Noumenon by Marina J. Lostetter
(Noumenon, Book 1)
Released: August 17, 2017 | Genre: Science Fiction, Space Opera
-
Noumenon is a tale of space travel, adventure, discovery, and humanity that unfolds through a series of generational vignettes.
In 2088, humankind is at last ready to explore beyond Earth’s solar system. But one uncertainty remains: Where do we go?
Astrophysicist Reggie Straifer has an idea. He’s discovered an anomalous star that appears to defy the laws of physics, and proposes the creation of a deep-space mission to find out whether the star is a weird natural phenomenon, or something manufactured.
The journey will take eons. In order to maintain the genetic talent of the original crew, humankind’s greatest ambition—to explore the furthest reaches of the galaxy—is undertaken by clones. But a clone is not a perfect copy, and each new generation has its own quirks, desires, and neuroses. As the centuries fly by, the society living aboard the nine ships (designated “Convoy Seven”) changes and evolves, but their mission remains the same: to reach Reggie’s mysterious star and explore its origins—and implications.
A mosaic novel of discovery, Noumenon—in a series of vignettes—examines the dedication, adventure, growth, and fear of having your entire world consist of nine ships in the vacuum of space. The men and women, and even the AI, must learn to work and live together in harmony, as their original DNA is continuously replicated and they are born again and again into a thousand new lives. With the stars their home and the unknown their destination, they are on a voyage of many lifetimes—an odyssey to understand what lies beyond the limits of human knowledge and imagination.
-
Marina J. Lostetter describes I.C.C., the sentient AI in Noumenon, as the “anti-HAL 9000.” Instead of being a cold, murderous computer like in 2001: A Space Odyssey, I.C.C. is extremely empathetic.
REVIEW
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ☆
A non-BDO, BDO book. 🙃
Big Dumb Object (BDO):
In science fiction, a “Big Dumb Object” is any mysterious, usually extraterrestrial, creation of immense power that inspires awe simply by existing. These objects often defy expectations, either possessing strange, extreme properties or lacking something we’d normally expect.
I usually love BDO stories. They feed my curiosity, spark that sense of wonder, and promise the thrill of uncovering something extraordinary. Noumenon hooked me right away: a distant star is behaving strangely, and a mission is launched to investigate. As someone who’s devoured books like Rendezvous with Rama and Project Hail Mary, I was instantly on board.
Then the story took a turn. It became less about the destination and more about the journey.
Normally, that’s where I check out. I prefer stories with a clear end goal, not because I want to spoil the ending for myself, but because I need to know what the characters are working toward. Without that anchor, my brain starts asking the dreaded peer-review question: Where are you taking me?
But Noumenon did something different. It gave us the goal early (investigate the star) then shifted its focus entirely to the journey. Strangely, I didn’t mind. In fact, I barely remember what the final discovery was… and I don’t care. The journey itself was the point, and because the story had already anchored me with a clear objective, I could enjoy the detours without frustration.
And then, in the third act, Noumenon surprised me again.
One of its most fascinating elements is the passage of time. This is a multigenerational narrative unfolding over hundreds of years, told in a series of vignettes. Each chapter jumps forward decades, with each mini-arc shaped by the events of the last. While centuries pass for the crew, thousands of years pass on Earth. When they finally return, there’s no triumphant welcome, no ticker-tape parade. Instead, they face a society so advanced it’s moved beyond verbal language. What was once home now feels alien, and they must adapt to a world that barely acknowledges their existence.
There’s far more nuance to Noumenon than I’ve covered here, but I wanted to highlight just how well-structured it is.
Noumenon, I tip my hat to you, you made me appreciate something I usually don’t.
