A brilliant scientist. A soldier out of time. And a very judgmental cat.
Arcadia Lyra is a world hopping xenobiologist who follows the beat of her own drum. Blaze Forsyth is a military popsicle until one adventurous, green haired scientist finds him in a smoldering stasis pod on an alien planet. Thrust together by the universe and bound to each other by consequence, this mismatched pair embark on an adventure of wild alien animals, sarcastic AI, butthole trashcans, mood enhancing mushroom trips, and a very insistent tuxedo ship cat.
Equal parts absurdity and heart, join these neurodivergent explorers as they learn to work together and come to terms with their newfound partnership while working through grief and parental trauma.
Because sometimes, the strangest worlds help us find what we’ve lost — and who we really are.
The Unknown Before Us is a cozy new adult sci-fi book that explores what it means to find your place in a universe teeming with life, full of wonder and discovery. Join autistic scientist Arcadia and ADHD soldier Blaze with a cavalcade of side characters as they explore the unknown, and find what matters amongst the stars.
A brilliant scientist. A soldier out of time. And a very judgmental cat.
Arcadia Lyra is a world hopping xenobiologist who follows the beat of her own drum. Blaze Forsyth is a military popsicle until one adventurous, green haired scientist finds him in a smoldering stasis pod on an alien planet. Thrust together by the universe and bound to each other by consequence, this mismatched pair embark on an adventure of wild alien animals, sarcastic AI, butthole trashcans, mood enhancing mushroom trips, and a very insistent tuxedo ship cat.
Equal parts absurdity and heart, join these neurodivergent explorers as they learn to work together and come to terms with their newfound partnership while working through grief and parental trauma.
Because sometimes, the strangest worlds help us find what we’ve lost — and who we really are.
The Unknown Before Us is a cozy new adult sci-fi book that explores what it means to find your place in a universe teeming with life, full of wonder and discovery. Join autistic scientist Arcadia and ADHD soldier Blaze with a cavalcade of side characters as they explore the unknown, and find what matters amongst the stars.
“Arcadia. An anomalous reading just spiked almost five thousand meters to the north-northwest,” the AI’s voice echoes from her cybernetic right arm.
“Hmm, that’s kind of far, Exbee. Both suns are about midway in the sky. How much daylight do I have before I need to return to the ship?”
“Due to the slow rotation of this planet paired with a binary star system, I estimate that you have roughly 17.5 ticks until nightfall.”
Arcadia looks at the chronometer on her left wrist and lightly clicks her tongue against her teeth. “Hmm...twenty hours...” she mumbles to herself. “Exbee, please set an alarm for when there are only five ticks left before nightfall.”
“Alarm set,” Exbee replies.
“Okay, let’s take a good look at our route to get there.” Arcadia takes off her vivid purple backpack with a sewn-on crab patch, lays it on the ground, unzips the top, and kneels to rummage through it. She sweeps her medium-length green hair from her face and pushes her round, thin-framed glasses up on her small, button nose with a single bionic finger. She delves into her meticulously packed, yet overflowing backpack, retrieving a compact set of binoculars. Activating them with a flick, they hum to life, sensors emerging atop and eyepieces extending, ready for observation.
Peering through, she surveys the alien landscape. Waves of crimson grass ripple in the breeze, leading to an orange-yellow forest where trees boast more roots than foliage. Above, a pale moon adorns the azure sky, overlooked by towering mountains, their snow-capped peaks reaching skyward as if challenging the cosmos itself. A brilliant white sun shines over the landscape while a second, deep red sun lags lazily behind.
“Exbee, please connect to my binoculars and place a blinking light where the anomaly is.”
“You got it.”
A red dot begins pulsing in her viewfinder, marking the anomalous signal in the foothills of the mountain range.
