A novella rarely pulls me into a world and leaves me with so many unanswered questions yet wanting more.  However, Alsberg and Cummings write a white-knuckle ride of a space opera that rivals the relaunch of Battlestar Galactica with their collaboration Zenith: The Androma Saga #1.   Viceral and viscous, like the bloodstained kill counts on the katanas of the protagonist (Androma Racella), the story sticks with you days after reading.

Mechanically, the novella is tight.  Words evoke strong emotion in the reader. Deep characterizations are a rare, welcome quality in the format.  While there exists some flat archetype-characters, the brevity of the format prevents large character expositions.  Likewise, I see a geographic naming convention. At least two character names relate to islands in the eastern Mediterranean Sea region.  As an...