What do you think?
Rate this book
Wanderers
Fractured Carapace
A standalone novel from the Wanderer Universe.
Chiton vanished.
It was there, and then it wasn't.
How does an entire star system vanish?
The Chitchi were forced to start again.
300 years ago, the brilliant Krasna established her research c'hub on the unclaimed water-world of Prebis. Chiotechnology may have its flaws, but finally, her ferinon experiments seem to be going somewhere. Unfortunately, her increasingly bizarre behaviour and strange references to the past begin to worry her subordinates. Meanwhile, rumours circulate the c'hub of a fascinating, new fast travel technology that is being gifted to the galactic community by the Ascended Biologicals.
Chathindi studies the insectoid Risers - non-sentients, native to Prebis, that eject from the ocean to join the living blanket encompassing the world - and grows increasingly convinced they are more than they appear. Just who is observing who?
Chiton vanished.
It was there, and then it wasn't.
How does an entire star system vanish?
The Chitchi were forced to start again.
300 years ago, the brilliant Krasna established her research c'hub on the unclaimed water-world of Prebis. Chiotechnology may have its flaws, but finally, her ferinon experiments seem to be going somewhere. Unfortunately, her increasingly bizarre behaviour and strange references to the past begin to worry her subordinates. Meanwhile, rumours circulate the c'hub of a fascinating, new fast travel technology that is being gifted to the galactic community by the Ascended Biologicals.
Chathindi studies the insectoid Risers - non-sentients, native to Prebis, that eject from the ocean to join the living blanket encompassing the world - and grows increasingly convinced they are more than they appear. Just who is observing who?
303 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2019
3 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
James Murdo
12 books39 followersJames Murdo was born and raised in London, where he still lives. He graduated from university with a Masters degree in Physics, which added fuel to his early love of science fiction. All of James' books are set in the Wanderer Universe.
James also created the Glossary Generator (software that quickly combs author manuscripts to help identify key terms that may be useful to include in glossaries). It can be found and used for free on James' website.
TAPACHE'S PROMISE TRILOGY
Echoes of Gravity (Book 1)
Echoes of Time (Book 2)
Echoes of Foundation (Book 3)
STANDALONES
Siouca Remembers
Long Paradise
Fractured Carapace
WANDERERS SERIES
Gil’s World (Book 1)
Searching the Void (Book 2)
Infinite Eyes (Book 3)
Instagram: @JamMurdo
Twitter: @JamMurdo
James also created the Glossary Generator (software that quickly combs author manuscripts to help identify key terms that may be useful to include in glossaries). It can be found and used for free on James' website.
TAPACHE'S PROMISE TRILOGY
Echoes of Gravity (Book 1)
Echoes of Time (Book 2)
Echoes of Foundation (Book 3)
STANDALONES
Siouca Remembers
Long Paradise
Fractured Carapace
WANDERERS SERIES
Gil’s World (Book 1)
Searching the Void (Book 2)
Infinite Eyes (Book 3)
Instagram: @JamMurdo
Twitter: @JamMurdo
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 3, 2022
I think that this was a bit too confusing for me because it's my first read in this expanded universe. I enjoyed the alien design and social structure and I think I would read a different book by this author in the same universe and come back to it.
As my first read I was confused about what the alien scientists were studying so a lot of the tension was lost on me. It had a cool twist at the end though that makes me think I will appreciate it more if I come back after reading other books in this universe.
As my first read I was confused about what the alien scientists were studying so a lot of the tension was lost on me. It had a cool twist at the end though that makes me think I will appreciate it more if I come back after reading other books in this universe.
January 10, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars An engrossing standalone in the Wanderer Universe.
Reviewed in Australia on 14 November 2021
Verified Purchase
I love this series and the universe created by James Murdo. This is another fascinating exploration of sentience in a universe of ascended biologicals, machinelects and others. Prebis is an amazingly well imagined world. Fractured Carapace is a very accessible mystery with totally alien protagonists. The Chitchi are six limbed sentients encased in chitinous carapaces reminding me of large cockroaches. There are well developed personalities, mystery and murder and finally a reveal about the research objective. Narration by The Voice of Nick adds greatly to the story. Although I did have to reread /replay the section with the computer program CENTITY , it lost me initially.
