Starship Orion

The Return

The adventure continues...
Through a final act of valor, the alien known as Exeter has destroyed himself and his Vargan enemies in a supernova that wiped out the invading Vargan fleet. He has also saved Captain James Marcus and his crew from that same fate by enriching Starship Orion’s anti-matter drive with incredible superluminal power, enabling its escape from the massive interstellar explosion.

But what now? With James Marcus’ home planet possibly destroyed by the Vargans’ deadly interstellar rays, a painful decision must be made. Does Marcus propel his starship on a desperate voyage across the universe to save his planet and people, or must he heed Exeter’s final exhortation to search for a new home because his old home, Earth, no longer exists? It is time for James Marcus and his crew to make a fateful decision, for if Exeter is correct, they are the last humans in the universe.

Starship Orion: The Return continues the space exploration adventure begun in the first book, Starship Orion: The Message which should be read first for maximum impact.

First Amazon reviews:
"An engaging continuation of a classic space-opera adventure, blending fast pacing, moral dilemmas, and thoughtful science-fiction ideas. As Captain James Marcus and his crew face the possibility that Earth is gone forever, the story leans into themes of survival, responsibility, and what it means to carry humanity forward. The crew’s dynamic has a warm, found-family feel reminiscent of classic Star Trek, while the exploration of time paradoxes and superluminal travel adds intriguing intellectual weight. While the formatting can be a little rough in places, the strength of the storytelling, characters, and sense of wonder make this an easy and enjoyable read for fans of traditional, character-driven sci-fi adventures." (W. Decker 12/13/25)

This is a gripping story with mind bending time paradox twists. I haven’t read the first book in the series, but was able to pick up the story quickly as the elements of the first book are explained quite well in the first couple of chapters. The crew of Orion make up a sort of pseudo family which I liked. In that sense it reminded me of Star Trek. I particularly liked the human/android named X. He reminded me of Spock from Star Trek as he mentally struggles with his human and synthetic sides.
The crew of Orion are the last living humans, so there is also a similarity with Battlestar Galactica.The pace is fast. When Orion returns to Earth there are some quirky surprises which lead to intriguing discussions of time paradoxes and the effects of travelling many times the speed of light. I like the way the author tries to tackle the quirks of quantum physics without resorting to ‘warp engines’. Overall, I loved the book. There is a great story and I was able to empathize with the characters and cared what happened to them. (Rick Reader, UK, 21 November 2025)

This is the second book in the Starship Orion series. If you have not read the first book, start there. Captain Marcus has to make a big decision. Does he heed the warning by Exeter telling him that his home, Earth is no more, and head out to find a new planet for his crew to live on? Or does he try to go back to Earth, maybe go back in time and try to save the planet?
And although defeated in one battle the Vargans are still out there and looking to destroy the rest of humanity.
Then the question becomes, if they reach Earth back in time before its destruction, what do they do? (dangerd 12/6/25)

Gary Naiman has written eighteen best-selling novels and novellas. One of them, P.P.M., is under consideration for a major motion picture.