Far from the Light of Heaven
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3.7 • 69 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
“Simultaneously brutally grounded and wildly imaginative.” —Adrian Tchaikovsky, Arthur C. Clarke Award winner
A tense and thrilling vision of humanity’s future in the chilling emptiness of space from rising giant in science fiction, Arthur C. Clarke Award winner Tade Thompson
The colony ship Ragtime docks in the Lagos system, having traveled light-years to bring one thousand sleeping souls to a new home among the stars. But when first mate Michelle Campion rouses, she discovers some of the sleepers will never wake.
Answering Campion’s distress call, investigator Rasheed Fin is tasked with finding out who is responsible for these deaths. Soon a sinister mystery unfolds aboard the gigantic vessel, one that will have repercussions for the entire system—from the scheming politicians of Lagos station, to the colony planet Bloodroot, to other far-flung systems, and indeed to Earth itself.
Praise for Far from the Light of Heaven
"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." —Alastair Reynolds
"[I]nventive, exciting and compulsively readable...This book is like the Tardis, larger inside than out, with a range of ideas, characters, and fascinating future settings making it probably the best science fiction novel of the year." —The Guardian
For more from Tade Thompson, check out:
The Wormwood Trilogy
Rosewater
Rosewater: Insurrection
Rosewater: Redemption
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
After the AI fails aboard the colony ship Ragtime, first mate Shell Campion must figure out who's responsible for a string of deaths in this inventive tale from Arthur C. Clarke Award–winner Thompson (the Wormwood trilogy). Starship AIs are supposed to be infallible, but when the Ragtime arrives at the colony planet Bloodroot, Shell wakes to find the ship in backup mode. The AIs are barely maintaining the ship, and 31 of the 1,000 sleeping passengers are dead. Thompson builds intrigue through clever story structure and shifting perspectives when Shell's distress call to Bloodroot is answered by investigator Fin and his AI assistant, Salvo—and Shell jumps to the top of their suspect list. A fun dynamic emerges between logical Fin and no-nonsense Shell as it becomes clear that the ship AI is not just faulty but severely compromised, and a new question arises: how did a wolf get aboard the Ragtime? Though the resolution is rushed, with some details of the mystery arising too late to be truly satisfying, Thompson's appealing take on long-distance space travel, subversion of typical AI tropes, tender characterization, and cleverly constructed suspense makes this worthwhile fare. Readers looking for a smart sci-fi mystery should snap this up.
Customer Reviews
4.7 stars
There is a big range between 4 and 5 stars. This book is closer to 5 than 4.
I read far too late into the night. I couldn’t put it down. The author has an imagination that I envy. A very good story.
An Incredible Read!
Thompson’s style of writing is absolutely beautiful in this book. I found the story so compelling and interesting, and the characters were so well written. This book perfectly stands alone and I would 100% recommended it.
Fantastic book
I read a lot of science fiction. A lot - like multiple books every week. I loved this story, the characters, the concepts, the science and the plot. I loved that it was a complete story arc and not a setup for a series. The mix of space colonization and locked room mystery was a wonderful combination. Highly recommended.