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Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
Shadow of Helios by R. J. Thompson launches with Kaelen Voss selected to represent Earth in the Interplanetary Ascendance, a televised competition that determines who will hold power on the ruling Council. Transported from his home on Earth to Helios Station, Kaelen enters a regulated environment of trials designed to test endurance, reasoning, and cooperation under constant observation. As competitors from across the Solar System are eliminated, Kaelen begins to notice irregularities in the rules, unexplained deaths, and data that contradicts official accounts. Working quietly with other remaining delegates, including Lyra Tal of Mars and engineer Jax Petrova, he discovers indications that the Ascendance serves purposes beyond public governance. As the trials escalate and trust erodes, Kaelen must decide how to proceed inside a system that monitors every action and controls every outcome.
Shadow of Helios by R. J. Thompson is such a fantastic science fiction thriller, and the Ascendance itself is a great premise. I adored the competition and its engineered trials, all shaped by behavior, trust, and risk, which allow us to see Thompson's world-building through a unique lens. Kaelen is a protagonist you want to root for, and I was wholly on board by phase three. It was an energy maze and laser grid that demanded a calculated decision, and it all shifted when passage through a containment field was enabled, even though the blocking was believed to be absolute. The settings themselves are textured and immersive. I've never felt so at home in an abandoned archival complex, complete with cold strip lighting emitting low mechanical hums. With sharp writing and a lot of room to flex action and adventure muscles, Thompson reinforces the novel’s potential across its escalating scope as book one in the Solar Realms saga. Recommended.
