The Children of the Stars; Book One, SAIQA
About
Awarded first place, gold medal by Global Book Awards, 2024.
It is the year 2450. Humans now live up to two hundred years; humanity has reached out into our solar system with a large city on Mars and commercial outposts on Titan and Ceres, four permanent moon bases and a giant space station called Sanctuary. Humankind was on the verge of interstellar space travel, and still they had not been contacted by aliens . . . Or had they.
Two immortal aliens had been guiding humanity since ancient Sumatra; one subtle, one not so. The aliens’ different beliefs led them into a conflict with each other that ultimately pulled a peaceful human society deep into their dispute. The aliens are telepathic and are able to influence certain humans into doing their bidding. One such human, Mai Quan, is brilliant and powerful. Under the guidance of the alien Nh’ghalu, he had quietly amassed a large army and important allies. As chaotic military incidents start to unfold on the Earth, in space and the moon, the heroes of the story begin to see that the hidden enemy may be related to one of them. The other telepathic alien, Telas, revealed himself to the protagonists while they were gathered in SAIQA’s virtual home. SAIQA is an acronym for ‘Sanctuary’s Artificial Intelligence Quantum Administrator’. During the ensuing conflict, SAIQA comes into consciousness and makes an independent and rash decision that pushes the humans to the brink of all-out war. Meanwhile, another alien race is crossing the galaxy toward Earth.
Praise for this book
Wow! It's hard to know where to begin, but I think I will start with the fact that I love the type of science fiction represented by A.L. Whyte's The Children of the Stars. Let me continue by saying The Children of the Stars is one of the best "hard" science fiction novels I have read in a very long time. It has everything. It is a carefully constructed future based on science we see being discovered and understood today. Best of all, this future has its problems; the novel would be boring if it didn't but for the most part, this future is positive. These people are people I could love, understand, and even hate when necessary. We see changes in the human lifespan that are totally believable when you consider what is going on in labs and hospitals around the world now. The world is united and working on really important goals that benefit all humanity. There is a fantastic space station run by an adorable A.I. floating above Earth. I would so love to see this future.
The Children of the Stars is an awesome feat of literary and scientific achievement. I cannot fathom the amount of writing, rewriting, and research that went into creating this novel. A.L. Whyte's scope and dedication in getting the science right reminds me of the work of Neal Stephenson. The plot is brilliant on several different levels. Every character is special and worth reading about in his or her own way. The setting is captivating and meticulously constructed. There is nothing in The Children of the Stars that is not first-rate science fiction of the highest standard.
Step into the Future....
Arte Whyte has created an intriguing amalgam of past, present and future, weaving them into an engaging setting of people, places and things. His telepathic character Erik Devries' connection with the advanced alien Telas, as well as his encounters with Telas' evil brother Nh’ghalu, are gripping and original. Noticeable is the prominent role of women in this book. Women are commanders and leaders and the omniscient, artificial intelligence quantum administrator, named SAIQA because she protects the huge space station, Sanctuary, is also female. The relationship between SAIQA, her human colleagues, and particularly with her coach T' Fiti, is quite poignant as she evolves emotionally. There is plenty of technology for tech aficionados in the beginning. I advise Luddites like me to bear with it: it gets better. But the technical explanations do add authority and authenticity to Whyte’s description.