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Kimberly Unger

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Nucleation Paperback – November 13, 2020

by Kimberly Unger (Author)

4.2 118 ratings

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2022 Compton Crook Award Finalist

“Recommended for fans of Richard K. Morgan’s Altered Carbon and Martha Wells’ Murderbot series.”
―Booklist

In this riveting debut science-fiction technothriller, a top-notch VR pilot encounters a disaster during the highest profile space-faring project of her career. Now she must unearth a critical truth: was her discovery due to a betrayal, a business rival, or a threat to humanity itself?

Helen Vectorvich just botched first contact. And she did it in both virtual reality and outer space.

Only the most elite Far Reaches deep-space pilots get to run waldos: robots controlled from thousands of lightyears away via neural integration and quantum entanglement. Helen and her navigator were heading the construction of a wormhole gate that would connect Earth to the stars . . . until a routine system check turned deadly.

As nasty rumors swarm around her, and overeager junior pilots jockey to take her place, Helen makes a startling discovery: microscopic alien life is devouring their corporate equipment. Is the Scale just mindless, extra-terrestrial bacteria? Or is it working―and killing―with a purpose?

While Helen struggles to get back into the pilot’s chair, and to communicate with the Scale, someone―or something―is trying to sabotage the Far Reaches project once and for all. They’ll have to get through Helen first.

Print length

288 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Tachyon Publications
Publication date

November 13, 2020
Dimensions

5.5 x 1.72 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

1616963387
ISBN-13

978-1616963385
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Editorial Reviews

Review

2020 Washington Post Gift Guide selection
2020 UK Guardian Gift Guide selection
2020 Den of Geek Top Sci-Fi Books

“A superb, smart debut! Love this woman who has to fight her way back to the top using her intelligence and expertise. The confident, sharp details made me feel I was there, in Helen's head, at each step of her remarkable journey. I can’t wait to read more from Unger, a welcome new voice in science fiction.”
―Lissa Price, internationally bestselling author of the Starters series

“VERDICT: Unger’s video game credits are well matched to this space adventure. Dialog among rivals, teammates, and machine interfaces keeps the story moving quickly. Recommended for fans of technothrillers and those who appreciate a strong lead character navigating readers through the technical bits.
―Library Journal

“In technology we so often look to science fiction for inspiration. Kimberly Unger is the rare author with a foot in both worlds and it shows as she gives a thrilling glimpse into the future with Nucleation.”
―Andrew Bosworth, Vice President of Augmented and Virtual Reality, Facebook

“Science fiction fans will be captivated by Unger’s smart, plausible vision of the future of space travel, especially the elegant solution of utilizing quantum entanglement to communicate across light years.”
―Publishers Weekly

“This smart, gripping debut weaves technology, embodiment, and corporate espionage into a tense vision of the future that readers won't be able to put down.”
―Jacqueline Koyanagi, author of Ascension

“[Nucleation is a] debut[s] worth checking out . . . showing that new voices continue to expand the genre”
―Washington Post

“An inventive, exciting page turner that mixes mystery, bleeding edge technological speculation, and the promise of a potential sequel. If Grisham was a better wordsmith and chose to write hard sf thrillers, it would look a lot like Kimberly Unger’s gripping Nucleation.
―Charles Gannon, author of the Caine Riordan series.

“Nucleation delivers top-notch suspense, deftly weaving together industrial espionage and first contact in a futuristic world that is all too plausible. Unger brings to her world a special sensibility for human psychology that gives realism to futuristic nanotech and corporate politics alike.”
―Juliette Wade, author of Mazes of Power

“A near-future, tech-driven thriller marked by grounded characters, wondrous discovery, and a compelling mystery at its core.”
―Joseph Mallozzi, Executive Producer, Dark Matter, Stargate's SG-1, Atlantis, Universe

“As a lifelong fan of science fiction, I’ve read it all. But it’s always a surprise to be captivated by a new work and for her first novel, Unger’s Nucleation delivers a rich world-building experience on top of a narrative that grabs at you and satisfies that urge for something fresh. I'm so looking forward to more from this author.”
―Kate Edwards, Executive Director of The Global Game Jam

