Terratron — A New Frontier Vol. 2 by Nathaniel Bernadeau expands the Milky Way world built in Volume 1, but this time the story stretches wider, deeper, and more politically charged than before.
“In the race to colonize the cosmos, humanity’s greatest strength becomes its deadliest weakness.
The Milky Way Galactic Empire is vast, but cracks are beginning to show. Emperor Abukar Kenessit abandons the safety of his Martian capital in Amentis, traveling light years to strengthen ties with his distant viceroys and unsettled frontier worlds. What he finds is not unity, but resistance.”
Book Review: Terratron by Nathaniel Bernadeau (Vol.2)
Nathaniel Bernadeau delivers a nice & crisp space-opera that has imperial politics, colonization, and the psychological strain of frontier living.
The book has a super rich and realistic worldbuilding and the new Horizon storyline is fantastic. Xylar are genuinely chilling. Politics in the chapters feel real mature and well-thought-out. The battle and survival scenes are cinematic.
Something which can be improved are the early chapters feels a little slow and seem to have lost track a few time. Also, the dialogue gets very formal in political scenes and scene transitions sometimes happen abruptly
“Our strength lies in unity, yes, but also in evolution. We have come this far because we embraced knowledge and adapted.”
Storyline: On one side: The Emperor’s Galactic To-Do List
Emperor Abukar is out here trying to run an entire Milky Way Empire—and let’s be honest, it’s giving CEO during quarterly reviews energy.
He’s travelling around space fixing political messes, and colonizing too.
So Abukar spends half the book trying to figure out how to rule a galaxy full of species who don’t speak a same language, let alone a political system.
Meanwhile, Captain Scott Majors and thousands of settlers arrive on this gorgeous “new world” called New Horizon—the perfect place.
And then… little things start going wrong. Tools disappear. Droids glitch. Someone finds bones (yes, actual bones).
And the settlers collectively go: “Hmm. That’s… not ideal.”
Then a group of half-starved survivors and the locals? Yeah, they’re… not friendly.” Also, the xylar: Ancient, telepathic, slightly invisible, and absolutely terrifying. Think “space elves” but if the elves wanted you DEAD.
Suddenly this beautiful new colony becomes a warzone. Weapons starts to show up, drones start to fly around like mosquitoes. And the settlers are surprised and confused at the same time.
Two Worlds, One Big Question- What does it actually mean to expand into the galaxy?
Also Read: The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel
| Genre | Science Fiction |
| Number of Pages | 391 pages |
| My Rating | 4.0⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
| Release Date | October 22, 2025 |
What I Loved
The book constantly asks: Is expanding an empire actually progress… or just ego?
- The Emperor wants unity and expansion, a big contradiction in play.
- At every level—political, cultural, alien—the biggest problem is misunderstanding and that thing is real.
- Colonization Isn’t Romantic – the struggles shown are good and serious not just anything.
- Everyone with power in this book carries it like a weight. No one gets off easy—not the Emperor, not the settlers’ captain, not the newly appointed chancellors
Quotes:
“There’s only so much to be learned from reports. A personal visit might reveal more than any written word ever could.”
Also Read: The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick
Final Verdict?
Overall, Terratron is a very good sci-fi sort of read…
Who should read it:
- If you are fan of big, cinematic space drama.
- Anyone who likes colonization/frontier survival stories.
- If you are who enjoy dual-storyline narratives.
Books like Terratron:
- The Expanse by James S. A. Corey
- Downbelow Station by C. J. Cherryh
