Reviewed by Maureen Dangarembizi for Readers' Favorite

Novum Chronicles by Joseph Rhea is a futuristic sci-fi series made up of five books. In the distant future humanity now lives in underwater domes and is ruled by the Council. The time before the fall of mankind is all but forgotten. The first book, Genesis, introduces us to Jake Stone, a man with nothing left to live for. He lost his parents to an exploration gone wrong and lost the woman he loved in a tragic accident. He is ready to die. All that changes when Nia Moon and her crew hire his ship, Rogue Wave. The job is a simple pick and drop and Jake desperately needs the credits. But Nia hasn’t told him the complete truth. Jake finds himself in trouble with the council, but also gains a new crew for his ship. In the following books, Jake and his crew endure a fugitive existence, have life and death adventures, and discover secrets that could save the entire human race.

I enjoyed reading Novum Chronicles so much that I don’t know where to start. I loved the characters in this series, especially Jake Stone. Jake’s backstory was the backbone of the plot and affects how the story unfolds as each book in the series continues the chain of events. The secondary characters were introduced in a natural way and they only came into the picture when they had something important to say. The crew interacts in a manner that is authentic without bogging down their interaction with unnecessary dialogue. I loved Joseph Rhea’s post-apocalyptic underwater world. That in itself is a unique aspect that gave the story an undeniable edge. I’m so glad I was able to read the entire series because the individual books leave the reader on a cliffhanger. Science fiction fans will definitely enjoy this one. It can also be a teen or YA favorite, given the shorter length of its individual books.