Wistful Ascending

Hybrid Helix, Book 1

By: JCM Berne

Narrated by: Wayne Farrell

Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

The il’Drach have conquered half a galaxy behind the civilization-ending powers of their mixed-species children.

Half-human Rohan, exhausted by a decade fighting for their Empire, has paid a secret and terrible price for his freedom.

Now retired, he strives to live a quiet life towing starships for the space station Wistful. His most pressing problems are finding the perfect cup of coffee and talking to a gorgeous shuttle tech without tripping over his own tongue.

A nearby, long-dormant wormhole is opened by a ship full of angry refugees, and the many eyes of the Empire focus uncomfortably on Wistful.

As scientists, spies, and assassins converge, reverting to the monster the Empire created is the surest way to protect his friends. And the surest way to lose them.

©2020 Joseph Berne (P)2022 Joseph Berne

Fantastic space opera debut!

The author of Wistful Ascending gave me the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book! I wasn't really sure what to expect when I started, but I ended up enjoying it for the most part. I liked the characters, the world building was very intriguing, especially with the wormhole stuff and the different alien species, and the humor was great throughout the whole book. The dialogue was great as well. And the audio narrator was great!

My main complaint is with the pacing, it felt very inconsistent at times, moments of action and tension went by very quickly, followed by many chapters of quiet and not much happening. And some chapters felt a bit repetitive. I'm sure this will improve, seeing that this is the authors debut novel. I will eventually give book 2 a listen.

I loved it!!!!

This was so entertaining! I was hooked from the first few chapters. Amazing characters, fun story, and incredibly unique.

Wow

This book has nostalgia written all over it , Little nuggets are sprinkled throughout the book.
in this case the audio with A great narration from Wayne Farrell !!
Between space bears ..love boat and A scene that reminded me of the first Iron Man movie.
In some aspects Rohan is a superhero but I’m not calling him Superman ! I’d rather call him Clark Kent cause Rohan Doesn’t need the alter ego and cape! He doesn’t need to bring attention to himself or his past.
He’s just a local tower at a space station called Wistful!

A Rare find!!!

I was unsure about this before getting it. I am glad I did the artwork on the cover is good but not what I would call hey pick me up.
The story: absolutely entertaining and well done and Narration superb! Looking forward to the next book!

Superheroes, sentient AIs, and space bears, oh my!

(4.5 rounded up) Please note that I received a free code for the audio version of this book, but that has not affected the honesty of this review.

Despite an opening that I found odd as well as some humor that didn't quite charm me, I really enjoyed this epic slice of life in space that is brimming with quirkiness and some high stakes action.

CHARACTERS
This story centers around Rohan, a half human "hybrid" whose (il’Drach) alien side grants him superhuman abilities (although they come with a little bit of a nasty side). Rohan has made a new life for himself aboard a sentient space station named, Wistful, in order to move on from a colorful past in the imperial military. The truth about who he was is slowly revealed over time and I loved how the tangled web of his past was unraveled, bit by bit. In his new life, he's chosen to take up the job of a simple "tow chief" which, in theory, would allow him to life out his days doing the simple, honest work of hauling in ships arriving at the station, as well as guiding those who wish to depart. While most presumably do this job with the help of small towing machinery, Rohan's abilities allow him to simply throw on a mask, fly into space, and do the job by hand. As one might expect though, Rohan's life gets more complicated through a series of events that pushes him further and further toward the person that he used to be. Seeing this struggle to accept who he was and reconcile that with who he thinks he should be was definitely one of the more interesting aspects of his character. It helps that Rohan is a sensitive guy who wants to do good though I sometimes found his deflective, snarky sense of humor to be grating at times (very realistic, but still a little annoying).

Surrounding Rohan is a fantastic cast of exotic alien beings, sentient space ships, and a couple other humans. From Rohan's reptilians friend, to a lovely alien love interest, and even a whole ship full of talking space bears, there are so many fun and distinct personalities to discover. Wistful herself might be my personal favorite and I definitely left with the sense that there is more to learn about her.

PLOT/TONE
This story is described as a space opera and while it definitely checks off all of the boxes required for that subgenre, I'd almost argue that this is mostly a slice of life story of epic, intergalactic proportions (at least for the first 75% or so). Things are definitely action packed throughout, but I think what I found most compelling about the story is that we get to have such an up-close-and-personal view into Rohan's daily life. We see him go to work, get dinner, train for combat, spend time with friends, and date. While that might not sound all that interesting, I think the truly alien setting made every little detail a pleasure to discover. Rohan and some other humans discuss the best places to eat and how different foods are similar or different from what they had on earth. Ursan culture (the space bears) is explored early on, and different alien abilities are described in detail.