Reviewed in Australia on 14 November 2021
Verified Purchase
I love this series and the universe created by James Murdo. This is another fascinating exploration of sentience in a universe of ascended biologicals, machinelects and others. Prebis is an amazingly well imagined world. Fractured Carapace is a very accessible mystery with totally alien protagonists. The Chitchi are six limbed sentients encased in chitinous carapaces reminding me of large cockroaches. There are well developed personalities, mystery and murder and finally a reveal about the research objective. Narration by The Voice of Nick adds greatly to the story. Although I did have to reread /replay the section with the computer program CENTITY , it lost me initially.
February 17, 2020
Another excellent standalone....
I read this a bit ago and reading the new standalone book, Siouca Remembers, reminded me to post this review. While the setting is still in the Wanderer universe, we have the pleasure to meet yet more intriguing species/entities (biological, technological, etc.) and become immersed in further adventure/intrigue/mystery. My favorite aspect of this writing is how the strength of the characters is interwoven, sometimes overtly with others subliminally. These twisty reveals can happen unexpectedly. If you're into the more "science" part of "scifi", this author is for you!
I read this a bit ago and reading the new standalone book, Siouca Remembers, reminded me to post this review. While the setting is still in the Wanderer universe, we have the pleasure to meet yet more intriguing species/entities (biological, technological, etc.) and become immersed in further adventure/intrigue/mystery. My favorite aspect of this writing is how the strength of the characters is interwoven, sometimes overtly with others subliminally. These twisty reveals can happen unexpectedly. If you're into the more "science" part of "scifi", this author is for you!
March 28, 2020
**** SPOILER ALERT ****
"Fractured Carapace" is the second book of Murdo's that I've read.
Unlike my experience reading the first book, the author does a great job of getting right into the main story.
Murdo does a superb job world building and character development.
I mostly enjoyed the book, however, the author almost lost me near the end of the book as I found it extremely difficult to follow with the appearance of the CENTITY. Despite that, I do look forward to reading more of Murdo's writing.
In the interest of transparency: I was given a review copy of this book and I am voluntarily sharing this review.
This is my own honest opinion.
"Fractured Carapace" is the second book of Murdo's that I've read.
Unlike my experience reading the first book, the author does a great job of getting right into the main story.
Murdo does a superb job world building and character development.
I mostly enjoyed the book, however, the author almost lost me near the end of the book as I found it extremely difficult to follow with the appearance of the CENTITY. Despite that, I do look forward to reading more of Murdo's writing.
In the interest of transparency: I was given a review copy of this book and I am voluntarily sharing this review.
This is my own honest opinion.
March 16, 2021
Interestingly different. True scifi, written from the 'alien' perspective. There are no humans in this book, only what my mind believes to be sentient cockroaches. At first, I didn't care much for this book, but the second half was impossible to put down! The ending felt a bit cliffhanger-ish, but not so much that I'd call it an actual cliffhanger. Worth the read if you love scifi.
October 3, 2019
Another fun and unique story in the Wanderer Universe, this time with a glimpse into a distinctly alien, yet all-too human, civilization. Well-crafted characters, situations, and environments, with esoteric cosmological concepts behind it all.
May 27, 2021
This was very different and came off as disjointed but it was about a disjointed carapace. You can find out what that means when you read it. If you like a bit different science fiction and an off kilter species, then might like this. This one more story in Wanderer's Universe.
December 30, 2019
What a neat story! This author is so creative with all these different worlds and alien species. It was really cool to get to see the details of life on one of these worlds for one small species. If you liked the Gil's world series, you will definitely enjoy this book as well. My only complaint is that there is no thorough description of the species. Every time on small detail was given about their appearance, I had to amend my mental image, and I still don't know if it was right. I would rather have had a description of their appearance early on, so my mental images weren't all jumbled. Nonetheless, this was a wonderful book, and I hope to see some of these characters in future books.
October 28, 2023
Received as an audio review copy from Story Origin, this is an honest review. Narrated by The Voice of Nick, Fractured Carapace is another gorgeous, layered journey that getting to the truth of what happened to cause the Chiton star system to vanish like an illusionist trick. Beautifully told from the alien perspective that breaths life into raw and realistic world called Prebis, that capitalizes upon being confounding and strange. Its ending is harrowing and deeply poignant for what it reveals... but also what is not explained. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews