The Chronicles of Sphear:
Where Logic, Consciousness, and Desire Create Reality.

Review by: TheOnlineBookClub 3 out of 5 stars. The Chronicles of Sphear: The Septan Sage by Philip J. Ashton is a novel in the science fiction genre. It features core sci-fi tropes and an intricately detailed universe. The scope of the book is ambitious, and it aims to transport readers to the rich world it depicts. The story takes place in a universe where telepathic, amphibious, and pyrogenic beings known as Septans grapple with socio-political turmoil, authoritarianism, and the discovery of alien technology. They inhabit a world created by the Divine Being named Sphear. Zan, an agent of the Pallen Intelligence Agency, acts as the protagonist of the story. He worries about global conflict and the erosion of Septan freedom under the Republic of Shin. Zan is tasked with averting war, but soon faces a mystery as an unidentified structure appears at the North Pole. He sets out to investigate the origins of this structure along with a junior officer. Meanwhile, his personal life ties into the Spiritous faith, which is an ancient belief consisting of five testaments, the last of which has not been revealed and is expected to define Septan destiny. Faith, authoritarianism, alien contact, and time travel shape the fate of Sphear. The author’s worldbuilding and the large-scale universe he has created are evidence of his talent. The world inside this book stimulated my imagination. I found it to be unique and well-constructed. The storytelling is shallower on the character side, though.………………. Overall, this book is ambitious and original, with interesting ideas. It is also exceptionally well-edited, and I found no grammatical errors in the text. Unfortunately, these good parts get overshadowed by the excessive, monologue-filled writing and characters that failed to capture my interest or sympathy. Accounting for the above, I give this book a rating of 3 out of 5 stars . I removed two stars to account for the excessive exposition and the problems with the characters. The ideas and concepts in this book are still good enough for me to recommend it to avid readers of science fiction.

Review by: TheOnlineBookClub 4 out of 5 stars The Chronicles' of Sphear: An Imaginary Reality The Septan Soul Book 2 by Philip J. Ashton is about Nich, an AI researcher in Wisdom AI. He plays an online game, Sphilitar, with a philosophy student named Lou. As they spend more time together, their relationship becomes serious through conversation, and she finally invites Nich to visit her in person. They finally get married, and while Nich is working on an advanced artificial intelligence for the government, strange things start happening around them. They are kidnapped during their honeymoon. Further investigation exposes a plot related to cyborgs, secret organisations, and attempts to change the future. They also learn about time travel and a powerful superintelligence influencing world events. With their friend Finn, they follow clues and discover that time travellers from the future see them as threats to their plans and want them stopped. This is a sci-fi book that is different because of how the author was able to integrate adventure, philosophy, and spirituality in an engaging way. It starts with a mystery involving cyber attacks and gradually moves to time travel, war, AI and even contact with aliens. I liked reading about Nich, Lou and Finn and seeing how they faced challenges together. There were parts with discussions on consciousness, time travel, and more. I could feel how these topics were important to the book's plot. Reading scenes about loss, like Zack's death, got me emotional. I also like how the author introduced new mysteries when old ones were solved. There are topics on reincarnation, personal growth and how our decisions affect the future that interest me. I like how discussions between Nich and Vill about freedom and authoritarianism were meaningful. There are characters like Tark, Vill and Lou's grandchildren, and I would have loved to connect more to their story. I rate it 4 out of 5 stars because the book has some complex ideas that made me slow down a lot and think through events that had happened throughout the book. I also found few minor errors that show careful editing, and I recommend this book to readers who enjoy sci-fi books with a lot of philosophy, action and time travel.

Sphear: the home of the Septan

The Septan species has to navigate complex socio-political challenges, including authoritarianism, climate change, and advanced technology. Septans are amphibious and pyrogenic and have recently discovered their telepathic ability. They inhabit the planet Sphear, situated in an imaginary universe created by the Divine Being. The story recounts the followers of the Spiritous faith, which has existed for millennia and may hold the key to preventing the destruction of the Septan species. It comprises five testaments, four of which have been delivered over the millennia, with the fifth expected to clarify the Septan destiny. A conflict of ideas exists between the Spiritous faith and the forces that threaten the continued existence of the species, unfolding throughout the books. Aliens and time travel are integral to resolving the planet's challenges.

About the author: Philip J. Ashton

Born into a middle-class family in South Africa, he is the youngest of three, having two older sisters. His father was an English chartered accountant. He is a UK resident whose work blends science, philosophy, and spirituality into rich speculative fiction. With a scientific background and a fascination for consciousness and metaphysics, Ashton creates worlds where scientific and spiritual forces converge. His writing challenges readers to question the boundaries between logic and faith, matter and mind. Science explains how, but not the why. His writing is partly a personal journey to square that circle. A university graduate with an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Maths with Computing, he has hobbies including designing items for 3D printing and using watercolours.

Sphilitar: the game of strategy

To win, you need to recover all your pieces to their starting formation, which you achieve when your Quantium occupies the central square (X) with the support of at least one allied piece and one Initiate remaining on the board, and cannot be dislodged by your opponent in his next move.

Special moves:

1.) Teleport rule: Can teleport from the hot squares (H) to any vacant square (Cannot chain teleport & must start turn on H to teleport). If only 3 total pieces remain per side, teleport is disabled.
2.) Constraint rule: Occupying both command nodes (N) acquires the node control token, which restrains your opponent to only moving their Initiate pieces one square, and they lose capture ability. The control node's control expires after 2 turns unless refreshed.
3.) Mobility rule: Initiate pieces can upgrade to a guardian, ballistic, or aerial piece when they occupy the central square (X) if it survives one full opponent turn on X, but there can only be two of each.
4.) Gambit rule: Can swap the Quantium with a guardian, ballistic, or aerial piece by trading in their token (only two tokens per player).

Piece	Legal moves:
	The Quantium (One piece) moves two squares in any direction (Estimated tactical power 55- combat only)
	The Equilar (One piece) moves any number of squares in any direction and can only be captured by a Guardian or a Sentinel, or by two simultaneous threats. (estimated tactical power 100?)
	The Guardian (One piece) moves any number of squares in any direction (estimated tactical power 95?)
	The Ballistic (Two pieces) can jump over up to four squares. Must capture if it lands on an enemy piece, but cannot land on the opponent's back row. (estimated tactical power 75?)
	The Aerial (Two pieces) Flies over up to two squares (estimated tactical power 65?)
	The Sentinel (Two pieces) moves any number of squares along rows or columns only (Estimated tactical power 80?)
	The Initiate (Nine pieces) moves up to two squares forward or sideways, cannot move backwards and can only capture diagonally. (Estimated tactical power 30?)

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