“Contact’s Ellie Arroway. Story of Your Life’s Louise Banks. The Last Astronaut’s Sally Jansen. Add Helen Vectorovich to the ranks of great science fiction featuring remarkable, driven women serving as humanity's first contact with an alien race. With Nucleation, Kimberly Unger offers a richly detailed, thought-provoking peek into our not-so distant future and a mind-blowing means of taking us to the stars, but are we prepared for what awaits us out there?”
―Dayton Ward, author of Star Trek: Kirk Fu Manual

“Unger weaves real-world insights about virtual reality, technology, and art into a space opera packed with high adventure and dastardly intrigue.”
―Eliot Peper, author of Veil and Breach

“Taut and snappy, Nucleation is solid science fiction with a whole lot of heart.”
―Cat Rambo, author of Carpe Glitter

“This debut novel is recommended for fans of Richard K. Morgan’s Altered Carbon (2003) and Martha Wells’ Murderbot series, as well as for readers who like their cutting-edge technology with a bit of danger on the side.”
―Booklist

“Forget your wide-eyed explorers, your prime directives, your philosophical debates. Forget all of Humanity nobly uniting in the face of the Unknown; our response to First Contact is far more likely to consist of mutual backstabbing in pursuit of the upper hand. Nucleation starts a clever journey down that less-traveled road, and passes through some fascinating territory en route.”
―Peter Watts, author of The Freeze-Frame Revolution

“Rest assured, Kimberly Unger has found a way to make piloting space vehicles via virtual reality interesting, compelling, with the requisite “stakes” high enough to maintain our interest.”
―Galaxy’s Edge Magazine

“Author Kimberly Unger has created an absolutely inspiring main character who demonstrates on how believing in one's conviction and own intuition will always lead to truth. Nucleation is an immersive tale that has blockbuster scale and emotional story-telling you won't soon forget.”
―Terry Matalas, showrunner, Star Trek: Picard

“Helen, a company woman starting to see cracks in the corporate facade, is an engaging heroine, and Unger’s experience producing virtual reality games lends verve and specificity to her depictions of the remote-operator experience.”
―BookPage

“Nucleation is an intelligently written story that manages to combine a number of serious scientific concepts with sociological ones as well.”
―Green Man Review

“Immersive and detailed SF and tech elements with the virtual reality gear that really shows the strength of the author’s knowledge and lines of invention.”
―Nerds of a Feather

“I picked up Nucleation expecting a standard space opera. What I got was a thriller that kept me occupied for days.”
―Lightspeed Magazine

“Seamlessly blending elements of science fiction and mystery, Unger’s latest revolves around a virtual-reality pilot who, after her navigator dies while they’re working on a high-profile project, sets out to avenge his death and understand the bizarre circumstances surrounding the failed mission.”
―Kirkus

Book Description

Author readings and events at and major venues to include tech companies such as Facebook and Google; San Francisco Bay Area bookstores, SF in SF author series

Custom cover-reveal app (The Reveal) designed by the author, generating increased interest via mobile platforms such as phones and tablets

Social media rollout to include radio and podcasts; author and publisher push on pop culture and science fiction blogs, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, and Goodreads

Review mailings to leading trade, science fiction, and thriller publications; ARCs available via NetGalley, Edelweiss, and Goodreads

Review copies to leading newspaper book reviewers; science fiction, technology, and pop culture blogs and publications; and leading fiction publications

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tachyon Publications (November 13, 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1616963387
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1616963385
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.72 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,051,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6,497 in Hard Science Fiction (Books)
- #6,702 in Alien Invasion Science Fiction
- #7,834 in First Contact Science Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.2 118 ratings

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Kimberly Unger

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Kimberly Unger is the author of the 2022 Phillip K. Dick Memorial Award-winning “The Extractionist". She created her first videogame back when the 80-column card was the new hot thing and turned her literary love of science fiction into a full blown obsession with the intersection of technology and humanity. Kimberly followed up with degrees from the University of California at Davis and the Art Center College of Design which gave her the tools to work on both the creative and the business side of games and entertainment. She spent ten years working as a creative, followed by ten years as the CEO of her own 3P mobile game studio before making the jump to the Oculus Publishing team at Meta.

