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Drew Wagar
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Contravention: The Hegira Saga, Book One Kindle Edition

by Drew Wagar (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.8 out of 5 stars 24 ratings
From the acclaimed author of the best-selling Elite Dangerous and Shadeward novels comes a gripping, fast-paced and fascinating new space opera adventure. Richly imagined, strikingly written, scientifically authentic and featuring an ensemble cast of memorable characters, fans of the genre will be entranced.

The legacy of a recent war still haunts humanity’s attempts to spread out into the galaxy, its progress thwarted by a mysterious force known only as ‘The Enclave’. The Hegemony and the Coalition, vast space-faring factions, vie for supremacy whilst resources diminish, pushing star systems to the brink of war.

The promise of a new and rapid interstellar travel technology results in a desperate race across the stars, whilst a crucial peace conference is interrupted by the abduction of the young and beautiful heir to the Empress of the Hegemony.

A tramp trader crew gets caught in the crossfire, just trying to turn a profit in a hostile universe.

Reviews:
  • “Freed from the restraints of writing within the confines of a video game, this is Drew Wagar flexing his science fiction muscles.”
  • “You can feel the world-building integrity behind what Drew writes. Everything’s authentic.”
  • “Drew Wagar never disappoints with his remarkable characters, spectacular set pieces and marvellous dialogue.”
  • “Just so engaging. Fluid and addictive writing. Story telling at its finest.”

Contravention is the first book in a four part space-opera series called the Hegira Saga, based in the Shadeward Universe.

Dawn Rite Publishing is an independent UK press, founded in 2011.
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  1. Book 1 of 1
    The Hegira Saga
  2. Print length
    446 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    October 1, 2023
  6. File size
    1.6 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CCSBGHF2
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dawn Rite Publishing
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 1, 2023
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.6 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 446 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1915966223
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 1 ‏ : ‎ The Hegira Saga
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 out of 5 stars 24 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Drew Wagar

Drew Wagar

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Drew Wagar is a science fiction and fantasy author, living in the UK. He is the author of the Hegira Saga, the Shadeward Saga, The Midnight Chronicles, the Elect Saga and the official Elite Dangerous novelisations.

You can join a mailing list and discover more about Drew's books at his website.

www.drewwagar.com

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
24 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Connor Berube
    5.0 out of 5 stars Drew is the Best!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I love Drew’s writing style and he is a class A person to boot!

    Loved Shadeward, and even more fell in love with how he records/narrates his own audio books on audible expertly, so the voices are truly as he intended and top notch quality!!

    Keep it up Mr W!!!
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  • Mr. N. J. D. Chinn
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fans of The Expanse will enjoy this!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2023
    Those who like their Sci-Fi to be less Star Trek and more Expanse will enjoy this series. Drew Wagar showed he could handle hard SF with a flare for modern sensibilities in his previous series, the Shadeward Saga (which took place on a tidally locked world orbiting a red dwarf).

    This book takes place in the same universe, but no longer confined to one world. Instead, we have story threads on different worlds and deep in space. From fragile peace negotiations on grand space stations to lowly space traders trying to keep their ship in one piece, to secret missions that can change the course of humanity...

    The stage is set for intrigue, adventure, and mystery. Drew has a lot of balls to juggle, but does so admirably. There’s enough familiar here for fans of Firefly or The Expanse to get hooked with, while also having plenty of fresh and original ideas to play with—such as the mysterious reason humanity is confined to a bubble of space 30 light years wide.

    By the end, these story threads come together and set up the next three books. You could call this an origin story, and it is one that has me invested in the rest of the series when it’s released.

    In any kind of space opera, there’s a balance needed between making its setting both familiar and original. Too much of either can drive readers off.

    That begs the question of what an author has to offer the reader that all the others in the genre cannot. Anyone can throw in space battles or small ship crews trying to get by, or conspiracies and mysteries that will alter the universe as they know it.

    In the end, it all comes down to character. It doesn’t matter how familiar or unique a setting is, so long as we care about the characters first and foremost, even if they’re only on the page for a little while.

    Drew does that well. Here we get to see where everyone is starting off, who they are now and what they’re like. By the end, we are left wondering where each of them will end up, because we know they won’t be the same people as when they started.

