossis
I have a hard time reading fantasy. I can’t seem to be able to get into new world’s usually. It’s obviously something to do with me. I may give it a go, when A-Z is over. There will be a vampire series featured 9n V-Day:) but that’s an exception my daughter pushed me into reading:)
You might like this one, Luccia. It’s short, and if you get into the story there is a series of books to follow, so it’s like a teaser.
Your suggestions are priceless 💟🌹💖 I’ll put it on my TBR list for after the A-Z:)
It does sound interesting, but I had no idea it was SF from that cover! I probably would have picked it up sooner otherwise, haha…. thanks for a great review. 🙂
You might like this one – plus the ones that follow!
Thanks for reading, Alex 🙂
Ah, the genre conundrum… Pearseus takes place in the future, but humanity regresses to something closer to the Classical era – albeit with the odd relic from the space age. I had a really hard time deciding whether to focus on the fantasy or sci-fi aspect of it, as there’s no magic – but also no real technology. It’s mostly about the characters, and my view of humanity.
If you wish to start the series, I’d be happy to send you a copy! Mind you, I suggest you start with Rise of the Prince, which is less of a teaser and more of an actual novel.
I’ll be happy to buy. 🙂 Indies need to support each other financially. It’s my pleasure.
As far as the cover, my mind just jumped to crime novel, since the dagger and balance are so prominent. But it sounds very interesting. 🙂
Well, it all starts with a hideous crime, committed by a Justice no less. So, it’s appropriate, I guess 🙂
Thank you so very much for the wonderful review and kind words! I’m so glad you enjoyed Schism 🙂
I’d be happy to send you a copy of the trilogy, if you wish!
You are more than welcome. Thank YOU for tweeting about my book. I make it a point to buy books that I want to read, but thank your for the offer. I figure what authors need are sales, and it’s my way of helping out the community of writers. Glad you liked the review. I’ll be downloading the next book to start this weekend! 🙂
To be honest, reviews are much more precious to me than sales, and the ultimate gift you can possibly give me. Thank you!! 🙂
You are most welcome – I will put your next book in line for a subsequent review. Unfortunately, it’s a long line…