Those Left Behind is the first book in N. C. Scrimgeour’s “Waystations trilogy.” The first two books are available in paperback and on Kindle Unlimited if that’s your jam. 
I was scrolling through TikTok the other night, trying to ignore the impending doom of our planet and my own cold dead heart, when author N.C. Scrimgeour’s account popped up. “Do you like Mass Effect and The Mandalorian?” the video asked. Of course I do! I promptly added the Waystations trilogy to my To Read shelf, and girded my loins for some space opera. Once I got my hands on the book, I was not disappointed. In fact, I had a blast reading through book one!
Scrimgeour has a great grasp (and love for) the characters and scenarios that can make science fiction so much fun: the meeting of distant past and future, a la Alien or Mass Effect. The Expanse’s political intrigue and shifting alliances. Planet hopping and world exploring in the style of Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect video game series. Huntin’ bounties like Mando. While you can feel the influence of lots of classic and contemporary sci-fi, the book didn’t feel derivative but rather conversant in and conversing with the genre.
Here’s the story – humanity lives on a planet called New Pallas. Which, of course, humanity basically destroys through poor planning and greed. (Whoops! Our bad!) To survive, humans zoom off into space. They find that they are NOT alone, and that they do not have a monopoly on ruining planets and existential crises. Scrimgeour quickly but richly creates a galaxy teeming with alien cultures, each with their own planets, values, history, flaws, and strengths. Despite the scale, I found myself genuinely caring about the individual stories of at least four or five characters. It’s impressive that happened so quickly in the trilogy. I found myself staying up later and later because I wanted to see what they got up to next. Is there a better compliment than sleep deprivation? Yes – your money! Buy this book and support an up and coming author!
3.75/5
