A secret clan of biologically enhanced humans battles their would-be destroyer's in this SF adventure. In Pawtucket, Massachusetts, Maggie Henderson leads a ragtime cover band. Her vibrant onstage persona is at odds with her day-to-day life as a postdoctoral student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She’s working on programming “nanorobots” to help fix damaged skin cells. The work will be, as she tells her boyfriend, Tim Gritmuff, like “the perfect skin-cream.” Maggie also harbors a strange secret. She’s a Huply; she has both human and Plythi’i ancestry. The Plythi’i are a race of humanoids created with nanomachines who possess a telepathic Sense. Our heroine’s life putters along until she meets a man flying a kite barefoot in a park. This is polymath Inklebrawt Winklehank, who briefly attended Maggie’s high school. She’s star-struck because of his brilliant work in the field of “Integrated Bio-circuits” and wonders if he’s attending their high school reunion that night. Meanwhile, a violent offshoot of Huply, known as the Shepherds, wants to stop humanity’s “artificial speciation” and destroy the Plythi’i. The last grand battle between the two secret groups happened in 13,330 B.C.E. in Bolivia. With an attack imminent, Maggie must figure out her connection to Inklebrawt, another Huply, and a strange coterie of individuals, including Navy Seal David Wessel and a woman named Zayla. The group’s only hope may rest in contacting the Tsr’ Yyd, an enigmatic force that, once unleashed, could change life on Earth. Can Inklebrawt access a revered Plythi’i text called the Convictions in time to act? The story opens on the realm built by the Plythi’i in ancient Bolivia; this segment is flush with futuristic elements, including “Enginteks” who shape and build with stone using devices called “Vecco’i Sean.” The name Sean crops up frequently in reference to the creator of the Plythi’i, but a full explanation doesn’t arrive until the story’s end. The clever, remarkable finale will give audiences much to think about as far as the workings of the universe and humanity’s place in it.
"Estvander's hard SF adventure is similar to Greg Egan's and Vernor Vinge's novels; all toss readers headlong into conceptually dense worlds that require skillful absorption of ideas along the way. A well-written, conceptually agile adventure with a memorable ending - Get it!" - Kirkus Reviews
"★★★★★ Blink even once while reading Stilled: The Story of Inklebrawt Winklehank, and you'll miss a clue in this tightly woven plot full of twists and turns. Brian Estvander combines space opera and old-fashioned sci-fi genres to create a plot with twists and turns. A gripping hard science fiction novel that takes readers on a fast-paced adventure." - Literary Titan
"An expertly crafted sci-fi adventure, which brings together science, technology, and human evolution. A fast-paced and gripping plot, authentic and believable characters, and excellent world-building!"
- Reader's Choice Book Award
"For those that enjoy classics like Blade Runner, Avatar, and Stargate will certainly be captivated by this book. Captivating, suspenseful and surprising; with eloquent prose that brings to life a fantastical world of human and machine. A fantastic multi-dimensional story that utilizes science, technology, futuristic theories, and a powerful Sense to provide a riveting story with strong characters and plot." - Sharlene Almond, author of the Annabella Cordova series.
For full review click the link at Reedsy Reviews
"An original, strange, and beautifully written space odyssey." - Bookviewreview.com
"Readers of hard SF and space operas will each
find something to draw them in." - The prairies book reviews
Author: Brian Estvander