“Welp, looks like we’re going hiking. On the plus side, I’ve got plenty of time to study the wildlife along the way.” She methodically stows the binoculars back into her backpack, ensuring they fit snugly into their designated slot. With a gentle tug, she secures the zipper, then, leveraging the strength of her bionic arm, effortlessly swings the hefty pack over her shoulder. She threads her other arm through the remaining strap, giving the pack a final adjustment to ensure it sits snugly against her back. Clad in her custom-made, thick-soled boots that echo the design of her pack, she sets off toward the forest. Each step through the swaying crimson grass is measured and silent.
The soft rustling of the grassy plain slowly gives way to alien birdsong and buzzing insects as Arcadia closes in on the distant forest. “Exbee, please start passive recording of local biological sounds.” A blue ring on her arm lights up, and Exbee replies, “Recording started.”
As she navigates the verdant underbrush, a ballet of insects—jumping, scurrying, and buzzing—accompanies her every step. A peculiar butterfly, boasting white triangular wings adorned with vivid blue stripes, alights on her path, eliciting a soft gasp of wonder. Positioning the thumb and forefinger of her bionic arm into a reverse "L" shape, she mimics the action of pressing a camera shutter, her arm emitting a gentle "click" with each motion. Her attention is swiftly captured by a succession of fascinating insects, each more intriguing than the last, prompting a series of silent clicks as she documents her discoveries.
She loses track of her main task, wandering near the forest's entrance while taking photos of various insects and arachnids. “Arcadia, did you intend to spend three ticks photographing local entomological phenomena?” Exbee sounds almost admonishing.
“Crap! Three ticks?? How long do I have until nightfall?”
“You have 13 ticks remaining until nightfall, and the anomaly is currently three thousand one hundred and thirty-seven meters away. You’ll need to travel at—”
“I KNOW! Ugh! I’m not going to have nearly as much time to study wildlife today as I hoped. I really hope Professor Beeton appreciates the pictures I send her.” Arcadia holds up her bionic arm and splays all five fingers apart. A transparent digital display hovers in the air, showing a small area map with her visited regions clearly drawn out and blanks for anywhere she hasn’t yet explored. “Hmmm.” She zooms out, noting the blinking red light marking the anomaly. With a renewed sense of purpose, she heads into the forest.
In no time, she finds herself encased by towering trees, their trunks nearly smooth, with roots cascading from mid-height to craft a labyrinthine forest of endless pathways and sporadic clearings. Beneath the canopy, the leaves transition from the vibrant orange-yellow seen from afar to a more subtle, translucent burnt sienna up close. The canopy, though dense, allows ample light to reach the forest floor, nurturing a diverse undergrowth in darker shades of orange, red, and hints of purple, creating a vivid tapestry of color and life. She pauses along the route to document a number of different animals that cross her path: Three small orange rodents of various sizes with odd adaptations, a turtle with a square head and a completely smooth shell, and a handful of colorful birds. She thinks about how much she likes birds, but laments how common they are on nearly every planet.
She crests a ridge and is greeted by the sight of a small congregation of quadrupedal, wingless avians grazing on the deep orange flora of the forest. Their gazes briefly meet hers before they return to their peaceful foraging, some indulging in mutual grooming. Moving quietly, Arcadia inches closer to the creatures to avoid startling them. Maintaining a respectful distance, she raises her bionic arm to video the encounter. Her voice drops to a whisper.
“Flightless avian. Bright yellow belly, red midline, orange plumage from head to back. Medium beak—sharp, maybe herbivore. Legs featherless below the shoulder. Forelegs thin, rear legs strong. Built to jump, probably to dodge predators. Appears to be a species that prefers herding behaviors in order to…”
The tranquility is suddenly pierced by a rustling nearby. Arcadia instinctively seeks refuge behind an expansive root system, her gaze fixed on the avians as her device continues to capture their serene existence. Abruptly, one ceases its grazing and charges toward her, stopping roughly twenty meters away. Lifting its head, it issues a series of piercing cries: “KREEP! KREEP! KREEP!” Alerted by the call, the rest of the avians rally, forming a protective circle behind their apparent sentinel.
