Eridani Resurrection is a politically-charged science fiction thriller by J.K. Phillips. It takes place on what feels quite like contemporary Earth—albeit with a few extra technological innovations we don’t have yet (that we know of). A means to get around the limits of faster than light speeds has been discovered, opening the possibility of interstellar travel, contact with alien life, and, perhaps most critically to the characters involved, a possibility of a new and unlimited energy source.

Political intrigue is thick in this novel, as well as Phillips’ attention to detail. You will likely feel as though you are looking over the shoulders of a real space agency at times, because the jargon and military/astronaut banter is on point. Enthusiasts of hard sci-fi will likely be pleased by the way the technology is developed and explained in this tale. There is also a lot to enjoy for readers who like their science fiction to be infused with a considerable amount of political intrigue and drama.

While I enjoyed my time with Eridani Resurrection for the most part, I was taken back somewhat by the pace of the first approximately half dozen chapters, in that I had to read through that section of the book before the plot in the synopsis begins proper. If you are a reader who doesn’t mind a slow burn or aren’t bothered by not meeting the protagonist until a considerable way into the story, you may not agree with me, so take that as you will.

If you’ve followed me at all or read my work, you know I am ardent about characters and character-driven stories. That’s not to say that Eridani doesn’t have good characters or character moments, but it does feel more driven by its plot, intrigue, and tech. I also didn’t find that many of the characters had distinct voices from each other; if I wasn’t being told who said what in some scenes, I couldn’t honestly tell you who it was doing the talking.

Despite those misgivings, I recommend Eridani Resurrection to fans of harder sci-fi written in the classic vein but with a contemporary setting. It is currently available on Amazon and for a fair asking price, so go give it a looksee.

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