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Synopsis:
Marca Nbaro had always dreamed of serving aboard the Greatships, with their vast cargo holds and a crew that could fill a city.
They are the lifeblood of human-occupied space, transporting an unimaginable volume – and value – of goods from City, the greatest human orbital, all the way to Tradepoint at the other, to trade for xenoglas with an unknowable alien species.
And now, out in the darkness of space, something is targeting them.
Nbaro and her friends are close to locating their enemy, in this gripping sequel to the award-nominated Artifact Space, but they are running out of time – and their allies are running out of patience . . .
Review:
Hello again dear reader or listener, I’m once again at a loss as to where to begin with a review for this series and, unfortunately, several lines worth of AAAH is still not a viable option for a helpful review.
If you haven’t yet read book one you can find my review of it here and fear not, I won’t spoil anything major from it. If there are any spoilers, they’ll be extremely tiny.
So, let’s start with the formalities: a big thank you to Christian/Miles Cameron for sending me an eArc of his book, I was dying to read it. My thoughts remain honest.
Now then.
I would sacrifice big things for the continual happiness of Athens’ crew. Firstborns are definitely on the table. Cameron has written a diverse and multicultural mix of characters that live rent free in my heart and we all deserve them in our lives. The banter, the camaraderie, the feels, not to mention the romance. I am unwell, dear reader. And so will you be, once you fall into this action-packed sequel, rife with space action, small moments (that nonetheless feel big) between protagonists you live for, and the ongoing unravelling of a galaxy wide conspiracy.
With the story picking up roughly a week after the events of Artifact Space, Cameron wastes no time to grab the reader and throw them head first into high stakes action but also thought-provoking discourse, throughout the whole book. If in fact with book one we came along with Marca Nbaro to discover the world of the Greatships and what their trade/commerce-based culture and society could look like, book two is now showing the cracks and tensions that arise when merchants are forced to become warriors, when social contracts are broken, webs of secrets threaten to overwhelm, and different realities clash.
There are so many levels of nuance to this series that it would take me several essays to break it all down, so let me ramble on instead about what makes this sequel a worthy successor to its first incredible entry in a space opera saga that deserves all the accolades. And we’re only on book two! (Plus, a novella).
First and foremost, the plot and pacing of the story remain as complex yet speedy as in book one, riveting to say the least, holding you emotionally hostage to say the most. The intricacies and routines of life aboard the Athens, paired with the uncertainties of what is to come for our protagonists, only truly show their complexity if you try to sit down and recount them to someone else. Cameron’s world building and exposition are seamless and, for the most part, weightless (more on that in a sec). We readers experience everything along with Marca in ways that both make us hold our breath and then sigh in relief along with her. Every. Single. Time. Rich details are where this author excels at, be they for setting, action, or character moments and quirks. And oh the mental health and consent undercurrents that make the protag so real she’s practically breathing next to you.
If you’ve read anything by Cameron before, this won’t surprise you, and if you haven’t yet, you’ll most likely be in awe at the ways everything interlocks.
That said, a personal qualm came in the form of heavy battle/space flight mechanics and science. I’m not necessarily saying it was badly done. Far from it, Cameron takes great care to give a thorough and clear play-by-play of everything happening. In a way, this augmented information level is the natural progression for Nbaro given the events of book one which I won’t spoil. So, strictly plot wise, it makes perfect sense. For me personally however, (someone who barely passed high school physics and math to the point where her professors almost wept in relief at me managing the bare minimum to do so), keeping track of everything and understanding it all meant I had to slow down considerably and maybe go back through a passage a couple of times. The only chink in the armor as it were, of a fully immersive and high-octane experience for me. But I also know people who are not only going to love it all, they’ll thrive and rave about it for days. Also, the sheer tactics etc. are so on point, they’re just brilliant, and if the end of the world happens, I need to find myself on this author’s side cause that’s the only way I’m surviving. Just saying.
As for the character work, it remains immaculate, it gives me life, and it waters my crops. Any interaction, be it platonic or romantic, is not only healthy but it’s an ongoing learning experience for Marca. Her growth is continuous and it’s truly moving to see the woman and respected/beloved officer she’s become aboard the Athens, compared to the scared and more than a little wired young woman she boarded as. You feel genuine pride. Also, her internal monologue remains the best source of comedic relief and relatability, as well. Truly, I don’t think I’ve seen myself more in a character that I have with Nbaro, in recent years. If only for the amount of times she calls herself an idiot, and all of what being in your twenties entails.
“There. Sometimes I’m a good officer. Now I’ll just take care of the anxiety over here, by myself.”
And that’s not even mentioning in detail the wider cast of incredible side characters all around Marca that enrich everything and shred your feels in the process. The way in which Marca needs to compartmentalize her feelings and emotions, in the face of losses, is not only rendered superbly but Cameron’s relentless pace throughout the last 20% of the book forces the reader to really feel and act the same way as her. No time for grief in the moment, you need to keep your head clear and keep at it to get out alive. Simply and purely brilliant.
“Honestly, I’m tired. I’m twenty years old, and I’m not sure I can handle this decision on my own. Why the hell don’t you two just give me an order?”
Dare I say, a massive mood.
Seriously, I could go on for days, instead I’ll say this last thing.
You don’t normally expect a romance at the heart of a relatively heavy-duty space opera. At the very least, not a healthy and well communicating one. As I said in my review of book one, the romantic subplot well and truly snuck up on me. My new expectations in that regard then, I thought, were going to be met. But Cameron blew past them with such class and humor and heart. In Deep Black, the author gives this side of the plot all the space (pun not intended but fitting) to breathe and grow, and I just love them, your honor. The Athens isn’t the only sailing ship out there and we are fed so well. I’m not even a romantic and I think my sternum aches from the amount of times I slammed my hand on it for the feels these two idiots gave me. I’m fine…
Ultimately this was a lot of words to say, if you loved Artifact Space you’re gonna love Deep Black! You’re going to be breathless from all the action, only to catch it long enough to be either cocooned by the warm found family feels or devastated by the emotions and romance. You will be amused, bemused, worried, entertained, stressed, and impressed. And you’re going to love every second of it.
And if you haven’t started the Arcana Imperii series yet, what are you waiting for?!
Deep Black comes out August 1st and if any of what I mentioned sounds like the kind of thing you enjoy, dear reader, you have such a treat ahead of you with this sequel that does not disappoint.
Until next time,
Eleni A.E.
PS: my eternally growing fondness for the AI Morosini is only comparable to my readiness to ride at dawn if anything happens to him and his holographic little cat in any future books.
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