The Kalisun Initiative by Nick Wyckoff is a tale about risk, progress, and the limits of human potential. The book focuses on a base on Phoebe, one of Saturn moons. It takes place in the not too distant future, about a hundred years from now. The key characters include Hatfield, the strict, but competent Director of the base, and Brenner, a newly arrived engineer, who is recklessly brilliant in his work, but perhaps not as reckless as the Director. Hatfield introduces Brenner to the base after his arrival, pointing out the fact that most of their work is top secret, even from the United States government, which is funding them. The higher ups at the base work for the Kalisun Coperation, although most of them are former military, are veterans of the terrible war with China that ended in a stalemate. Most of the base's secret work is focuses on developing weapons for a war in space, if war with the Chinese breaks out again after a tenuous peace. However, there is a greater secret. Hatfield has been developing technology that might allow human beings to practically travel outside the solar system, but if it goes wrong it could destroy Earth.
“Leaning back in his couch, Brenner thought on it. A little paranoia over such a revolutionary fuel technology was understandable, but hiding how much of it you were making sounded suspiciously like there was more going on at the base than they had let on during his interview. Thinking back, he remembered they‘d said he was to oversee “a large science related project that involved creation of new space exploration technology and manage base operations to include security.” The more he thought about it, the more the vague wording seemed to imply. He knew the ship contained a large number of Space Marines and some pilots, but Marine transports didn't burn enough fuel to be worth hiding. Clearly the pilots were for more than just running the tugs and base transports.”
Both the technological progress, and the political maneuvering, both inside the base and back home on Earth, were both fascinating and easy to follow. I also appreciated learning about the history of the base's construction, pointing out the sacrifices that had been made up to that point. The tension between the scientists, the government, and the corporation drove the plot line. Themes included progress, government corruption, risk, dreams, and what makes a sacrifice worth making. The book asks the question when is a risk too great, and acknowledges that every person might have a different answer. The pacing was good, particularly for those who are interested in the interworking of the base and how it operates. There is not a lot of action until the end, but there is plenty of intrigue. The humor that helped the base dwellers make it through was highlighted, but most of the subject matter is serious. Although the technology is explained, there is not a lot of jargon. The detail portraying the base is excellent, and I could picture most of the rooms in which the action was taking place.I would recommend this book to anyone who loves detailed political plot lines, scientific explanations, and landscapes where the story. I look forward to future books by this author.
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