Percivious Origins
Percivious Trilogy, Book #2
by JJ Cook & AJ Cook, MD
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Pub Date Apr 05 2022 | Archive Date Jun 30 2022
Description
What if we’ve never actually been at the pinnacle of the evolutionary ladder?
As the pandemic of Percivious: Insomnia tightens its devastating grip on society, travel back in time and across space to uncover its secret…
The maverick second volume in the Percivious trilogy, Percivious: Origins shatters history as we (think we) know it.
Two hundred and eighty million years before the origin of homo sapiens, an advanced species—the XYZ—are forced to flee as a five-hundred-kilometer-wide iron relic of the Big Bang hurtles toward Earth for its second act of complete annihilation.
As the starship HELIX departs from Earth’s gravitational pull, horrified passengers watch as the once aquamarine planet turns red with fire, burning beneath them. But as the XYZs adjust to life in space, Herriden, the first child born aboard the ship, represents hope during their voyage to a new home.
A species to whom human frailties like violence and greed are unknown, the XYZ live in abundance and value shared knowledge and emotional connection above all else. But after a failed attempt to inhabit a new planet, the HELIX is damaged and energy reserves are running low, and the XYZ may have no choice but to come back into the orbit of their ancestral home . . . setting into motion events for which there will be an unfathomable price to pay.
An epic, scientifically plausible journey through time and space from which the survival of an ancient hominid species and the fate of humankind are both left hanging in the balance, Percivious: Origins is a daringly original and captivating new kind of science fiction novel that will redefine what outer space sci-fi can be . . . and present an inspiring utopian vision of what’s possible.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
PRAISE FOR PERCIVIOUS INSOMNIA (Book #1)
“The Cooks’ impressive SF medical thriller, the first of a trilogy, overflows with intriguing ideas. The main plot focuses on a new wonder sleep drug, Noctural, which runs into a snag. Despite successful preliminary trials, Noctural fails to work for a test subject with chronic insomnia and other people suffering from sleep deprivation. Figuring out why falls to a researcher for the Big Pharma company behind the medication. Other story lines are less conventional. One involves Human Pinnacle Theory, which posits that humans have reached the pinnacle of their evolution, and thus are at risk for extinction because of an inability to adapt to Earth’s changing environment. Another centers on a secret U.S. government dossier revealing that “ancient humanoid cousins” existed along with the dinosaurs and were the dominant life form at the time. Before leaving the planet, they created a DNA time capsule that led to the evolution of homo sapiens. The Cooks, a married couple, alternate between the plot threads easily. Michael Crichton fans will look forward to the sequel.” -- Publishers Weekly
“The Cooks, a husband-and-wife team, begin a trilogy with this hybrid of corporate-charged medical thriller and SF alien tale [...] While the material is related in Dan Brown–esque minichapters, the emphasis is less on exciting chases (though there is a humdinger, set in Paris) and more on deep dives into character motivations and relationships, complete with a shoutout to The Great Gatsby. Results echo both Zenna Henderson’s The People collections and John Farris’ Fury series as well as numerous other upscale SF entries in which superman-hood does not necessarily mean capes and Kryptonite or flashy special effects [...] Invested readers will be kept up at night waiting for more.
An intelligent SF tale with a high-stakes big pharma backdrop and skillful character development.” -- Kirkus Reviews
“In medical doctor A. J. Cook and J. J. Cook’s science fiction thriller Percivious Insomnia, mindbending scientific theories and complicated media and government relationships could lead to the destruction of the species [...] The book covers scientific theories and journalism practices using familiar language and necessary exposition, making it both accessible and relevant. [The] cinematic style breaks the book’s complex information into chronological, concise portions and results in a quick pace. [An] exciting science fiction thriller.” -- Foreword Reviews
“Read about a different pandemic with Percivious: Insomnia. In the first book in the trilogy, nobody can sleep and insomnia is sweeping the world. The drug that had done so well in test trials, stopped working. There is a race for a real cure, and lines are crossed. This novel hooks you from the beginning and you won’t be able to close your eyes until it is finished.” -- Geeks of Doom
Featured Reviews
I enjoyed this book and it's predecessor. Both are good thrillers. I'm surprised I liked this one as well, since this also included another interesting plot that kept me engaged and entertained. I look forward to their future work!
Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!