In addition to the cozier elements, there is also a rich lore for this universe which is doled out in waves, mostly through revelations about Rohan's past. These characters and species have histories which made me feel like I had a lot to learn, but not that I was missing critical information (or that I was being given too much information, for that matter). A lot of it is rather serious and sometimes dark, but I found it fascinating. Lightening things is an overarching layer of somewhat dry humor. A lot of the characters are quite reasonable (sometimes unreasonably reasonable) and genuinely caring toward one another, but they are also very blunt and often snarky with their banter. I liked all of the characters, but some of these interactions just didn't always work for me, which I think mostly came down to personal preference. Another aspect that didn't click with me was the chaotic prologue. I had a really hard time picturing what was going on and who was involved. I also felt like the story took so long to catch up to this point that it didn't really add much other than to sort of spoil the ending conflict a little. I'm not against prologues in general, this one just felt somewhat unnecessary and led me to worry that I would not enjoy this book until the first chapter started and then I was gripped from there.

SETTING/WORLD
The story being mostly confined to a single space station was no problem at all since this place is huge and a lot of the action does take place in space or on neighboring planets/moons. As I mentioned, this is a universe with some deep history between the expanse of the il’Drach empire, the system the Ursans fled from, and a version of earth where being protected by superheroes is a reality. While the story doesn't actually venture to these corners of the universe, a lot of interesting information is shared about them which almost made it feel like we got to see them. I found myself reminded of my experience with learning about alien worlds and societies in the Mass Effect video game series, which I loved and I appreciated all the careful thought that was put into this aspect of the story.

THE AUDIOBOOK
I was lucky enough to listen to the expertly produced audiobook edition. Wayne Farrell somehow manages to make it seem as though the book is narrated by a small army of different narrators instead of just one person. He moves from one accent to the next when delivering character dialogue and his Canadian/American accent for Rohan is so good that I kept forgetting that he is actually British. I was also particularly impressed with how he handled the Ursans. The prose is delivered with similar grace and the action scenes felt punchy and clear, though I am sure some of this can be attributed to Berne's writing.

CONCLUSION
WISTFUL ASCENDING is a polished and worthwhile piece of science fiction that I think fans of both science fiction and fantasy (and perhaps other genres) can enjoy. I'm very happy I gave it a chance and very grateful to the author for gifting me a code for the audiobook.

(+) Fascinating depictions of life aboard a sentient space station
(+) Extremely high quality narration
(+) Space bears...
(+) Zany side characters and a good-natured main protagonist
(+) Interesting lore with some surprising revelations toward the end
(+) A ton of interesting alien species (yes, including the space bears)
(+) Exciting action sequences throughout the story
(+) A well-executed conclusion
(-) Dry humor that wasn't always to my taste
(-) A chaotic Prologue that didn't really any anything for me

Nothing like anything else I've read this year!

Wistful Ascending by JCM Berne might be one of the more surprising books I’ve enjoyed reading this year. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Wayne Farrell, who did an excellent job bringing every character to life and teasing out a bit more likeability in each of them.

First, I want to mention the tone and delivery. I think it’s worth noting that the story is delivered via character interactions over various lunches and dinners between Rohan and the friends he meets along the way. If readers were expecting high-octane action the entire time, they might miss it here. However, we get very thoughtful conversations between action that help the characters develop more naturally as the story progresses. It’s also delivered in a way that I somewhat consider “episodic,” where Rohan doesn’t have an overarching problem to solve, but a few problems to solve while dealing with his daily life. I’ll admit, once or twice, I found it a little interrupting to cut away from a scene to a lunch when I was expecting more to happen. Still, the overall story and characters make it work. I only mention this because it’s nice to know it beforehand to set the mood for maximum enjoyment.

The space station Wistful is a wonderful place to hang out. JCM Berne has made an area I felt like I was living in with Rohan, a lot of it due to the slice-of-life moments with Rohan making the whole place feel more natural. I loved hearing about the il’Drach and Rohan’s powers and how he struggles to redefine himself from his past as a super-powered soldier. A true monster lurks behind his gentle, charming exterior, and the fight to remain true to himself is genuine and well-written.

