Stolen Earth

Nicholas (Re-Coil) paints a grim dystopia but still holds out a ray of hope for humanity in this excellent space opera. Earth has been devastated by war and natural disasters, culminating in unfettered artificial intelligence taking control and leading to a mass evacuation in the late 22nd century. One hundred years later, survivors have found a way to live off-planet, but Sol Commonwealth, the initially benevolent organization that salvaged humanity, has become corrupt, with no limits to its hunger for power. Those who refuse to live under the Commonwealth’s tyranny are forced to the Fringe, where one can retain one’s freedom—albeit in poverty. Among them is Grayson Lynch, who ended his 20-year naval career when he could no longer stomach Commonwealth’s tactics. Now he and his crew of space pirates, each with their own secrets, accept a lucrative mission to recover Old Earth artifacts—only to discover that the history they’ve been taught is not the full story. Meeting unexpected allies forces them to make unpleasant compromises in the hopes of repatriating Earth. Nicholas does an exceptional job showing how history repeats itself when greed goes unchecked, and offers a different way forward. Fans of optimistic space operas won’t want to miss this. (Sept.)