Synopsis
The Ballad of Halo Jones meets Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers by way of 3:10 to Yuma; a clash of law and lawlessness, storytelling and truth in a headlong romp across the stars.
After forty years of wreaking havoc across the galaxy, the outlaw Nine Lives – AKA Former General Gabriella Ortiz – has finally run out of lives. Shot down into a backwater at the system’s edge, she is rescued by deputy marshall Havemercy Grey.
Hav is a true soul, trying to uphold what is right in the heedless wastes. Hav is determined to see justice done. And Hav could sure use that 20-million bounty…
But escorting the most dangerous fugitive in the system across the stars is no easy task, especially when decades of fire and destruction are catching up with her, and every gutspill with a pistol wants that bounty. So when Ortiz offers a deal – to keep them both alive, as long as Hav listens to the stories of Gabi’s lives – Hav can’t refuse.
There’s just one catch: everywhere they go, during every brawl and gunfight and explosive escape, people say the same thing – don’t let her talk…
Review
Ninth Life is perfect. No. It’s better than perfect. It’s so good, it makes perfect look ordinary.
If you’ve read Ten Low and Hel’s Eight (the first two books in the Factus series) then you’ll already know the grim and gritty glory that is Factus. It would have been so easy for this third book to retread all the familiar beats and dance to the same tune that we already love. There would’ve been little risk in taking that approach, and I’m sure it would’ve turned out to be a satisfying addition to the series. But Stark Holborn has done something truly courageous by transforming Ninth Life into a totally different beast to what we’ve seen before, changing its shape and giving us something completely fresh. And boy, does her gamble pay off!
This third standalone book is every bit as unforgiving, unrelenting, and unforgettable as you’d hope it to be. But it doesn’t rest on any laurels. Instead, it pushes the boundaries even further than I could ever have expected, leaving Factus behind as it forces us to go deeper into territories that are powerful, provocative, and more insular than anything we’ve experienced in this universe so far.
One of its biggest strengths is the structure. The way it’s been put together feeds the style of storytelling to such brilliant effect. This is, ostensibly, an archivist’s attempt to catalogue a history that is disappearing — the life of General Gabi Ortiz — who you’ll know already from Ten Low and Hel’s Eight. If they dished out awards for “best supporting character in a book”, Gabi would’ve already netted two of them for the way she was written in the preceding books. And here, in her own story, she still remains a supporting player as her account is told from various perspectives, and it works beautifully. The standout of these accounts is a young deputy marshal called Havemercy Grey, or Hav for short.
Hav starts out naive, but is taken on the kind of arc that could only belong to a Factus story. After arresting Gabi, Hav makes a deal to listen as Gabi talks, and in return, Gabi promises to come quietly. The book straddles two timelines — the adventure that follows as Hav attempts to deliver Gabi (AKA Nine Lives) to justice, and the events Gabi relates over the last eight of her deaths/lives, depending on how you look at it. This non-linear approach elevates both storylines brilliantly, and gives the book such a unique flavour — it’s addictive and delicious to read. You’ll find stories within stories within stories, but the whole thing feels so organic and relatable, rather than aloof or cerebral.
There’s an artistry to the way the events unfold, as well as the style in which they’re written. The pace is gorgeous. So much of the narrative feels like a love letter, with most of it being addressed to “you” rather than describing “her.” And I absolutely adored this aspect to the storytelling. It felt like I was reading a work of art — a glorious experiment from the imagination of a total genius.
I’m trying to find the right way to sum this book up, but there isn’t one. It’s magic. It’s electric. It’s menacing. It’s folkloric. It’s soulful. It’s meditative. It’s beautiful. Every word works, and that’s not an exaggeration — every single word feels exactly right. I won’t spoil the plot, but sufficed to say, it’s every bit as inventive as you’d expect. And the way it all ties up is *chef’s kiss*.
For those (like me) who have been fascinated by the Ifs, Ninth Life adds to their lore without ruining any of their mystery. I feel as though the clues we get through this third instalment have given me so much to speculate about, but also painted the clearest picture of them yet. The balance is precise and impressive. But so is everything about this book!
If Ninth Life doesn’t qualify as an instant classic and the best space western you’ll ever read, then I’ll eat my robot cowboy hat. It’s my favourite Factus book by far, and could be in my top five favourites of all time books in general. Stark Holborn hasn’t just knocked it out of the park with Ninth Life, she’s obliterated the field. Mesmerising, mind-blowing, and a total masterpiece, 10/10 doesn’t do it justice. I’m so glad Hav decided to listen to Gabi, because I wouldn’t want to live any of my nine lives without reading this non-stop, adrenaline-fuelled, deeply haunting thrill-ride.
Release date: July 23rd, 2024
Published by Titan
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