    That’s the sign of a good story.
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  • Robert Loper
    5.0 out of 5 stars A rollicking start to a new Space Opera!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2023
    I really enjoyed Hegira: Contravention. Many call-backs to other franchises, but ends up being the start of a story all of its own. My favorite scene was the ‘hunt for a new spaceship’ one, and was highly amused by the ‘pick a part at the junkyard’ vibe, as this is something I have done in the past. Seeing all of the threads of the characters come together in the end, I now can’t wait for the next book to show me where they all go from here.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • L. Gonggrijp
    5.0 out of 5 stars Highly enjoyable start of a new series
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on November 11, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I have only read Drew Wagar's Elite Dangerous books where he was constrained in his narrative choices as they were tied to the game, so this is the first book of him that I've read where he could show his full abilities.
    I like the Elite Dangerous books but this one is even better. The Hegira universe is mostly grounded in real physics, only adding more fantastical element like jumping from star system to star system where it is required to make an interstellar story possible. I like hard scifi as it leaves the writer fewer options for deux ex machina. The characters are interesting and well written, and the book does a good job of setting the stage while also telling a good story. I am eager to read the next books in this series.
    I do notice a few tropes in his writing which are not necessarily bad. My only two real problem with the book werer a rather obvious (EMP) plot hole which almost made me stop reading as the characters ignored this for a while. A few chapters later this was finally addressed. That is probably something that would not have bothered other people. The other issue is that letting the future Empress wander around alone in dangerous areas should have seemed implausible to herself as well 4.5/5
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  • Alan K. Dell
    5.0 out of 5 stars The triumphant first entry in an incredible new space opera series
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 10, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Crikey, this book is great. I mean it. Drew is on top-form here, and it’s the perfect opener to the series. Everything’s here: the thoroughly engaging lovable and hate-able characters, the interstellar politics, the spaceships and physics, the worldbuilding, the mystery and intrigue. Drew has always been good at writing in other people’s universes—be that Elite, or Midnight—but when he’s let loose into his own universe, the results are on a totally different level. Shadeward was a triumph, and Hegira really does feel like a full evolution of that. It’s got me excited and restless to read the rest of the series; the wait will be agonising!

    So, first of all let’s talk plot. It’s all set against a backdrop reminiscent to that of Drew’s Elite: Dangerous and Elect Saga books, within a collection of core star systems controlled by major factions all vying for territory. There are several intriguing mysteries at play featuring the heiress to the Hegemony, the Mesh (jump) gate wormhole network, and the plans and machinations of other enigmatic powers. Caught up in the middle is a tramp trader crew just looking to make ends meet and pay off substantial debts while being chased by pirates and bounty hunters. Drew is great at writing truly character-driven stories, and everything in the book really does feel like it wouldn’t happen without the agency of each and every one of the characters involved—even in the situations where things happen to them.

    The substantial cast of characters themselves are all brilliant, well-realised, and I got immediately invested in them. The captain of the tramp trader crew in particular is a cantankerous elderly woman who, bizarrely, really put me in mind of Mrs Packard from Disney’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Their ship has great character of its own, too, and I can see it becoming just as iconic as the Mobilis from Shadeward. The rest of the characters from the other plot-lines are just as engaging, and the way the threads weave together as the story progresses was masterfully done.

    There’s really some great set-pieces in this as well, all brought about by the excellent worldbuilding. The physics of space travel and the dangers inherent in that environment are rock solid, and Drew has taken an “Expanse” style approach to ship-building where the decks are oriented perpendicular to the length of the vessels. This also allows for the ships to have pseudo-gravity from thrust, and means that we frequently see the ships accelerating halfway to their destination, cutting thrust, flipping over, and decelerating the rest of the way. The mechanics of high-acceleration manoeuvres are excellently done, especially within a particular set-piece that was just plain awesome to read. For fans of Shadeward, there are plenty of little references to Lacaille 9352, and we get hints of a mystery as to why the world of Esurio is unknown to the wider human diaspora. As always, the worldbuilding is meticulously planned and well detailed, including the developing system of Mesh Gates for interstellar travel, the limitations of which are clearly defined.

    Pacing and prose are top-notch here. The book is so easy to just keep on reading that I had to force myself to slow down and savour it. I didn’t want it to end! And that’s helped along even more by the style of Drew’s writing. In his Midnight Chronicles books, Drew adopted a certain writing style to go along with the epic quest fantasy vibe, but I have to say I do much prefer the style he uses for his sci-fi works.

    Overall Hegira: Contravention is one of the best books I’ve read this year, and the easiest five stars I’ve ever given. Can’t wait to continue the series.
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  • Jim of Kent
    5.0 out of 5 stars HEGIRA CONTRAVENTION
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 1, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    The wait is over!
    Drew Wagar has written another epic to open the Hegira Saga.
    The new characters to love and hate have been introduced and developed through the book.
    For some, their existence is short lived, but this ensures the continuation and opportunities for the others. For one, it means abduction, will she be found alive?
    A system of almost instantaneous travel across the universe is emerging and this is attracting
    new wheeling and dealing organisations, that view this as an opportunity to be the dominant one.
    Will there be another war as a result?
    To find out, we must look forward to Drews next novel Condemnation, which will I expect, have 5 Stars shining out like its fore runner, Contravention.
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  • Spencer Cook
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great start to the series
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 7, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    An epic start to a series sees this book, set in our universe, with real laws of physics applicable to daily life. introducing the scene and the key set of characters to love and follow, along with some already lost, in what promises to be an epic storyline of twists and politics intermingled.
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  • Alan R Paine
    5.0 out of 5 stars Cracking story of intrigue in a believable future universe
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 9, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    No hesitation in giving 5 stars to this book. Wagar has excelled himself here, writing a page turner full of adventure and political shenanigans. At the end there are still some unanswered questions, so I am looking forward to the next episode in the series.
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