Relics of Andromeda


Fiction - Science Fiction
381 Pages
Reviewed on 03/29/2019
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

Author Biography


Jonathan Michael Erickson has been writing stories since he was a kid. He studied English Literature at UC Berkeley and received his PhD in depth psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute, where his research focused on neuroscience and imagination. When he’s not writing science fiction, Jonathan is a life coach, a graduate school instructor, a nature enthusiast, an animal lover, and has been known to take the stage as a comedy improviser.

    Book Review

Reviewed by K.J. Simmill for Readers' Favorite

Anka had been raised to fear relics; touching them was taboo. Their power had razed cities, and had destroyed the bridge between worlds. So when one called out to her by name she knew true fear. She was a warrior in her village, brave, quick, and strong, yet the pull was impossible to resist. As is their way, when a person discovers a relic a walk down the Long Road is made to secure the item in Ankharra. With her on this journey is her friend and shaman, Tamreh, and her closest friend, Trevor. Little do they know the journey they are about to undertake is nothing like the one they expected. All is not as it should be, as it has been for the relic carriers before, and this change in tradition breeds distrust that is answered in drastic actions.

In Jonathan Michael Erickson's Relics of Andromeda, time travel, myths, fear, foreboding and danger unite in a tangled web to deliver an intriguing and gripping plot. There is some fun and amazing use of science fiction technology, along with attention to world building, cultures, ideas, and implementations that made this book a real pleasure to read. I enjoyed the struggles of the main characters and their gradual tempering as the plot progresses. You are invested in the characters from the start, which is a feeling that only grows through their hardship, discovery, and betrayal. Jonathan Michael Erickson has created an amazing, deep, and complex world, matching it with characters, structures, history, futures, and a threat every bit as deep. Action, betrayal, heartache, heroics, and daring fill this book to the brim as past, present, and future collide. I can honestly say I am on tenterhooks to find out what happens next.

Maureen Dangarembizi

Relics Of Andromeda (Song of Ancients Vol. 1) by author Jonathan Michael Erickson is a futuristic sci-fi story set in the far future when mankind has travelled and settled beyond the Milky Way. For the humans who settled in the Andromeda colonies, the relics of the ancients are associated with catastrophic disaster. Anka Aelgon is a warrior but when she finds a relic, she will be tested beyond endurance. Accompanied by her childhood friends, she has to travel for days across the desert wastelands and also protect her mind from the insidious whispers of the relic. When Anka arrives in the city of Ankarra, it is nothing like she expected. The city is dangerous and she learns, to her despair, that even her friends can’t be trusted. War is looming on the horizon and she can turn the tide if only she could trust the relic.

Relics Of Andromeda has all the elements that make this book a good sci-fi story with a little spice added in to make it a unique read. How far can religion evolve given time and exposure to technology and alien races? Jonathan Michael Erickson brings into focus the age-old battle between religion and science. In this book, there are serious consequences for what you believe, either way. The author references the old Earth religious systems and integrates them into his fictional future world so that the characters feel like they are still somehow connected to their home world. I would definitely recommend this action-packed adventure story. The book ends on a cliffhanger that left me wanting to know what happens next to Anka and her friends.

Dan M. Kalin

Relics of Andromeda begins the story of Anka and her quest to deal with an alien artifact in accordance with the customs of her people. Jonathan Michael Erickson's first installment in the Song of Ancients series is set several hundred years in the future when a cataclysm destroys the man-made pathway between the Andromeda and Milky Way galaxies. Those left in Andromeda have to find a way to exist without the near-term possibility of a return to Earth. The relics of an incredibly advanced ancient race, the Dokaber, are scattered throughout Andromeda and prove perilous when mishandled by humans. Anka's troubles escalate when the agreements between her tribe and the technology-enhanced one are no longer being honored. Somehow, she has to navigate between all interested parties, whose designs range from quarantine, theft, or experimenting on the relics for technological advances. The seemingly sentient relics may have an agenda of their own, however.

Jonathan Michael Erickson does a fine job of kicking this series off with a compelling universe consistently presented throughout. I particularly enjoyed the dynamics of how corrupting absolute power can be, even to the best of friends. There are layers upon layers to the story, and so many moving parts that it can be a challenge to keep it all straight. Much is made clearer with the handy lexicon provided at the end of the book. This installment ends fairly abruptly, without resolution of many major issues, but it has to end somewhere. What is there, however, admirably sets a full stage for the Relics of Andromeda sequel.

K.C. Finn

Relics of Andromeda is a work of science fiction penned by author Jonathan Michael Erickson, and is the first book in the Song of Ancients series. In this opening to an epic series which covers ancient powers and futuristic worlds, we meet the colonists of Andromeda about 500 years ahead of now. In their recent past, the colonists discovered powerful relics left by the aliens who used to call the planet home, relics which have mind-bending powers, and often leave the user psychologically damaged. Anka is a young woman tasked with the securing of one such relic so it can no longer cause damage, and she and her compatriots embark on a journey to do just that.

The sweeping visuals and solid world-building work of author Jonathan Michael Erickson really serve to settle readers into the reality of Andromeda, even from the first page. Grounded firmly in the realms of human emotion and understanding, the strange powers offered by the alien relics are both intriguing and terrifying, adding thriller and mystery elements to this epic sci-fi adventure. Beyond that, there is the tale of Anka as she grapples with the reality of her task, overcoming obstacles and growing up and learning about herself in the process. Whilst the overall plot builds to a suitable and satisfying climax for any first book in a series, the real treasure of the tale is in its heart and the commonalities among humans, and other beings, that were so relatable. I would highly recommend Relics of Andromeda to sci-fi fans and beyond.

Christian Sia

Relics of Andromeda by Jonathan Michael Erickson is an intriguing fantasy with powerful hints of science fiction, a tale with a setting 500 years in the future. It has been 70 years since the colonists of Andromeda discovered the relics and Anka has heard so much about the power of these relics. They enabled humans to bend space and time. The relics also brought great misery and destroyed humanity as it once was. Now, Anka has found one of these relics and she sets out across the desert with a group of friends to deliver it to one of her ancestors. As they travel towards the faraway city, the power of the relic begins to manifest. Can Anka handle it and brace herself enough for it not to control her mind? Will they succeed in bringing the alien technology to safety?

Jonathan Michael Erickson is a great storyteller and readers will enjoy the intriguing world he creates for them to navigate. The setting is a world in the far distant future, and even though it has little that resembles our world, the author makes readers feel like they belong. The characters are exciting, starting with the protagonist, Anka. Although she has her unique abilities, her contact with the relic will affect her life in ways she never imagined and it is interesting to follow the role played by her friends in the story. The conflict is strong and it feeds on the friction between the supernatural and the physical. Mostly internal, the conflict is well handled and it influences character development in powerful ways. Relics of Andromeda is deftly written, balanced, and hugely entertaining.