To her right, a distinct figure emerges—a smaller avian with sharp talons, a short beak, and striking solid blue plumage. It advances stealthily toward the group, its intentions ominously clear.
The sentinel avian suddenly rears up on its hind legs, its feathers unfurling in a breathtaking display of orange, green, and purple, creating a kaleidoscope of color that contrasts sharply with the tense atmosphere. Accompanying this visual spectacle is a deep, resonant hiss that sends a shiver through the air. Undeterred, the predatory avian inches closer, its resolve unwavering in the face of such defiance.
Arcadia, filled with fascination, remains immobile, her eyes locked on the unfolding drama, her mind racing with both concern and a scientist's curiosity.
The predator halts, issuing a guttural blend of growls and clicks, a stark “CAH CAH CAH CAH! SHISSSSSH!” echoing as a challenge. Yet, the guardian avian holds its ground, its plumage a bristling fortress of color, as the rest of the flock tightens ranks—a united front against the looming threat.
In an instant, the tension explodes into chaos as a second predatory avian erupts from the underbrush, launching itself at one of the smaller, unsuspecting members of the flock. The tranquil scene shatters; the guardian avian whirls around to defend its comrade—only to be blindsided as the original predator pounces, driving it to the forest floor. Feathers fly in a frenzied burst as the flock scatters in panic. From the canopy above and down a tall tree trunk, a third assailant descends, darting through the disarray to reinforce its ally, sealing the fate of their quarry.
Meanwhile, the embattled guardian struggles valiantly against its attacker—who, seizing a moment of distraction, disengages and joins the others, now circling their prize. Realizing its isolation and defeat, the guardian casts a final, forlorn glance at the scene of loss and retreats into the dense embrace of the forest—its charge scattered, its spirit subdued.
Arcadia stands motionless, mouth agape throughout the entire battle. She keeps her bionic-hand-camera focused on the action, unable to believe what is happening. She stands transfixed, watching the three predators feast on their fresh kill. She finally decides to chance leaving her hiding spot.
“Avian predators, deep blue in color,” she narrates quietly as she slowly and quietly continues walking toward the anomaly. “Four limbs, no wings, short and sharp beak for predation. Limbs are all the same size and lack feathers below the shoulder, backward hinged like the others. Feathers are of a monotone color, and from a distance, there doesn’t appear to be any ornamental feathering.”
The only clear path to get through the forest is within ten meters of the predators. Given that the dominant wildlife in the area seems to be colorful avians, she suddenly questions her decision to dress so vividly. Creatures whose coloring screams "EAT ME!" are typically the ones predators avoid, but here...everything is colorful. Especially her. Her hopes to avoid predation rest on the vivid blue and green patterning that adorns her clothing.
As she observes, she murmurs, "The blood here is...red." Her voice trembles. "They’re about half the size of—" She freezes as one of the predators locks eyes with her. After a tense moment, it turns away. She exhales and continues, "Half the size of the prey avian, but shockingly fierce and intelligent. They hunt in packs, using clicks in their growls to coordinate. My guess? Their vivid coloring suggests their prey can’t see blue."
As soon as the word "blue" escapes her mouth, her mind again snaps back to her mission and how much time she's lost documenting the local fauna. She immediately takes off running without even glancing behind her, as hard and as fast as her legs will take her. Carefully dodging roots and vaulting branches, Arcadia makes good time to the anomaly while successfully avoiding anything that might mistake her for prey—but skids to a stunned stop when she sees what waits there.
A man, perfectly still, lies encased in a cryogenic stasis chamber—an upright monolith of scarred metal, its descent through the atmosphere etched into every dent and burn mark. Pale red light pulses beneath the thick glass, casting ghostly highlights across his youthful but rugged face.
“That’s...not what I was expecting,” she murmurs to herself. She approaches slowly, brushing her fingers along the surface.