When the action hits, it SLAMS. The juxtaposition between Rohan during lunch and Rohan destroying warships is intense and amazing. It didn’t feel like I was just reading about “superhero but in space.” It felt unique and exciting. (I’ve worked on a few superhero films in my day, and this felt very fresh to me! Bravo!)

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Wistful Ascending! It was nothing like anything else I had read this year.

Such a fun story and narration!

This is Hybrid Helix book 1, and I was sent a download code for the audiobook, and I’m now pissed I didn’t get to it sooner!

This. Story. Is. So. Much. Fun.

Ever wonder what you’d get if you added science fiction with superheroes? Ever wonder what a story would be like if you took out the kind of corny undertones of caped crusaders? Rohan is half human and half il’Drach. The combination gives him superhuman abilities, and responsibilities. After years of fighting, he just wants to retire from it all. Nothing, the universe included, seems to be accepting that.

Sentient space stations and ships, alien races and wormholes, wars being fought by superhuman armies, this novel has some pretty awesome plot points. I really enjoyed the hard science beats in the book, as well as some of the more mysterious things spread throughout. It’s funny that a book about superheroes off of earth could make me want a prequel about them on earth so badly.

I enjoyed that the superhuman power was being pulled from somewhere and it wasn’t entirely bottomless. The main character can be hurt, even killed, and he does have to dig deep each time he faces a fight. Rohan’s home of the space station Wistful feels like a full and fast world, the author has written in multiple alien cultures to give it depth. I’ve never been so immersed while in the dead of space.

For fans of Guardians of the Galaxy with some real grit like Watchmen or The Boys. These ‘superheroes’ will save the galaxy, but they will also snap your neck for looking at them wrong.

Personally a 5/5* for me. I have the ‘prequel’ Zero Twist, but I can’t wait to get into book two as well. Wish the audio was out for it! Wayne Farrell did an amazing job with narration.

Wonderful in every way

The description of this book does not do enough. Yes, it provides some details for some aspects of this story, but it just isn't enough. In fact, after having finished Wistful Ascending, I just don't think any description could possibly do enough to explain the sense of wonder that the reader will feel once they finish it. I am quite simply stunned by the imagination and skill of the author to craft this tale. I just don't know how he was able to combine small, slice-of-life elements with epic battle scenes so seamlessly. There are wonderfully small, intimte moments between friends mixed with supremely powerful beings and monsters. I just don't know how he pulled it off. But, he does and I cannot recommend this story highly enough. It is so much more than a superhero story and you owe it to yourself to dive right into it. You won't regret it.

Regarding the audiobook, the narrator did an excellent job of telling me this epic story. Wonderful all around.

Just terrific!

I can’t add much to what everyone else is saying, but if you’re looking for a space opera with a truly likable yet conflicted protagonist and enjoy slice of life (a la Becky Chambers) with equal measures of action, I heartily recommend this book. I just wish the next two in the series were available on audio. The reader is fantastic!

Spectacular performance of a cheeky space fantasy!

Normally a book that opens with a smart-ass protagonist getting the crap kicked out of him wouldn't be my cup of tea. But then a dwarf was thrown into the mix and I reluctantly thought: Okay, I need to see where this goes.

Where it goes is a spectacularly built world involving a space station and first contact with a species of sentient bears. Yes, you read that right; a dwarf, and sentient bears. But wait, there's more!

Like the space station the novel centers on, full of disparate alien species, the book itself has a smattering of wildly different literary ideas: clever, futuristic tech; engaging personalities; space super heroes; bad-ass women (and bear women); ancient cultures; a love story; checkered pasts; misunderstood scientists. Seriously, it's all in there, and it's seamless, not so forced you get whiplash.

I only have two minor complaints. A lot of the dialog takes place over meals-not in itself bad, but having the food described as thoroughly and often as it does gets distracting. Every time he ate breakfast I found myself wanting farm-fresh eggs. There is also an overabundance of pop-culture references that seem out of place for something so futuristic (though the one dwarf/Thor reference was superbly dropped). But who knows, maybe comic books will survive the centuries!

The audiobook narrator is superb; one of the best I've heard. He brings the character emotions (or flatness for the AIs) to life with a wide range of accents and voices. Slow and heartbreaking when appropriate, and energized and gripping for the action sequences.

An excellent, highly recommended listen or read.