Ancestral Night (White Space Book 1)

I read the reviews and almost did not read this book. I am SO glad I ignored them. This was a fantastic book: sci fi in the best tradition. It explores possible political and social constructs through a person who was used, then psychologically and emotionally damaged by them. One has to actually understand the basis of the structures to follow the experience for the character and to understand her arrival at her personal healing. And all this internal drama takes place embedded in an adventure story that is part action and part psychological thriller. I actually feel sorry for people who panned this book as boring. I expect they are people who prefer the short serial stories so popular now. This is a true book...it is not a chapter, it is not a part...it is a complete story that delves into the psychology and sociology of a future version of our galaxy. The character development is excellent for a first person perspective...the main character has opinions about other characters, but isn’t omniscient in her understanding beyond what has been shared. She is not perfect...she is not a super model, she is not a genius, she is a regular person who is winging it through life like the rest of us, and then thrown into extraordinary circumstances. The “universe” the author has created is rich with varied life and is an interesting place that has room for many more stories! The book does leave some big questions in that universe unexplained, so I hope this is not the last story. This is a deep and thoughtful book, and I hope others enjoy it as much as I did. If you are looking for a quick read with nonstop action and little depth and introspection, this book is not for you. There are fun reads, then there are books like this that have fun, but also engage the intellect, which is a different kind of fun that is becoming too rare, in my opinion. My thanks to the author!

Elizabeth Bear has created a new universe for space opera to flourish that' full of cultural texture, solid characters, and inevitable conflict. The crew of the salvage tug Singer, two humans and an AI working its way out of "instantiation debt" are barely making ends meet when they come across the find of a lifetime - an massive alien ship with technology beyond that of the Synarche, the galactic civilization that all known sentients belong to. Except for the pirates. And the giant space-going life-forms known as the Ativahikas. Before they can solve the mystery of the derelict the action starts in and suddenly they're on the run with alien technology that could change the face of the galaxy. And incidentally, the ships AI has been called in for the galactic equivalent of jury duty, spending a term participating in running the Synarche. Station masters colluding with pirates, war crimes kept secret, and the emergent backstories of the characters all build up a well-textured story, and the basis for further explorations in the White Space Universe. The author does tend to get distracted by the world she's created, sharing details on the politics, technology, and culture of her universe in a way that slows things down at the start, but it's Big Idea SF and anyway things pick up pretty quickly, and as I've intimated, she's building the foundation for a universe that will support more than one story. She's managed the most important step here, introducing us to a trio of engaging characters: Haimey the main character and salvage engineer, who shares some character DNA with the Expanse's Naomi Ngata, Connla, a pilot, gender-indifferent skirt chaser, and strategy game aficionado, and Singer, a shipbrain with a passion for political theory. If you're a fan of James S. A. Corey, Alistair Reynolds, Ian Banks, Jack McDevitt, or really, anyone who does really good space opera, you should enjoy this and look forward to more White Space books to come.

This is a BIG book, it's 499 pages, but it also has big ideas, a huge number of characters, & at least one ginormous AI sort of thingy (I truly don't know what it is but it's apparently the size of a red dwarf star). The protagonist, Haimey, is an engineer of an AI (not the above thingy), aided but human piloted salvage ship with 2 cats for along for the ride. I really liked parts of this, but I really didn't like some of the long, drawn-out philosophical digressions that Haimey indulged in, & the info dumps were not always felicitously handled. I also was uncomfortable with the amount of brutality involved, some of which seemed gratuitous, as in more for shock value, rather that plot points. It is an interesting world with so many different types of beings like a pink dolphin-like doctor & my favorite, a praying mantis lawman, most of whom belong to the governing Synarche, the rest are either pirates or Freeporters, & I am not clear on the difference between the two, except that the latter murders & disects 'star dragons - huge, sapient beings who travel through space along with everyone else who isn't on a planet. It has some great, exciting parts to the story, but is also has pages & pages that I skimmed through. I truly think it could be 100 pages shorter with no detriment to the plot. This is supposed to be book 1 of a trilogy, & I will wait to see the reviews on the next one before I decide buy it.

A new take on space and humanity's role in the future in it. A book I couldn t let go unfinished for more than 3 days. The artificial intelligence portrayed here is complex but there is still room to develop it. I am awaiting the following novel with interest.

Haimey Dz has instantly vaulted to being one of my favourite heroines of all time. A complex, relatable protagonist in a beautifully built-out far future setting. This is thoughtful, exciting, wonder-inspiring scifi at it's very best. I felt echoes of 'Rendezvous With Rama' at times while reading this. If you're a fan of well-executed space opera leavened with very thoughtful examinations of society and psychology you'll love this. I wasn't prepared for the emotional wallop I felt at the end. Crying in the Cafe at 7 in the morning while I finished it isn't usually my style - but this is very satisfying. It stands alone superbly but I would race to read another adventure starring Haimey, Singer and Connla.

Rightmind, senso are great concepts. And it is fun

Very interesting, I lived all the female characters and ethical dilemmas, the formation of self, and the message of hope and community.

A meaty read with interesting characters and pleasing internal consistency. A tale of relationships and a personal journey that happens to be sci-fi.