"Exbee, please do a full scan of the pod."
"Hold please," the AI’s voice responds. Three blue rings around Arcadia’s artificial forearm flash rhythmically as Exbee makes a soft, electronic grinding noise.
"This is a stasis pod from Earth that was part of a top-secret project. Its files were only declassified 50 years after communication with a ship bound for Alpha Centauri was lost. It was a project launched in Earth Year 2047 to put humans onto a suspected Earth-like planet in another solar system. The humans are to be in stasis for 225 years until the ship arrives. Investigations were conducted, but the reason for the ship going missing is still unknown. Fifteen pods left Earth, seven have been found, and there have been two known survivors. Life signs appear to be critical as the internal power for this unit is at three percent. Records indicate the individual inside is named First Sergeant Blaze Forsyth. The pod is made from titanium-alumin—"
"Thanks, Exbee. How long until critical failure?"
"Readings suggest an hour."
"Hmm...about six ticks to sundown, and it’s going to be difficult to get him back to the ship since he’ll no doubt be weakened from being in stasis for 200 years. I need a minute." She taps her chin for a moment in thought.
Arcadia drops her pack on the ground, quickly kneeling to unzip it. She spends the next two minutes pulling various supplies from the bag and placing them on the ground next to her in a specific order, lightly nudging a few to ensure they’re correctly oriented. Standing back up, she starts searching for a small lever to open the pod. She quickly recoils from touching the it with her organic hand. "Ah! Still hot? This must have fallen pretty recently to still be that hot, but not recently enough for there to be any smoking debris from the landing."
She continues her search, this time using her right arm. It isn’t long before she finds the lever, but pulling it proves difficult. Bracing one foot firmly against the pod, she pulls the lever with all her might until it shifts loudly into place. "I don’t think anyone that’s not a cyborg could have managed that."
"SHUTDOWN SEQUENCE INITIATED. SHUTDOWN SEQUENCE REQUIRES THIRTY SECONDS TO COMPLETE. DOOR WILL OPEN UPON COMPLETION."
The announcement booms through the air in a jarring, distorted electronic cacophony. Arcadia winces sharply, her hands flying to her ears in an attempt to muffle the assault of noise. The sudden clamor sends birds scattering from the trees in a flurry of panic. Accompanying the countdown, loud, jarring beeps punctuate each second, adding to the deafening sound.
"Argh! Why me!" she yells in frustration, her hands still clamped over her ears.
Arcadia tallies each ear-splitting beep, her impatience mounting with every sound. When the thirtieth beep pierces the air, a hush falls, offering her a brief respite as she relaxes her hands—only to be shattered again by the booming announcement.
"SHUTDOWN SEQUENCE COMPLETE," the distorted feminine voice booms.
Reflexively, her hands shoot back to her ears as a yell of frustration forms, muffled by her clenched jaw.
The door hisses open with a pronounced FSSSSSSHHHHH, sliding aside to reveal a man of medium stature, his dark hair framing a youthful yet weathered face—a visage seemingly shaped by labor and battle. As he sleepily stumbles forward from the confines of stasis, Arcadia positions herself to catch him, her arms outstretched in readiness. Despite her preparation, his size and unexpected momentum sends them both tumbling, his weight knocking her to the ground.
"Oof! He’s...erf...quite a bit heavier than anticipated," Arcadia grunts, wrestling to lower him gently to the ground. Carefully, she positions him on his back before securing a breather mask over his face to provide immediate oxygen. Next, she attaches a compact medical device to his arm, which adheres with a slight suction and immediately begins tracking his blood pressure, glucose, and CO2 levels. Lastly, she affixes tiny electrodes to his chest and left temple, linking them directly to her bionic arm. A holographic display springs to life moments later, showing real-time visuals of his vitals, as well as heart and brain activity.
