A review by narratricenessa
Those Left Behind by N.C. Scrimgeour

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 The new beginning they had been looking for was the middle of someone else’s story.

Those Left Behind is the first book in the space opera trilogy The Waystations by indie author N.C. Scrimgeour. I know that hearing phrases like space opera and science fiction can put off some speculative fiction readers because they feel that to read SF (or is it sci-fi now? I'm too old for these abbreviations) you need to have a STEM degree otherwise the sciency bits will go over your head. And you know what? In some cases, they ain't wrong (looking at you old-school hard SF books I read in secondary school when I still had enough functioning brain cells to understand the science).

HOWEVER, Those Left Behind is not a book that requires the reader to have a PhD in STEM sciences to understand and enjoy the book. N.C. Scrimgeour's writing is approachable and although I would personally slot this book closer to the Hard SF category (SF characterized by concern for scientific accuracy and logic), the writing and overall vibes, as you read, are more in line with The Expanse series and RDM's Battlestar Galactica than Vernor Vinge's A Fire Upon Deep (honestly, not only am I dating myself here, IMO that book firmly belongs in the "this is weird but I like it" category).

Humans don’t have a monopoly on being terrible to each other.

Those Left Behind is an epic and complex story told through multiple human and alien POVs. What I loved the most about this approach and these different POVs was how the author showed that the various societies and cultures are not monolithic. There is no uniformity or simplicity, the characters are complex and intriguing. At first, the reader might not understand their motives or drive, however, the more you read and spend time with the characters not only do you start to care for the characters (even the terrible ones because you want to know what happens to them too) and begin to understand why are they the way they are. 

We’re not what they tell us we are. We’re more than the sum of flesh and matter inside these metal shells.

Regardless if you're dipping your toes into the SF genre or you're a seasoned veteran of it, if you're looking for an epic and (most importantly) complete SF series to immerse yourself in, I highly recommend Those Left Behind. Go support your indie authors and they'll reward you with fantastic stories.