Today she spends her day-job time in MR, lectures on the intersection of art and code whenever necessary and writes science fiction about how all these app-driven superpowers are going to change the human race.

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Rob Springer

Best hard sci-fi I've read in years!

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2021

Verified Purchase

Nucleation is set in a future where humans use nano-tech to extend their reach to the stars. We're able to create microscopic worm holes (which represents a hard-science best case scenario) through which nanobots called "eenies" are projected in order to create a larger gate. Helen is an Operator, who mentally "rides" out via a quantum entangled particle to monitor the eenies — and we're along for the mind-bending ride. But her firm's bots are not the only nanobots out there.

Nucleation is a page-turning science fiction novel with elements of mystery. It has a great cast of well-drawn characters, especially the person whose story this is: Helen Vectorovitch. At times cranky, always driven, and often (but not always!) two steps ahead of everyone else, Helen is the kind of character you can connect with.

I HIGHLY recommend Kimberly Unger's novel, Nucleation.

Robert Springer
Author — The Organ Pipes of the Soul: A Theodicy of Love and Reincarnation in a Desperate Afterlife.

2 people found this helpful

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Joe Karpierz

Terrific debut novel

Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2020

First contact stories have been a part of science fiction for decades. Humans are fascinated by the concept of there being other races out there, other beings for us to communicate with. Underlying that fascination is the simple question: are we alone?

Kimberly Unger's debut novel, NUCLEATION, doesn't start out as a first contact novel. Helen Vectorovich is one member of a two person team which is on a very high profile project: the construction of a wormhole gate that would connect earth to, well, "out there" - interstellar space. She is connected via quantum entanglement to a waldo, a robot hundreds of light years away. She and her partner Ted are amongst the best in the business, and thus they have been assigned to this very high profile mission. All is going well, and the team is going through the standard system checklists checklists when something goes very wrong - that can't be
much of a surprise, of course - and Ted is killed.

The mission is put on hold, of course. This kind of thing *never* happens; if anyone is in danger, it is the pilot, not the navigator. And so, an investigation ensues. There are all sorts of possibilities, of course. Industrial espionage is the number one suspect, of course. Any number of companies and hot shot young teams would like to take over the project and make a name for themselves. But what if it's not that? What if what killed Ted was a new life form that humans haven't encountered previously? Another team is sent out to investigate, and more problems occur. As the person with the most experience, Helen is part of the team leading the investigation, but as one of the top suspects in the accident, her job is difficult, with many roadblocks thrown up in front of her.

It shouldn't be much of a surprise that the answer to the problem is a combination of espionage and alien life forms. But who is leading the sabotage, and how are they working with what appears to be a new life form that is essentially destroying Helen's team's corporate equipment?

NUCLEATION is a well written, fun, fast paced, and interesting debut novel. It's a whodunnit, a "whydunnit", and a "what's gonna happen next?" kind of story. This is an idea novel, the kind of novel that many of us used to read as kids when we were starting to get our feet wet in science fiction. This is really not a character driven novel, other than the fact that the characters are there to move the plot along. And that's okay, as plot and idea are among the core tenets of science fiction. If you're looking for deep dives into the backgrounds of the characters in NUCLEATION, you won't find them, as those deep dives aren't necessary. Unger tells us just enough of what we need to know to move the story along. There isn't massive world building and character development, but it's not necessary for the story; I find this a benefit, not a detriment. The story works because of it.

There is definitely room for a sequel. The story has really just begun, and I'm interested in finding out what comes next, whether it's in the NUCLEATION universe or something else from Kimberly Unger. I believe she's a writer to watch.