"His system is clearly stressed, but lying here for a few minutes should help him recover." She sighs deeply and moves to check her chronometer, but as though on cue, her bionic arm softly rings as Exbee’s voice calls out, “Five ticks until sundown, Arcadia.” “Thank you, Exbee,” she says, sighing again. "I don’t like our odds of getting back to the ship before dark. After an encounter with puma hawks, I’d rather not gamble on pushing through that forest again as it gets darker." She pauses and smirks. "Heh, puma hawks. That’s going to be my name request when I submit my discoveries to the commission."
The unconscious stranger begins to stir slightly.
"Exbee, please scan for any nearby caves that would be suitable to house us overnight."
"Hold please." The three rings on Arcadia’s arm begin to flash rhythmically again. "There is a suitable cave 437 meters due west up a steep grade. I cannot confirm if there are any life signs inside."
“Going up a grade with a large man recovering from stasis may be difficult, but I guess it’s close enough that we can take our time…any other options, Exbee?”
“The next closest suitable cave is approximately 900 meters away through rocky terrain. I do not recommend this option, as air pressure is dropping, and atmospheric conditions suggest a significant storm is nearby.”
“Oh, perfect! That’s exactly what I wanted! Thanks, Procyon IV!” Frustration and sarcasm ring equally in her voice.
The man continues stirring. Arcadia opens the medical kit she pulled from her bag and grabs a vial of smelling salts. “I wanted to avoid this,” she mutters, removing his mask and cracking the vial beneath his nose. One sniff and he bolts upright into a sitting position. “WHAT IN THE HELL—WHERE AM—”
Arcadia quickly slaps the mask back onto his face with a loud POMP as it re-suctions into place.
“Shhh, you’re okay. Look at me.” She grabs his head gently but firmly, directing his gaze to her face. “We’re in danger here, and we need to get to safety. If predators don’t get us first, the weather will. Do you understand?”
He nods, his breathing shallow but steady.
“You’ve been in stasis for two hundred years,” she explains while methodically repacking the removed items into her pack, keeping her tone calm. “Your muscles don’t atrophy in stasis, but they haven’t been used in a long time.” She hefts him to his feet, leaning as much of his weight onto her as she can bear. “We’ve got to make it about 450 meters, uphill. Lean on me, and we can do this.”
The man raises an eyebrow at the small woman in front of him insisting he lean on her, but says nothing and puts his weight on her once more.
Despite his body’s reluctance, they make steady progress through the dimming forest. As twilight descends, their surroundings come alive with the dance of fireflies, casting hues of blue, orange, and red that illuminate their path. The vibrant display grows richer as they leave the dense canopy behind, the forest’s shadowy ceiling now a deep umber in the fading light. Arcadia’s eyes linger on the trail behind them, now glowing faintly with bioluminescent mushrooms and ferns radiating an ethereal green. She smiles despite herself. “Oh man, I have to tell Steve about this place,” she murmurs, already imagining the mushroom man’s excitement.
At long last, they reach the base of the hill leading to the cave. Arcadia looks up at the man beside her, noting his labored breathing and the sheen of sweat on his brow. She feels the strain herself, her muscles aching from the effort, though her rigorous training has steeled her for moments like this. She mentally promises herself a well-earned reward—a colossal bowl of ice cream with a cascade of sprinkles waiting for her back on the ship.
“You ready?” she asks, glancing up at him.
He straightens as much as he can, furrows his brow in determination, and nods.
The hill before them is a stepped, rugged ascent, punctuated by jagged ledges and unstable gravel. Above it looms the sheer face of a mountain, its peak obscured by the gathering darkness. Though the cave entrance is hidden from view, Exbee’s assurances give Arcadia confidence. They start the climb, each step cautious and deliberate.
“Arcadia. Rapidly changing atmospheric conditions indicate a powerful storm is imminent. You must get to safety,” Exbee urges.
“We’ve gotta move faster,” Arcadia says flatly.
The man tries to respond, but his words are muffled by the mask.
