Review of AUDIOBOOK Ancestral Night – Book 1 of the White Space series by Elizabeth Bear #Brainfluffbookreview #AncestralNightbookreview

It was the cover that drew me to this one – and I scooped it up, when I saw it was a hefty science fiction read that would be ideal audiobook to listen to while doing the chores.

BLURB: Haimey Dz thinks she knows what she wants. She thinks she knows who she is. She is wrong. A routine salvage mission uncovers evidence of a terrible crime and relics of powerful ancient technology. Haimey and her small crew run afoul of pirates at the outer limits of the Milky Way, and find themselves on the run and in possession of universe-changing information.

REVIEW: At just over 500 pages, this packs in a whole lot of space opera, including many classical genre ingredients with modern spin on them, which I found really intriguing. However, I am aware that if I had been reading this one instead of listening to the excellent narration of Nneka Okoye, I think there would have been passages which I might have skimmed. The main protagonist, Haimey, is complicated and we learn of her tangled past as the story unfolds. Suffice to say that she was caught up in some major wrongdoing in her past, which means that her brain chemistry has been radically altered in the interests of justice. Though, as her whole life unravels once the discovery of the alien artefact and its ensuing consequences crashes around her, we also learn that the story is not nearly so straightforward and simple as she thought. The whole story is told in first person viewpoint, which happens to be a particular favourite of mine.

There are moments of high drama with great action involving space battles, alien confrontations and close quarters fighting. There are also scenes of drawn-out tension where Haimey is confronted with another character, whom she is strongly attracted to, but ultimately doesn’t wish her well. There is a romantic same-sex relationship of the slow-burn variety, so there is nothing remotely graphic in the book. There is also a fair amount of musing about all sorts of issues, including the nature of government; personal responsibility, seen through the lens of someone who routinely self-medicates for mood enhancement, by boosting brain secretions with the aid of implants; and what her cats think about. Yes… We even have space cats. This is a wide-ranging book that isn’t afraid to wander away from the narrative arc into all sorts of by-ways as the main character has plenty of downtime. Did I mind? No – because I found those musings absolutely fascinating. I am also a sucker for a well-drawn, complex character with hidden layers, which Haimey provides in spades.

It was a while since I listened to this one and wrote this review, but I’m adding a rider – this book won’t leave me alone. And although since I shunted it back into the Cloud, I’ve read and listened to a slew of wonderful reads – this is currently my outstanding read of the year. Highly recommended for those who enjoy intelligent space opera action, punctuated by episodes where ideas are discussed.
10/10