The Silver Ships · Book 8 of 20
Celus-5
For the Sojourn’s initial mission, the Haraken explorer ship undertakes the investigation of Celus-5, a world identified by Willem, a SADE (self-aware digital entity), and his team of scientists, as the best prospect for a new colony. What should be a routine survey mission becomes a disaster.
Overview
Celus-5
For the Sojourn’s initial mission, the Haraken explorer ship undertakes the investigation of Celus-5, a world identified by Willem, a SADE (self-aware digital entity), and his team of scientists, as the best prospect for a new colony. What should be a routine survey mission becomes a disaster. To the Harakens’ surprise, they discover, not one, but two alien species engaged in conflict.
One of the entities, the Dischnya, hides their nests underground, and each nest owes its allegiance to a queen. On the grassy plains, where the Dischnya live, the resources are scarce, and the alien warriors compete fiercely to protect their nests. The ceena, the other species, shelter their people far away from the Dischnya, who hunt them. Unfortunately, the Harakens’ landing party is late in discovering the Dischnya’s hidden nests.
A shuttle and some of its crew, including Teague, Alex Racine’s son, are captured by the dog-like warriors of the Tawas Soma nest. The mission is soon mired in a standoff, and Captain Asu Azasdau fires off a comm to Haraken, pleading for a rescue from Tomas Monti, the Haraken president, and Alex Racine. The survey group might have been forgiven for their hasty landing. They were focused on investigating three objects buried in the sands along the continent’s shoreline.
Smooth, dark, and silver, they’re ships belonging to the nemesis of every human and alien civilization — the Nua’ll. The dark travelers present a clue as to the direction of the Nua’ll home world, but they also invoke a question: Where are the Swei Swee, the six-legged, whistling aliens, who once were aboard the dark travelers?
Readers
What readers say about the Silver Ships series.
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Book resources
Read a sample, or take the glossary with you.
The saga runs to a large cast across dozens of worlds. Every book has a free excerpt and its own glossary of characters, ships, races and places. No sign-up, no email.
FAQ
Celus-5: questions readers ask
What is Celus-5 about?
For the Sojourn’s initial mission, the Haraken explorer ship undertakes the investigation of Celus-5, a world identified by Willem, a SADE (self-aware digital entity), and his team of scientists, as the best prospect for a new colony. What should be a routine survey mission becomes a disaster. To the Harakens’ surprise, they discover, not one, but two alien species engaged in conflict.
Where does Celus-5 fall in the Earthers' saga?
Do I need to read the earlier books before Celus-5?
It reads best in order. Celus-5 is book 8 of the Silver Ships series and carries forward characters and events from the earlier books. The reading order page lays out the full saga.
Is Celus-5 available as an audiobook?
Yes. Celus-5 is available as an audiobook on Audible.
Can I read a sample of Celus-5 before buying?
Yes. A free excerpt is available as a PDF: download the excerpt. No email or sign-up required.
Is there a glossary for Celus-5?
Yes. The saga has a large cast, several races and a lot of ship names, so each book has its own glossary of characters, places, ships and terms: download the glossary.
What formats does Celus-5 come in?
Celus-5 is published in e-book, softcover and audiobook. Print and e-book editions are sold through Amazon. The audiobook is on Audible.
Who wrote Celus-5?
S. H. Jucha (Scott Jucha), author of the Earthers’ saga: forty-four science fiction novels across The Silver Ships, Pyreans, Gate Ghosts and Cercians, published by Hannon Books, Inc. More about Scott.