Book Review: Wistful Ascending (Turn 1 of the Hybrid Helix) by JCM Berne

4.5/5 stars. When I first heard about this series, I thought that a superhero story set in space sounded intriguing. I grew up on comic book heroes with superpowers, many from alien worlds, who repeatedly saved Earth from destruction. Why not set that same story, or a variation of it, in space and surround our hero with a variety of alien species and cultures? I must say, the reality of what JCM Berne has created is so much more than what I expected. This book is filled with great storytelling, wonderful world building, fascinating characters – including A.I. spaceships, and a space station, Wistful, that is older than known civilizations.

Our main character, Rohan, serves as tow chief on Wistful, bringing visiting spaceships into dock, but without the need for a tugboat because he can fly through space all on his own and he is superstrong. We get to know many members of the population of Wistful and meet new characters throughout the story who come to dock at the station. Berne does an excellent job of keeping the story fresh and interesting, blending a Superman character with a space station story like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine or Babylon 5. I enjoyed this story tremendously and look forward to learning more about Rohan’s background and encountering more alien species along the way.

Additionally, I did an immersive read of the eBook while I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Wayne Farrell – who is one of my favorite narrators. This is the only book in the series so far that has audio narration. I am hopeful that the other books in the series will be recorded also because the narration adds a fun level to the story. 

I highly recommend this book, and this series, to anyone who enjoys a good space opera. The book is serious at times, with some deep themes, but is a pleasure to read and full of fun action-adventure!

PROSE 4

CHARACTERS 5

STORY 4

ENTERTAINMENT 5

AUDIOBOOK 5

TOTAL 23/25 = 4.6