Status
Available
Series
Publication
Gallery / Saga Press (2019), Edition: First Edition first Printing, 512 pages
Description
"Halmey Dz and her partner Connla Kurucz are salvage operators, living just on the inside of the law...usually. Theirs is the perilous and marginal existence--with barely enough chance of striking it fantastically big--just once--to keep them coming back for more. They pilot their tiny ship into the scars left by unsuccessful White Transitions, searching for the relics of lost human and alien vessels. But when they make a shocking discovery about a long-thought-dead alien species, it may be the thing that could tip the perilous peace mankind has found into war"--
User reviews
LibraryThing member Larou
Not too long ago, I was writing about a book co-written by Elizabeth Bear and bemoaning the lack of pirates therein. Now, just two months later, I am writing about her most recent novel, and you know what? It not only has pirates in it, but they’re space pirates! To paraphrase Goethe, some days
Ancestral Night is, I think, Elizabeth Bear’s first straightforward Science Fiction novel since her Jacob’s Ladder trilogy and appears to be set in the same universe as that one (I have not read the trilogy yet, but Ancestral Night openly references it at one stage). It is space opera, but not in the over-the-top vein practiced by E.E. Smith and his successors but rather in the low-key, both scientifically and psychologically realistic vein introduced by C.J. Cherryh with her genre-changing Downbelow Station but with some added super tech, which in, which in turn is somewhat reminiscent of the late great Iain M. Banks (it even got me wondering whether Bear may not have intended the Synarche (the galactic civilization she describes here) as a kind of proto-Culture). And it is, by far more obviously than The Cobbler’s Boy was, a riff off Stevenson’s Treasure Island. It even has a Long John Silver analogue in Sexy Pirate Zanya Farweather, who may not quite live up to the original (but then, seriously, who does?) but comes very close indeed.
For its first half, the novel seems quite linear – our first person protagonist Haimey Dz and her two team members (one of them an AI) attempt to salvage a stranded alien star ship, are attacked by pirates and then hunted through half the galaxy. Then there is a sudden and quite sharp turn of events, Haimey finds out that she is not who we (or indeed, she herself) thought she was, and the novel switches to introspection and psychodrama, only for the narrative to change direction again and culminate in a treasure hunt. And ongoing through all of this are discussions about politics, identity, freedom and several other big concepts, making this an adventure novel of ideas; and in the tradition of the very best Science Fiction the debates are just as adventurous as the action. at about 500 pages, the novel is not even that huge, but it is crammed full with enough action and ideas to easily have filled a thousand pages under the pen of a lesser writer. Bear, however manages to juggle both her action apples and her concept coconuts so well that she not only never drops any of them but also creates an interwoven pattern in which they enhance and emphasize each other.
Every time the action pauses to let the reader catch their breath, there is some pertinent political debate, a fascinating philosophical point or just some scintillating piece of world building to delight in. It’s all brilliantly constructed (but of course, one would not expect anything else from Elizabeth Bear) and a lot of fun to read (which, again, is no surprise with this particular author). Ancestral Night is both thought-provoking and an enjoyable romp and strongly recommended. Apparently, Bear is currently writing on a not-quite-a-sequel novel which will be set in the same universe and while not being a direct continuation will share some links with Ancestral Nights – needless to say, I am very much looking forward to that.
Oh, and I’d totally read a novel about space mantis cop investigating crime.
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one feels seriously tempted to believe that there may exist a benevolent God after all.Ancestral Night is, I think, Elizabeth Bear’s first straightforward Science Fiction novel since her Jacob’s Ladder trilogy and appears to be set in the same universe as that one (I have not read the trilogy yet, but Ancestral Night openly references it at one stage). It is space opera, but not in the over-the-top vein practiced by E.E. Smith and his successors but rather in the low-key, both scientifically and psychologically realistic vein introduced by C.J. Cherryh with her genre-changing Downbelow Station but with some added super tech, which in, which in turn is somewhat reminiscent of the late great Iain M. Banks (it even got me wondering whether Bear may not have intended the Synarche (the galactic civilization she describes here) as a kind of proto-Culture). And it is, by far more obviously than The Cobbler’s Boy was, a riff off Stevenson’s Treasure Island. It even has a Long John Silver analogue in Sexy Pirate Zanya Farweather, who may not quite live up to the original (but then, seriously, who does?) but comes very close indeed.
For its first half, the novel seems quite linear – our first person protagonist Haimey Dz and her two team members (one of them an AI) attempt to salvage a stranded alien star ship, are attacked by pirates and then hunted through half the galaxy. Then there is a sudden and quite sharp turn of events, Haimey finds out that she is not who we (or indeed, she herself) thought she was, and the novel switches to introspection and psychodrama, only for the narrative to change direction again and culminate in a treasure hunt. And ongoing through all of this are discussions about politics, identity, freedom and several other big concepts, making this an adventure novel of ideas; and in the tradition of the very best Science Fiction the debates are just as adventurous as the action. at about 500 pages, the novel is not even that huge, but it is crammed full with enough action and ideas to easily have filled a thousand pages under the pen of a lesser writer. Bear, however manages to juggle both her action apples and her concept coconuts so well that she not only never drops any of them but also creates an interwoven pattern in which they enhance and emphasize each other.
Every time the action pauses to let the reader catch their breath, there is some pertinent political debate, a fascinating philosophical point or just some scintillating piece of world building to delight in. It’s all brilliantly constructed (but of course, one would not expect anything else from Elizabeth Bear) and a lot of fun to read (which, again, is no surprise with this particular author). Ancestral Night is both thought-provoking and an enjoyable romp and strongly recommended. Apparently, Bear is currently writing on a not-quite-a-sequel novel which will be set in the same universe and while not being a direct continuation will share some links with Ancestral Nights – needless to say, I am very much looking forward to that.
Oh, and I’d totally read a novel about space mantis cop investigating crime.
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LibraryThing member quondame
An ancient alien space vehicle with body invading and interfacing structures. Interstellar piracy and corruption, self administered drugging to enforce social norms. Sapient AIs with rights and obligations. With lots of time consuming space travel, but a limited cast this volume should have enough
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elements for a grand space opera, but spends the bulk of its duration on a very personal scale. It's neither The Expanse or A Closed and Common Orbit and though it might not have been better if it had been aimed in either of those directions it's too drawn out for what it delivers and not nearly quick moving enough. Show Less
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
While there were times that things felt a little messy and I got a little lost this was an interesting and involved story about a woman who has had modifications to help her live the life she lives, and the trouble she gets into with her shipmates, one human, one AI and two cats and what happens
Overall it was interesting and kept me reading well past my bedtime.
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when a ship salvage goes somewhat wrong. Haimey Dz suddenly finds herself caught in a maelstrom of politics and relics of a civilization gone and her own buried past. Haimey is an interesting character who came alive for me.Overall it was interesting and kept me reading well past my bedtime.
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LibraryThing member gypsysmom
This is a bit of a slog at times but then the action would kick in and I could hardly put the book down. I also loved the idea of cats in space doing what cats do best i.e. subjecting humans to their will.
Haimey Dz travels the far reaches of space on a tug with an AI called Singer, a human male
There is quite a bit of discussion about government oversight and manipulation and free will; I found these sections dragged a bit but they are important so persevere. More enjoyable was Haimey's discussion of her reading material (think Jane Eyre and Middlemarch); I like to think that classic reading material will be important centuries into the future. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good space opera with lots of philosophical underpinnings.
