Title: Mir Rising, Book 4, Forces of Nature

Published: Sisyphus Triumphant (June 1, 2025)

Genre: Science Fiction

Paperback, ebook: 384 pp

ISBN-13: 9798349271120

Reviewed by: 

Eric Hildeman

A Delightfully Irregular Science Fiction Series

Recently, it was my great pleasure to read and review the latest book in a series by Lisa Lickel: Mir Rising. It is Book 4 in a Tetralogy, and concludes (?) a beautiful story arc, albeit with unexpected twists.

I was only asked to read Book 4, but to be thorough, I read all of them. Each novel features an unconventional romance. The opening volume, Meander Scar, features an older woman, Ann, and a younger man, Mark, who get together while investigating the mysterious disappearance of Ann's husband. In spite of all obstacles, they marry, and Ann learns she's pregnant. This dovetails into the second book, Centrifugal Force, where Ann's sister, Rachel, gets back together with a German man named Gervas who (unknowingly) left her pregnant after a May-September romance many years earlier. Yet the plot hinges upon the decisions of Maeve, the grown daughter Rachel raised alone after Gervas left. Mark and Ann make an appearance, as does their daughter, Stella, who loves her cousin Maeve.

It is only in the third book, Parhelion, that things cross over into sci-fi. Rachel and Gervas' daughter, Maeve, has fallen for a former Air Force pilot named Harry. But Harry has been roped into a secret government program in which a selection of humans, working with extraterrestrials, will be sent off world. This will ensure humanity survives in the event of Earth's demise, which seems more and more likely with each breaking news item. But Maeve learns that her involvement with this program has less to do with her engagement to Harry and more with her genes, which are ideal for their "program." As unrest on Earth gets worse, the secret of the human/alien colony expedition leaks out. Many beg to have their children taken on the trip in order to ensure their safety and survival. Among these are Mark and Ann, who beg Maeve to adopt Stella. Stella agrees, marries Harry, and the alien generation ship takes off.

Book 4, Mir Rising, looks much farther ahead. Stella is grown and has forged a leadership role within the community. The ship has arrived on the aliens' original home world in the Tau Ceti system – long abandoned due to an extinction-level meteor impact. The humans call the planet Mir. The aliens call it Bethers. But the world is only barely habitable. Lives are lost in the struggle to reclaim the planet. The humans, unused to high levels of chlorine and meteor showers which still rain down all over the planet, huddle in caves. What's worse, some humans decide to graft alien DNA into their bodies to help them survive. This results in two factions of humans, the hybrids and non-hybrids, and they frequently quarrel.

The aliens themselves, "Ceticians," are humanoid. They are tall, with slightly different finger bones, and have both double-joints and additional joints. They can pass for humans if they hold some of those additional joints rigid, but can also crouch down with their legs like an accordion. They have a disposition bent toward curiosity and discovery. But they are dying. Their cells will not spark oocytes to allow for reproduction. Without this ability, their race will eventually die out. They decide that their friends, the humans, will take over their old home world and maintain their legacy by proxy. But the humans are also struggling. The toxic air and radiation-tinged land hampers their health as well, and their own ability to reproduce is threatened.

A transit-beam is set up to connect Earth with Mir. Many humans, including Stella's natural father, Mark, use this technology to arrive at Mir and expand the colony there. But this device attracts the attention of another alien race — and they have their own agenda.

Each novel asks the question, “What can love overcome?” To which the answer seems to be, “Pretty much anything.” The conclusion to Book 4 is satisfying, and gives the reader hope as to humanity’s survival, even in the face of incredible odds. 

There is a traditionally Christian element to all four novels. Belief in God is assumed by all and seldom challenged, despite numerous hardships. Even the aliens’ belief system seems to complement Christianity. The non-hybrid humans see preserving the purity of their genetic heritage as a divine mandate from God (and say so!). As a non-believing reader, I find all this bizarre. But not so bizarre that it significantly interferes with the story. This is less a “Left Behind” series and more something akin to C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy. But spirituality is ancillary. Love is the main point. And this makes the series all the more enjoyable.

Overall, I really enjoyed Book 4, as well as the entire series. It kept me engaged and met the high standards readers expect of science fiction — even though the author probably found such subject matter challenging when the story veered off into unfamiliar territory. Kudos to Lisa Lickel.

A solid 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Eric Hildeman