Galaxy of Souls

Fourth Instalment in the Souls Series

Galaxy of Souls
Estimated Publication Date: 2027
Pages: 656 (Estimated)

Synopsis

In the late twenty-fourth century, Serena is a young girl growing up on Armstrong Base, the lunar capital. Already awakened, she learns she is Shebana, an ancient soul, reborn many times, and was once Susan Carpenter, former World President.

When disaster strikes, the orphaned Serena is forced to move to Earth and endures the indiginity of being dubbed a 'lunar loony'. But she finds a new family when she joins the Space Corps, and starts training as a stellarnaut. Friendships form as the trainees must endure the hardships of the infamous 'DUTCH' survival training progamme, but one trainee in particular captures Serena's heart.

As she prepares for her mission to the stars, Serena visits both her own past and others': reliving many lives, including a Ye'kuana maiden who learns the cost of falling in love with a conquistador; a serving wench caught up in the Massacre of Glencoe; and an office worker who expected September 11th 2001 to be just another ordinary Tuesday.

There are tragedies in her own life too and, trillions of kilometres from Earth, Serena is horrified to discover Mamboja is on the ship with her. But which one of the crew is he?

Who?

Serena MacDonald

Serena knows who she is, and she knows what her destiny is. But love and destiny don't seem to be in agreement this time. So, which should she follow, her destiny or her heart? It seems an impossible choice...  somehow she finds the strength to make it. But is there a price to pay for defying fate?

Bartok Vancura

Bartok seems to have a chip on his shoulder: he's arrogant, rude, filled with his own self-importance. He takes a particular dislike to 'lunar loony', Serena, his closest rival in the stellarnaut training programme. But when he is given command of Conquest Four, the two of them learn they need to work together if they hope to reach their destination.

Toshiko Nakatomi (Tosh)

With an astonishingly brilliant mind and the sweetest, most engaging personality, Tosh is one of the brightest stars in the Space Corps. By the time she completes her training, she is the most skillful navigator they have, and is assigned to Conquest Four, the mission to planet Aegir, mankind's best hope of finding the sky stone.

Xenia Romanov

The youngest member of the Conquest Four crew, Xenia is one of the best pilots in the Space Corps. She's always felt an affinity with OTMA, the daughters of the last Tsar of Russia, who she believes to be distant relatives: especially Anastasia.

Makena Mwangi

Medical officer on Conquest Four, Makena is Serena's best friend. Out of curiosity, Makena lets Serena put her into a trance to explore a past life: only to discover something terrible.

Emeka Mbanefo (Meka)

Meka is a real charmer: his honesty makes up for his philandering ways, everyone loves him, even the men. His ambition is to sleep with everyone on the ship, and he's half way to completing his mission.

Helga Müller

Conquest Four's security officer is a tough bitch. It doesn't take long before Serena realises she's encountered this dark soul before.

Vikram Mohanty

The Tech and Communications Officer seems like a nice enough guy, Serena always liked him when they were training. But as time goes on, she can't help wondering who he was in the past?

Gary Martin

The oldest member of the Conquest Four crew, Martin mostly keeps to himself. But he carries a dark secret he wants no-one to discover.

Dutch Meyer

Creator of the survival training programme that bears his name, Dutch is hard but fair. He expects the recruits to face the toughest challenges Earth, and Mars, can provide. But he never stops reminding them he'd rather send them home in tears than in a body bag.

Saita

Saita's life as the chief's daughter is one of privilege and luxury, but she gives it up to be able to follow a handsome young conquistador on the search for the City of Gold. Being treated as an ordinary Ye'kuana maiden brings more hardship than she'd bargained for: and that's just the beginning of her problems.

Tracey

It might be 2001, but Tracey knows a black woman still has to work twice as hard as her white male colleagues to stand any chance of getting anywhere in the competitve corporate world. That's why she's in the office early on this sunny, September morning. But what on Earth is that airliner doing?

Sybella Dabula

Sybella can't believe Mendor has been elected World President: no-one she knows would dream of voting for him. When the notorious GES men come to arrest her, she protests. But, as democracy crumbles around her, she is convicted of heresy and treason. Mendor himself offers her a choice between death and dishonour... but it's love that decides the outcome.

Swanhild

Saxon slave, Swanhild, is hideously disfigured following a childhood accident. Ancient Myrddin, the sorceror, claims he is her only chance of knowing a man. When, eventually, she is forced to succumb to his advances to repay a great debt, she falls pregnant. Her love for the child leads her to give him up, allowing him to live a better life than she could ever hope to provide. But, when the child grows to manhood, Swanhild realises Myrddin wanted far more than her body.

 

What?

In Galaxy of Souls, we learn the importance of the sky stone, how it binds our souls to our bodies, makes us what we are. Without it, we would be nothing more than intelligent animals: which is why the crew of Conquest Four are willing to sacrifice their lives to find a replacement.

 

Where and when?

Some of the places Galaxy of Souls takes place in are:

  • Late Twenty-Fourth and early Twenty-Fifth Century London, Australia, Earth Orbit, Mount Everest, Mars, the Sahara Desert, the Moon, Ganymede, Japan, Las Vegas, Deep Space, and Planet Aegir
  • The Port Newton Institute for the Eradication of Heresy, 2250
  • Armstrong Base, Lunar Capital, 2385
  • Early Seventeenth Century South America
  • New York, September 11th, 2001
  • Twenty-Second Century South Africa and England
  • Glen Coe, Scotland, 1692 and 2405
  • Sixth Century Britain
  • Present day Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia
  • London, early Twenty-First Century
  • Yekaterinburg, Russia, 1918