Haimey Dz travels the far reaches of space on a tug with an AI called Singer, a human male
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called Connla, and two cats (Mephistopheles and Bushyasta). They work to retrieve ships that have broken down and occasionally to retrieve older wrecked spacecraft. The vast majority of sentient beings belong to the galaxy spanning government of the Synarche which allows everyone a good standard of living without needing to work for it. So Haimey and Connla are salvage operators because they enjoy it. The book starts with the group following a tip of a space-time anomaly that may be the result of a ship stuck in white space. White space is how ships manage to travel long distances without taking a long time. (It involves manipulating space-time by contracting it ahead of the ship and stretching it out behing--I don't understand the discussion of how the physics works but I assume it is a possible means of space travel.) Just as they get to the ship they discover a dead Ativahika, a large space dwelling being that is believed to be sentient. When Haimey gets on board the ship she discovers why the Ativahika was there; the ship was rendering the Ativahika for a drug called asura which is a powerful hallucinogenic. And then the pirates turn up and fire on Singer. Oh and Haimey gets infected with a foreign substance that gives her the ability to plot travel in white space. This is all in the first 50 or so pages of a 500 page books. So I am not going to try to describe the rest of the plot except to say that Moon almost convinces me that it would be great fun to live without gravity and travel through space.There is quite a bit of discussion about government oversight and manipulation and free will; I found these sections dragged a bit but they are important so persevere. More enjoyable was Haimey's discussion of her reading material (think Jane Eyre and Middlemarch); I like to think that classic reading material will be important centuries into the future. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good space opera with lots of philosophical underpinnings.
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LibraryThing member cfk
Haimey's an engineer and space salvage operator with her pilot--Connla and their AI--Singer. En route to rescue a prize derelict, they discover a gutted Ativahikas--a life form which resembles an enormous seahorse. Their intended prize vessel was harvesting a substance to be sold as a high priced
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drug. Exploring the ship, Haimey is infected with an unidentified parasite which turns her skin into a map of the universe and dark gravity. Show Less
LibraryThing member Glennis.LeBlanc
A member of a small salvage ship is infected with illegal tech and is on the run from the pirates that were harvesting the technology on the derelict ship. Halmey, Connla and the ship AI Singer are on the run from the pirates and trying to report the crime to authorities that will listen to them.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
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The pirates beat them to their port of choice and try to recruit Halmey to their cause to use the tech she has become infected with. The pirates seem to know more about her past history than either her work partner or ship do and that bothers Halmey as well. Lots of good worldbuilding abound in this story and the aliens come across as aliens and not just other humans. I really enjoyed it and can’t wait for more. Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
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LibraryThing member jzacsh
Meh. I think I must have _actually_ read a book called "Atavistic" by Author Atavistic, starring the ancient super-intelligent race called the "Ativahika"....
Ok, I'm only making up some of that.
Anyway, if I didn't find the obsession with this word so laughably distracting, I think maybe it'd be 4
Ok, I'm only making up some of that.
Anyway, if I didn't find the obsession with this word so laughably distracting, I think maybe it'd be 4
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stars... But maybe 3 stars anyway. Lots of interesting topics covered in the book, so was enjoyable. Show Less
LibraryThing member jakecasella
Great fun, pure space opera. Wears Cherryh & Banks pretty blazenly on its sleeve, which is all to its favor. Suprisingly psychologically-focused for a long middle chunk, with big giant space action at the end. AIs, cats, ancient aliens, living spaceships, pirates, and more, this was a very fun
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read. Show Less
LibraryThing member drmaf
Deeply cerebral, high-concept space opera, with cats. A good read but difficult in parts with much introspection and pondering of deep philosophical questions about life, the universe and everything. As a straightforward space opera it works quite well. Haimey Dz, a physically and psychically
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augmented engineer and her small salvage crew locate an abandoned ship, wherein they find evidence of a hideous crime against a gentle spacefaring race and Haimey finds herself inadvertently inoculated with a sophisticated sensory web created from the flesh of the murdered creatures. Before she can digest the implications of this her ship is attacked by pirates and they forced to flee to a space station where they find the law less than helpful and where Haimey is contacted by an attractive and confident young pirate named Zanya Farweather, who puts Haimey on the track of a lost alien starship hidden in the black hole at the centre of the galaxy. As it turns out, Farweather has ulterior motives, and Haimey meets her again aboard the alien craft after the pirates have (Haimey thinks) destroyed her ship and crew. From there the story becomes a long slow chase to the heart of a lost civilization, while Haimey comes to terms with what she is and what she has become. Its a dense book, readers looking for rip-roaring guns blazing space opera will be disappointed, but as far as it goes the author has found a comfortable medium between genuine space opera and more philosophical SF that repays the patience needed to see it through. Show Less
LibraryThing member Chris.Bulin
This was an interesting way too frame a discussion of politics and personal agency. I liked the aliens and the tech, but the plot left me feeling a little let down and I'm not entirely sure why.
