What do you think?
Rate this book
The Mark of Eden
Alone in the stars, and connected through a past they don't remember, Val and Note must learn the truth ... before it's too late. Valentine awakens in the dark with no memory but his name. Little does he know that Note, an artificial intelligence, finds herself in the same predicament. Their first terrifying moments of life are spent escaping a race of gene-splicers known as the Cell, and they end up stranded apart from one another across a strange and unfamiliar galaxy. Two years pass. Val struggles to remember who he is while plagued with nightmares, only knowing that his identity is tied to a symbol burned into his wrist, the Mark of Eden. Note’s mind echoes with a strange mantra, and the answers to what it means lie with the boy whose origin is entwined with her own. But the Cell’s hunt never ends. Stalked relentlessly across the galaxy, Val and Note work to solve the mystery of their past using what clues are left to them. A dead moon, alien ruins, dream riddles, and the Mark of Eden guide their path. Friendships with unconventional alien allies are their only hope for mercenaries, scientists, explorers, drifters. Only together will they uncover the dark truth surrounding Val, Note, and the Cell’s sinister plans for them.
Hardcover
Published August 31, 2021
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 2, 2022
Spectra, the Mark of Eden is one of my all time favourite books, which I can't wait to see turn into a series. The author spins a unique, living and breathing universe while at the same time getting me more invested in a story than I've been in a long time. Sci-fi, romance, hurt, mystery, horror - those tags don't do it justice.
It's a book i've highly recommended to my friends and family, just as I recommend it to you.
It's a book i've highly recommended to my friends and family, just as I recommend it to you.
June 2, 2022
I came into this book expecting a fun science-fantasy adventure, and got exactly that! There's a certain admirable simplicity to this book, it knows exactly what it wants to be and does a great job of it too! In his first outing as an author, Lauth manages to keep things lighthearted and fun for young adults, but just serious enough to keep the older, diehard Sci-fi nuts like me entertained.
So, lets start with the good:
-I enjoyed my time with this book as it was respectful of that time. It kept at a good clip throughout, I never felt things were dragging or happening too quickly. It took a little while for the setting to click with me, but that's to be expected for science fantasy settings.
-The characters were likable, and more rarely these days, respectable. Often with YA books, some characters will be silly, stupid or overly petulant to advance the plot along at the detriment of its characters. This book makes sure to avoid that at all costs. It has respect for, not only for the reader's tolerance for drama, but it's own characters as well. As a result, I respect this book for making that effort.
-Lauth's literary style is fun and engaging, he relies a lot on theater of the mind, he gives you just enough information to let your mind run wild with imaginings of the characters and the setting. He doesn't waste your time noting the minutia of a room or a character's observation out of a space station window.
Let's move to the things I felt could use improvement:
-The beginning, despite a suspenseful start, takes a bit longer than needed to get into the galaxy-trotting adventure you come to a book like this for.
-Without getting into spoilers, I will say that this book plays certain things very safe, probably to be delt with not-so-safely in future books. It is definitely a space-opera in the vein of Star Wars, events and characters make sense through that lens.
-This book's primary antagonist was a pretty cool and unique concept that I felt could have been done more with, hopefully that comes in later books.
All-in-all a solid galactic romp that is a great addition to its genre. It doesn't do much outside its genre which keeps it back from a 5 star, but an excellent book nonetheless! I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a fun Sci-fi adventure!
So, lets start with the good:
-I enjoyed my time with this book as it was respectful of that time. It kept at a good clip throughout, I never felt things were dragging or happening too quickly. It took a little while for the setting to click with me, but that's to be expected for science fantasy settings.
-The characters were likable, and more rarely these days, respectable. Often with YA books, some characters will be silly, stupid or overly petulant to advance the plot along at the detriment of its characters. This book makes sure to avoid that at all costs. It has respect for, not only for the reader's tolerance for drama, but it's own characters as well. As a result, I respect this book for making that effort.
-Lauth's literary style is fun and engaging, he relies a lot on theater of the mind, he gives you just enough information to let your mind run wild with imaginings of the characters and the setting. He doesn't waste your time noting the minutia of a room or a character's observation out of a space station window.
Let's move to the things I felt could use improvement:
-The beginning, despite a suspenseful start, takes a bit longer than needed to get into the galaxy-trotting adventure you come to a book like this for.
-Without getting into spoilers, I will say that this book plays certain things very safe, probably to be delt with not-so-safely in future books. It is definitely a space-opera in the vein of Star Wars, events and characters make sense through that lens.
-This book's primary antagonist was a pretty cool and unique concept that I felt could have been done more with, hopefully that comes in later books.
All-in-all a solid galactic romp that is a great addition to its genre. It doesn't do much outside its genre which keeps it back from a 5 star, but an excellent book nonetheless! I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a fun Sci-fi adventure!
June 2, 2022
This book is excellent and I really hope more people read it. It starts off using quite a few sci-fi tropes but then proceeds to slowly subvert all those tropes in a really inventive way. There's no macguffins, everything happens for a reason and it all fits into the lore of the setting.
The prose is great, and it's really hard to put the book down - I've often found myself late at night promising to myself I'll go to bed after I read one more chapter, and then repeatedly failing to meet that promise until it's 4 AM or something and oops, I read the entire book again. Speaking of which, there's a bunch of little details hidden in the story that you don't really notice on first read. It's like a good movie; it gets better every time you experience it.
Genuinely one of my favorite sci-fi books to release in recent years, and a shockingly good debut novel. Must-read if you're a fan of HFY or precursor species stories and you want to see those kinds of stories done in a unique way. It's really a hidden gem, and I highly recommend giving it a read if you can.
The prose is great, and it's really hard to put the book down - I've often found myself late at night promising to myself I'll go to bed after I read one more chapter, and then repeatedly failing to meet that promise until it's 4 AM or something and oops, I read the entire book again. Speaking of which, there's a bunch of little details hidden in the story that you don't really notice on first read. It's like a good movie; it gets better every time you experience it.
Genuinely one of my favorite sci-fi books to release in recent years, and a shockingly good debut novel. Must-read if you're a fan of HFY or precursor species stories and you want to see those kinds of stories done in a unique way. It's really a hidden gem, and I highly recommend giving it a read if you can.
June 6, 2022
Quite possibly one of my favourite fictional universes of all time. Amazing world building that opens the door for so many different potential sequels, spin offs and fanfictions.
The highlight for me was how well I believe the cast of characters were written. The main characters in this novel are now some of my favourites in all of fiction. The world building was also really well done, I never struggled to paint a picture of a scene in my head, nor was I ever taken out of the story by something I thought didn't really fit.
A book I highly recommend to anyone who is a fan of sci-fi, can't wait for the sequel!
The highlight for me was how well I believe the cast of characters were written. The main characters in this novel are now some of my favourites in all of fiction. The world building was also really well done, I never struggled to paint a picture of a scene in my head, nor was I ever taken out of the story by something I thought didn't really fit.
A book I highly recommend to anyone who is a fan of sci-fi, can't wait for the sequel!
June 2, 2022
A generally fun Sci-Fi Fantasy story. Involves a group of friends from different alien species that go on a classic mystery adventure, all with a nice twist of cosmological horror.
Definitely looking forward to future installments.
Definitely looking forward to future installments.
June 2, 2022
Really liked this book, the characters were unique and enjoyable, and the plot kept me hooked the whole time. I can't wait to read future books in the series.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews