The number one best-selling author of the Bobiverse trilogy returns with a space thriller that poses a provocative question: Does our true destiny lie in ourselves — or in the stars?
If it were up to one man and one man alone to protect the entire human race - would you want it to be a down-on-his luck asteroid miner?
When Ivan Pritchard signs on as a newbie aboard the Mad Astra, it's his final, desperate stab at giving his wife and children the life they deserve. He can survive the hazing of his crew mates, and how many times, really, can near-zero g make you vomit? But there's another challenge looming out there, in the farthest reaches of human exploration, that will test every man, woman and AI on the ship - and will force Ivan to confront the very essence of what makes him human.
***** *** *******
No doubt about it this is a good book, a very enjoyable and easy to read novel from an author whose work I’ve become quite familiar with over the last year or so. I’ve actually sampled Dennis E. Taylor’s writing three times, these being in the form of his enjoyable and popular Bobiverse trilogy. Anybody familiar with that series will easily get into this because the writing style and feel are very similar, which means that (again) Taylor’s skills shine through in the same way and the result really is a nice one.
In this stand-alone story we journey with the crew of a future asteroid mining ship sometime in the 2100’s when Earth is a worn-out husk of a planet on it’s last legs environmentally, hence the human race is forced to look outward to space for resources and potential homes. The main character is a likeable but somewhat unlucky chap called Ivan who, while investigating mineral ore deposit on an asteroid, spots something curious on another rock drifting nearby. He goes for a look-see and this leads him to come into literal contact with some interesting alien technology. This tech has been lying dormant for a very, very long time just waiting for an unwitting member of a new sentient client species onto which it can latch to carry out it's plans. This alien mechanism is pre-programmed with tasks which are part of a much larger galactic scenario into which the human race is about to be drawn. How it transforms Ivan is really rather dramatic. Once he is able to at least partly comprehend the technology and it’s plan, Ivan attempts to reach a compromise with the controlling computer mind in the hope of securing the future of the human race and for life as we know it. As you can expect, there is a number of curves and twists along the way, not least being the metaphorical landscape of our planet and solar system which throws the usual Earthly political and military tensions into the mix. It’s a fun and reasonably interesting story that moves along at a fine clip and has good hard sci-fi elements as well as well done military stuff and good action scenes. I liked the blend of sub-genres very well as I did with Taylor's prior books.
This book plays with some similar ideas as the Bobiverse series, number one being with the essence of humanity, are we human only because of our flesh and blood bodies? Or is it our personality or soul or consciousness (or whatever) that truly makes us the beings that we are? It's an interesting idea and fantastic food for thought for people like me who like to ponder such things - how "post-humanism" might actually be a thing. I guess this is probably the key reason why the main subject matter of the story appealed to me and why I found it to be an enjoyable read. Along with this are the excellent writing skills of the author who could probably make a mediocre story line a decent read.
In summary, whether or not you've read any of Taylor's previous work, I'm sure that if you like your sci-fi yarns with plenty action and events, as well as interesting and generally plausible scientific ideas then you'll probably click with this book. If you read and enjoyed the Bobiverse trilogy then you'll definitely click with this book. It's good.
4/5 for concept
5/5 for delivery
4.5/5 for entertainment
= 4.5 out of 5
Buy the paper book HERE (Book Depository)
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