“If you’re trying to sacrifice yourself or something, we don’t have time for that,” she retorts. The man pauses and raises an eyebrow but says nothing more, reaching out to take her offered hand. He swallows his pride as Arcadia pulls him up a steep incline with surprising strength and agility.
The impending storm looms ominously, its proximity heralded by the sharp scent of rain and a deep, resonant rumble that echoes across the hills. The sky above them is now a swirling mass of dark clouds, briefly illuminated by bursts of lightning that tear through the darkness. Arcadia glances up at the steep hill, its surface slick with loose gravel and jutting stones, before pulling the man closer to her side.
“We’re not stopping now,” she says, her voice steady despite the roar of the storm.
The man doesn’t respond but tightens his grip on her shoulder. Together, they press forward, the incline testing every ounce of their strength and balance. Each step is deliberate, each foothold carefully chosen to avoid slipping on the unstable ground.
Suddenly, a massive bolt of lightning strikes the forest behind them, the deafening crack of thunder nearly knocking them off balance. The man stumbles, his legs buckling under him. Arcadia acts quickly, grabbing him around the waist to steady him. “Come on,” she urges, her voice sharp with urgency. “We’re almost there!”
With renewed determination, they push onward. The rain begins to fall in earnest, turning the gravelly path into a slippery hazard. Arcadia’s boots hold firm, but the added weight of supporting the man makes every step feel like a battle. After what feels like an eternity, the cave comes into view—a dark, gaping maw carved into the hillside. Relief surges through Arcadia as they stagger into its shelter just as the heavens unleash their fury. Sheets of rain pour down, obscuring the path they’ve just climbed and creating a curtain of water at the cave’s entrance.
Arcadia gently lowers the man onto the rocky floor, collapsing beside him with a heavy sigh. The cool stone beneath her is a welcome contrast to the heat of exertion radiating through her body. She leans back, stretching her arms out behind her, and lets her breathing slow. Beside her, the man lies flat on his back, his chest rising and falling with labored breaths. The soft hiss of his breathing mask punctuates the stillness, a steady rhythm that mirrors their shared exhaustion.
“Wow,” Arcadia mutters, breaking the silence. “I so thought we were done for.”
She glances toward the entrance, where the rainwater now flows in steady rivulets, erasing any trace of the treacherous path they’ve just navigated. “Well, that complicates things,” she adds, her tone laced with sarcasm.
The cave, with all of its mysteries, feels both unwelcoming and enticing. Its dark expanse stretches beyond the reach of the storm’s light, leaving its depths hidden in shadow. Yet, as Arcadia’s eyes adjust to the gloom, she notices faint glimmers of light further inside—small, colorful pinpricks that hint at bioluminescent life hidden within.
“Are you okay down there?” she asks, turning her head to look at the man. He’s still lying flat on the ground, but he manages to raise one arm and give a single, tired thumbs-up.
He points to his mask and makes muffled sounds, clearly trying to speak.
Arcadia gestures to the underside of her own jaw. “There’s a button right here you have to hold to talk. The mask filters out 100% of known pathogens and 99.5% of theoretical ones, but the tradeoff is that they’re a pain to communicate through. Pressing the button makes you slightly susceptible while talking, so try to talk as little as needed. Your immune system won't recognize anything not from Earth, which could send it into overdrive and cause a cytokine storm.”
The man isn’t sure what that means, but knows it doesn’t sound good. He presses the button under his mask. “Where am I?”
“Procyon IV,” Arcadia replies matter-of-factly. “It’s a class-M planet in the Procyon star system, roughly seven hundred and twenty-seven thousand AU from Earth. So...pretty far from Kansas.”
He presses the button again. “How?”
“No idea,” she says with a shrug. “All I know is that you were on a ship that disappeared. Exbee went through the whole thing, but I was only half-listening. Exbee?”
The AI chimes in smoothly. “You were discovered in a stasis pod that appears to have recently fallen to the planet from space. The name on the pod is First Sergeant Blaze Forsyth. Declassified documentation indicates you were on a ship bound for Alpha Centauri before it vanished two hundred and seven Earth years ago.”
