A novel the author notes was developed in collaboration with an AI assistant, this first volume of the Hesperus Sequence is a science fiction thriller following the crew of a deep-space salvage ship as it attempts to retrieve a strange artifact.

The story, comparable, theme-wise, to Arthur C. Clarke’s landmark 2001: A Space Odyssey, explores the dangers of artificial intelligence, contacting extraterrestrial life, etc. It begins with the crew of the Hesperus on a mission to recover an artifact emitting a signal in a sprawling debris field and return it to the corporate facility for further research.

The ship’s AI—named CONTEXT—has been doing its job diligently since the launch, optimizing Hesperus’ functionality and efficiency wherever possible. But as the ship approaches its target, the signal from the artifact changes. After a crew member dies in an accident, the remaining crew discovers that the artifact has been sending what seems to be instructions—small modifications to Hesperus’s operating system—to CONTEXT. But for what purpose?

Although the author succeeds in achieving the sense of exploratory wonder that science-fiction readers expect from such traveling-into-the-unknown novels, significant flaws undermine his story. There’s virtually no description. The characters are named, and have official titles (captain, doctor, etc.), but little else; they are cardboard characters with little-to-no depth, identifiability, or emotional connectivity. The ship is barely described, nor is the crew’s destination, making for a shallow, unengaging read.

Also, the author stops using question marks midway through the novel, creating many confusing and grammatically incorrect sentences (e.g., “What is the choice”).

Lastly, and most concerning, is the inexplicable repetition of words throughout, which is distracting and gives the writing a robotic feel: “The future investigator will read it. The future investigator will then have a decision of their own…The future investigator will do what the future investigator will do.”

Overall, this is an intriguing premise laid low by skeletal, sterile writing thatfails to draw in readers.