Synopsis:

Rochelle wakes from cryostasis to take up her role on the colony ark, Calypso . But she wakes to find the ship deserted, and the interior taken over by a forest. As she explores and finds the last remaining members of the crew, she discovers a legacy of war conducted whilst she slept.

The engineers and the botanists have different visions for how to build the world. The engineers would build a new utopia of technology; the botanists would have the planet bloom, untouched by mankind. Both will destroy the other to ensure their vision of paradise prevails.

And Rochelle, the last to wake on the Calypso , holds the balance of power in her hands.

A high-stakes SF adventure of shattering moons, a colonial ark turned into Eden, post-human evolutions, delivered in a uniquely compelling form.

Review:

My first book of 2025, and what a great read it was! I went into it knowing just the bones of the plot: Rochelle is an engineer who wakes after a long journey on the ship Calypso. She supposed to be helping seed and populate a new planet, but instead she finds the ship in turmoil, seemingly empty, and she has to piece together the events that split the crew while figuring out a way to still do her job.

What stands out the most about this book is the way it is written. This is not a traditional novel, but rather one epic poem. Through the pages we meet 4 characters with their own POV’s, and each has their own distinct voice. The words on the pages shift in their layouts and the rhythm of each is unique to the teller. It was absolutely beautiful to look at let alone read, with illustrated headings, words forming their own images and pages splashed with depictions of plants.

On the surface, the plot is simple but concrete. The Calypso and its crew are to travel through centuries to a distant planet and terraform and populate it with new life, unblemished from humanities torrid history.

Surrounding this we have our characters and they add the complexity and depth that the plot lacks. As we get to know them we uncover stories within stories, lines of decisions that led them to exactly where they are now. We see their dreams and regrets, their ‘what if’s’ and it was incredibly emotional at times.

Calypso is more of an experience than a story. It’s so incredibly immersive and I was well and truly sucked in from the first chapters. If you are someone who needs traditional storytelling and doesn’t want to work too hard to understand things then skip this one. If you love ambitious storytelling with vivid imagery and grand ideas, then get yourself a physical copy of this one.