A Fugitive’s History of the Known Universe

A Fugitive’s History of the Known Universe by Nadia Afifi is the follow-up novel to A Rebel’s History of Mars. Like the series’s first novel, this book follows a dual timeline. In one, we follow Azad, a lovable but thoroughly neurotic fugitive who, with the help of his sister and the rest of the crew of the Magreb, uncovers the troubling history surrounding the colonization of the planet Nabatea. In the other, we follow Dr. Saadia Hamza, the scientist who discovered the wormhole that made Nabatea’s colonization possible and the mother of the planet’s founder and first leader, the charismatic yet ruthless Barrett Hamza.

A Fugitive’s History of the Known Universe has it all. Intriguing world-building, space travel, extraterrestrial colonization, and space pirates. Afifi also delves into the ruthlessness of building a new society in a foreign land. As extensive and engaging as the world-building is, it takes a backseat to her characters, each of whom is richly developed. Even though this is a sequel, Afifi gives enough background that this story can work as a stand-alone novel, but much of the world-building makes more sense when read as book two. This novel is perfect for fans of character-driven political sci-fi thrillers.