In 2019, I discovered the first book in Tade Thompson's Rosewater series, and was delighted that I found a science fiction book I enjoyed and could follow with a reasonable amount of understanding. So I was happy to pick up Far From the Light of Heaven, which promised to be more of a murder mystery in space than a space adventure.
The Situation: Michelle 'Shell' Campion is excited, though also understandably apprehensive, about her first mission. She has been properly trained - at least she is pretty sure she has - and is eager to live up to family pressure. It is a daunting mission: pilot a ship and its 1,000 sleeping passengers, ensuring everyone arrives at their destination safely, on a trip that will take ten years to complete. Shell cannot quite call herself the captain, since the ship's artificial intelligence will do all of the work. The computer on the Ragtime has been said to be perfect, like any other AI that now exists, and Shell has been assured that it will not make a mistake. The Ragtime's destination is a colony planet called Bloodroot, many of whose residents know nothing of a life of Earth.
The Problem: Rasheed Fin would love to get his job back as an investigator. An unfortunate misstep put him on the sidelines, but when the assignment comes in to investigate an incident on a spaceship known as Ragtime, Fin takes his AI companion Salvo and is determined to succeed. When he boards Ragtime, he finds Shell composed, but also deeply concerned. Only 969 of the 1,000 passengers have arrived safely. The other 31, not so much. The situation is difficult enough, and it does not help at all when Shell and Fin begin to butt heads; the ships mechanics have a tendency to turn against them, often attacking them outright; and the Ragtime's perfect AI has stopped obeying. But they will both soon learn that this is only the beginning.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a science fiction novel set in a future where humans have been living on far off planets long enough that life on Earth is a foreign concept for some. Shell is following a family tradition of sorts by becoming an astronaut and piloting her own mission. What she learns is something she may have already known, which is that space is dangerous and scary, and there are many things that can go wrong. Having an apparent murderer on board is simply the most pressing issue...sometimes. Another issue is less than perfect AI that decides when it will take orders. Fin's AI, Salvo, is a counterpoint to the ship's troublesome computer, but the point still stands. And things only get more complicated when revenge and restitution come into play.
My Verdict: Something that Thompson always does well is create flawed characters that are realistic and believable, but still manage to garner the reader's support, despite their issues. Also, the problems presented are rarely black and white. Both Shell and Fin have straightforward missions that need to be completed, but what they uncover involves wrongs and misdeeds that have been going on for quite some time. The action is fast-paced, which means I was never bored, though often confused. There is so much happening all of the time, and every new character or species introduced is as fascinating as the one before. But the main issue always remains as the focus of the story, with all reveals and past histories leading back to it.
Favorite Moment: Being an AI himself, Salvo is able to communicate with the Ragtime in a way no one else can.
Favorite Character: I am not sure if this counts as a character, but there is a wolf discovered on board that is both mysterious and helpful.
Recommended Reading: I recommend Thompson's Rosewater series, as well as Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty.
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