The man—Blaze, apparently—lies still, his breathing steadying as he absorbs the information. “Blaze sounds right, but I can’t remember anything else.” His voice carries a faint southern lilt.
Arcadia snorts. “Ha! A conventionally attractive stranger with amnesia. What a lazy trope!”
Blaze slowly pushes himself up onto one elbow, pressing the button on his mask. He raises an eyebrow. “You think I’m attractive?”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” Arcadia replies flatly. “I spend a lot of time in space, and I heavily structure my cycles to have downtime. I watch a lot of TV shows and movies on my ship with my cat. So many of them have a main character who meets a ‘sexy’ stranger”—she makes air quotes with her fingers—“with no memory, and then they fall in loooove.” She clasps her hands together and rests them next to her cheek in an exaggerated parody of romance. “Blah blah blah. I only watch those if there’s an interesting story hook.”
Blaze scratches his head, clearly unsure how to respond. He settles on, “What’s the plan?”
“Good question.” Arcadia turns toward her bionic arm. “Exbee, how long until sunup?”
“Daybreak is in 17 ticks,” the AI replies as lightning crackles outside the cave.
“Ugh,” Arcadia groans. “We’re going to be here a while.”
In J L Butterworth's The Unknown Before Us, Arcadia is happily exploring the edges of known space, looking for wild and adorable animals with her AI buddy Exbee, when she discovers an old Earth soldier, Blaze, who's been in stasis for the last 200 years.
Let's talk about the amazing worldbuilding first. Slice-of-life scifi can be so fun to read, especially with multiple civilizations and factions. Arcadia and Blaze have the perfect perspectives to share the world with readers, because for Arcadia, this is her every day world, and for Blaze, everything is new and noteworthy.
As I read The Unknown Before Us, I enjoyed all the descriptions, and there's a lot of time and effort into crafting backstories of passing characters, ecosystems of planets, or explanations of past events. I would definitely read another book set in this world. Scifi can be fascinating escapism, and the market scenes and planet exploration here are just perfect for that. Plus, in this future world, each ship needs a cat, because cats are smart little companions who take care of pests. Perfect.
But the story is focused around Arcadia, and this is a hard protagonist to care about, mostly because she's better than everyone at everything, and this type of character creates the opposite of narrative tension for me. Arcadia spends her days exploring and looking for new creatures to document and categorize, which brings readers to interesting new places. Meanwhile, her AI makes deepfake videos of her (ugh) for social media, so she's also a celebrity with loads of fans, and she's a billionaire, with more money than she bothers to keep track of, unless she's telling Blaze he can't have an expensive Rolex. She knows where to go and what to do at all times, and she's always carrying whatever she needs, which is a great method for smoothly introducing the world to readers, but less engaging for character development or emotional impact. At no point did I worry that she would actually be in danger or experience any negative results, and that reduced any emotional response for me on their adventures.
Blaze is the opposite, poor guy wakes up 200 years in the future, and spends the rest of the book confused. He makes a great introduction to the world, because it's as new and interesting to Blaze as it is to the reader. I had more concern for Blaze, but I still wasn't too worried about him, even when he does risky newbie things like signing up for a random fight, because I figured if he got terribly hurt, Arcadia would just mock him and patch him back up.
There's a scene at the very end that explains a lot of Blaze's character. It was strange reading because this scene felt sooooooooooo forced. A recording of villain monologue, explaining one's dark plan and horrible motivations straight out? So forced. But at the same time, I could also see how the big reveal here wasn't actually a big reveal, we've seen the results of this in Blaze's personality through the novel.
Overall, The Unknown Before Us offers a fascinating world to discover, with quirky side characters who have their own backstories and motivations, and all sorts of intriguing future customs, although the character development and emotional impact for the two leads could definitely be stronger.