Far from the light of heaven
(Book)

Thompson (Rosewater, 2018) turns to space in this locked-room mystery set aboard an interstellar colony ship. Michelle "Shell" Campion accepts the position of first mate of the Ragtime on a voyage from Earth to the colony Bloodroot, expecting the journey to be uneventful, as she will spend it in a deep sleep while the ship's artificial intelligence takes care of details. When she awakens at Ragtime's destination after ten years, she finds the AI unresponsive. Even worse, thirty-one of her passengers have been gruesomely dismembered. In response to her distress call, Bloodroot sends a disgraced investigator, Rasheed Fin, and his android partner, Salvo. Fin suspects Shell, but as events spiral into dangerous weirdness, they're forced to work together to try to keep themselves and the remaining--still sleeping--passengers alive. With the help of a local space-station governor and his delightfully alien daughter, they race to figure out the killer's identity before it's too late. This energetic thriller features compelling characters, believable space logistics, dreadful consequences, and horror leavened by humor. For fans of Jeff VanderMeer, Mur Lafferty's Six Wakes (2017), and Peter F. Hamilton.

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. Agent: Alex Cochran, C&W. (Oct.)

Thompson ("Wormwood Trilogy") leans on research to create a high-stress story set in the vastness of space. The giant colony ship Ragtime, controlled by AI pilots, left Earth 20 years ago with a thousand sleeping passengers on board who would start a new life in the far-off Lagos system upon awakening from their years-long journey. Among them is Michelle "Shell" Campion, on her first interstellar trip as first mate and contending with the legacy of her presumed-dead father. When the Ragtime arrives in the Lagos system, Shell awakens to find that the ship's AI is down and 31 of her passengers are dead. Investigator Rasheed Fin arrives to help Shell learn what happened to the Ragtime; the decisions they make will impact not only themselves but all future space colonies. Shadowy politics, corporate secrets, and interstellar migration collide in a fast-paced enclosed murder mystery, filled with delightful details about medicine, murder, and the psychological effects of space. Multiple points of view keep the action current. VERDICT A clever, haunting read from Arthur C. Clarke-winner Thompson.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

A seemingly routine interstellar mission goes terribly wrong--of course. Michelle "Shell" Campion, first mate on the ship Ragtime, expects to take a fairly nominal role in the journey to the planetary colony of Bloodroot; after all, the ship's AI will handle everything. But she wakes from 10 years of cold sleep at the end of her journey to discover the AI stripped of its higher functions and 31 of the slumbering passengers murdered and dismembered by the service bots. Her mayday call is answered by Rasheed Fin, a disgraced investigator from Bloodroot, and his Artificial partner, Salvo, who wonder if Shell herself might be the guilty party. Certainly, the killer still appears to be onboard and is continuing to sabotage the ship's systems. Aided by the investigative team and a more recently arrived duo--Lawrence Biz, a retired astronaut, old friend of Shell's family, and governor of neighboring space station Lagos, and his half-human daughter, Joké--they must somehow find the murderous saboteur, secure the ship, and ensure the safe arrival of the surviving colonists. Although the story bears some elements of a locked-room mystery, Agatha Christie fans will be disappointed: The author doesn't provide readers with sufficient clues to solve the crime, instead preferring to provide the majority of the revelations midway through the book. As such, the novel is less of a puzzle and more of a genuinely exciting race against time with some mystery elements, a thriller/horror-aboard-a-spaceship in the vein of Greg Bear's Hull Zero Three, Sean Danker's Admiral, and, of course, the classic film Alien. Thompson also has some sharp and relevant things to say about technocrats with less than savory sources for their wealth who engage in messy personal relationships, enjoy showy toys, and try to buy themselves out of trouble. Considerably less drenched in the hallucinatory than Thompson's Wormwood trilogy, the story does veer unexpectedly toward the supernatural at the end, giving it an open-ended feel. Other aspects of the plot could use more fleshing out. Given Thompson's penchant for series, might subsequent books be expected? Gripping and bloody as a beating heart but with a strong need for follow up. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Thompson (Rosewater, 2018) turns to space in this locked-room mystery set aboard an interstellar colony ship. Michelle Shell Campion accepts the position of first mate of the Ragtime on a voyage from Earth to the colony Bloodroot, expecting the journey to be uneventful, as she will spend it in a deep sleep while the ship's artificial intelligence takes care of details. When she awakens at Ragtime's destination after ten years, she finds the AI unresponsive. Even worse, thirty-one of her passengers have been gruesomely dismembered. In response to her distress call, Bloodroot sends a disgraced investigator, Rasheed Fin, and his android partner, Salvo. Fin suspects Shell, but as events spiral into dangerous weirdness, they're forced to work together to try to keep themselves and the remaining—still sleeping—passengers alive. With the help of a local space-station governor and his delightfully alien daughter, they race to figure out the killer's identity before it's too late. This energetic thriller features compelling characters, believable space logistics, dreadful consequences, and horror leavened by humor. For fans of Jeff VanderMeer, Mur Lafferty's Six Wakes (2017), and Peter F. Hamilton. Copyright 2021 Booklist Reviews.

Thompson ("Wormwood Trilogy") leans on research to create a high-stress story set in the vastness of space. The giant colony ship Ragtime, controlled by AI pilots, left Earth 20 years ago with a thousand sleeping passengers on board who would start a new life in the far-off Lagos system upon awakening from their years-long journey. Among them is Michelle "Shell" Campion, on her first interstellar trip as first mate and contending with the legacy of her presumed-dead father. When the Ragtime arrives in the Lagos system, Shell awakens to find that the ship's AI is down and 31 of her passengers are dead. Investigator Rasheed Fin arrives to help Shell learn what happened to the Ragtime; the decisions they make will impact not only themselves but all future space colonies. Shadowy politics, corporate secrets, and interstellar migration collide in a fast-paced enclosed murder mystery, filled with delightful details about medicine, murder, and the psychological effects of space. Multiple points of view keep the action current. VERDICT A clever, haunting read from Arthur C. Clarke-winner Thompson.—Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

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. Agent: Alex Cochran, C&W. (Oct.)