Ancestral Night

December 15, 2018
From the author of The Stone in the Skull (2017, etc.), the first of a space opera trilogy featuring gabby pirates, a giant intelligent mantis, and a narcoleptic cat.The galaxy is governed by the multispecies Synarche, though we're told little of how it operates. Operating on the economic fringes are engineer Haimey Dz, her partner, pilot Connla Kuruscz, and their spaceship/AI, Singer, who make a living by locating and exploiting space wrecks. Their latest acquisition, horrifyingly, turns out to be the murdered remains of a vast, ancient spacegoing alien. Human pirates have stripped the corpse of its advanced technology, but after investigating, Haimey finds she's acquired a nonsentient parasite that occupies her skin and confers strange new abilities to sense and manipulate gravity fields and navigate in hyperspace. This, we'll eventually learn, is part of an elaborate piratical scheme to force Haimey to face the past she's suppressed and divulge a secret she doesn't know she knows, resulting in a confrontation between Haimey and sociopathic pirate Zanya Farweather--clearly the intent all along. Their opposing views on just about everything form the centerpiece of an extended debate contrasting immature and irrational human sociopolitical mores with, ultimately, the mature, reasoned forbearance displayed by powerful aliens. Bear, then, offers plenty of big, bold, fascinating ideas in a narrative that culminates in a double showdown with a dazzling array of said thoughtful beings, but to get us there the plot has to wheel through highly improbable convolutions. The main characters--MacGyver-ish Haimey with her angst-y self-censorship, absurdly dull Connla, a chirpy know-it-all AI that natters on about politics--annoy more often than they appeal. The whole package contrasts somewhat unfavorably with Bear's fantasy works, where the characters realistically inhabit fanciful landscapes and stories grows organically from their interactions with it and each other.Impressive at the core. Readers who relished the Jacob's Ladder trilogy will certainly enjoy this one.

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 1, 2019

Haimey Dz is an engineer who, along with pilot Connla Kurucz and the sentient ship Singer, are just-barely-lawful salvagers looking for that one big haul that will make their fortunes. When searching one derelict ship, Haimey becomes infected by something that gives her knowledge about the construction of the universe itself, making her a prize for not only the interstellar government Synarche but also the space pirates determined to use her for their own nefarious plans. On the run across the galaxy, Haimey and others discover that in the black hole at the center of the galaxy is a hidden alien spaceship, and that revealing lost secrets of both the universe and Haimey's own past, neither of which she will wish to be uncovered, is the only way to save everything. VERDICT Hugo Award winner Bear's (Karen Memory) foray back into space introduces an immersive setting and characters. Readers will be captivated by the creative prose.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2019

The disappearance of the Koregoi civilization has baffled historians throughout time. The few artifacts on display in museums give only clues as to what might have happened. So when salvage operator Haimey, her crew member Connla, and their AI, or "shipmind," Singer, discover a relic ship, they are certain it is Koregoi. While exploring its interior, Haimey determines that something terrible happened and prepares to take it home for further study. Before she and the others have a chance to set their course, they are attacked by pirates-Freeporters-who live well beyond Synarche law. Letting the ship go, Haimey and the others are thrown into survival mode and work their way back home, but getting there is rife with peril. The Koregoi may have a tale to tell, and Haimey may be a conduit-and she might have the opportunity to heal her past and right a wrong for an entire civilization. Though this space opera isn't for newcomers to the genre, teens who appreciate science and love diving into deep space will flock to it. The narrative is action packed from the beginning, plunging readers in the language and culture of Haimey's world: fascinating species, an AI who banters while performing vast calculations, and an all-too-human protagonist. VERDICT For devoted sci-fi fans.-Connie Williams, Petaluma Public Library, CA

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2019
The first book of a space-opera duology tackles questions of identity, neurology, physics, and government. Engineer Haimey Dz and her crewmates encounter an ancient alien technology and find themselves of great interest to both pirates and the interstellar government. Haimey becomes infected with an alien parasite that allows her to comprehend space in a strange new way. Traveling across the galaxy with the aid of these new powers, she and her family (including two lovable cats) search for a long-hidden artifact. To cope with her traumatic past, Haimey relies heavily on an implanted technology to fine-tune her emotions and memories, but when she ends up stranded on an alien spaceship in the company of an unreliable yet compelling pirate, she must venture into her own history to find out who she really is and what she's capable of. Bear's (Stone Mad, 2018) narrative skillfully balances world building, believable characterization, themes of the nature of self-determination and morality, and the wonder of discovery?plus space pirates! Ideal for fans of C.J. Cherryh, Ann Leckie, and Iain M. Banks.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)