The Zan Galaxy is a powder keg, and the Changelings just lit a match
Thanks to the efforts of a ragtag multi-species crew, Terran Sam Jacobs and his mentor, the mysterious and immortal Tharo can now journey to the Temple of the First Ones.
Here, over dozens of lifetimes, and in competition with a huge number of others chasing one and the same goal, Sam hones his skills and prepares for a life-altering transformation.
If he secures the spot against his rivals, the transformation will put him on the same level as his mentor and grant him immortality and nigh-invulnerability. Sam must decide whether this change, which will shake the foundation of the entire Order, is what he truly wants.
While Sam trains, the Changelings, beings who found their own way to godlike power, are hot on Tharo’s heels. A changeling named Soren frames Tharo for the murder of a prominent politician. The resulting power vacuum kicks off a war of galactic proportions.
When a Guardian of Zan named Aya is tasked with investigating the murder, her investigation sets her on a collision course with Tharo. But will she believe in the Changeling threat?
Welcome & Goodbye, Earth: Chapters 18 - 33
* This is not your standard space opera. It is a story told through varying perspectives via articles and transcripts that speak to events happening in the wider galaxy.
** Please note: Welcome & Goodbye, Earth is a continuous serial rather than a series of standalone novels.
*** Part one: Welcome & Goodbye, Earth > Chapters 1 - 6
Part two: The Unsustainable Systems > Chapters 7 - 17
Part three: The Volgarian Promise > Chapters 18 - 33
Part four: The Masters of Yesteryear > Chapters 34 - 42
Benjamin Wuyts is a Belgian science fiction writer whose work blends space opera, serialised storytelling and a love of the nostalgia and pop culture of his upbringing. He currently writes and publishes Welcome & Goodbye, Earth, an ongoing science fiction serial that combines traditional storytelling with messages, reports, comics, blog entries, audio diaries and other in-universe media. Set in a galaxy struggling with overpopulation and a resource crisis, the series explores kinetic powers, immortality, aliens and a galactic civilisation over 800 million years old. Readers can follow the continuation of this story, along with other tales by Benjamin, on his Patreon.Born and raised in Ghent, Belgium, Benjamin grew up in a lively household with brothers and a sister. He now lives in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg with his wife and Luna, the family dog, who, in Benjamin's words, often treats him like the hired help with no apparent right to the bed, the couch or, well, anywhere else.Before becoming a writer, Benjamin trained as a baker and pastry chef. In what he considers a lifetime ago, he left that life behind in search of something that truly sparked his passion. That search led him, quite randomly, to scribbling on a bench one day with nothing but a pen and paper. His handwriting was so illegible that even months later he sometimes needed to squint to decipher it. From those humble, messy beginnings, the Welcome & Goodbye, Earth series was born.