One person found this helpful

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klhowells

Actual Sci-Fi

Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2021

Verified Purchase

A strong character encountering the unknown while also handling the treacherous knowns of a corporate hierarchy. Very easy to read several chapters in a row. A welcome lack of virtual reality trips to historical dress-up scenes. No wizards or spells or superpowers. Very enjoyable.

2 people found this helpful

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Brett Hanes

Original Sci-fi

Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2020

Verified Purchase

An original story with great characters. I've never encountered tech quite like this. It speaks loudly to what our future may hold. Highly recommended!

One person found this helpful

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Lauren S.

Slow-paced Scifi Thriller

Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2020

This is billed as a first contact book, which it is, but more accurately it’s a slowly paced sci-fi thriller. It’s not focused so much on the aliens as it is on uncovering possible corporate espionage and untangling the events surrounding a deadly accident.

In the future, companies like Far Reaches use quantum entanglement to allow OPs (operators) to control waldos – purpose designed machines – mostly for the purposes of mining. Each OP is paired with a NAV (navigators) who keeps the OP on task and manages the flow of information. Helen is one of the best OPs, and she’s delighted to be the first to connect with the Golf Ball, a tiny construction ship whose job is to build a jump gate that would allow actual human exploration. But from the start something is wrong. The Golf Ball is only partially built, and the eenies – as the nanobots are known – seem to not be following the mission parameters. But all that is eclipsed by the death of her NAV, Ted. Reeling in grief, Helen finds herself pulled off the mission and “promoted” to a desk job. Helen’s sole purpose now is to figure out what happened – and to prevent it from happening again.

“I signed up to ride waldos, not play private detective.”

Helen is not a people person. I think at points this did effect the way the story hit. For instance, her reactions to Ted’s death didn’t feel quite right to me, and she struggles to deal effectively with the rest of her team. So while there are very human drivers, like Helen wanting to find out what happened to Ted and clear her name, this is essentially a plot-driven novel, rather than character-driven. She bemoans her lack of people skills at various times – it was something that Ted handled skillfully – but she doesn’t really make any progress in that area in this book. So while I sympathized with her, I never quite connected to her or the other characters and that did mute some of the tension for me.

There are two threads to the story: what’s happening on the Golf Ball and what’s happening back at the company. It’s very narrow in setting because of that. Helen spends the majority of her time on the Far Reaches campus, and even remotely she only visits three sites. Even with all those restrictions, I found the tech, especially the eenies, quite fascinating. My favorite parts were when Helen was piloting the various waldos. Those were also the most action-packed sequences.

The book ends with several plot threads left unresolved, so I’m wondering if this was meant to the be the first in a series. Overall, I’d give this 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. It definitely has a lot of promise, and I’ll be watching for further books from the author.

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Dave Johnson

Wow its good!

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2021

Verified Purchase

Wow this is good! Brilliant. One of the better scifi books I have read in quite a while. Can't wait for more.

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Top reviews from other countries

J.Loh

tachyonpublications is fabulous!

Reviewed in Canada on March 19, 2021

Verified Purchase

At first, I bought the ebook version of Nucleation but then really wanted to curl up with a physical book so I pre-purchased another one months later. When the book arrived, it was sent to the wrong mailbox. Weeks and weeks later, my neighbour strolled past me and let me know that the book ended up in his mailbox. He returned the book but upon inspection, it was very 'used' in a way that gave me considerable pause. I described my scenario on twitter and to my surprise, the publisher of Nucleation not only read my story via my tweets, but sent me a BRAND NEW book! I was so impressed and elated! Thank you Tachyon Publications. Classy folks all round!

Connor Monk

Great sci fi!

Reviewed in Canada on December 24, 2020

Verified Purchase

I bought this book knowing nothing about the author or book and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. Interesting sci-fi/mystery jaunt that leaves you wanting more. I found that it ended very suddenly but I’m not sure how much it was that it just wanted more than it was an abrupt ending. Definitely recommend you give this a read.

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