LibraryThing member SChant
I struggled to almost half-way through and just couldn't find anything to make it worth continuing. Didn't care for the protagonist, the writing style was somehow trivialising of some major issues, the plot was random. There were interesting ideas in there - how societies could be organised to be
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co-operative and concerned with community rather than self, for one - but those ideas were not developed enough. DNF. Show Less
LibraryThing member macha
set in the far future, a compelling space opera, with a little ship sailing a big universe populated with a lot of alien races. the narrator's voice is charming. the territory and the point of view bring to mind Iain Banks. Elizabeth Bear can really write, and she's lot lots to say. first of a
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series called White Space. Show Less
LibraryThing member ladyoflorien
Overall I liked the book but found the main character's internal monologue/character study annoying at points. I really liked the plot, human modifications available (including psychological), AIs being sentient and how they pay off their "birth", and the concept of white space. A lot of the book
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however is the main character's internal monologue and it wasn't my cup of tea. Show Less
LibraryThing member wunder
There is some interesting stuff here, but it is hard to find under the first person internal monologue. It ends up reading like a cross between space opera and a Lifetime Channel dating show, the ones with long relationship speeches. With so few people in the story, it is just Haimey all the time.
With a single point of view, external plot events aren't motivated, they just happen. This may be realistic, but it starts feeling like The Hand of the Author making things happen. Because the earlier events weren't believable, a couple of later reveals were just not a surprise.
Books that spend a lot of time inside someone's head can work. Earlier this year, I read "Moving On" by Larry McMurtry. A big chunk of those thousand pages were inside Patsy Carpenter's head. But McMurtry is an exceptional writer and Patsy is just more interesting than Haimey, even though Patsy is a pretty basic white girl.
I really liked the Jenny Casey and Jacob's Ladder series from Elizabeth Bear, so I'll try more of her books, but I won't be finishing this series.
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The first half of the book fails the Bechdel test because there are only two other characters and neither one is female.With a single point of view, external plot events aren't motivated, they just happen. This may be realistic, but it starts feeling like The Hand of the Author making things happen. Because the earlier events weren't believable, a couple of later reveals were just not a surprise.
Books that spend a lot of time inside someone's head can work. Earlier this year, I read "Moving On" by Larry McMurtry. A big chunk of those thousand pages were inside Patsy Carpenter's head. But McMurtry is an exceptional writer and Patsy is just more interesting than Haimey, even though Patsy is a pretty basic white girl.
I really liked the Jenny Casey and Jacob's Ladder series from Elizabeth Bear, so I'll try more of her books, but I won't be finishing this series.
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LibraryThing member Guide2
Somewhat confusing at the beginning and a bit long, but interesting main character and some nice concepts.
LibraryThing member Shrike58
I can say that I like this novel, but I can't say that I love it. Bear gets points for set-up, and for sticking the landing, but the first-person monologue POV does get tedious, if not downright claustrophobic at points. Maybe that's a feature, not a bug, for the author's imagined reader, but it
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tends to give the novel all the narrative "snap" of a wet noodle. Bear has spoken that the perspective she wound up adopting for this novel was basically the only way it was going to get done, and at least Haimey Dx never felt like just a mouthpiece for the author's opinions (a gripe I've had with a number of novels I've read recently). I'm a little more tolerant if this is basically a free-standing story, even if more books are planned for the setting in question; a trilogy of this stuff is just not attractive to me. This is said considering that I'm all for seeing more novels that are a direct tribute to Iain Banks. Show Less
LibraryThing member lavaturtle
This is an intriguing new setting, with a lot to say about political philosophy and what it means to be a society. I really liked the protagonist, and thought her struggle with identity and trauma was handled well. The supporting cast is great too. The ending was satisfying and tied things up well.
LibraryThing member jazzbird61
Elizabeth Bear is my new hero. I am now a SF fan.
Awards
Locus Award (Finalist — Science Fiction Novel — 2020)
Language
Original language
English