“Essence: Septima” by Nick A. Braker —BOOK REVIEW

About “Essence: Septima”by Nick A. Braker::

Genre: Science Fiction, Alien/First Contact, Action, Thriller

“Troy, with his irrational fears, is the least likely person to lead a war. But that doesn’t mean he can escape his destiny.

A trip to New Orleans turns into something much larger when aliens called the Pirans kidnap him and his friends. A perfect doppelganger for their dead general Tohmas, Troy is thrust into the front lines of battle against Reptauran invaders. Now, the Pirans must convince their people that Tohmas rose from the dead to lead them to victory.

As it turns out, the Pirans aren’t totally wrong. Tohmas isn’t quite gone—and his lingering essence has found Troy a suitable host. Troy must fight with everything he’s got to save both Pira and the Earth, the Reptaurans’ next likely target. As he struggles to maintain control of his own destiny, Troy knows that no matter the outcome, his life will never be the same.

Explore the mind of this unlikely hero in Essence, the first book in a new sci-fi series by Nick Braker, a coming-of-age tale full of adventure and steamy encounters.”

***Slight Spoilers***

This is an amazing start to a series! The world of the Essence Chronicles is well-developed as are its characters. The universe has all the traditional draws of the alien/first contact genre while the premise centers around an intriguing use of explaining the soul by way of science.

The story follows Troy, a young human male from Earth, as he is more or less abducted by aliens. The initial problem for Troy is that it appears his friends were killed during this contact with the humanoid race. However, the Pirans explain that while their bodies were destroyed, their essence (soul) was kept in tact, extracted by their soldiers for study and implantation into clones.

Troy is thrown into an intense new world where he must take his place on Pira as a long lost warrior named Tohmas. It is because of his striking resemblance to this man that his new alien friends saved him. But during his new role, he is given medicine that seems to be changing him into a completely different person. Memories that are not his begin surfacing in his mind as his thoughts and behavior start morphing him to be more like Tohmas so that he may save Pira (and Earth) from extinction.

The author maintains an air of suspense throughout the story which, coupled with details of the world and revelations of the characters’ histories and schemes, creates an amazing thriller. I am definitely eager to read the next book.

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Nick A. Braker can be found on:
Twitter @Nick_Braker
Amazon
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Author Website

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~Sahreth ‘Baphy’ Bowden