Unclear boundaries
Audiobook
Unclear boundaries
Danger comes from the depths of space. But not from where people would expect it...
A routine mission turns into a tragedy in an instant. The exploration ship G216, which was to study the depths of space, was badly damaged and all but one of its crew perished. Navigator Erin Marthen survived the accident, but fate had a difficult test for her in the form of a creature named Kchrat. A creature with a long tail and a monstrous visage that would put a movie Alien to shame rescues a frightened young woman from the wreckage of her ship and leads her to the secret planet of Shatchra, where Erin meets the first alien civilization. Clearly we are not alone in the universe, but the dangers hidden in its vast reaches could be our species' undoing. So after six years, the astronaut, accompanied by her rescuer, rushes back to the humans to warn them in time. Will they be able and willing to communicate with the alien monsters, or has each side of the conflict set boundaries and refused to compromise?
The first part of the original Czech space opera, set in the 22nd century, deals with the fragile coexistence of two different civilisations.
They wrote about the book:
At its core, Maria Domska's novel is closer to the adventurous soul of Becky Chambers' space opera than to the meticulously woven web of diplomatic relations in Arkady Martine's. However, it can withstand international comparison without difficulty. It is great that a sci-fi series of similar quality is being produced in the Czech Republic.
- Strength
Kchrat is a return to the roots of adventure science fiction in the best traditions of the genre's golden age. Marie Domská plays out a spectacular interstellar saga, but it is skillfully anchored in a very personal and human story.
- writer Jan Kotouč
Marie Domská
(* 1982) The author, originally from the Central Moravian town of Hulín, began teaching English at one of Brno's secondary schools after her studies as a teacher. In 2015, she self-published a fantasy e-book, The Return of Terrexantence, and in 2018 began submitting SF stories from the Kchrat series to literary competitions. Their acclaim, supported by the prestigious Karel Čapek Prize, helped the author to become more widely known to readers of fantasy fiction. She made her debut in the novel field with the dark fantasy Grey Blood (Host 2023) about the elf prince Esmedil. A year later she published Unclear Boundaries, the first complete prose novel in the Kchrat series about an alien mercenary who encounters humanity. A sequel called The Hidden Ultimatum is announced for late 2024.
