First up, let’s take a look at the reviews Fermi’s Progress has seen come in. With the episodic nature of Fermi’s Progress’s release, most of the reviews so far have been for its opening chapter, Dyson’s Fear.
Mattie Tucker has reviewed the story at their blog here, describing it as “Highly self-aware and delightfully silly in places, the main impression I came away with was how dark it was below all its flippancy.”
Runalong The Shelves was one of the first sites to review Dyson’s Fear, saying, “For a story with a lighter tone I liked some genuinely beautiful moments exploring the end of earth, love for families and the joy of being alive combined with some wicked digs at modern life’s trivialities.”
The Eloquent Page has said, “There is a 1950’s sci-fi movie vibe to the novella that I really liked. A plucky crew hurling themselves into the void, unsure of what they’ll find. Alien races and adventure ahoy! Farnell tempers these retro stylings with a nicely judged modern sensibility.”
Sci-Fi & Fantasy Reviewer said “Dyson’s Fear expertly blends together fast-paced, streamlined prose, an action-packed and often highly intriguing plot, and a deliciously dark and often subversive sense of humour to create a unique, engaging and highly memorable slice of scifi comedy”, adding (I’m including two quotes from this one) “The novella is one of those rare works of comedic fiction that actually manages to be funny and amusing instead of simply claiming to do so”.
FanFiAddict tells us that Dyson’s Fear’s setting is, “A strange, inexplicable place brimming with intelligent life, and a city that floats on the river (which I’m fascinated by). Complete with its own religion and philosophies Chris has a flair for creating new worlds that are rich in culture.”
FanFiAddict also has the accolade of being the first review site to cover part two of Fermi’s Progress, Descartesmageddon, saying “Chris has a talent for building worlds and societies in this series. Each one feels real and fleshed-out, it’s almost a shame to say good bye to them at the end of each novella.”
Others, however, have gone on to review the entire Fermi’s Progress cycle as one book (which, to be fair, it is). Kate of Mind gives us a delightful run down of each book in the series. While over at Exploits magazine (a sister mag to gaming magazine, Unwinnable), Fermi’s Progress gets the cover story, and Rob Haines really hits the nail on the head when he says “when the planets are no more, the only ones left to change are the visitors. There is no return to a status quo for the crew of the Fermi, and as the series progresses, that may end up being the most fascinating part of their journey.”
Finally, over at The Full Lid, Alasdair Stewart has also done a lovely write-up of the series, saying Fermi’s Progress is “what happens when you fire the exhaustion, terror, rage and compassion of life in the 21st century through every space exploration trope you ever loved.”