Far from the Light of Heaven
Tade Thompson
£9.99
Mr B's review
This genre-defying novel is a homage to Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘Murders at Rue Morgue’ with a sci-fi twist. When the colony ship Ragtime docks in the Lagos system, ten light-years from Earth, First Mate Michelle Cambion wakes to find that seventeen of the thousand sleeping souls under the ship’s protection are, mysteriously, missing, and Ragtime’s AI pilot has reverted to emergency protocol. Rasheed, a brilliant detective currently in disgrace for abandoning ethics to solve a case, is dispatched to board the Ragtime and assist Cambion in solving the case before anyone else can be killed. A space opera, noir thriller, and locked-ship murder mystery all in one, this is a plotty, pacy novel that nevertheless finds time to delve into the philosophical questions that we find so often in sci-fi; the ethics of AI, the perils of space travel, and where to draw the line between gods and aliens.
Description
‘Gripping and skilfully told, with an economy and freshness of approach that is all Tade Thompson’s own. The setting is interstellar, but it feels as real, immediate and lethal as today’s headlines’ Alastair Reynolds
Arthur C. Clarke Award winner Tade Thompson makes a triumphant return to science fiction with this unforgettable vision of humanity’s future in the chilling emptiness of space.
The colony ship Ragtime docks in the Lagos system, having travelled light years from home to bring one thousand sleeping souls to safety among the stars.
Some of the sleepers, however, will never wake – and a profound and sinister mystery unfolds aboard the gigantic vessel. Its skeleton crew are forced to make decisions that will have repercussions for all of humanity’s settlements – from the scheming politicians of Lagos station, to the colony planet of Bloodroot, to other far flung systems and indeed Earth itself.
‘A gripping space opera with characters fighting for their lives aboard a dying starship. I enjoyed it so much and can’t wait to see what Thompson does next’ Martha Wells, author of the Murderbot Diaries
‘Simultaneously brutally grounded and wildly imaginative’ Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time
‘Perfectly balances inspired universe building with both high-octane action and emotional depth’ Big Issue
‘Readers looking for a smart sci-fi mystery should snap this up’ Publishers Weekly
‘First-rate space opera from one of the genre’s most exciting voices’ Gareth L. Powell
‘Tade Thompson is a writer of enormous heart and talent. Just brilliant’ Dave Hutchinson
Publisher Review
Readers looking for a smart sci-fi mystery should snap this up — Publishers Weekly Gripping and skillfully told, with an economy and freshness of approach that is all Tade Thompson’s own. The setting is interstellar, but it feels as real, immediate and lethal as today’s headlines. Whatever he does next, it’s bound to be interesting — Alastair Reynolds A first-rate space opera from one of the genre’s most exciting voices — Gareth L. Powell Tade Thompson is a writer of enormous heart and talent. Just brilliant — Dave Hutchinson
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